Three Days of the Condor

It was freezing and windy in New York today and unfortunately I think they already turned the heat off in my building even though it's not quite spring. So all I want to do is curl up on my sofa with blanket and watch a movie, preferably one without subtitles. Makes me wish I owned a copy of Three Days of the Condor. It was one of my favorite movies growing up and I still love it. Robert Redford looked so ruggedly handsome and even though it premiered in 1975, his clothes don't look that dated. In fact, he looks a heck of a lot better than a lot of men I see on the street today!

Dream Design Team

I was chatting with Stefan Hurray who writes the blog Architect Design last week and I mentioned to him that I finally met Miles Redd. Stefan, it turns out, is a big Miles Redd fan and he said that if he ever wins the lottery, he is hiring Miles to decorate his house. But then he said he might want Charlotte Moss to do one room. That was until I suggested that they each do a house. If it's a fantasy, you might as well dream big! Stefan was excited by the thought of Miles (example above) decorating his city home and Charlotte decorating his country house!

I'm not sure if Stefan had this in mind but I thought it was a very pretty example of Charlotte Moss's country house style. Since Stefan is an architect, the designers probably wouldn't be given free reign, since he admits that he is a very opinionated architect! (Aren't they all!)

The conversation got me thinking about who I would choose. I admire the work of so many designers, it would be hard to choose one but if I had them design different homes like Stefan, I wouldn't have to! The one interior designer I kept coming back to as I was thinking was Nate Berkus. I love that his designs fit the client and the space and always look personal and not "done." He also seems like he would be fun to work with since he has a great personality. That and the fact that he's friends with Oprah! Just kidding! I really think he would get my style and I especially love the apartment he helped to decorate for his boyfriend and designer, Brian Atwood, in Milan that was just featured in the April 2009 issue of Elle Decor (above).

Another favorite designer is Steven Gambrel. I loved every room in his West Village townhouse in the January/February 2009 issue of Elle Decor and he would be my choice to decorate my country house. I'm not usually a big fan of color and pattern in my city apartment so I might let him go crazy in the country house. Ok, maybe not totally crazy but a little crazy. I trust him.

After my post about India Hicks and her properties in the Bahamas, she's the only person I would want to help me with my beach house! I think the photos speak for themselves!

Since this is my fantasy, I would of course have a flat in London and I can't think of anyone else I would want to decorate it besides Veere Grenney. I loved everything about his home when I saw it in Australian Vogue Living and would move right in if I could. He incorporates art well in his interiors and that is very important to me.

Perhaps, I'd also open a private little club in London like Annabel's. If I did, it would mostly be because I would want David Collins to design a bar for me. His are hands down the best I've ever seen.

Last but not least, I'd want a little pied-à-terre in Paris. I was thinking that I might like Jacques Grange to decorate it but really only if he could find me a place in his building with the view of the trees above. That's the best part. I had considered Peter Marino since I love the Paris apartment of Giancarlo Giammetti that he designed but I'm not sure I could deal with the biker look he is always sporting.

After the homes, that leaves the yacht and private jet. I'll have to think about who would decorate those. If you're going to dream, you might as well dream big! That's what makes it so fun! So who would be on your dream design team? What houses would the decorate?

Unpackaged - Shop without packaging in London

It's great being able to buy organic groceries so easily these days but when I get home and decant my organic rice, pasta and oats into glass jars and then read that their plastic packaging is not recyclable, I descend into a green shame spiral. I momentarily hang onto the bag, grasping for some creative thoughts on how to reuse the plastic packaging but never seem to conjure up any innovative ways to transform a rice packet into a cute new coin purse.

Thankfully, Londoners have Unpackaged, a store that allows you to bring your own containers from home and then purchase loose items of your favourite organic and fair trade products. Unpackaged stock grocery essentials, from staples such as rice, pasta, oils, tea, coffee, dried fruits, seeds and nuts through to eco friendly household cleaners and toiletries.

From cacao nibs to candles, Unpackaged are sure to have what you are looking for. Just bring in your storage jars or containers (whatever they may be) and fill them up with your desired product. Yes, this way of shopping is another step closer to becoming the ultimate eco warrior woman. Okay, so maybe the 'ultimate' eco warrior woman would be living off the land somewhere up in the highlands solely eating from her own organic vegetable patch and crafting Stella McCartney-esque outfits from vintage clothing. But because I live in London  and won't be moving anytime soon, learning how to sew or getting ambitious with a window box in my garden-less flat, shopping at Unpackaged is the next best way for me to gain more greenie points. It's also great to learn that Unpackaged do not sell any air freighted products and try to support local suppliers where possible.

Need some more reasons to shun excess packaging when grocery shopping? Here are some facts from website, Waste Online.

The UK 'produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year. This rate of rubbish generation would fill the Albert Hall in London in less than 2 hours'.

'Every year UK households throw away the equivalent of 3 ½ million double-decker buses' (almost 30 million tonnes), a queue of which would stretch from London to Sydney and back'.

'In 2001 UK households produced the equivalent weight of 245 jumbo jets per week in packaging waste.'

Okay, after reading those stats you will probably be wanting the address for Unpackaged. Here it is:

Address
42 Amwell St, London, EC1R 1XT
Open Monday - Saturday. Visit Unpackaged online for more info and opening hour times.

See inside Unpackaged!
For those that won't be visiting London anytime soon (such as the ultimate eco warrior woman living in the highlands) you can take a look inside Unpackaged, courtesy of Reuters.
 
Watch Reuters video about Unpackaged.


Technorati Tags: Unpackaged, Eco London, Green Shops London

New York Design Center Sample Sale

The New York Design Center Spring 2009 Sample Sale (click on image to enlarge) begins Friday, April 3rd. Included in the sale will be the 20 Baker Tulip Chairs that Michael Tavano used at his DIFFA Dining by Design table. The best thing about this sample sale is that you won't get home and realize you bought a shirt that you will never wear just because it was on sale. Although, you may want to bring your room measurements with you just in case. Happy Shopping!

spring swap

While wandering through Flickr, as I often do, I stumbled upon the beautiful clothes by Amanda of Mannagryn . I asked if she sells, she offered a swap. I'm still waiting for the little note from the post office, she already got my package, and so I can share what I had made for her son.

edited: I'm kept waiting because of the Israeli post services, not because of Amanda of Mannagryn.

Not only does Amanda make beautiful clothes and uses the most gorgeous vintage fabrics, but it seems from her photos that her sewing is impeccable. Naturally I became very concerned with the quality of my sewing and of the patterns and fitting. I found myself making the trousers twice, as I did the light grey shirt - only to decide that the fabric doesn't fit the pattern. and so I embroidered it and made the darker grey version with a much finer fabric. only the red Tshirt was already made in advance, luckily... so there you go, a confession of a neurotic crafter.

Amanda has posted photos of her son wearing his new clothes on her stream.

I'll post about my half of the deal as soon as it arrives.

Art Smart: April Ugallery Picks

I know I had a painting of cherry blossoms in last last month's Ugallery post but I couldn't resist posting another once since it's actually cherry blossom season in Washington, DC. That and the fact that the painting is ridiculously beautiful! In case there is someone who doesn't know about Ugallery, they sell affordable art by young student artists. You can also now email the artists with questions or commission requests through their portfolios on the Ugallery website. This month, I tried to choose art that reminded me of spring. Enjoy!

Deeply Rooted, 2007, monotype bleed print on paper, Charlesy Charton, East Tennessee State University, $250

Untitled 2, 2009, oil on canvas, Matthew King, Massachusetts of Art, $1000

Rainy Sunset, 2007, photograph, Mark Elverson, Massachusetts College of Art, $80

Goodby's Creek #1, 2008, acrylic on canvas, David Nackashi, University of North Florida, $550

Stairway to the Skies, 2007, photograph, Christine Vineyard, Georgia State University, $100

Horizontal Forest, 2008, oil on masonite, Katherine Widen, The Cleveland Institute of Art, $200

Our Farm House, 2009, oil on canvas, Lana Williams, University of Oklahoma, $500

Jerry, 2008, photograph, Michael George, New York University, $85

Unlikely Constellation, 2006, mixed media (collage) on canvas, Diana Delgado, The University of the Arts, $4200

Top Artwork: Enchanted Cherry Blossoms, 2009, acrylic on canvas, Colette Wirz, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, $1000

Review - Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals Foundation

While this liquid foundation is not a new product, I thought the design aesthetic, ingredients and product performance were well worth posting. Some leading brands of mineral liquid foundations contain concerning ingredients such as talc, bismuth oxychloride, alumina and preservatives such as methylparaben, propylparaben and phenoxyethanol. All good reasons to look elsewhere for a foundation that still delivers a flawless appearance but is free from ingredients we don't need anywhere near the skin. Enter the award winning Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals Foundation (Best Foundation 2008 - Natural Health magazine).

The ingredients in this foundation score an impressive 2 on Skin Deep, The Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Database site (the closer the score to 0 the better). The beads or liposomes are suspended in aloe vera gel and vegetable glycerin and there are also extracts of willow bark, calendula, sweet almond seed and chamomile flowers. According to Jane Iredale's website her make up range is 'recommended by plastic surgeons and dermatologists' (which I mention only to demonstrate how gentle and natural the ingredients are on the skin). Click here to read more about the ingredients on the Skin Deep site.

Dispense about 2 pumps of the foundation and apply with fingers or foundation brush (brush can be dampened for a sheer finish or used dry for greater coverage). It can also be used as an under eye concealer. I was impressed with this unique foundation and found it gave a lightweight yet effective and flattering coverage. It felt soft and moisturising on the skin.

Visit Jane Iredale to view a comprehensive colour guide which will help you choose your perfect shade of Liquid Minerals Foundation. Or have a bit of fun in the Mineral Makeover Room where you can apply different shades of the foundation to a model with a similar skin tone to yours.

UK readers can purchase online at Serenity Direct (£32.10) or Serenity Beauty (£31.73). US readers can visit Jane Iredale to locate a stockist near them or purchase at Beauty Riche (US $46).