Palazzo Margherita

In a small hilltop town in southern Italy, Francis Ford Coppola has opened a boutique hotel.  The exterior courtyard gestures early tufa construction practices while the scaled plantings create a sanctuary to enjoy the bouquet of your spirit.

Design on the Land

A refurbished landscape at Trinity College has an intriguing approach.  While the circular tree pits seem to abbreviate the repetition of the grass and concrete mural, I like the integration of hard and soft materials. 

Groove is in the art

The MET is assuming a fresh  maquillage with the arrival of hip hop artist in residence, DJ Spooky.  His assignments include a narrated audio tour of the Oceanic Galleries and customizing a string composition for an upcoming film release.
His youthful spin will pierce the ancients like a shot of Juvederm.

hay day

On a recent jaunt to the Nursery, I met artist Michael Shaughnessy in the parking lot.  Mom taught me never to talk to strangers but this fellow had a four foot finial of hay strapped to the roof of his car.  And so, I just had to say "Hey".  His medium and handiwork are fantastic as an installation along the water or, crafted into a quiver of smaller orbs to form a clutch of garden stools to roll up to an outdoor table. 
www.shaughnessyart.com

 

Tickling the Ivories

Christopher Payne's photo documentary of Steinway & Son's Astoria outpost is stunning. "Piano rims in conditioning room" is currently on view at the Bonni Benrubi Gallery.  The shadows from the carcasses of the piano hauls forms a fantastic rhythm by way of the measured tick of a metronome.

rocket st george

www.rocketstgeorge.co.uk  is a British outfit donning artifacts for home and garden.  A dig through the website will unearth a spate of these winsome metal signs.

Crosby

I was first intrigued by The Crosby Street Hotel when I stumbled upon an inviation to join their movie club from the grounds of their intimate screening room.  Within the week, the hotel crossed my path again.  This time, it was their Meadow Suite.  Just beyond the steel case wall of the sitting room is your own private slice of the High Line. 

Mama

Philippe Starck has birthed a line of hotels in France that he has baptized "Mama Shelter".  Unlike his brood of Ian Schrager hotels, these have been modeled from hostel DNA.  Guests are swaddled in highfalutin design concepts on a Century 21 budget.

Baby needs a new pair of shoes

An installation was recently installed at Beatrix Ferrand's famed Dumbarton Oaks.  Wire mesh was festooned with crystals and suspended above a reflecting pool.  A little Vegas for me.  However, before the bloom was off the rose, I was enticed by the unassuming herb garden next door with it's wisteria arbor and fabulous hedge of pear.  Jackpot.

Well Done

The Meatpacking District is about to become a little plumper with the introduction of UrbanSpace.  Poised to open at the beginning of September, the souk-like marketplace will deliver a new cut to the High Line milieu.  My gut tells me that this post will soon become the meat and potatoes of the neighborhood.