Posted by Lena

I just got back from a quick trip to Portland, Maine. I was there to work, but spent a big portion of the time eating!

Dining in, dining out... both simple food and sophisticated... it was all so delicious.

Here are some snapshots of my meals in Portland, and a list of restaurants I highly recommend.

FORE STREET
Fantastic local, seasonal food in a beautiful old building.
288 Fore Street

BRESCA
A sweet, intimate restaurant with great Italian dishes, also made with fresh, local ingredients.
111 Middle Street

BLUE SPOON
The perfect place to get a really delicious soup and salad for lunch.
89 Congress St

FLAT BREAD COMPANY
Wood fired pizza with toppings like organic vegetables, homemade maple fennel sausage, and goat cheese.
72 Commercial Street

SARA'S TEA SHOP
This sweet little tea shop doesn't have a website, but the loose teas are wonderful and the homemade scones are to die for.
195 Congress street

I had the chance to visit the showroom of Joe Nye New York last week, and I was not disappointed! There are so many great pieces there that I was ready to ship half of the store home to Atlanta. Many of the finds can be attributed to Joe himself, while others are courtesy of the guys from Downtown. (I mean really, is this not a winning combination? Joe is the walking embodiment of style with a capital "S", while David and Robert of Downtown know what's going to be hot eons before the rest of us do.)

What really caught my eye was a new line of hand-forged wrought iron and steel patio furniture that is being sold at JNNY. The chairs, benches, and tables (the large basket-shaped one doubles as a planter) are powder coated in a choice of sixteen different colors, although custom colors can be special ordered (all pieces are made here in the States). And they don't rust! To me, the furniture looks a bit Elsie de Wolfe with some Mathieu Mategot and Rene Prou thrown in for good measure. How neat are these shield-back chairs?





Here is just a sample of what was in the showroom last week. If you see anything of interest, I encourage you to contact Karen at the showroom. She is really knowledgeable and nice too! (Tel. 212-486-7551)

I know many of you are in the throes of planning Spring parties and charity events, and believe me, I know that it can be daunting to decide on a scheme for an event. Sometimes all it takes is a spark... which is why I thought I would show some images from last week's New York City Ballet Spring Gala which was designed by none other than Charlotte Moss in collaboration with the talented DeJuan Stroud. (Moss and her husband Barry S. Friedberg were also Chairmen on the event.)

The event kicked off the Ballet's Jerome Robbins Celebration, so naturally the evening's program included such Robbins' works as Circus Polka, The Four Seasons, and of course West Side Story Suite. It was the graphic backdrop of this last piece that inspired the design duo's scheme for the event: yellow and black. I think this was an interesting choice because this color combination is graphic and gutsy and is not usually seen in Moss' residential work. But this is where Moss and Stroud were absolutely correct- when planning an event, sometimes you've got to think big and bold. What might work in a small room at home might fall flat in a large space, especially one like Lincoln Center.

Stroud and Moss, seen above attending to pre-gala details, kept things interesting by mixing up the table settings. Some tables had yellow cloths and small arrangements of yellow roses and protea, while others were all about black- black tablecloths, big black vases, and tall branches of forsythia.








Mixing up the table settings keeps things interesting.

Of course, the table settings are not the only things that need to be considered. What to do with the general atmosphere of the space? Are there architectural details that can be incorporated into your design scheme? Are there large voids that need to be attended to? In a place like Lincoln Center, it was important to make sure guests did not feel overwhelmed by the vastness of the space. I think they managed the space issue quite successfully, both with the tall masses of yellow flowering branches and with the yellow sculptural pieces hanging from the ceiling. And how great does the yellow and black striped banner look behind the Nadelman sculpture?


Bringing a large space down to size


It's all about the details

I hope that these tips might help you in planning your next event. With a little creativity, forethought, and careful planning, not only will your party be a success, but you too will be cool as a cucumber the night of the event. Just like Charlotte Moss.


Moss making her entrance at the Gala.

(For more information on the New York City Ballet, click here.)

(Image of Moss at top courtesy of Erin Baiano/Paul Kolnik studio. Decor shots and image of Moss at bottom: Mary Hilliard.)

1. invest in the best
Instead of filling a room quickly with things you can afford, enjoy the process and slowly add pieces you absolutely love.
2. borrow your own clothes
If you love the hue of a blouse (or anything smooth-textured), bring it to a paint store to be scanned and reproduced.
3. lighten up
Reflective, sparkly fabrics and wallpapers draw light into any space.
4. work with what you've got
Play up a room's assets. If it has high ceilings, put up really tall curtains. If it's a dark box, don't try to alter it—painting it bright white will only make it seem dingy; instead, go for cozy.
5. lights!
Even in small rooms, aim for at least three light sources—ideally a floor lamp and matching table lamps—to banish gloomy corners.
6. go antique-chic
Invest in one fabulous antique per room, to set the tone for the entire space.
7. think outside the welcome mat
Don't neglect your entryway! Think of it as an appetizer for what comes next. It should reflect your home's overall style but also contain something special, so guests want to see more.
8. collect more
Collect something that speaks to you. No matter what it is, there's impact in numbers.
9. skirt the issue
Skirted tables in offices or entryways can hide all manner of ills: shoes, kids' backpacks, mail—even filing cabinets.
10. beyond wallpaper
Upholstering, rather than papering, walls yields a layer of softness and luxury for about the same price.

I used to love shopping for stationery… But I swear the cash registers at Target and Trader Joe’s are the only places I check out in person anymore, mostly due to my 3-foot shopping companion, whose idea of fun is removing absolutely every product from the shelves. Trust me, this type of behavior is not conducive to picking out a belated birthday card. Then a few months ago, my favorite stationery designer Cheree Berry told me about Redstamp.com, an online boutique that truly mimics the go-to neighborhood stationery shop?where the owners source all the best current designers (Cheree, of course, plus Thomas Paul, Snow & Graham, Egg Press, Russell + Hazel, Night Owl Paper Goods and dozens more), and will actually talk to you in person if you have pressing questions (no 1-800 number here).

As busy moms and business women, the owners Erin and Renee understand that service is as important as style, and that’s where Redstamp soars in my book. You just can’t top their “send for you” service, where an anonymous someone with impeccable penmanship will hand-write, hand-address, and mail your cards for you. Definitely worth an extra $5 if that belated birthday card is at risk of hitting way-beyond-belated status. ? Megan K.

There has been much talk lately about the fate of Brooke Astor's apartment. I think many of us are on pins and needles waiting to see if the new owners (whoever they might be) will destroy the famous interiors, preserve them in all of their glory, or simply refresh them. But closer to my home there is another prominent house I'm worried about: the Goodrum House located on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta.

Built in 1929 by famed architect Philip Shutze, the house is considered to be a prime example of English Regency architecture. Before it housed its current tenant, the Southern Center for International Studies, the house was a private home. While growing up, I always heard it referred to as the "Peacock Mansion" because the homeowner kept peacocks on the estate. (In fact, I remember on a few occasions going to school and seeing traffic held up because a peacock had gotten loose and was wandering the streets!) There were many other wild stories associated with the house which I won't print on my blog, but needless to say they only added to the home's allure- at least to this wide-eyed gal.

And now the Southern Center is selling the home. My biggest fear is that whoever buys the Goodrum House will rip it asunder and remove anything original and unique to the home. Believe me, Atlanta is losing its beautiful old homes at an alarming rate. The whole thing upsets me, so perhaps I should put my money where my mouth is and join the Preservation Center. In the meantime, I wanted to show you a few photos of this beautiful home. They certainly don't make them like they used to. I just hope whoever buys this home realizes it.





A few shots of the entryway. Is that a banister or what! Wouldn't you be thrilled to have that in your home?




The dining room is famous for its glorious Chinoiserie mural painted by Allyn Cox.


The ceiling of this octagonal breakfast room was painted by Athos Menaboni. The effect is like being inside of a bird-cage. Menaboni also painted the niches as well. Can you imagine a better way to start your day than by having a cup of coffee in this room?



The living room. Although it's sparsely furnished today, the room has real potential. Just look at the molding and carvings.

My brother just sent me the funniest email and I thought I’d share:

Hey!

I took this by my house yesterday, D.O.T. at their finest:

It's Decorator Showhouse season again! Currently underway is one of the top showhouses in the country, the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Benjamin Dhong, an interior designer who is designing for his very first showhouse, has created a really serene and elegant bathroom. Dhong was inspired by a trip through Sweden last summer where he saw rooms that were "a dazzling mix of high and low end furniture." Wanting to achieve a mix of traditional and contemporary, Dhong covered the walls in a very soothing, soft faux bois. But there's nothing rustic about this bathroom. I love the tailored shower curtain, table skirt, and curtain. And don't you just love the mirror and the smart little Saarinen stools? I think it's safe to say that Benjamin Dhong is definitely a designer to watch!

My fiancé’s dear friend Nancy moved to Joshua Tree, California, several years ago with her long-time love, sculptor and furniture maker Alma Allen. We visited the couple, in their newly built, nearly finished home, this past Christmas, and I immediately fell in love with their modern, bio-regionally designed, green home, which was built to suit the harsh, gorgeous desert climate. Nancy and Alma built the home together over the course of a couple years, with minimal outside help. Here, Nancy tells us about the trials, tribulations, and rewards of living, working, and building with your true love, and how their home has inspired their design sensibilities, future project ideas, and new, rural lifestyle.

Elka: Tell me a little about the process of designing your home.

Nancy: Alma had always wanted to build his own house and thought about the design for years. Joshua Tree provided a perfect climate to incorporate a large courtyard, which had always interested him. The protected outdoor area provides shelter from the wind and creates an area for plants that would be devoured by the local wildlife outside the walls. The design of the house continues to be a work in progress. The layout was changed from the original drawings in many ways while we actually built and we continue to explore possibilities.

E: What were your biggest challenges?
N: Living in a Streamline trailer for two and a half years as we built. The trailer is the polar opposite of the passive solar construction of our house. The trailer is hot when it?s hot and cold when it?s cold. Dealing with the Building Department and local water and power companies for new construction was also challenging. Building codes do not encourage or even allow some aspects of green building. Although you have to pick your battles, we learned to not take no for an answer from the power and water companies, who often give false information.

E: Now that your house is nearly finished, what are you especially pleased with?

N: We are especially pleased with the passive-solar construction of the house. With the large south facing windows (which face directly to Joshua Tree National Park) and more minimal east/west exposure, as well as the thick cement floors with radiant floor heating/cooling and a geo-thermal loop, the house stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. We?re also delighted with the homemade solar water heater which heats 250 gallons up to 140 degrees in the day and is currently maintaining a temperature of 115 overnight. (If we run the heating all night the temperature does go down as the tank is drained.)

E: Why Joshua Tree?

N: We had a shop for a few years in Los Angeles but grew tired of the daily commute and paying rent for Alma’s studio in downtown LA, our apartment in Silverlake, and our retail space in Venice. Alma and I are both originally from Utah and love the red rock desert. We considered moving to Southern Utah outside of Zion?s National Park, but Las Vegas would be the closest big city and we like our beer and wine. In Joshua Tree we are now only two hours away from Los Angeles, so we can easily have continuity with our work in LA, such as studio visits with Alma?s collectors.

E: What sort of interior features did you consider from both an aesthetic and practical point of view?

N: The fir tongue and groove ceiling. More work in some ways and less in others because it doesn’t require drywall and paint. Once it?s installed it?s done. It also breathes. Due to our very steep driveway, we were required to put in fire sprinklers, which have proven to be very practical for hanging lights!

E: Can you describe your interior design style?
N: Chunky minimal

E: What are your favorite objects in the house?
N: Alma’s sculpture. Fritz & Clara [the dogs]!

E: How about favorite furniture?
N: Alma’s furniture made from salvaged wood! I also love some of the vintage George Nelson cabinets.

E: What’s the hardest part about living here? The most rewarding?
N: The hardest part about living in Joshua Tree is the lack of good food. We miss abundant farmer?s markets and great restaurants, especially sushi…although we have more time and motivation to cook and recently I made my own kimchi! The most rewarding parts are the open spaces, wildlife sightings and the night skies. A giant tortoise tried to walk into our living room this week.

E: What are your needs, business-wise, for this space?
N: The space is comprised of two buildings separated by a large courtyard. The south area is living space and the north building is the wood workshop and sculpture gallery/office. Alma is also building a separate building with a steel frame for stone carving, which will house our solar panels as well as allow for cranes to move heavy materials. Separating the workspace from the living space will hopefully allow us to take advantage of increased tax incentives for solar-powered businesses.

E: What are your future building and renovation plans?
N: We?re going to build an outdoor shower using the solar water heater and the stone carving building.

E: Any advice to folks looking to build or renovate together?
N: Don?t do it… kidding! My advice would be to enjoy the endeavors that go wrong or not as planned as an unexpected opportunity for wabi-sabi - the beauty of imperfection and/or incompleteness. The epoxy that didn?t polish out of the cracks in the cement, the giant tub of permanent black dye that exploded… some of the things that caused tears while in the process turn out to be quite charming in the end.

What a great pillow by Nate Williams. Check out more of his art here.

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

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