Rabu, 20 Juni 2012

10 Things to do in New York in the Summertime

1. Sit on the grass roof terrace at Lincoln Center. This stylish sloping green lawn is situated on top of a restaurant at the recently remodelled Lincoln Center and overlooks Lincoln Center’s reflecting pool and Henry Moore sculpture. The night I was there was a perfect summer night and the bonus was it was a full moon which hung in the sky with the city scape of New York below it. I had a hard time leaving.
2. Visit Vicente Wolf. I met Vicente when he was in Vancouver this Spring and he invited me to drop in and see him when I next in New York. He showed me around his office and then his showroom which is packed with treasures that he purchases on his yearly trips to exotic locations.

Vicente Wolf New York Showroom
3. See a play in the theatre district. This time I saw Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre. It is the story of the Wizard of Oz long before Dorothy drops in, and the relationship of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. It was a great show. Be sure to dress up and have a nice dinner before the theatre, as I think it makes the experience all the more special.





Wicked NYC Curtain                                        A close-up picture I took of the curtain before the show started
 

4. Have dinner at:
La Esquina in Soho 
You have to walk down a flight of stairs and through the kitchen to get to the restaurant. Book well in advance as it is very popular. It is the best Mexican food I have had outside of Mexico. I was told by a friend to try the deep fried Crickets. I was happy when I was told that they were no longer on the menu so I didn’t have to lie and say I had them. They also have a selection of over 200 premium tequilas. The waiters wore red t-shirts with ‘SEXICO’ on the front. 

Le Colonial in the Upper East Side
The ambiance of French Colonial Vietnam (Indo Chine) of the 1920’s has been recreated in this two storey townhouse, decorated with black and white period photos, ceiling fans, lush potted palms. I had one of their signature dishes - Vietnamese crisp-seared whole red snapper with a light, spicy and sour sauce. Yummm!

5. Have lunch at Bergdorf Goodman’s restaurant, decorated by Kelly Wearstler and overlooking Central Park. 
6. Shop, shop, shop
My favourite street is Madison. I start at Barneys at 61st and walk up to 70th and then down 70th to visit one of the most beautiful galleries in New York - the Frick, with a stop at the Nespresso Boutique between 65th & 66th for an Iced Latte and the best quiche outside of Paris. This trip I also “did Soho” and discovered some new stores:

7. Walk Central Park South East
I never knew this pond was here in Central Park. As we were walking back to our Hotel after our shop, shop, shop afternoon, I saw the trail lead into Central Park – you enter off of 5th Ave and 60th Street. In a few short moments we were transported into another world – a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is situated below street level, and  the noises of the city are left behind. We were able to walk through the lush park almost all the way back to our Hotel. 
NY Central Park South



8. Visit Francine at Interieurs. Francine is a friend of mine that I met through the Blogosphere. One of the highlights of my visits to New York is to visit her at her wonderful store and then go out to dinner together. Francine has one of the most outstanding roof decks in all of New York where she hosts many parties in the summer. There is never enough time to catch up on everything. She is busy working out with a personal trainer to prepare herself for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September. 



Interieurs NYC



9. Have drinks at the Empire Hotel which is where Gossip Girls is filmed and has the official drink Cocktail List of the ‘Gossip Girls’ TV show with catchy names like: I’m Chuck Bass – Dewar’s Scotch, Red Apple, Ginger Bites and Apple Cider.

10. Visit MoMA
Get there early especially if you go on the weekend. We arrived at 10:30 on Sunday morning with a short line-up and by the time we left at 12:30 the line-up outside was down the street and around the corner. I head up to the top floor (and work my way down) to see my favourite painting – Monet’s Water Lilies which I could feast my eyes on forever. It is an amazing 42 feet in length. Tip: This trip I purchased a membership which is very cost effective and means you don’t have to stand in a line-up.

Monet Water Lilies MoMA

Selasa, 19 Juni 2012

Bedroom Interior Designs

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Senin, 18 Juni 2012

Bar Interior Design

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Sabtu, 16 Juni 2012

White Paint and Other White Necessities

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I have to admit a secret of mine...I am a white SNOB - okay now you know my innermost secret. I use only white candles, white dishes, white towels, white flowers (although I have been known to buy colored tulips), and white sheets. Nothing is more classic than white. White dishes set off the food on them perfectly. I cannot have a good sleep on anything other than white sheets, and white candles and white towels are absolute.

In interiors I love how white highlights good architecture, and any object in the room that has "good bones." White walls are a good backdrop for objects d' art and paintings that are placed in the room - white walls give focus to the lines of the items that are juxtaposed in front of them. 

Painting a room white can make it have surprising depth. When I design an all-white room I use several different shades of white to bring out the architectural details, or I layer the space with strong forms in different tones and textures of white and then use some strong color contrasts to outline and bring the white into focus. My all time favorite white color is - Benjamin Moore paint Cloud White. It is a very soft white and easy to live with. It has a chameleon effect - taking on the colors of what is set next to it and changing in tone at various times of the day. Not every white is snow white. Try using whites tinted with: ivory, cream, antique white, and palest beige, blue and yellow. An interesting fact on the popularity of white is that Benjamin Moore has over 140 whites to choose from. 

To maximize the light in a room I chose a paint with a semigloss finish rather than the latex matte finish more usual on walls. The "chalkier" matte finish absorbs light; the semi-gloss is more reflective.

Some of my favorite whites I use are are from Benjamin Moore: Cloud White, Simply White, Ballet White, White Dove, White Linen and Designer White.
White Paint Benjamin Moore  White Paint Benjamin Moore
White Paint Benjamin Moore  White Paint Benjamin Moore
 White Paint Benjamin Moore White Paint Benjamin Moore trevortondro com photographer 
 Jennifer Post White Paint Benjamin Moore  Jennifer Post White Paint Benjamin Moore
 Jennifer Post White Paint Benjamin Moore  ptithabibi com White Paint Benjamin Moore

Jumat, 15 Juni 2012

Palm Springs Salton Sea

This year I was fortunate to be able to spend Christmas and bring in the New Year in Palm Springs with my Dad. Although the weather was not the best because of the torrential rain and flooding that hit most of Southern California, I did manage to get in some pool time, check out the Real Estate Market, see some of the sights and do some power shopping at Cabazon Outlet Mall – more on all of this in another post.
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En Route to Salton Sea


One of the first things that I wanted to see this trip was the Salton Sea. The last time I was in Palm Springs I got a glimpse of the Salton Sea from a distance and it has stayed in my memory ever since. I was so transfixed by this far away glimpse that when I got back to Vancouver I tried to recreate an image of it in a piece of artwork. So on this trip an all day outing was planned. I was anxious to see if the Salton Sea was really like what I had painted it to be. The night before, in preparation for the trip, we watched an informative video of the history of the area. Early in the morning we loaded up the car with a picnic lunch of sandwiches of leftover Christmas ham, trifle for dessert and beverages and we set off on an all day adventure.  
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Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Rest Area


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Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Rest Area

The Salton Sea is a salt water lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault in Southern California. The lake occupies the lowest elevation in the Colorado Desert in Southern California.  It is currently 226 ft below sea level.
The creation of the Salton Sea of today started in 1905, when heavy rainfall and snowmelt caused the Colorado River to swell, overrunning a set of head gates for the Alamo Canal. The resulting flood poured down the canal and breached an Imperial Valley dike. Over a period of approximately two years this newly created river sporadically carried the entire volume of the Colorado River into the Salton Sink.
The Southern Pacific Railroad attempted to stop the flooding by dumping earth into the canal's head gates area, but the effort was not fast enough, and as the river eroded deeper and deeper into the dry desert sand of the Imperial Valley the basin filled and it resulted in the formation of the Salton Sea.
In the 1920s, the Salton Sea developed into a tourist attraction, because of its water recreation, and waterfowl attracted to the area. Celebrities used to trail their toes in the brine, but few people dare take a dip today.
The Salton Sea has had some success as a resort area in the past but today it is not exactly a thriving area as evidenced by what I saw in the town of Bombay Beach which was built on the eastern shore in the 1950s. Today the inhabitants of Bombay Beach live below the poverty level.


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Bombay Beach Salton Sea 

The Salton Sea is a major sanctuary for migrating and wading birds. It is now feared that without intervention and support the lake will dry up.
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Parched Earth Salton Sea 


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Vegetation Salton Sea



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Vegetation on the shore of the Salton Sea


Palm Springs Dec 2010 066My Dad taking pictures with his new camera. Around the Salton Sea geothermal plants are being built to harness the heated water below the earth’s surface to power electrical generators. The Salton Sea area is located on the San Andreas Fault.



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A view of the rich farming fields around the Salton Sea which are a feeding frenzy for wintering birds.


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Salvation Mountain at Slab City

Slab City is an off-the-grid community where squatters and seasonal snowbirds live in RVs and vehicles among the concrete remnants of an abandoned Navy base. Located close to the Salton Sea, east of Niland, Slab City isn't actually a city at all - it's more a loose community of squatters, snowbirds and nomads who've pitched camps across 640 acres of open desert.  Slab City and Salvation Mountain are quite a site to see, although a bit scary for my eyes.  It seems to be locked in the 1960s with the only evidence of current times being solar panels, satellite dishes, fancy RVs and off road toys.

 Salton Sea Patricia Gray 
Salton Sea 23" x 36" Mixed Media
Painting of my vision of The Salton Sea


Kamis, 14 Juni 2012

Stuart Membery

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I am please to welcome Stuart Membery as one of the valued sponsors of this Blog. Stuart Membery is one of the world's celebrated designers and his work spans Architecture, Interior, Fashion, Fine Art & Product Design. Through his background designing for such notable companies as Cartier and Esprit he has honed his experience and has branched out with his own HOME COLLECTION line which encompasses furnishings, lighting, textiles and trims, floor coverings and accessories. Stuart Membery is scheduled to open up a flagship store at the prestigious Raffles Hotel in Singapore in 2011.
Stuart Membery mostly works with mahogany and rattan for his furniture collection, and his signature style echoes the atmosphere of bygone eras. Colonial, Beach and Plantation are popular themes that run through the STUART MEMBERY HOME COLLECTION. From his Studio in Bali, Indonesia, Stuart Membery works with his draftsmen the same way he works with his pattern technicians and cutters.
I love the style of Stuart’s advertising and the atmosphere it conveys.
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STUART MEMBERY OUTDOOR FURNITURE COLLECTION 

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STUART MEMBERY TEXTILES AND TRIM COLLECTION 

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STUART MEMBERY FLOORCOVERINGS COLLECTION

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STUART MEMBERY INTERIOR LIGHTING COLLECTION 
These are some of my favourite pieces from the Stuart Membery Home Collection.


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Stuart Membery is scheduled to open up a flagship store in 2011 in the Raffles Hotel in Singapor