Architectural Digest AD Design Show 2018 Sneak Peek

Gaggenau Arftul Refrigerator Introduction at AD Design Show 

Architectural Digest Magazine’s annual confab is truly one of the best presentations for home decor, design, and tablescapes and is a rare event that appeals to both the professional designers and the home enthusiast.

The press preview day provides us reporters & bloggers with a sneak peek so that we can give give you, our audience and subscribers, an experienced road map to deliver the best possible experience.

If you love designing your home; cannot stop watching HGTV or have a lifetime subscription to all the shelter magazines, including Architectural Digest, of course, as well as Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Garden Design, Dwell and subscribe to a plethora of design blogs, (hopefully, my Garden Glamour and She Knows), then this show is your happy place.

This weekend, the AD Show is open to the public. You can experience talks, lectures, one-on-ones with designers and makers from over 400 brands, and bask in the glory of creative home design -- interior -- and some exterior elements.

Get your tickets at the show or here

After touring the show, I feel there are two key Trends:.

• Technology and Art
• Form and Function
• Lighting 

While there’s no doubt that that these trends have been spooning for some time, this year it seemed that love had truly blossomed.

What does that mean?

Overall, all the brands have Apps - either their own or their own that work in concert with Alexis and Nest to provide customized management and control. From Baldwin’s keyless entry and security to the kitchen manufacturer’s appliances -- start up your dishwasher on the way home or take your guests’ coffee preferences a la Starbucks to create a barista home experience.

Coffee stations were big on the trend list. Ahh, for us java lovers, this is just next to food porn.

An extraordinare example of art and technology is seen at Gaggenau who premiered refrigerators that were handle-less - opened with a touch of the hand. Magic? Perhaps.

The art element was astonishing. Gaggenau showed a refrigerator with surface art rendered by the Los Angeles large format artist,Rob Hill


Flanked by wine coolers on either side of the artful refrigerator with a particularly cool element: a pull out tray - set to serve up to guests!  I like it.

Gaggenau told us they’d work with any artist to apply the art to the refrigerator front. Your own art? Your children’s art project? A photo of your favorite nature spot or … The possibilities are endless, really and quite exciting.

I just adore this design element. So many options to customize and express your own design aesthetic.

Gaggenau also showed a deep, New York black classic, no handles refrigerator. After all, black is the new - well, black. Love this.

The Sous Vide appliance built-in Gaggenau showcased appeals to not only the classic (french) chef in all of us who adore that precise level of ingredients but also to the home culinary enthusiasts who prefer to prepare or have delivered portion control recipe packs. 
Booth 387, 393.

Thermador showcased their Masterpiece Collection that included their Freedom induction option, and using the same home app as their sister company Gaggenau, Home Connect, you can curate everything in the kitchen from content to cooktop to wine coolers to telling the ventilation hood system to turn on and coordinate with the cooktop.


TFT displays are ubiquitous.

Remote start option are the cool control.  Even in home door locks.  Baldwin Hardware - known for their hand-crafted door and cabinet hardware (we have a gorgeous Baldwin on our front door) showed their new line they created in collaboration with a California designer, Erinn V and her line of Hollywood Hills.
 


New technology in their other lines of prestige products include one-touch door open using an App.  Very nice feature. And good looking products to fit a variety of home designs.


The Thermador dishwashers feature star sapphire theater lights - but now, consumers tell Thermidor they want more of an entertainment dishwasher so more light colors are available on the App. Why not?
 Thermador's big refrigerator is in a kind of "camo!"

The dishwashers are now available are a faster drying element - generates heat (they acknowledge can’t dry plastic entirely - but hey - hopefully you’ve been weaned off of plastic by this point.) and their largest-ever glass capability - up to 24 glasses on the top and bottom.
Booth 387,393.

On the other end of the size spectrum, the company’s Bosche lineup featured products tailor made for smaller, city-sized kitchens. These kitchen suite home appliances can fit a metro apartment with a dishwasher and cooktop and refrigerator that appear big and sleek, with up to 30% more storage than previously available.
Booth 387, 393.

Lighting design innovations were led by a relatively new company, Kings Haven who prior to launching their own artisanal, family-fueled enterprise, have many year and projects as part of their historic and estate restoration pedigree. Now, they create custom lighting, accessories, and furniture. The company’s presentation and products and hospitality is all first-class.  

Be sure to check them out at Booth 714.
Lighting is everything in creating a dramatic home decor. Just ask any Hollywood or Broadway designer or actor.

I love the quality and hand-craftsmanship of Rangecraft - a Garden State stalwart who glamourize a cooktop hood like nobody does. There’s the Swarovski Crystal hood that is sigh-worthy. And their new clock hood and antique finishes that can be distressed to your desire. Nice custom design feature and service. Note: the company rightfully extols their craftsman and the five year apprenticeship training program.
And Rangecraft is now the official partner of the NY Jets.
Booth 485.

Also not to be missed is a favorite design artist: Dagmar Weinberg. I was smitten with Dagmar’s art the first time I encountered her transfixing, erotic and utterly unique photographs a few years’ ago. I’m now the proud owner of an original Dagmar cherry blossom art work. Sighhh… It’s so beautiful. You can view and buy Dagmar’s photography manipulated art as well as her new silk scarves. With quality top of mind, Dagmar did not just get any old anybody to craft her artful scarves. No. She researched and invested with the same artisans who do the Hermes and Vuitton scarves. Dagmar is offering a special show price - so be sure to take advantage and get your wearable art. It’s enduring and luxurious. Booth 417.


And Pennoyer & Newman -- just back from their Parisian triumph - are at the show again this year with a line of splendid handcrafted planters, containers, and sculpture that you can add to your garden art compositions. I use them as often as I can with my garden design clients - adding a sophisticated, timeless look. Plus, I just love that Virginia …
 

I will write more in a next post about the Diffa by Design showcase at the AD Show. The tablescapes are created by a number of artisans and brands to showcase “over the top” table art and dining environments - and to raise monies for AIDS awareness and to fund organizations that provide treatment and care services. Stay tuned for this - one of my most favorite elements of the AD Show.

Echo Design showcased their scarves, home decor bedding, as well as the professional lines of indoor and outdoor fabrics and wallpaper.  New for tablescapes is the collection of jewel-toned placements that are high quality basket weave with stitching. This will be great to use in a number of bold tablescape narratives.



 
Love these sunrise/sunset color fabric options at Echo.  Plus I got to meet and pose with the grande dame of Echo, Dorothy Roberts!  What an honor.

Now, as a garden designer, I'm not bullish on artificial "plant material."  However, I'm open-minded and can appreciate the need to use in certain applications. Think rooftops, too shady, and now with climate chaos: too much deer or too much salt water and well, the concept is ahem, growing on me.  I discovered New Growth Designs who are showing some very impressive faux plant looks.  I learned the company has been in business for more than 70 years, still does fresh flowers, and as the principle Ed Glenn told me, they were doing so well with their silk floral designs that many landscape architects and designers asked them to make garden products in the faux material.  The booth has topiaries, faux turf - a black and white with grass checkerboard (like one of my garden design clients has - except with real turf), and green "walls."   There is surely a place for these products.


It was a pleasure to meet Alex Puddy the British principle at his UK-based Architectural Heritage who's returned to the show after a seven-year hiatus.  And with a name like Puddy - he's just something out of Paddington Bear.  Nice learning about his artisanal process and dedication to quality products.  His planters are first-rate and so are his garden sculptures.  I love the look.  And so do the Rockefellers...

I'm also keen for the MADE suite of artisanal craftspeople and their unique design concepts.
New to me this year is a very creative new planter composition created by the architect principle, Drew at Prism Planters by the Principle.  The shiny corten steel planters are modular and can be customized to your garden site in three gem-like colors: bronze, silver, and well, black.  I love the bench.

      

Nourison at Booth 419 featured some very, very luxurious and glamorous rugs and pillows.
My favorite was the glittery malachite!  

And is there a place for this gold, stenciled, cowhide rug?


Just get to the show and see for yourself!

Such glamorous design. 
How adorabley-fashiony is this Smeg refrigerator with a Dolce & Gabbana look?!



You can walk the show, dine and shop and bask in all the decorative arts all weekend long.  Don't miss it. 

#ADDesignShow2018

Some of the must see items as noted by the AD Show include:

The AD Apartment - presenting bold ideas and "sophisticated solutions for cosmopolitan design enthusiasts - with a contemporary loft vignette.

Designer Focus:  A clutch of designers come together in this new section to showcase four distinct interiors.  Here you can see how their creativity interprets the space. Plus you can meet the designers. 

Associative Design:   This was organized by the Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP) - another new installation.  Here the mix of "design, innovation, and technology" celebrates the artisanal craftspeople who create and make furniture, lighting, and objets d'art. 

Highlights and featured areas at the show include:

REFRESH: As one of the largest collections of kitchen, bath, luxury appliances, and premium building products in North America, this section features introductions from more than 75 companies. Attendees will discover new technologies and state-of-the-art designs in kitchen appliances and cabinetry, bath, decorative hardware, countertops, stone, tile surfaces, doors, and more. This year’s exhibitors include Artistic Tile, Aster Cucine, Cesar NY, DACOR, Jenn-Air, Miele, Porcelanosa, Rocky Mountain Hardware, Rohl, and Sub-Zero and Wolf to name a few.

FURNISH: An expanding assemblage of contemporary and classic furniture, lighting, carpets and rugs, decorative accessories, textiles, and art completes the offering. Attendees will find great design for residential settings from companies such as Atelier de Troupe, Benjamin Moore, Costantini, Hunter Douglas, KOKET, Perigold, The New Traditionalists, and Warp & Weft. The section touts an impressive mix of brands from Europe and Asia including Royal Botania, Sony Life Space UX, and Vaughan Designs.

MADE: The juried MADE section is a resource for handcrafted, often limited edition or one-of-a-kind furnishings, accessories, and art pieces. More than half of the 2018 exhibitors are new to the fair. This year’s lineup gathers emerging talent from across the country including local Made-in-New York pieces by Avram Rusu Studio, Birnam Wood Studio, Consort Design, and Slash Objects; California-based makers like Chris Earl, Coil and Drift, Michael Felix, Natan Moss, and Nate Cotterman; and international artisans such as Paul Emile Rioux and Simon Johns.

SHOPS: The show offers a retail boutique of décor, gifts, tabletop accessories, objets d’art, and more, available for immediate purchase from brands including Ariana Ost, Borough Furnace, Christophe Pourny, Hazel Village, KONZUK, Night Space, Richard Clarkson Studio LLC, and Rikumo.

The Dacor Stage: Presented by Dacor, the show’s new theater space will be a prime destination for those looking to further immerse themselves in the design world. Attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to hear from the world’s top design leaders on a variety of topics. Speakers include Aerin Lauder, Alexa Hampton, David Monn, Ellie Cullman, Genevieve Gorder, India Hicks, Jason Oliver Nixon & John Loecke, Jeffrey Bilhuber, and Victoria Hagan. The panel discussions and programming segments will take place throughout all four days of the show. In addition, Architectural Digest Editor in Chief, Amy Astley, will lead a keynote discussion on Saturday, March 24.

The programming will be complemented by a variety of in-booth events, including culinary demonstrations with chefs from around the world, book signings, product presentations, and more.

General Admission tickets Friday through Sunday are available for $30 online or $40 at the door. VIP Consumer Tickets on Thursday are available for $95. Admission is complimentary to the design trade with two forms of business credentials via online pre-registration. To purchase tickets, visit ADDesignShow.com.

Waldorf=Astoria - Gotham’s Architectural Icon Shutters its Doors

Waldorf=Astoria - Mural of Life at Park Avenue entrance 

I’m bereft. As someone who pays homage to architecture, history, design, and culture -- I was devastated to learn the world-class hotel referred to as “America’s Palace” was closing its doors Wednesday. 

Is it karma that the Waldorf=Astoria gets assigned to the “ash heap” of history on Ash Wednesday?

It’s not the first time this storied gem has undergone a facelift -- after all, it’s no secret we all need a beauty makeover now and then… (read on for the hotel history).

But this time is different. Once this renovation is completed there will be no more “Meet you at the clock” because in its next incarnation, the Waldorf will be high-end condominiums -- private residences. Goodbye to all the swanky glamour of the public bars and restaurants -- and ballrooms, and hallways, and more.  

I have a kind of personal relationship to the Waldorf as well: I produced my first major press conference there, enjoyed the annual Women in Media awards shows - met the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and the PBS Newshour host Gwen Ilfill there. Where else but at legendary hotels like this one can regular folks like me meet such luminaries?

Hotels - especially grand ones - sport the sexiest, glamour-puss bars. There is something intriguing and just naughty enough (perhaps it’s knowing there’s all those beds upstairs!) that makes just sipping a cocktail or two in their dimly lit lounges palpably sensual - adding to the glamourous, transporting charm.

Stories
As with any cultural jewel, there are plenty of stories that contribute to the Waldorf’s legendary status.
And there are lots of food and drink chestnuts, as you might imagine, given all those bars and restaurants that are part of the Waldorf. My favorites are The Bull and Bear and Peacock Alley. (You know I adore any kind of peacock art…) Peacock Alley earned its moniker because all the hoi-polloi would come to the hotel and walk the corridor, and strut their stuff - like a peacock. The name stuck.

Here’s some more buzz -- about the hotel’s homegrown honey.

Bet you didn’t know there was a collection of beehives on the roof? Well there are.

In fact, The Waldorf is home to more than 36,000 honeybees .  Where will they move their residences to?
The Horticultural Society of New York has managed their landmark garden home -- with my hort friend, George Pisegna, Deputy Director & Chief of Horticulture of the Horticultural Society (and graduate of School of Professional Horticulture, The New York Botanical Garden) tending to the bees. He knows how to keep a pollinator happy!

Here’s a bit of foodie nostalgia: this palace hosted the first Pillsbury Bake-Off contest! “Over 150 women from all over the country gathered on December 12, 1949 in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel baking their best and most delectable recipes for a shot at the grand prize.”

The hotel even has a salad named for it...

I was told that Xavier Cugat and his Mambo orchestra played at the Waldorf in the Starlight Roof and that the Art-Deco ceiling opened up at night so that you could literally dance under the stars… ahhh… And there were plenty of stars who stayed - and lived at the Waldorf, including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra - not to mention every president - until this one. There’s an underground security tunnel and private railway tunnel - that adds to the hotel’s intrigue.

The Waldorf offers a wonderful treasure-trove of historic menus at their (waldorfarchive.com)  Culinary historians, as well as home hosts and hostesses can learn a lot from these pearls: what food was popular, how was it served.  The menus are a delight.  My favorite is the "A Fete Fit for Librarian" - a wise-looking owl is a sweet graphic and the menu's footprint is a book mark size.  Creative!

The Waldorf Clock in the center of the lobby is made with nine feet of bronze - crowned by a little Statue of Liberty? What a dame. And what a classy meeting spot.

One Last Time 
It was time for a last visit. I couldn’t resist paying homage and respects to this glorious architectural gem -- and so scooted up on the subway yesterday just to bask in the heady design of this icon.

Her heart-clutching beauty is forever swoon-worthy.

I saw again the murals, the wood-lined elevators, the Art-Deco doors and heating grills,

crystal chandeliers, bas-relief sculptured moldings and walls, skylights, and rich carpets.

Minerals abound: there’s gold here, bronze there, and more.

And oh - that "Wheel of Life" mosaic on the Park Avenue entrance side. It’s made with 148,000 hand-cut marble tiles from all around the world; the work of French artist Louis Rigal, the mosaic depicts life from birth until death. So hoping it’ not the end for this architectural gem.

And then, there is the whisper of times past -- here there were memories made: a wedding, a gala, a rendezvous…

We will miss you Waldorf=Astoria. You made Gotham ever more elegant and glamorous…

Waldorf Construction History and Timeline
From the hotel’s website:

Millionaire William Waldorf Astor opened the 13-story Waldorf Hotel on the site of his mansion at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, designed by renowned architect Henry Hardenbergh.

Four years later, The Waldorf was joined by the 17-story Astoria Hotel, erected on an adjacent site by Waldorf's cousin, John Jacob Astor IV.

John Jacob Astor IV died tragically on the Titanic on April 15, 1912 and William Waldorf Astor died on 18 October 1919 in England, where he’d relocated to in 1893.

Closing of the first Waldorf=Astoria. While the original was the arguably the grandest hotel in the world, in the 1920's, with so many new technological advances, it was becoming dated. So the decision was made to sell the site to the developers of what would become the Empire State building and to tear down the hotel in 1929.

The second Waldorf-Astoria hotel opened in its current location on Park Avenue on October 1, 1931, as the tallest and largest hotel in the world. President Herbert Hoover, in a radio broadcast from The White House, saluted the new hotel, "The opening of the new Waldorf Astoria is an event in the advancement of hotels, even in New York City. It carries great tradition in national hospitality...marks the measure of nation's growth in power, in comfort and in artistry…

In 1931, when the decision to build a new Waldorf Astoria Hotel was made, the managers of the new hotel were most emphatic that the atmosphere, traditions, and prestige associated with the old Waldorf Astoria be preserved and transferred to a structure that incorporated the innovative design and technology of the Twentieth Century. Architects Leonard Schultze and Fullerton Weaver realized that the Art-Deco style popular in New York at the time was the perfect way to combine traditional elegance with modern functionalism.

The hotel was constructed on an entire city block extending from Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue (west and east) and 49th and 50th Streets (south and north).

Conrad Hilton contracted to acquire control of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on October 12, 1949.

Monroe had formerly resided in the Waldorf Astoria’s $1,000-per-week Suite in 1955,

In 1993 The Waldorf Astoria became an official New York City landmark, joining other major icons like The Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge.

Garden to Table Events Mark November: Sourdough Cookbook, The Inspired Landscape, Urban Farming, Culinary Culture & the Kitchen of Tomorrow

There are a number of outstanding events scheduled in the next few weeks that you simply cannot miss.  Adding the cherry on top, I’m delighted to share that all of them feature some of my favorite people. (Including moi!)

First Up: The Horticultural Society of New York celebrates the release of Sarah Owens’ first book Sourdough: Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads, Sweets and More. HSNY (yeah George Pisegna!) invite reads:  “Sarah will offer a slide presentation of the botanical contributions included in this beautifully photographed cookbook. Join in an afternoon of food and wine (my aside: I’ve seen the homegrown food Sarah is cooking up - it looks delicious!) as the former Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) Curator of the Cranford Rose Garden reveals her inspiration working as a rosarian and how it has contributed to her evolution as a seasonally-inspired baker for her micro business BK17  based in Brooklyn, NY and Louisville, KY. Copies will be available for purchase.”  

Sarah and Ngoc's book is hands-down glamorous elegance in its purity and scope.

I met up with Sarah on Tuesday -- she’s in Gotham for the first leg of Sourdough’s promotional efforts. I’ve worked with Sarah at BBG and she worked with me for my Garden State Duchess Designs clients. I’ve long admired her botanical acumen and her inimitable style. I love Sarah! And you'll fall in love too, reading her book and learning how she bakes with the best ingredients, including those botanicals, - along with love…

She told me during our interview sitting in Union Square park basking in the Indian Summer weather, how she first met up with her incredible photographer, Ngoc Minh Ngo in the Cranford Rose Garden -- and well, the professional connection, "blossomed!" -- to Sarah’s baking and ultimately, to the collaboration on Sourdough. I’ll be writing a full review and feature on Sourdough shortly here for Garden Glamour by Duchess Designs and for my Examiner Leeann Lavin Food & Drink column.

In the meantime, do not miss this rare opportunity to see and hear Sarah talk about her transformative baking, use of healthy, local grains, and the magic of sourdough!

The book talk and tasting takes place from 3:00 pm to 6:00pm at UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art, 322 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 Email: scourtade@thehort.org

Sourdough author, Sarah Owens, photo: Ngoc Minh  Ngo

Second on the events calendar: Monday, November 16, 6:30 pm is one of the events I'm involved in. I'm so proud and honored to be a part of this one. It's been more than a year in the making.

The Culinary Historians of New York (CHNY) and the NYU Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health present “Savoring Gotham: Celebrating the Making of the Definitive Companion to New York City’s Food.”

The program takes place at NYU, 411 Lafayette Street, Fifth Floor.t

A reception featuring iconic and ethnic New York foods will precede the talk, and copies of Savoring Gotham will be available for purchase.

Admission is $25 for CHNY members; $40 non-members and guests; $10 for full-time students with ID and free for NYU faculty and students with ID.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit

Savoring Gotham: Celebrating the Making of the Definitive …. 

The eagerly awaited Savoring Gotham was published by Oxford University Press. Editor Andrew F. Smith said it is easily the most comprehensive reference work on the history of the city’s food and drink.

Among the CHNY members who contributed the book are: Ari Ariel (area editor), Scott Alves Barton, Tove K. Danovich, Cara De Silva, Doug Duda, Megan Elias, Meryle Evans, Polly Franchini, Cathy K. Kaufman (senior editor), Michael Krondl (area editor) Leeann Lavin, Walter Levy, Renee Marton, Anne Mendelson, Marion Nestle, Jacqueline Newman, Alexandra Olsen, Linda Pelaccio, Carl Raymond, Peter G. Rose, Meryl Rosofsky, Stephen Schmidt, Andrew F. Smith, Alexandra J.M. Sullivan, Judith Weinraub (area editor).

I researched and wrote three chapters: Farm to Table, The History of Greenmarkets, and Ladies Who Lunch.

Savoring Gotham covers New York’s culinary history, but also some of the most recognizable restaurants, eateries and culinary personalities today. And it delves into more esoteric culinary realities, such as urban farming, beekeeping, the Three Martini Lunch and the Power Lunch, and novels, movies, and paintings that memorably depict Gotham’s foodscapes. From hot dog stands to haute cuisine, each borough is represented.

A foreword by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and James Beard JBF Awards winner, Garrett Oliver and an extensive new bibliography, round out this sweeping new collection.

Third, is Tuesday, November 17th and it brings the talented and inspiringSusan Cohen Landscape Architect to speak at The New York Botanical Garden to talk about her first book: The Inspired Landscape: Twenty-One Leading Landscape :Twenty-one Architects explore the creative process.”

The forward is by Peter Walker, an influential landscape architect and co-designer of the hauntingly beautiful September 11 Memorial gardens. (Peter spoke at the recent Landscape Design Portfolio series. I’ll cover his talk in an upcoming Garden Glamour post)

I

It’s only natural that Susan’s first book would document the era’s most creative landscape architects. After all, Susan has coordinated the award-winning Landscape Design Portfolio series at NYBG since its launch 17 years ago. Every autumn, she has singlehandedly, brought the best of the industry’s designers to speak about their work -- commercial and residential -- inspiring all of us who listen and learn…
Susan is also the Program Coordinator for the Garden’s Landscape Design Certificate Program; she also teaches courses in the program. Susan is a garden guru treasure - and I love her!

After earning a Certificate at the Botanical Garden herself, she received her BS in Landscape Architecture from City College of New York. She is principal of Susan Cohen Landscape Architect in Greenwich, Connecticut and an award-winning designer, who also lectures and writes about garden history and landscape design.

Susan and Sheila Brady will speak at the Landscape Design Alumni Series: Finding Your Muse at 1:00 pm at the Garden, Watson Room 302. Fee is $29 for Members and $35 for non-Members.

I’m so sorry I will miss this talk - as it’s sandwiched in between two talks/events I am doing. However, I promise to catch up with Susan, have her sign a book, and get a feature story for you Garden Glamour readers.

Photo courtesy NYBG, photo: Alfredo Gaskin

Yet another big green event is the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) Bronx Green-Up Program Presents a Symposium: “Growing the Urban Farm”

What: Symposium: “Growing the Urban Farm”

Who: Featured Speakers:

· Mchezaji “Che’ Axum, Director of the Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education in the College of Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia. 

· Nevin Cohen, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Public Health

· Annie Novak, Manager of the Edible Academy, The New York Botanical Garden, and co-founder, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. 

· Karen Washington, Community Activist, Gardener, and Farmer. A Bronx resident, founding member of Bronx Green-Up, and a passionate advocate for urban agriculture.

After the presentations, Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at the New York Botanical Garden, will moderate a discussion about the future of urban agriculture in New York and beyond.

NYBG Urban agriculture is growing rapidly in cities across America. Vacant lots, abandoned green spaces, and even rooftops are being transformed into productive farms that provide fresh produce and opportunities for healthy activity, income, and many other benefits for urban families. Can the unprecedented growth of urban agriculture continue? Can urban farms produce enough food to feed large numbers of city residents? What new policies must be adopted to improve and promote urban agriculture? Will rooftop and vertical gardening systems increase the productivity of urban farms? What benefits beyond food production does urban agriculture provide to the community?

When: Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 6–8 p.m.

Where: The New York Botanical Garden, Ross Hall 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx New York 10458

Admission: Non-Member $20; Member $10

To purchase tickets, visit nybg.org/AdultEd or call 800.322.NYBG (6924)


And then there's my big talk -- drumroll please -- on the Future of Food: Culinary Culture – How Food and Its Production Fuel the Kitchen: Eating, Living, & Building ~ Designing the Kitchen of Tomorrow for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). I’m one of three keynoters at the event to be held at Hafele New York Showroom from noon to 5:45 lunch included.

It’s going to be epic.

More on this event, too.

It’s quite a busy month -- and we’re only at the halfway mark!

It's quite a garden-to-table kind of November. Which is a fitting seasonal salute as we cruise into Thanksgiving and count our harvest blessings.

Such garden glamour.

"Artful Collage from Found Objects" Inspires Creation of Visual Biographies, Memories and Dreams

I don’t know about you but I can go to a very special happy place when I read of famous, acknowledged style icons engaged in the same enterprise as the experts I know and love.

I was reminded of this recently when I read that interior style icon Charlotte Moss has been scrapbooking with abandon since she was a child.

Her latest book, Charlotte Moss: A Visual Life: Scrapbook, Collages, and Inspirations details her dedication to what she terms are a “fingerprint, a visual diary, a photo-autobiography.” http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780847838639   

That House Beautiful Magazine feature triggered how I’d been remiss writing about the antecedent to Moss’ publication.

Not that long ago I was honored to have been given the opportunity to review the Artful Collage Found from Objects book written by my garden friend, Ellen Spector Platt. 

http://www.amazon.com/Artful-Collage-Found-Objects-Spector/dp/0811701190

What is the difference, you may ask, between Collage and Scrapbooking?

Not much.

A quick Google search yields:

Art journaling is focused on the creation of a visual journal or diary using your artistic skills and techniques, whereas scrapbooking is focused on the collation and presentation of memories, photos, small keepsakes and memorabilia, using creative techniques to enhance these.

A scrapbook is focused on capturing memories, photos, keepsakes, and memorabilia. The goal is to preserve these for generations.

The line between art journaling and scrapbooking can be blurred depending on an individual’s preferences and creativity. 

There are simply no fixed rules about what you can or can’t do in an art journal or when scrapbooking.

Journaling is based on a visual journal or diary, using art supplies, collage, stamps, markers, recycled paper, photos, etc. It’s a place for you to write your thoughts and dreams, ideas, personal reflections, future plans….philosophies.  It’s for the happy side of you and the sad, angry side. It’s a vehicle for spilling out your feelings… It’s a place to save ideas, quotes, and observations of when you are at home, work, or travelling.

So it is that Collage and Scrapbook -- thoughts of the personal, memory-inducing autobiography honors a not dissimilar style of art.

I put forth that Collages lean more toward the personal vs. a diary or journal's scrapbooking. 

Plus the collages as Platt helps us create, belong more to the “fine art” world.  

And no doubt, these kinds of Collages are given places of honor in our homes or offices – on the wall or perched on the desktop, mantle or other places of “eye-candy” distinction. 

And in the spirit of collage-as-art, you have to respect Platt notation that Picasso used newsprint in his collages.

She writes, “Now brown in tone, Picasso knew newspaper turns brown but used it anyway.”  Plant asks rhetorically, “Who am I to disagree?”

I think this notion of a visual autobiography is heightened with the gateway to a more public or “accessible scrapbooking” -- otherwise knows as: Pinterest.

See, it seems that we’ve all had the pent-up passion for collage and now its unleashed.

Collage and scrapbooking and Pinterest render memories and dreams in an artistic way.

And to enhance our private and public collage, scrapbooking, and Pinterest board-postings, we can all use the guidance and expertise of Platt.

The Artful Collage is Platt’s first published work on scrapbooking.

Platt has authored 11 books on garden plants and craft design.  A favorite is her best-selling Lavender book: Lavender: How to Grow and Use the Fragrant Herb (goo.gl/IWCqsP)

Her design cred is well established.

Artful Collage is a full-color, full-sized, step-by-step, detailed How-To and inspiration.   

The book embraces nearly 50 sample Projects that are Platt’s hands-on, real-world, collage art process.

Platt provides a succinct overview of what you’ll need to collage in the Basics chapter. 

Here, there are all the materials used in Collage and that you probably have, including, scissors, glue, brushes, pencils, and rulers. 

And then, there are the suggested “Found” materials.

It’s almost a liberating discovery to learn you can create collage artwork “from junk and treasured objects and keepsakes” according to Platt.

Artful Collage provides 10 Project chapters featuring Collage project suggestions.

Here are a few examples:

·      Remembrances of Things Past

·      My Landscape

·      My World

·      Vacations

·      Seasons of the Year

·      Holidays, Hobbies and Gifts

Nested within each Project chapter include three to six examples.

Key to successful, artful project completion is Platt’s How to Do It chapter

Platt advises Collage Art is a six-step process:

·      Gathering

·      Imagining

·      Manipulating

·      Designing

·      Adhering

·      Displaying

Plat says: “Steps do not always follow in that order – one can imagine or dream before the gathering…"

Platt suggests staring with a theme in your world and "ideas will come pouring in.” 

If life is an amalgamation – artwork is the same also. 

Art is all about telling stories. 

A Collage Q & A with Author Ellen Spector Platt:

Q How did you start Collage/What got you started? Do you continue to collage?  

A. I started by accident when I was between herb books and looking for an interesting course to take at Cooper Union. My editor wanted a craft book just around the time I was falling in love with the process of Collage.

Q. In your opinion, is this a "hobby" for folks of certain age or does it run across all ages and demographics?

A. Collage art is now my third career, and it can be enjoyed seriously by kids and adults alike.  In fact, I’ve worked with my grandkids – now 13 and 11 – and they make collages for gift sometimes.  I teach collage at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and other places.  I also show and sell my Collage work.

Q. How did you come up with the collages featured in the book?

A. I was trying to illustrate various styles and techniques to give readers a guide on how to get started.  In my own work, I now use lots of my own photos printed at home on regular paper, cut or torn, with other found elements.

Q. What has been the feedback on the book? How has it changed your world  -- your approach to found objects?

A. I notice everything in my surroundings in greater detail. All objects in the city are potential art materials.  One day, leaving a diner with a friend, I saw a perfect, green, roundish piece on the pavement and bent down to pick it up and save for some future collage.  Only after I got quite close up did I recognize this green piece as a slice of pickle. Not quite something I wanted to save…

Q. How has the garden influenced your collage?

I use many twigs, pressed flowers and leaves, pods and cones – even when the subject of the Collage isn’t botanical.  The shape, color, or texture of natural objects lend themselves to Collage and are readily available, even on the streets of New York City.  

Q. What book or project are you working on now?

A. I'm doing my own art – showing and selling my work.  My last group show and sale was at a Gallery in the Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage.