Chihuly in London

A little bit of Chihuly to brighten your day! This is the last remaining bit from his exhibit in 2001 but still remains as glamorous as ever 10 years later in the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Conran Competition

The Conran shop in London has set up some of their iconic furnishings beside iconic photographs from the Getty Images collection. They are also running a competition to create your own iconic image in their furniture space. The winners get a $2000 shopping spree! Incorporating facebook into the mix, you can post your entries there and hope to win a shopping spree at their shop. I had some fun with my sister in the shop last week snapping shots of her in one of her favorite chairs, the Eames Time-Life chair.

Color Story Monday: T is for Teal

Last week there was an article in the NY Times about the latest subway line color selection. The T line has been selected to be designated by the color labeled robin's egg blue by the MTA. Others they say refer to it as teal and I have to agree with the label of teal instead of robin's egg blue. The color is soaring in popularity at the moment and was even decided as the color of the year in fashion by the Pantone Institute.
While the NY Times article discusses how most interior designers loathe the color, I feel that it can easily be embraced in small doses.

1. Do as Jonathan Adler proclaims and "make your china cabinet happy" with his carnaby scale mugs.
2. Add an official T line Christmas ornament to your tree this year.
3. Paint a door with Benjamin Moore Cool Aqua
4. These glossy and colorful lacquer frames from Z Gallerie are perfect for your fav B&W's.
5. The cane lamp from Emissary Home puts a modern color onto a traditional motif.

City Style Guide: Vienna

During my blog hiatus, I got to take a brief trip to Vienna and was amazed at how this city surrounds itself with a fantastic art scene. The land of Wiener Schnitzel also doesn't let down when it comes to dining, shopping, and relaxing rain or shine.
SLEEP
As you pull up to Le Meridien you are greeted by a row of pristine Vespas for rent, and the fun doesn't end there. The lobby is an art gallery on its own with contemporary works continuously evolving from Austria's up and coming artists.
For an authentic old world Austrian feel with grand marble and intricate fabrics, stay at the swanky Bristol hotel instead.

EAT
Be sure to check out Naschmarkt or as I prefer to say Nosh Market for a fun foodie experience.
If you are a fan of the 1950's American diner aesthetic don't miss the multiple Aida cafes throughout the city serving up coffee and cake.
Pastell is an airy, bright space with traditional Austrian dishes and friendly owners.
Stop in at Kantine for a quick bite and drink in between museum hopping in the museum quartier.

SHOP 
Every major modern furniture designer seems to have a showroom here and they are all really fun to stumble upon as you walk this city.
Bodum: The company store devoted to their colorful and ergonomically designed kitchenware.
Spodd: A contemporary women's clothing store filled with an amazing selection of jeans
Lomography: The world's first store devoted to the photographic art of Lomography.
Kare: A cheap and chic home store that is similar in style to Z Gallerie
Butlers: A German home store filled with lots of affordable extras to pick up for your next party.
Ordning & Reda: A Swedish paper company devoted to simple Scandinavian design in an array of colors.
Kartell: You can pick up your own piece of contemporary art for your home at the Kartell flagship store right next to the Museum Quartier.

SEE
The center of Vienna is built around Stephansplatz, a gorgeous Gothic cathedral with a tiled roof in a colorful chevron pattern.
The entire MQ (museum quartier) is a must see rain or shine. In the rain visit the interiors of the museums, and when the sun is shining lounge outside in the urban living room that is the courtyard of the Museum Quartier. Check out the award winning lounge chairs that are a constant throughout the space.

Paperwork

My bookkeeper has been giving me the stink eye all day!

Back to Basics Baking

The search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie is an American tradition in any chef's kitchen. I luckily didn't have to search far after getting David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert book last year. I am a huge fan of David Lebovitz ever since I took an ice cream making class with him a few years ago in San Francisco. His dessert recipes are no fail and delicious, plus for an American abroad his measurements in metric and traditional American measurements make my life so much easier! In my opinion his most recent book has the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and I made some last week for the arrival of a few house guests. Here is the recipe for the perfect Chocolate Chip cookie:
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (about 225 g) nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, or macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 14 ounces (400 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2- to 1-inch (1.5- to 3-cm) chunks or 3 cups (340 g) chocolate drops

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chunks.
On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick and place the disks 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, as I do, err on the side of underbaking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

One Tough Art Critic

There was an article earlier in the year in the NY Times about how to handle your children's artwork. As an artist growing up, I was constantly creating things and I'm sure that some things were saved by my mother, but I wouldn't have expected everything to be kept. There is a fine line between hoarding and being sentimental with your children's art. Thanks to digital technology, we no longer have to walk that line. I created the pieces below for a client who had saved all of her children's art along her garage walls. With the use of the computer, I was able to organize her kids' artwork into a modern piece of artwork all their own! Now that her kids are in college, it seemed especially important to preserve her kids' artwork.

From the Editor's Desk

My blog was overdue for a cleanup and some updates, so I decided the summer would be a great time for that. It took a little longer than expected especially since the final outcome isn't as snazzy as I had hoped. I attempted to switch over to a new platform and realized that for right now having full control myself and simply writing and posting photos is my biggest goal.

The new features include searching within the blog, an email follow link, and being able to share my posts on social networks and via email.

I promise lots of great posts to come on new projects and hip design spots to visit in the upcoming month!