Nora Ephron Loved Food and Gardens and Home Decor

I miss her.

Nora, that is. 

This home renovation diary honors Nora Ephron.  

She brought laughter to us through her writing for the big screen and her books and blogs.   

I am still saddened for our collective loss.

Nora created authentic, inimitable, champagne-bubbly and martini-sophisticate narratives in her literary and cinematic work.

Further, I love that the New York Times championed her career as “a journalist, a blogger, an essayist, a novelist and a playwright, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a movie director.”

(What blogger and writer doesn’t like to hear that career hat noted?)

Nora was a dame. 

She was funny, smart and spot-on when it came to showcasing and illuminating contemporary fin de siècle home décor and food and an enriched homegrown lifestyle. 

Over the years I’ve read some critic’s reviews that said her movies showcased a too-perfect world of garden and home design.    

They said the worlds she created were not real or average. 

Really?

The world of cinema is magic.  And aspirational.

And I for one am thrilled that she touched a nerve.

She loved food so much. She wrote that when filming “Julia & Julia” she made sure not use any chimera-inducing sleight of hand. 

The real food was all the magic she needed. She worked all day on the camera angle to get the rich, reach-out-and-taste it epicurean ingredients just write. She fairly danced in the door, exclaiming to her husband that she’d “nailed it.”

Take that action movie men!

I joined the New York Times Nora Ephron book club in order to stay a bit closer to her.

I also pulled an excerpt from a piece written for my other blog, “Master Chefs and their Gardens,” for the cookbook party for both Amanda Hesser and Melissa Clark at Chelsea Market some two years ago…

I saw Nora among the food enthusiasts there. She was enjoying herself immensely and posed gamely for my photos:

Here is the narrative as written then:

Heading for the Luchy’s Whey center table featuring cheese from Cellars at Jasper Hill, I see Nora Ephron.

Nora Ephron at the book signing party.  She was stylish!

I had to tell her I loved her feature article in the December issue of Town & Country.  She smiles and says a sincere “thank you.”  She looks great in person too. (No neck thing whatsoever!)  The T&C story is a Q&A with Ina Garten.  Ina’s publicist doesn’t email anymore…  I asked her to be in the Long Island Homegrown Cookbook and she said yes, then no.  I give up.  So Ina’s not on my favs list. But Nora is.

And I will make a point to attend Nora’s latest play, “Love, Loss, and What I Wore.”

Good listener, too

Upon Nora’s passing, Meryl Streep wrote: “You could call on her for anything: doctors, restaurants, recipes, speeches, or just a few jokes, and we all did it, constantly. “She was an expert in all the departments of living well.”

In her set designs and in her love of food. 

I share Nora’s passion for living well.

Here is an update on our dining room and sitting room as part of the

Home Renovation Diary Update:

The silk duiponni drapes were made from fabric I got from Mood – the same place that the hit TV show “Project Runway” uses. This was unbeknownst to me until I stepped off the elevator to a veritable party and I inquired if I was in the right place.  It’s managed chaos there.  The bulldog “Swatches” is just too cute, keeping a calm eye on all things fabric…

We had to wait some months, because Mood didn’t have enough of the silk drapes for our needs.  Eventually, after some frustrating follow ups, we were back on track and had the drapes in time for the Independence Day fireworks party.  

Wendy, the seamstress, brought the completed drapes.  She is a cutie pie! 

Wendy steamed the ball gown-like drapes.  I wanted them very, very full and the silk fabric allows them to stand on their own – as if a petticoat is underneath supporting the skirt.

When the breeze captures the hem, it’s more than a flirtatious, sexy Marilyn moment…

I designed the valance to be wide enough for the drapes as well as the solar shades behind them – the shades offer protection from the rays of sun to protect the material, the wood of the dining room table – and our skin.  Shades from Smith+Noble.  www.smithandnoble.com

I had to match the switch plates to the wall color.  Things you never think about! 

So on the advice of our electrician, I took a trip to Chinatown's Lendy-- the go-to the place for all things like this.  

More shopping close to home:

The porch is outfitted with a rug we had in the garage. 

I repurposed a cocktail cart, a table, and the small, gurgling fountain for some nice meditative nature sounds.  

In the end, I opted for the light, open-weave Sunbrella outdoor drapes – even though the color was charcoal.  I

However that color was in canvas and I knew it wouldn’t have the same light, see-through, blow-in-the-breeze texture and look.  And the color looks elegant with the black iron furniture and urns. 

I wanted the “walls” of the porch to “drip” with Sunbrella drapes.   The mildew-resistant drapes are ready made with nickel grommets.  This made hanging easy.

So now, when I do my yoga or have a massage, we can “pull” the drapes for added privacy.  Other times, it’s a sensuous design accent.  I secured the drapes from Ballard Designs.   www.ballarddesigns.com  They are very professional and helpful.

The reconstructed terrace was made whole again by the masons – who were quite cruel with the original.  The colors are cool blue and grays.  I thought the succulent plants would play nicely here. The plants’ architecture and color shades are stunning.  

Love these cool blues & ice grays

The new terrace furniture was supposed to be here for Memorial Day!  It’s on back order.  Digits crossed it makes it oh – sometime this summer!

Patience is a virtue with a home renovation…

Nora’s Lists

In her hysterical, fun-read, “I Remember Nothing,” Ephron concludes the book with two lists: things she will not miss and things she will miss. The New York Times concluded its obit with this reference.   “…Of the things she will miss, begins with “my kids” and “Nick” and ends this way:

“Taking a bath

Coming over the bridge to Manhattan

Pie.”

Pie indeed.  As an homage to witty, literary home design and foodie “friend,” we will enjoy homemade blueberry pie.  With a deserved dollop of homemade ice cream… Enjoyed on our new porch.

The Garden State Home Renovation Tips and Design Review

It seems there will be no gift of a completed home renovation project in time for Christmas. 

Work goes on for phase one.

That includes windows and French doors in the dining room and master bedroom suite, new roof (take that Nor’easters!), insulation, (getting some much needed warmth inside now that the weather is turning winter cold), and the first part of front porch frame and mason work, as well as the back porch addition off the dining room and next to the existing terrace.  This is where the Japanese soaking tub and yoga will be. And chairs for contemplation… And star gazing.

Here is where the Sunbrella fabric drapes will frame the view and offer privacy and shade.

roses watch the their new home companion

roofers start

  

start of loft

There is noodles of wiring meticulously threaded throughout the house by Harold, a darling, tidy electrician.
And there are miles of silver foil sheaths peeking out and twinkling behind the framing, knowing they will soon be hidden away, and what looks like plastic garbage bags channeling an amusement park tunnel attraction but is in fact part of the HVAC.

Once most of the framing and flooring was up, we could see we needed two windows that could open—positioned on either side of the center square window on the water side of the loft room perched over the new dining room.

In the areas where there was existing house: upstairs where the bedrooms and bathrooms are, we had to move all the "stuff" that was in the rooms and lined the walls. 
This was no small task; especially as all the house items and furniture from the living room and kitchen and garden room have already been moved to the garage. 
There is no place left to put the stuff!

We moved the upstairs room items to one side and put a drop cloth over the stuff.

The French door with soon-to-be-Juliet balcony was installed to my great delight.  How perfect it will be to wake up with light streaming into a new expanded bedroom and to enjoy the glistening water views and New York skyline and stately sailboats and frisky sunfish sailboats and cruise ships sailing hopefully to exotic ports from New York Harbor -- and our gardens below.  

We also wanted to offer our overnight guests more of the water and skyline and garden view too.  It was almost like one would have to peek through a squinted or squished viewfinder with the previous windows. Now there is a big, wide square happy window. 

The house, having been originally built in the 1960’s placed all the important rooms on the back side or southwest side of the house in order to safeguard the integrity of the windows from storms, especially the wicked Nor’easters that angrily whip through with impudence every season.  We’ve been told the windows back then just couldn’t sustain the winds and beating rain.

Now, the technology and window designs allow us to get creative with shapes and sizes and positioning. 

We selected the floor for the dining room.  It is comprised of 20x20 tiles – grayish/bluish with striations of coppery brownish.  Small copper squares will be placed artistically throughout the tiled floor area as accents.  This will accessorize the copper topped table to giddy design magazine-worthy heights!  The exciting part of this is the transition tiles I found to lead from the wood kitchen and living room floor to the dining room tile.  This transition tile is appropriately named Opulence.  Oooohh!  It looks like jewelry with tiny glass squares of dazzling copper, cinnamon, silvery-gray and saffron colored tile.  Perfect.  

I am finalizing the outdoor front walk, driveway and front herb garden designs. 

My design request - to be scaled for front porch

I forwarded the image of the front porch design to the masons via the architect – see here -  but they said the design was too big and if they were to do it would cost us $1,000 more to cut the bluestone and brick to scaled size. Further, they said the labor to put the bricks between the slate would require more money.  I suggested they stay within the budget parameters and provide a design opportunity that is close to the look we wanted without costing more. 


The design compromise that was emailed was a random bluestone patter -- too dizzying to work with the clean, straight-on walk design I envision and designed.  After some phone consultation, the mason brothers came over to meet and lay out my suggested alternative design concept, using 16" bluestone.  On the diagonal/diamond-shaped.  With bricks around the sides.  ^:^ Sounds pretty familiar? It worked for me!

The front steps will be 12" bluestone, framed by brick.    

We try to stay focused on the progress. We try to stay out of the dust.  We try not to think about the loss of privacy or the lack of space to put anything.  Thank goodness we have the Gotham apartment to live in during the week.  And my mother's welcoming condo down the street. On the water. We need to get away from all this plus the noise and mud and …

What I wasn’t prepared for is the lack of GC communication and the problems it’s caused. 

Santa should prepare for coal in stockings this year…

Coming up will be installation of the kitchen cabinets, making the template for the kitchen counters and island that will be used to cut the most beautiful marble this side of heaven.

The marble looks like the Caribbean Sea or the sky.  With stars and clouds.  I literally hugged it  when I came upon it. I knew it was for us!  

It took too long to find the cuts we coveted. But we prevailed.
It will look so dreamy mirroring and reflecting the water of the bay and the wide berth of sky behind and framing.

And the front door needs to go in. Right after they finish the front porch.

The siding will go up next week. We chose a bluish grayish shingle that will blend with the water beyond.  The color and style will also work with the existing brick siding on one part of the house that we will whitewash so that we achieve a kind of French country house effect.

We continue. 

So much of a home renovation is hope, tears, and attention to detail.  I advise all homeowners to over-manage. Do not allow anyone to take the reins or to think they control or selectively control the project. It must be very clear at the outset who is the client and how the relationship and process will proceed.  So much time is spent on the materials and design. When in fact, so much of the project is really about the chemistry found in the relationship between the architect and GC and the homeowner/client.
There is more than enough challenges and stress to go around. Be sure to partner with someone who shares your values and character as well as your style and vision.
Do not trust anyone with your budget.  The trust is too often misplaced.  Go over the numbers yourselves and then together with the GC manager. Sadly, professionalism can be in the eye of the doer.
Homeowners are so busy with their work and family lives that more often than not they do rely on the GC for that oversight management they are being paid for.  However they make mistakes.  Sometimes bad ones.

I also recommend having constant email and text updates. That’s worked very well for us.  Weekly meetings – not so much.  The meetings should be more than requests for money.  They should include design review before work is to begin in the areas next in the work flow schedule.  While we only had two change orders, we might have been able to realize the need for different windows if we had walked around once the part of the construction was completed to a point to see what was emerging. 
Take notes and write meeting reports to share with key decision makers.
Review and review and confirm.

The meetings should also foster a sense of team, shared responsibility and commitment and pride…

Weather plays a big role in home renovation in locales where there are four seasons.  Outside of getting the work done in the ideal temperature-kissed late spring through fall time period, there are still rainstorms.
And given climate change - - (yes, Virginia, there IS climate change!) there will be more wild swings in weather patterns including this year's hurricane, tornado, and earthquake. So I suggest looking to the weather channel's long-range forecast when planning the work schedule.  It's a good arrow in the quiver. And it's a good way to plan to use the teams for inside tasks when inclement weather prevents outdoor work.

Securing permits is also a time and schedule challenge that needs to be managed.

Take lots of pictures - before - and as the project progresses.

Have fun. Enjoy the path to a soon-to-be new style

More to come with completion of the house, phase one.  Then on to the the garden and driveway designs.

Sunbrella and Garden Design Magazine Host Design Event

As if garden designers needed another reason to spec out Sunbrella® designs. 

We love their quality, craftsmanship.

We adore their inspiring colors and stripes and patterns.

We respect their durability, easy maintenance and protection from the elements. 

That’s a lot to love.

But then…Garden Design Magazine and Sunbrella hosted an informative and stylish fashion show-type event, complete with front row seats at the season’s sneak preview for what’s new.  

Appropriately, the event was held in New York City’s premiere design center, The Decoration and Design Building http://ddbuilding.com/

There was a panel discussion and a slide show that was more like a designers portfolio of successful projects an intimate look at in-home designs that ignited the creative sparks for house and garden. If you don't have their brochure, visit the website.

The panel experts were: Norman Vanamee, editor in chief, Garden Design Magazine, http://www.gardendesign.com/

Lindsey Taylor, Style Director, Garden Design Magazine, and

Gina Wicker, Design and Creative Director, Sunbrella Fabrics. http://www.sunbrella.com/

Panel Experts: Lindsey Taylor (L), Norman Vanamee, Gina Wicker

The introduction of Sunbrella rugs was good news to hear about.  The first collection, The Renaissance, comes in a variety of sizes: runners as small as 2x5’ to squares and octagons up to 11’ and the colors and patterns with sexy, glamorous names such as Mink, Garnet and Ebony are destined to fulfill a spectrum of good garden room designs. 

Wicker pointed out the importance of maintaining floors using Sunbrella rugs. “The gorgeous rugs also serve to reduce heat gain in the house and create a cozy room such as a special breakfast nook.”  The rungs are made with 100% Sunbrella acrylic yarn and contain 50% recycled content from Sunbrella fabric and fiber “waste.”

Wow.  This is one responsible and sustainable, green company.  It’s like learning the prom queen is also the valedictorian AND she volunteers for charity. 

In fact, Sunbrella fabrics are certified by the GREENGUARD Institute’s Children and Schools standard as contributing to healthy indoor air by being a very low-emitting interior product. 

Parent’s can breathe a sigh of relief with this news.

Plus, think about how much the Sunbrella awnings reduce energy consumption. And protect from the sun’s mean aging rays. I tell my garden team and clients, “Remember, the sun is not our friend.”  I learned here that The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends Sunbrella as an aid in the prevention of sun-induced damage to the skin.

This is great news for all you glamour-pusses out there. 

My husband and I are in the middle of a home renovation at our country house in the Garden State and I can promise you, I will be using yard and yards of Sunbrella fabric, draping and billowing around our new outdoor terrace and patio where I will be doing yoga, enjoying a soak in a Japanese tub and repairing the body from all that garden work with healing massages.  Ahhhhh…

Images of a Georgia home using Sunbrella on every surface throughout the house flashed across the screen.  There were a variety of textures and patterns accessorizing window treatments, floors and the patio. A very coordinated ensemble.               

I could see the European design influence Wicker told the audience about -- Sunbrella has a design facility in France -- especially in the grey duppioini pattern.  It truly looked as a created artwork for the space…

A Q&A followed the presentation.  Questions ranged from “How big was the garden property Vanamee showed and could she submit a garden design for a small garden.  The Garden Design Editor said the magazine tries to do all size gardens.

In turn, he asked the audience if they’d read the Garden Design magazine feature design on the renovation the team did for the small backyard townhouse garden at the James Beard House, as an ideal example of a small, er, postage sized, garden.

Here is the slide show in case you misplaced your online bookmark of Garden Design’s delicious, urban landscape work: http://www.gardendesign.com/find/james%20beard%20garden

http://www.jamesbeard.org/

Vanamee encouraged submissions with just five pictures max and a short description – less than a paragraph – more a little story about what happened in terms of the garden design. How the design solved a problem of some sort…

Sunbrella’s Wicker addressed the issue of fabric and textiles.

What type of materials used depends on what part of the country the space is located in, advised Wicker.  She cited flow-through firm foam as example. “It’s perfect for Miami. The South West, not so much.”  “Ultimately, it’s all about how much maintenance your client wants to support,” Wicker added.  

Wicker urged attendees to consider the practical side of the design as well -- Slipcovers can be taken off and put in the washer with bleach. This makes it easier to keep clean and mold free.

Wicker also noted the benefit of Sunbrella’s reversible cushion cover designs.

“Red wine cleans up.  No problem. And the design and use of hydrophobic fiber was created to dry quickly, standing on end.”

Goody bags and snacks and design community chat followed the presentation.  Garden Design Magazine's editor, Norman, was gracious and introduced me to Gina Wicker.  As part of our conversation, I got the chance to tell her how I love using the company’s fabrics as part of my garden designs: on porches and gazebos.  

But also, I got to tell her about one use she said she’d never heard of.  Using a green, black, tan and white striped Sunbrella fabric, I fashioned a box-kite like design around tall, cut birch tree “rods” positioned at four corners of the two bins that make up our compost area.  A white fence backed by landscape fabric surrounds the compost bins, fronted by pretty plants, and topped off with the fabric design “valance” for a look I call a Compost Cabana.  Who says compost is not fashionable. It’s all the rage.

How glamorous!

And thank you, Garden Design Magazine and Sunbrella.  It was a great garden design event.