orient progress

more pictures to come when we take our july vacation, but here are some from this past weekend.

rug in the bedroom (now taking bets on how many times I switch it up)

new bamboo shades (feels like I need to learn to surf)

west elm sconces in the bedroom

treating the counters with linseed oil

I'd like to plant a ton of lavender in the front.  This hearty example at a local hotel/restaurant, The Greenporter inspired me.

Great Diamond Island, Maine

We were so lucky to stay on Great Diamond Island in Portland, ME this weekend.  The weather was clear and bright and the breeze pretty constant.  It was quiet and peaceful.  Casco bay sparkled, the seagrass was vibrant green, and the forest was shady and quiet with an abundance of buttercups. 

Scrabble on the porch and a beautiful sunset.

(Oh wait, it was Monopoly.  Next time, def. Scrabble!)

Happily, we were able to dine at Duckfat in the city of Portland before catching our ferry to GD.  What a great lunch of paninis and their incredible fries (yes, those would be duck fat  fried french fries.  Is there another way?)

Duckfat photos: Katie Selva

We tried to check out Fore Street, but it was only open for dinner.

Check out the pile of wood on the sidewalk in preparation for their wood burning stove.  Can't wait to go back and taste their wood-oven roasted mussels!

Had a moment to check out Anniebells.  It's a sweet shop that offers great furnishings & accessories perfect for seaside living like John Robshaw bedding and a great collection of Astier de Villatte French earthenware along with tons of fresh white and blue happy interior accents.  

I wanted don my blue & white striped tee and peddle this bike right out of the store with a Brahms Mount blanket & baguette in it's basket for a picnic on this grassy knoll:

I haven't mastered this iphone app, thus the peak of this nearby weathered barn/cottage was cropped.

There is a settlement on Diamond Cove that was a military base. It is an impeccably maintained community with stately red brick buildings.  The Country Store and restaurant, Diamond's Edge are impossibly picturesque.

Self portrait with blue bench.

India Hicks

photo: tim street-porter

India Hicks came to Boston on Wednesday and did a lovely talk about her famous father David Hicks.  The presentation was enlightening and funny.  Clearly, she has done this before.  It was also genuine and I enjoyed the anecdotes of living with an over-the-top designer for a father.  India Hicks comes from amazing lineage and tells a tale that one only dreams to live.  What most inspires me is that she has made her home on one of my favorite vacation destinations, Harbor Island.  

photo: Brittan Goetz

With her children at home on Harbor Island

above photos: Brittan Goetz & Tim Street-Porter

photo credit: Brittan Goetz

It's also not terrible that she's a model and the god daughter of Prince Charles.  She is promoting her beauty line with longtime collaborators Crabtree & Evelyn as well as her new jewelry line. 

Photos: Tim Street-Porter

The hand cream smells great!

Photos from 1st Dibs Introspective mag

Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse

This year's Kips Bay decorator show house in NYC closes today.  I am glad that I made it there two weeks ago to get a first hand view.  While they don't allow photographs, I did snap a few on the amazing terrace (hello pool & hot tub with view of the Hudson!) with permission and also a few surreptitiously.

This is a terrible shot, but do you see that sailboat?! It was stunning when a rouge sunbeam caught the sail's edge.

The Show House was at the Aldyn residence on the upper west.  The contemporary apartment was a contrast to the traditional townhouse setting where the show houses took place prior.  There were some incredible details inside.

One of my favorite rooms was "the conservatory" designed by Neal Beckstedt Studio.  This was mostly due to a vintage Arne Jacobsen coffee/tea service (or bar cart)

and an Aland Wing chair by Jean de Merry

I also enjoyed a few of the offices.  One was "Le Bureau Privé (The Private office) designed by Raji Radhakrishan.

The window treatment is so ethereal.  When I was insistent on using an unlined sheer for Roman shades at my old home, the result was also ethereal, both in the elegant sense and fragile sense. The fabric did not stand up to sun for very long.  I'd like to try again with a Trevira fabric to see how long it will last.

I was surprised to find that I really loved "A Collectors Bedroom" designed by Alexander Doherty because the cerused oak paneling worked really well with all the art. The collection of paintings was great.

I love this light switch:

this last photo credit: Heather Clawson Habitually chic

There are other aspects that I loved, but I don't have the images to share at this point.

I would be happy camping out on the terrace!  (ok, not camping exactly, but enjoying dusk with a glass of champagne would work).

remains & a new resource

Recent acquisitions from Remains Lighting.  I love the following three.

Thank you to Remodelista for introducing me to Ladies and Gentleman Studio.  I was drawn in by these fabulous lights.  Minimal, but warm with a certain mid-century bent.

Aura

I clicked on to find more great things.  I love a sling chair and this one is made of wood dowels and brass and felt.  There is a hanging version as well.

Ovis lounge chair

I like the metal tones and simplicity of these.  They harken to the tin cups that I am seeing everywhere.  Reminds me of camp (though I've only been in my fantasy youth).

Cylinder shakers

These servers are included because I love the palette.  I think they will inspire a kids room in my very near future.  Or may they be a destined acquisition for my Orient kitchen?

Superior Servers

amsterdamit

photo from Elle Decor Credit: Sylvain Sonnet/Getty Images

I was delighted when I read the spotlight on Amsterdam in June's Elle Decor.  I plan on making the trip a yearly thing each February.  We had such a blast with friends this past winter that I don't want to pass it up.
The newly reinvented Stedelijk and Rijksmuseum will be reopening this year.  Benthem Crouwel designed the modern annex to the the Stedelijk allowing twice the art to be on show.

The famous Rijksmuseum maintains it's castle like appeal and boasts several modern additions by Spanish architects Antonio(s) Cruz & Ortiz.

While I look forward to trolling the museums, I am also thrilled about new hotel designs.  The melding of old and up-to-the-minute new never bores me.  The Andaz Amsterdam will be opening this year.  It's a former library being transformed by Marcel Wanders.

The Conservatorium Hotel, designed by Piero Lissoni is a study in major luxury.

What was once a bank then became a school of music.  It houses a restaurant called Tunes where Ferran Adria (of El Bulli) is claimed to have said to the chef, Schilo van Coevorden,  "You have the best oysters and lamb, and incredible cheese."
I am saving up & making reservations STAT.   (I still mourn the closing of El Bulli.  My bucket list is one line shorter.)

Above is ACRAM, the city's center for architecture.

photo from Elle Decor

You can read the article  here.