New York 3 - The Rose Bar

We stopped by the Rose bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel for a Berry Bellini. While it is expensive, it's more than worth a visit for the beautiful Julian Schnabel interior:




Images care of Flicker.

Tagged by Fleur Delice

I've been Tagged by Iris of Fleur Delice. Apparently these are the rules: 1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own. 2. Tag eight other people.

What is your current obsession?
Travelling around the Mediterranean on a freighter.

What are you wearing today?
It's 8 pm so I'm in my navy and white checked nightie sitting on my bed and blogging while watching Masterchef.

What’s for dinner?
Nigella's Moroccan Lamb and roast vegetables.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Poached eggs and bacon for brunch this morning at Manning St Deli with my friends, Megan and Therese.

What are you listening to right now?
The dulcet tones of Matt on Master Chef

What are you reading at the moment?
Latakia by Canadian Audrey Thomas, which is about travelling around the Mediterranean on a freighter.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Paris.

Which language do you want to learn?
Probably French, to help me on my travels.

What do you love most about where you currently live?
My bed is next to the boatshed doors, which open out onto the water.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
Do boots count as clothing?

Describe your personal style?
A weird mix of things from the last 20 years.

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
My trip to Europe next year.

What are you going to do after this?
Sleep.

What are your favorite films?
Something's Gotta Give, Room with a View, Brideshead Revisited (BBC program)

Whose work/designs are you inspired by?
Florence Broadhurst, Kelly Wearstler, William Morris

Do you collect anything?
Vintage china, quilts, mirrors

What makes you follow a blog?
Style.

Do you like to comment on blogs or just lurk?
Both.

What’s one thing you dream of doing?
Live in Europe

What is your biggest regret?
Not living in Europe.

What's the one place you'd like to visit before you die?
Europe (!)

Sorry I can't tag anyone - I've only just re-started my blog after a year, so I'm not sure who's out there any more :)

New York 2 - The Food

I must confess right now that, aside from the Virginia Woolf Conference that drew me to New York in early June, my secondary motivation for the trip was - the food. I meticulously researched the food scene and here is a sample of some places where we ate. At Amy's Bread on Bleecker St, I enjoyed the Red Velvet cupcakes:



The breakfast at Katz Deli was delicious, with either eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice or pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee each good value at under $10.00. The deli is very atmospheric and a fun place to eat:



The highlight of the trip was a special meal at Balthazar restaurant. I had a typical Parisienne bistro meal: Onion Soup and Steak Frites, and I felt like I was in Paris:

Chic Cushions

Over the past few months, I've been re-covering cushions in a simple envelope style, generally using remnants from No Chintz in Sydney. These ones are a mixture of Amy Butler and other fabrics:


I've teamed these ones on the veranda with vintage fabrics from the op shop:



This one is patched together from Designers Guild remnants:


I recovered this op shop stool in Amy Butler fabric:


Recovering cushions has been an an easy way of changing the boatshed's look on a budget.

New York

Now that I'm officially 'back', I want to post about my trip to New York and the fact that I didn't feel that I had to compromise on accommodation. I stayed at Tempo, also called Woogo, on West 73rd St near the corner of Broadway, for only $AUD1500 for 8 nights. The 72nd St subway was just around the corner. The apartment had a kitchen, so I was able to buy and cook food from the wonderful Fairway, also around the corner. I have to say that, in Australia, we have nothing like Fairway. The range of deli items, pastries, breads and pre-cooked meals astounds me. And it's all delicious.





The other thing about Tempo is the decor. For such a reasonable price, I like the fittings more than just about every other accommodation I've stayed in (and paid a lot more for). It also has a very big walk-in closet with ironing-board and iron. I think the reason I like it is that some of the tenants own their apartments. I often saw a dog-walker in the elevator. And there is a Gymboree in the lobby where neighbourhood children are brought by their mothers and nannies. Basically, you don't feel like you're in a hotel, but more like your own apartment. The staff in the lobby are helpful and friendly and it feels like home.

Boatshed Revisited

After almost a year, I've decided to take up blogging again. I stopped quite suddenly last July when I came home from Europe, so I could concentrate on finishing my PhD. That finally happened about a month ago, so I'm finding I have more free time now. During the year of no blogging, I consolidated my position on a few things. Firstly, the things I loved a year ago, I still do, namely walls of mirrors, walls of plates, bookshelves, library ladders, French chairs, chandeliers, marble, quilts etc. However, I have also learnt to embrace colour, particularly ones that may not appear to go together. My aesthetic now also encompasses mid-century. I've decided that if I love something, it doesn't matter what period it comes from. So, here on my deck is a 60s chair that I've covered in fabric from Ici et La, teamed with a table from the opshop covered in four tablecloths sewn together:


And my bathroom curtains are tablecloths from the op shop:


The main reason I've decided to revisit blogging is the global financial crisis. A year ago, who knew? Now its effects are ubiquitous. I have always, not being flush with cash, had an aesthetic based on thrift, without (hopefully) compromising on taste. So it really annoys me when stores, hotels, cafes etc sacrifice style when balancing the budget. At the moment I'm researching a trip to Queensland and trying to find accommodation under $AUD100 per night. I'm over the stock-issue quilted peach-toned bedspreads and smoked glass-topped tables. And vertical blinds, don't get me started. I have, however, managed to find a few inexpensive places that make me want to stay there, which I'll post about. In addition, I just returned from a week in New York where I also managed to achieve value for money fairly often and which I'll also be posting on.

My Somewhat Sorry Story

We're in London for a week, before flying home to Australia. One of the main reasons I came to London was to visit Story, the interiors shop owned by Ann Shore. Unfortunately, this is all I'll get to see of it because it only opens on Sundays and I'll be visiting friends in Gloucestershire then:

Having suffered this crushing disappointment, I optimistically made my way to the second reason for coming to London - Emily Chalmers's store Caravan at Spitalfields Markets:

Unfortunately, these were the only tantalising glimpses I had of it:


The card on the window says it all. Closed now, and re-opening in a new location in September:

Oh well, at least I have an excuse to come back next year.

Boatshed Chic - the Swedish Way

After ten weeks on this European odyssey, I must confess to feeling a little homesick for the boatshed. So today, I was drawn to the weatherboard walls of two shops in the sweet little town of Mariefred, on the water not far from Stockholm. The first shop was called, appropriately enough, Waterlily:

It presents the whitewashed palette in an elegant and minimalist way:



The second store is called Karin Lindstrom:

I love the green of this table and the way it is teamed with pink:

I love what they do with the classic white palette too:

This armoire has been painted blue and given glass doors. And the pink dress, what can I say:

More white:

Another two weeks and I´ll be back at the boatshed, having been on this fantastic trip, which has exposed me to so many fresh influences and given me tons of new ideas.

More Scandinavian Style

I've been feeling like I've been driving around inside an Ikea catálogue for the past few days, so thought I´d check out the real thing. And I found that the Ikea store near here has some really lovely things, like this chair from the 'Stockholm' range:

This lighting effect:

And this circular bed:

I also visited a store called Nordiska Galeriet. No words need be spoken:


Whether you´re a fan of these jewel-like colours, or prefer a white palette, it was all there:

Today we drove to a pretty little town on the water called Vaxholm, which has lovely pastel weatherboard buildings, one of which is a Marimekko store:

This is the town´s hotel, where we had lunch:

The traditional Swedish dish of marinated herring with potatoes and dill was delicious:

Signs of the Times

These signs are part of an exhibition called 'Sign Spotting' here in Stockholm, put together by the 'Lonely Planet' travel guide people:

Marimekko

These images are for my daughter, Iris, who is a Marimekko fan. They were taken at the store at Norrmalmstorg 4, Stockholm:

Love the green cushions in particular:

I also adore the glassware:




The H & M store here put out a 'Tribute to Marimekko' range this summer:

Svenskt Tenn, Stockholm

While in Scandinavia, I´m trying to broaden my design horizons. I´m essentially quite conservative in my decorating choices, but have been exposed to some bright and colourful alternatives here, none more so than at the Svenskt Tenn store in Stockholm:


I love the fabric on this daybed:

The watermelon pink in these next two images looks great in two very different colour combinations:


I was also quite drawn to this little footstool:

The designers are certainly not afraid to mix patterns and colours. The store can be found at Strandvagen 5.

Mamma Mia - I´m in Stockholm!

Well, here we are on our eighth and final homeswap, in Stockholm. And I couldn´t resist going to see the 'Mamma Mia' film while I´m in the home of Abba. Apart from the fantastic music, who would've thought that the film would provide such eye candy? And, no, I´m afraid I´m not talking about Colin Firth or Pierce Brosnan. Or, although more tempting than either of the latter, the stunning Adriatic. Or is it the Aegean? No, I´m talking about the sheer visual feast of the hippy-esque, beach-ish decor, with its pink, blue and turquoise palette. As much as I love Meryl Streep, I think I love what she´s sitting on here just a little bit more. That apple green with the pink striped material against that celadon wall is yummy:

And the red, pink and white bed-linen against this powder blue wall is just as scrumptious:

When we arrived here yesterday, we were treated to some Swedish hospitality by the owners of the apartment, Gunnar and Sonja, who are really lovely. They had cooked us a lovely chicken and mushroom dish, with home-made lingonberry jam, and cloudberries for dessert. We were very privileged:


Thanks, guys! We´ll always remember Stockholm.The movie stills are courtesy of www.cinemablend.com/gallery/previews/Mamma-Mia-2444.html

Danish Design

While in Copenhagen, I was exposed to some amazing designs, such as the IQ Light by Danish designer Holger Strom in 1973. It consists of interlocking plastic quadrilaterals which can form various shapes. This spherical one was in our swap apartment in Copenhagen:

As was this one, which had a slightly different shape:

In Copenhagen, I also went to the Danish design Centre, which had examples of chairs such as the wishbone chair and this Thonet chair, not Danish but by the Austrian Michael Thonet in 1859:

A Series 7 by Arne Jacobsen:

Louisiana

This is the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, just north of Copenhagen. Where else can you see works by the likes of Henry Moore against a backdrop of water with yachts sailing by:

I particularly like these 'Eyes' by Louise Bourgeois:

And also one of her spider sculptures with not one, but two, spiders:

There is also art by David Hockney:

And Andy Warhol:

Now I know some people would classify Marimekko designs as art. I certainly would. This photo is for my daughter, Iris. It is me in the dressing room of the Marimekko shop, trying on a top for her, just to show how ridiculously large it is:

Karen Blixen´s House

This post is for my sister Kate who, earlier this year, showed me a magazine photograph of this beautiful verandah floor:

It´s in the Karen Blixen Museet at Rungstedlund, on the coast about half an hour north of Copenhagen. This is the house where the writer of such works as 'Out of Africa' and ´Babette´s Feast' lived before and after her seventeen years in Africa:

The grey and white checked floors are gorgeous and, besides the verandah, which I could only photograph through a window, are limited to the two entry halls:


The rest of the house is just as stunning, with French and Scandinavian pieces which travelled with Karen to and from Africa:

Karen always had fresh flowers in the house, a tradition which is still carried on today:

This room, overlooking the yachts in the little harbour, is where Karen wrote in the summertime. The checks of the rug combine with the reflection of the checked floor in the hallway:

Not only was the house amazing, so is the story of this woman, who endured much personal tragedy and wrote so beautifully.

Bakkehusmuseet, Copenhagen

This is a really lovely house in Copenhagen - the home of Knud Lyne Rahbek and his wife Karen:

They entertained many prominent writers here in the early nineteenth century:

I love this grey room:

And this enfillade:

And this settee:

Swap 7 - Copenhagen

We are now in what is possibly my favourite house-swap so far - in a loft-type building in central Copenhagen:


I had no idea this city was so beautiful. Its proximity to the sea, the pedestrian malls and lovely buildings give it a really relaxed atmosphere. This is the Fredericksberg park:

Down near the waterfront it is particularly stunning:

Then of course, I had to try the traditional smorrebrod - open-faced sandwiches with fillings such as roast beef, curried herring (delicious) and fish-cake:

Villa Harteneck

As our stay in Berlin drew to a close, I found myself spending an unhealthy amount of time in KaDeWe, and was in danger of becoming a permanent fixture:

So I consulted the list I´d made before I left Australia of sights to see in Berlin, and noticed I´d been rather slack in writing just one - Villa Harteneck. The fact that some considerable time had elapsed, and I no longer knew to what these two words referred, prompted me to do an internet search. I then realised that I had read about Villa Harteneck back in early March in posts by two of my fellow bloggers - Suzy from Studio Annetta and Michelle from Just Imagine. Since I was so close, I decided to venture out to Grunewald on the outskirts of Berlin and, sure enough, found this beautiful building:


Villa Harteneck is a multi-purpose building which serves as a function centre, has design books for sale and sells furniture and other items, such as Fortuny lamps. I went inside, but didn´t think I should take photos, so you´ll have to be content with the outside, which is pretty stunning:


I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in interior design.

It´s Still About the Food....

I had thought that after the food in Spain, Italy and France, I would be ´fooded-out´. But that was before I found KaDeWe here in Berlin. This seven-storey department store is almost a century old and was originally called ´Kaufhaus Des Westens´:

After wandering around the baby clothes department, I found myself on the gourmet food floor, ordering a Currywurst, which a nice man recommended as the specialty of Berlin. It is, as one would imagine, a sausage with lots of ketchup and sprinkled with curry powder, and is absolutely delicious with a cold beer:

Then, I wandered around the rest of the vast floor. Forget Harrod´s Food Hall, Fortnum and Mason´s or any other foodie heaven of your acquaintance. This is huge. You could spend hours just wandering around looking, which I did. There´s an oyster bar, lobster bar, antipasto, pasta, Asian bars, schnitzel, and of course chocolate and desserts. Also, I´ve never seen so much meat of different kinds in one location, and all beautifully presented:

When I say serious food, I mean serious:

I can´t wait to go back there on Tuesday. Then, today I tried another Berlin specialty in a bar. Believe it or not, it´s raspberry flavoured beer, and once again, absolutely delicious:

Finally, for those of you who think I´m only here for the food, here´s some cool art. It´s called ´Molecule Man´ by Jonathon Borofsky, and is in the river near our apartment: