Topsfield Antiques Market

Antiques - the ultimate in recycling! Visit the Topsfield Antiques Market this weekend!

A fantastic pedicure and Australian Vogue - Perfection!

I'm a bit slow to get this post up, but last Saturday, I treated myself to a pedicure. It's Spring and my toes were definitely not "peep-toe" ready. I cannot recommend Michelle's Nails in Duxbury highly enough for the massage that comes with the pedicures. And the massage chairs. Those ladies have magic fingers is all I'm saying. My tootsies still feel fantastic. So, before I sank into the big old pedi/massage chair, I grabbed this Australian Vogue off the magazine pile. I didn't even notice that it was from June 2007!!! Didn't matter. Especially when I came across this big spread of painter Marcella Kaspar's home outside of Sydney. Perfection. Literally, perfection.

This house is built around the pool area and has sliding walls for a totally indoor/outdoor options. I love the white interiors which showcase her artwork so beautifully, the mix of classic crystal chandeliers and modern lighting from Tord Boontje and Bernabeifreeman.

Bad scans by me, with apologies to photographer Simon Kelly. Images from Vogue Living Australia.

Too much information?

Hable Construction Sample Sale! May 21-23

NYC-based textiles company, Hable Construction is hosting their annual spring sample sale from Wednesday May 21 to Friday, May 23, from 11am-7pm
each day in the building that houses their design studio at 195 Chrystie St. New York, NY 10002, between Stanton and Rivington St. Nearby subway stops
are the F/V to 2nd Ave or the J/M to Bowery .

In the midst of their trademark totes, bedding, storage items, kids’ accessories, and pillows, they’ll be offering discounted fabric by-the-yard for sale to the
public that are typically exclusive to the trade. Other items will be discounted at 40-75% off retail prices with sale prices ranging from $10-$250. Cash and all major credit cards accepted.

Let us know if you go and what you scored!

Duxbury Days: A view of my hometown

Well, I had such a lovely day yesterday! The weather was spectacular - warm and sunny - which is a big bonus here in New England where it can still be 40's and rainy on a regular basis. After photographing my front yard which I blogged about yesterday, I treated myself to a glorious pedicure (Michelle's Nails in Duxbury - go... now!) and a nice read of Vogue Living Australia (more to follow on that).

The weather was so perfect that I decided to drive around town and take some photos. Duxbury, MA is a small, very old, town which was an offshoot of Plymouth Colony, founded around 1637. We have our share 300+ year old homes and lots and lots of new, big homes as well. We're a small town of about 16,000 that is sometimes derisively called "Deluxe-bury" for our high home prices. The town thrived early on as a ship building port, until the ships got too big for the harbor, at which point - mid-1800's - the town fell on hard times. One of the results is that many of our Federal era homes were not updated and tarted up Victorian style, so they retain their original clean lines and proportions.

Having grown up here, moved away and moved back to be closer to friends and family, I often retain the teenage attitude of "what's so great about this town" and "there's nothing to do here!". So, it's good for me to remind myself of the natural and architectural beauty of our small New England town. Above is a photo of our tiny town center, Halls Corner, (5 roads converging on a flag pole - keep to the right!). The cherry trees are losing their flowers and the sidewalk was paved with pink flower petals. It looked a bit like a fairy parade had passed by.

Here is one of our old Federal homes, near the harbor.
This Greek Revival is one of my favorite houses in town. Not huge, but oh so pretty with it's iron work facade. It kind of reminds me a bit of New Orleans.
It was prom yesterday and I captured this group of boys from the Lacrosse team posing for a buddy photo on the water, with their families playing dutiful paparazzi. Not sure how I feel about the matching white suits...


There isn't much industry in town, so when I was in high school and college, I had a myriad of babysitting and cleaning jobs around town. This lovely house was one of the homes that I cleaned one summer. I always loved this house and it's setting. I think cleaning houses as a teenager made me appreciate the importance of a well-maintained home. Some places were very well kept up, the owners generous and unassuming, and others were nearly falling down, with sloppy homeowners who fancied themselves very elite. I know to this day whose house I'd want to decorate and whose I'd steer clear from!

Here is a pic of the bay. Duxbury is on the Atlantic ocean, but we have a barrier beach separating the town proper from the actual ocean. So, water view homes are on the Bay

This pic is the same as the above, panned to the left a bit. What you see on the right is an older, small home right on the water, with a new construction of huge proportions hulking over it on the left. We have a lot of this.

And old home with amazing old growth plantings, not yet in bloom.

Our harbor.
A new construction on Powder Point. I should drop off my business card!

This is another house that I cleaned a couple of summers. The homeowner who I cleaned for was an elderly European woman who had exacting standards and all cotton sheets which needed to ironed with a very hot iron. I did a lot of ironing that summer. She was very old fashioned, and while she made me my lunch on the days I was there, we never actually ate together. I ate in the kitchen and she in the dining room. Funny. She was very nice and always interested in my life and interests. But, she couldn't bridge the upstairs/downstairs divide. Or perhaps it was generational? This is also the first house that I played a decorating role in. I made a set of dust ruffles for the twin beds in her guest room. I recall they were a sprightly yellow cotton duct.


This is also one of my favorite houses in town. The grounds are spectacular and the house is situated in a very out of the way corner. I believe this house has appeared in a national magazine spread more than once.
Here is the Ellison Center for the Arts, which was once the Catholic Church.

Here is the First Parish Church, one of our oldest town buildings. Once when I was in high school, a friend and I got access to the bell tower, and scratched our initials inside the bell. Shhh... don't tell anyone!

We're not without our town celebrities as well. Yesterday was Prom, as I mentioned above. Duxbury has no large function halls or hotels or restaurants, so historically, Prom was held out of town, often many miles away. Being a town with little to do and sometimes a little too much disposable cash, we have a long standing reputation for too much teenage drinking and there was a long stretch of time where a drunk driving related death of a high school student was an annual occurrence (3 in my time in high school). So, at some point, the powers that be decided to put an end to out of town proms, and they are now always held in the high school gym. A very quaint small town kind of thing. So, in order to dress up the pig (aka gym- shudder, shudder, shudder), the big room is transformed into a wonderland of epic proportions (last nights' theme was an Evening in Paris with ceiling high Eiffel Tower). A Hollywood Red Carpet style promenade brings out townspeople of all ages to watch the beautiful people (aka teenagers) arrive. The more interesting the mode of transportation the better. Kids come in boats on hitches, stretch hummers, bakery or ice cream trucks, fire trucks, Dad's convertible, beds carried by "slaves", bicycles built for two, Cinderella's coach, and the list goes on. This year, the largest mode of transport (probably one of the largest ever) was the tour bus of a famous rock star who lives in town, whose son is dating the daughter of two of my oldest friends. Unfortunately, I missed their arrival and didn't get their picture! And then my camera batteries died, so I got no other pics either!

Anyway, here are a couple of slide shows with more photos of my Duxbury Day, 2008. Hope you enjoy!

It's a lilac!

Congratulate me! It's a lilac! Isn't it pretty?!? And the scent is totally worth the sneezes...

I planted this lilac bush - now over 6 feet tall - from a little twig I bought at Christmas Tree Shops about seven years ago. About three years after initial planting I had the bud of a flower, which got knocked off. A year later, over zealous lawn guys chopped off the top three feet of the bush, so for the last two years, no flower. But this year, I have my first real batch of lilacs. Not enough to fill a vase, but enough to offer up a lovely scent as I come and go. I'm so proud! Those who know me know that I'm not much of a gardener. I have a deep appreciation for a beautiful garden and one of my personal fantasies is to have a beautiful English style garden - and the gardeners to maintain it. Because sadly, I never will have what it takes to do it myself. I have what I like to call a gray thumb. Things don't die, but they don't often thrive. I bought my condo around this time of year. While the architecture leaves a bit to be desired, the flowering trees and shrubs are breathtaking. As you can see below:

My front walkway

The little cherry tree - this year is really spectacular for flowering trees.

The views from my front door

My blogging friends from around the country have been posting their beautiful gardens for weeks and weeks, but we're slow to bloom here in New England - and it's always best not to plant until after Memorial Day as frost is still possible. Soon to bloom will be the hydrangea, rhodies and eventually my peony.

Happy Spring everyone!

Apple Store opens in Boston

The Apple Store opens tonight in Boston. Let's all say it -- oohh ahhh...

ICFF 2008

ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) is this weekend (May 17 - 20). Unfortunately, I can't make it this year, but wanted to highlight a few vendors who've been kind enough to send me their information.

Danish design icon Eilersen, a leader in design since the 1960's in Scandinavia, is planning to stock their high-end models in the US in order to offer delivery within two to three weeks from purchase. N. Eilersen A/S was founded in 1895 and has given both name and life to many classics. The founder, Nils Eilersen, was the first person in Denmark to use steam to form wood, and this type of innovation and tradition continue to be the mainstays of the company today. A fourth-generation, family-run business, N. Eilersen A/S has been producing distinctive furniture since the 1950s and is a global brand recognized for renowned quality, iconic designs, comfort and unparalleled durability.

Booth # 802



McKenna offers BettyLou at booth #2263. "Create an intimate candle-lit atmosphere by placing this cordless rechargeable lamp on your favorite wine glass – it shines for over seven hours. BettyLou produces a warm, bright, beautiful, and safe light."




From Orange22, their Botanist line has managed to fuse function and sustainability in the form of sleek and aesthetic indoor/outdoor furnishings.

And, their expanded Botonist "Blank canvas" collection, featuring designs by some of the industries most talented designers, such as:

Karim Rashid

Margo Chase

Visit Orange22 at booth #1618.




As part of the cultural program of the ICFF designboom will host a group exhibition of international design professionals from around the world. now in it's fourth year the new york mart will, once again provide an unprecedented opportunity to meet the young avant-garde and become familiar with their work. visitors are able to buy design souvenirs™ and limited edition pieces (priced from:$10 USD - $100 USD) directly from the designers themselves.
At booth # 205



And last but definitely not least, blogging friend Susan Serra, The Kitchen Designer, introduces Danish kitchen & bath line Hansen to the US market.





Visit Susan at booth #812, the Danish Consulate Section. And tell her I sent you!

Good luck to Susan and all the exhibitors. If you're going, don't forget to wear your walking shoes!!

Visit ICFF's website here.

And the Winner Is... Inspiration Contest

Congratulations to Leanna Hamill!

"What inspires me is the same color blue that I painted my bedroom as a child. It was the color I painted my living room in one of my apartments, and didn't realize until afterwards that it was the same color. And it is the color of my office now. It brings me a sense of peace and calm to be surrounded by that color, and I continue to be drawn to it."


My favorite color today - celery green - comes from my childhood bedroom too, Leanna!

Thanks to everyone for contributing your design inspirations to our contest. Lots of great stories and ideas! It goes to show we can take our inspiration from anything, but most stories have to do with memories and the feelings they bring back to us.

A big thanks to Artaissance for sponsoring this months contest. I so appreciate your support!

Boston Design Center 2008 Dream Home

I visited the Boston Design Center Dream Home last week and had the place to myself to take photos. This show, which took place for the first time last year, is set up in an empty showroom on the 6th floor. Several area designers were selected to bring to life a room in the home, using furniture and materials available at the design center.




Click here for a slide show of all the photos I took.

The BDC website will not showcase photos for a couple of weeks. But, at some point they will have an inventory of many of the items available in the different showrooms of the center.

The tour, which is open from now till July 31st, is free, although donations are being accepted to benefit the Esplanade Association.

Here are some still images from the various rooms.

The Entry
C&J Katz Studio

The Study
Jill Litner Kaplan Interiors

The Dining Room
Gerald Pomeroy Design Group

The Living Room

Gregory van Boven Interiors

The Bedroom
Eric Roseff Designs

The Bathroom

Patterson Group - (617) 443-4904

The Family Room

Leslie Fine Interiors

The Kitchen
Mark Bombara Interior Design

The Library
Tony Cappoli Interiors

Overall, I'd say each room was well done and unique. It's a shame that there are no ceilings on the space as there were many beautiful ceiling fixtures and pendants that were very interesting, but lost something because they had to be hung from beams.



Photography by Linda Merrill for ::Surroundings::

ONE MORE DAY TO GO!