Saturday, March 18, 2017

Home & Garden Preview Highlights from Architectural Digest Show 2017





Given this week’s snowmaggedon blizzard and the accompanying arctic weather in New York -- along with most of the East Coast lately-- you’d be forgiven if you feel an overwhelming urge to nest this weekend. But for the latest on how to feather that nest of yours -- you cannot miss the Architectural Digest Show (AD Design Show) open now through Sunday, March 19th. The show provides a cornucopia of home design and decor ideas from the industry’s best designers, artisanal craftsmen and craftswomen, and manufacturers -- so you can browse your heart’s content; sure to find plenty of ideas. Or to just dream…

The AD Design Show is truly unique in producing a show of such importance. I can think of few, if any, media brand that is a platform for an entire industry. Here is the nexus for design, technology, and sustainability. All with a conscience and a nod to lifestyle and the makers.

I was privileged to be part of the press preview for the show so I’ll share some suggested “must-see” booths and later provide details on trends, products and materials.

Featured Brands to Visit


Why not start with the best? That’s BEST Range Hoods - Booth 347 - a leading designer of luxury range hoods, the maker features Italian designed range hoods that make a statement while never compromising powerful capture. BEST showed in-ceiling hoods that won’t mar a nature view - such as that vista to the water or woods that you probably bought the house for. They also showed a prototype of a Gaudi-inspired range hood that looked like a datura or brugmansia


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Brugmansia 


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BEST Gaudi prototype hood -- see the brugmansia look?

















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Chef Ryan Scott cooking demo at BlueStar


BlueStar - Booth 287

BlueStar® is a manufacturer of high-performance appliances for the home – and a trailblazer in color innovation – more than 750 colors and finishes -- the brand unveiled a full commercial-style kitchen suite, including premium, built-in refrigeration. BlueStar also featured a cooking demo hosted by Celebrity Chef Ryan Scott and Designer Kim Lewis.


The awarding-winning BlueStar 36-inch Built-In Refrigerator, which provides a seriously fresh take on premium food preservation that redefines the art of cooling, will be featured, along with a preview of a French Door model. New to the BlueStar kitchen suite, launching at the show, is the double Electric wall oven,featuring two, integrated, temperature controlled bake stones, 12+ Cooking Modes, a powerful 2,500 watt bake element and an intense 5,000 watt broiler. Its sleek design offers an intuitive, easy-to-use single controller which operates both top & bottom oven. BlueStar also will be introducing the new 36” Induction Cooktop, featuring BlueStar's iconic professional performance. There are also prototypes along the outside of the booth. BlueStar president, Eliza Sheffield noted that the show is a kind of focus group -- so don’t hesitate to provide your feedback. Gotta love this Southwest - sort of Frida Kahlo looking stovetop and hood with its brilliant colors, no?


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Ronbow - Booth 179 - the award-winning company - Winner of 2016 Design - produces luxury bathroom furnishings with a focus on wood and ceramic products -- using eco-friendly, sustainable materials. The highly-acclaimed Signature Series by Ronbow is a diverse collection of extreme quality and refined luxury with internationally trendsetting bathroom products designed by the world’s premier artists, designers and design firms, bringing together 11 new collections from nine top European designers under one brand. Ronbow showed a teeny-tiny sink but with full features including a Blue-Tooth power source for mobile phone to listen to the music or news while getting ready for the day. Their Vento (Italian for “wind”) vanity had a sink that did look like it was shaped by nature.
The art deco vanity in navy -- “the new black” was quite glamorous.

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Beautiful vanity opens like a puzzle! 

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Vento- wind-swept sink design


Liebherr - Booth 271 -- The family-owned and German-based Liebherr Appliances brings the best of European cooling to the Americas. With more than 60 years of expertise in premium refrigeration, Liebherr Appliances combines quality, design, and innovation to offer high-end refrigeration solutions for the modern home or business at approximately one-third or so less than other manufacturers.  


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This is my scarf drawer - brimming with ECHO scarves! 

ECHO - Booth 432 - Known for its expertise in print, pattern, and color, Echo began as a scarf company in 1923.

The brand has become a leader in creating innovative and beautifully designed accessories and home products. ECHO is showcasing a range of fresh and exciting designs including the brand new Ibiza Indoor/Outdoor Collection in collaboration with Kravet. As the name implies, Ibiza takes its inspiration from the rustic beauty of the island. Splashed with Mediterranean and Spanish influences and a fresh global spirit, the collection is an exploration of modern versatility. The high quality performance collection is woven with fibers that stand up to everyday use and don’t fade in the sun. 

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ECHO Ibiza - I can see these looks in many of my garden designs


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ECHO Ibiza
















Woven Legends - Booth 524 - The Art of Woven Legends: Woven Legends leads the way in a rug renaissance by pioneering the use and cultivation of natural dyes since 1982, as well as re-establishing the hand spinning of indigenous nomadic wools in Turkey. The brand’s rugs showcase some of the best carpets woven in the past century.

Woven Legends proudly presents The Anka Cooperative, a social enterprise with a mission to empower Syrian women refugees by providing them dignifying work through the creation of fine carpets. Anka started in 2012 in southeast Turkey, and is currently working with 250 Syrian refugee women in two camps. The Anka Cooperative will formally launch on Kickstarter on Tuesday March 21, to expand their efforts to a third refugee camp. You can support the campaign to raise funds and awareness of their mission, here: http://www.ankacoop.org/

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This Woven Legend rug was reproduced for the Met Museum 


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Woven Legends rugs are based on historical designs


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Woven Legends founder: Neslihan Jevremovic 



Baldwin Hardware - Booth 293 - Baldwin’s Evolved collection is the next generation of smart handlesets and door deadbolts blending exquisite architectural designs with Kevo technology. Evolved delivers an electronic solution designed to exceed the luxurious architectural standards of Baldwin customers. Baldwin Evolved offers an easy Bluetooth “touch-to-open” solution in 18 handleset styles and three deadbolts. Customers can choose from 18 Baldwin finishes for customizable style. Evolved connects through advanced bridge technology to allow you to easily open and close doors via your smartphone and the Kevo mobile app, which runs in the background so there is no need to open the app to enter the home. By downloading the app, you can easily issue “ekeys” for remote access, real-time access history and remote unlocking capabilities within Bluetooth range.

Evolved’s streamlined design easily conceals the technology in a smart, sleek design that is 60 percent smaller than other electronic products on the market. Evolved features subtle LED lights to communicate elegantly with users. It also features a self-aligning brass bolt for easy operation and is water-resistant to ensure moisture won’t affect the technology.

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Gaggenau - Booth 387 - Gaggenau is a manufacturer of high-quality home appliances and acknowledged as an innovation leader in design and technology “Made in Germany.” The company, with a history dating back to 1683, has revolutionized the home kitchen with its internationally acclaimed products. Gaggenau’s success is founded on technological innovation and a clear design language combined with high functionality, hand-craftsmanship, resulting in what the company calls the art of the kitchen.

Available in April, Gaggenau is premiering its EB 333 oven - to mark its 333 years in business - and they say it “perfectly embodies Gaggenau’s design philosophy of traditional avant-garde, where timeless craftsmanship is combined with innovative design. The most striking feature of the 36 inch wide oven is its full-width 3 mm thick stainless-steel door, creating a beautifully sleek and elegant front. The door is equipped with a new soft opening and closing technology to enhance the user experience. “

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Gaggenau artful products and new Masterpiece oven - Culinary Luxury - & serving Ossaban ham! 



Thermador - Booth 387 - Thermador unveiled a completely refreshed Culinary Preservation line, providing exceptional cooling storage with an amazing array of refrigerator, freezer, and wine unit combinations that allow for flexibility and personalization in the kitchen –and throughout the home.

Newly designed TFT control display,with a sleek modern look, provides intuitive management for every aspect of the unit. The ThermaFresh System in the refrigerator drawers provides optimal humidity and temperature control to extend the freshness of meat and produce. The FreeFlow® Cold Air System allows items on door shelves to remain cold and quickly return to the interior temperature once the door is closed. Delicate produce bins provide a storage solution for delicate produce and herbs. The bins are easily removable to take to the food prep area -- love this feature. LED theater lighting in two long tiles along the side provide filtered even lighting, ensuring all food can be spotted and labels are readable. Specially designed Diamond Ice maker in all culinary preservation units with freezers. How glamorous!

Thermador offers Incredible personalization possibilities with over 23 customizable models, including a new 36” refrigerator, 36” freezer and a 23 ½” refrigerator that, when matched with an 18” or 24” freezer, will fill a pre-existing 42” or 48” cut-out.

Open Door Assist feature provides the option to push the door to open or pull it to open –with just a simple selection from the TFT display.  This is one of the features recommended to the company by their design brand ambassadors.  I'm proud to share that my friend, Toni Sabatino is a leader on the board and advocated for this feature!

Glass shelves with aluminum trim and drawers in refrigerator and freezer columns exude a luxurious feel and clean symmetry when paired alongside any other column.

Wine columns feature Full Extension Wengewood racks with triangular dowels that provide more stability and an elegant presentation for fine vintage bottles. You also have the ability to place a custom panel on the door, or to order a stainless steel unit with no door assembly required.

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Individual pull out drawers for variety of herbs and fruits 


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Take away trays to the table or BBQ 




















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Swarovski Crystal studded Rangecraft hood 

Rangecraft - Booth 485 - RangeCraft has been a leading industry manufacturer of high quality, custom designed metal range hoods. RangeCraft’s Made To Order Hoods are available in over 25 product designs. Decorative bands, rivets, buttons and pot rails can be added to dress up the range hood. The brand is showing a new Miami Design in Antique Copper enhanced with copper color Swarovski Crystals -- the only manufacturer licensed to do so. Pure, glamorous luxury for the kitchen.

Urban Cultivator - Booth 144 - Urban Cultivator is THE product you’ll covet at this year’s show. It’s the future, now. You can grow herbs and micro greens in an indoor garden incubator that looks like an under the counter wine storage unit. The greens cultivate in approximately two weeks and you can continue to add new seeds the tray racks. Love this truly homegrown luxury. It’s a four-season healthy way to eat investment.  The unit can be a standalone or used with a water hook up. You can customize the cab it with a choice of front tints and five different tops: Cherry, Male, Walnut, Stainless Steel.  It has four grow trays; four humidity domes.  And the company provide 24/7 phone support - but you won't need it.  Enjoy growing your own food.  It even comes with a starter kit of four plants.


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Grow your own herbs & micro greens all year with Urban Cultivator  


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Pull Out growing trays, Urban Cultivator 





















FlowerBox Wall Gardens Naturalist - Booth 128 - I was completely intrigued with this brand’s signature collection of live - yet preserved - plants. As a horticulturist and garden designer, me and fellow designers, could argue that vertical gardens are like the unicorn of the garden art world; presented with great frequency as the next “thing” but it just doesn’t work. Yet here at FlowerBox were moss, ivy, ferns, and boxwood hanging like verdant wallpaper. In fact, the company says they have 30 kinds of exotic plants and they swear that in the seven years they’ve sold the products they’ve never had a problem. I’m going to try this FlowerBox and will report back after I’ve test-driven in an install. In the meantime, be sure to check it out. Along with their resin tree and plant stools.

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FlowerBox vertical garden wall coverings 


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FlowerBox resin tree table or stool 





















Pennoyer Newman - According to the company, “Cast from originals that once graced the gardens of some of the foremost estates in the U.S. and abroad, the collection of over 400 stone resin replicas are lightweight and weather-resistant. What's more, each Pennoyer Newman casting is handcrafted in New York City using a unique composition of pummeled marble, rock and resin.” For me, I know and love this brand - and the co-owner Virginia Newman so much that I have to look up their description. I use the pots for clients and we adore the look and quality of these investment containers, millstones, fountains, and statuary. The theme of their booth is “nobility” and from the lions to the herons to the pedestals - there is no doubt about their pedigree and noble presence. You must visit and own as much as you can of Pennoyer Newman. 


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Pennoyer and Newman 


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Pennoyer & Newman's garden products - replica's of classic designs 


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Pennoyer & Newman "Nobility" themed AD Show booth features artful prints of Cecily Pennoyer's 



















I also liked the ventless fireplace designs at HearthCabinet.  No need for a chimney, gas, or electric.  The "fireplaces" are good looking, just right for small spaces, and put out some heat, too.
photo courtesy HearthCabinet 

















Showing in the same booth is MJ Atelier - their bespoke sculpted wallpaper, sculptural wall covering, and textured wall coverings are exquisitely elegant.  Truth too, they feature a peacock on their business card so they had me...


Of note is Charleston Limewash - eco-friendly limestone or stucco interior or exterior wall surfaces.  Very authentic and beautiful.  

Kalamazoo, Outdoor Gourmet, always shows quality outdoor kitchens and this year they are featuring a new item: the Smoker Cabinet.

A step up are the Lynx Grills and their new Sonoma Smoker.  It features "smart" capabilities likes the brand's SmartGrill, that is wifi and app-enabled with pre-loaded recipes - or you can add your own custom recipes. These American made outdoor kitchen products are welded stainless steel, grilling platforms that is easy to clean.  The hood construction allows for air recirculation.
Lynx Grill

The company sees outdoor kitchens becoming ever more complete in terms of complete functionality.  The pizza oven and cocktail station add to the overall look.  Plus my foodie friend, Donatella Arpaia is the company's brand ambassador!  




Donatella cooking demo at Lynx Grills

Programming:

Saturday, March 18th:

11:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
THE CHIC LIFE

Tastemakers discuss individuality, personal style, and the undeniable intersection between fashion and home today.
Featuring Tim Gunn of “Project Runway,” HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder, and Los Angeles-based interior designer Mary McDonald. Moderated by Jane Keltner de Valle, Style Director at Architectural Digest

1:30–2:30 P.M.
ABOVE AND BEYOND: DESIGNING FOR CREATIVES

The partners of McAlpine use architecture and design to shape private sanctuaries that inspire creativity. Specializing in highly personalized interiors for clients like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, they will reveal the soulful spaces, romantic bedrooms, extraordinary guest quarters, party barns, and more that endow each retreat with individuality, intimacy, and uniqueness.
Featuring McAlpine partners Bobby McAlpine, Susan Ferrier, Greg Tankersley, and Ray Booth. Moderated by book consultant Jill Cohen

3:30–4:30 P.M
HIGH-DESIGN ENTERTAINING AND THE PERFECT PARTY

Trade secrets and essentials behind the art of entertaining and high design are revealed.
Featuring Ken Fulk, designer and creative director for the tech sector’s elite and the author of Mr. Ken Fulk’s Magical World; Lela Rose, fashion designer and author of Prêt-à-Party; and Laura Dowling, Chief Floral Designer for the Obama White House and author of Floral Diplomacy at the White House. Moderated by Athena Calderone, renowned lifestyle expert, author of Cook Beautiful, and creator of EyeSwoon

Sunday, March 19th:

11:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
RENOVATION ROAD MAP: HOW TO GET STARTED

Learn what you need to know to define your project scope, set your budget, and navigate the gritty details of renovating small or palatial spaces. The conversation will focus on the nuts and bolts of a stress-free renovation.
Featuring licensed contractors Stephen Fanuka of “Million Dollar Contractor” and DIY network star Jason Cameron. Moderated by Jean Brownhill, Founder and CEO of renovation matchmaker Sweeten

1:30–2:30 P.M.
SPIRITUALITY IN DESIGN

Designer Vicente Wolf’s book The Four Elements of Design: Interiors Inspired by Earth, Water, Air and Fire is the springboard for this discussion on how to create spiritually positive interiors and find beneficial ways to utilize all aspects of design— architecture, landscaping, interiors, and urban development— to achieve a higher level.
Featuring Vicente Wolf and Katie Scott, interior designer and author of Let It Be. Moderated by Linda O’Keeffe, design writer and co-author of The Four Elements of Design: Interiors Inspired by Earth, Water, Air and Fire

3:30–4:30 P.M
MATERIAL WORLDS: NEW MATERIALS GUIDING OUR MASTER MAKERS

Aiming to expose a few key master makers of the new movement afoot—the New Material Style—hear how this trend uses untapped material to take precedence over conventional standards of typology, usability, and even beauty.
Featuring master makers Lora Appleton, Ara Levon Thorose, Kim Markel, and Cody Hoyt. Moderated by Daniel Michalik, Director of Product Design at Parsons School of Design

Diffa By Design
THURSDAY–*MONDAY, MARCH 16–20, 2017 *Note - this element of the show runs through Monday. This is the tablescape showcase by major brands and designers. As much as it pains me to write this, the tablescapes were a disappointment this year. I eagerly anticipate this element of the show every year, especially because I also provide tablescape design for my garden design clients and I truly appreciate the inspiration and jaw-dropping compositions. Yet there were few that are astonishing. In a departure from past years, our tour “sherpa” said there was no theme given the creators. Still, there was a striking plethora of stark, austere looks and cut, forced spring tree twigs and shrubs, such as cherry blossoms and pussy willows and tropical philodendron leaves and a dearth of blossoming flowers or arrangements. There were a few good uses of succulents. Overall, missing were the whimsical, theatrical tabletop creations.  Yet, there is much to see and enough wow to impress.

My favorites? I loved the Ralph Lauren Home nautical display.  And for our simpatico style masters on the other side of the pond, Ralph Lauren UK

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Ralph Lauren nautical tablescape


Benjamin Moore -- the painted walls felt like a fine leather glove… The table setting is a classic look.

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Benjamin Moore tablescape 

Rockwell Group with Ovando 20 - Loved the colors -- meant to evoke the desert at dusk - the living wall of plants, and the use of succulents as architectural element amplified the approach of eating in a potting shed. A projector casts blooming flowers onto the succulents and cacti, and a diffuser fills the air with scent.  While I would not want the scent at a real dinner party - even heavy fragrance interferes with the olfactory pleasure of food and drink, this design was a fantasy.

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Rockwell Group table 

Twyla - 21 - featuring artist Edward Granger, who was on site, completing a wall hanging painting for the display. His bigger piece, “Mystify The Mind #3” hangs on the back wall and is the inspiration for the composition. I love the company’s “start with the art” approach to interior design decor - vs. an all too common methodology of choosing the art to “match” the decor. Ouch!

According to Twyla, “To bring back the practice of using art as inspiration to create a space, Twyla partnered with Brooklyn artist Edward Granger to make the room itself a work of art. Granger created two murals and a large-scale artwork featuring colorful geometric forms.

Austin-based Twyla is a new way to discover and buy contemporary art. Our curators partner with artists who exhibit at world-renowned museums and galleries to create obsession-worthy limited edition prints you can’t find anywhere else.

At DIFFA, Twyla introduced its first trade program providing member interior designers, architects and developers a discount on Twyla pieces, dedicated account managers, access to top curators and complimentary rendering services.

In Twyla’s room, the furniture and table were custom made and Austin-based ceramic designer Eliana Bernard crafted the marbleized plates and vases and the lighting fixture is by Stickbulb.



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Twyla - Ed Granger Mystify painting inspires table decor 

Twyla cited a luxe with minimalism trend, using lucite, and the channel (velvet) seating.

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Brooklyn artist, Ed Granger completing a work of art 















Sunbrella - This was the most thoughtfully nuanced narrative, curated and displayed in an intriguing and compelling display. The designer, Stephanie Housley, Coral & Tusk, explained how she wanted to tell the American story - featuring the West and our national parks; a refined cowboy kind of dreamy American West in a “glamping” setting.

Custom, textured fabric bisons - the “true American mammal” - hung on a custom ombre fabric wall. Textured Sunbrella covered seating with a look of antique kilim.

The cups and plates were all hand-thrown, made by Brooklyn artist Nicholas Newcomb, and featured textile baked in the material. So incredible I had to pick a cup up and feel its tactile sensation.

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Sunbrella American national park-themed tablescape 


The Blue Ocean display was also rather layered design -- with a nautical theme, using reclaimed wood, vintage, mid-century chairs and creative lighting that illuminated a hanging table with small green plants, with a center well and potted plants. The designers explained the plants can come off with the wood trays used for cheese or….

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Blue Ocean table 


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Blue Ocean hanging table features tray inset 















The Tzelan composition was a glittery space: reclaimed European Oak with squares of mineral composite of copper, zinc, and nickel that defined the interior space, gold-topped table, and lovely table setting. A great steal-worthy touch is the use of mineral crystals as part of the place setting, citing the mineral’s energy capability. Great conversation starter, too.

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Tzelan glamorous tablescape 


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Tzelan glittery tabletop decor 


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Rock Love: place settings feature minerals & quartz with energy properties! 
Roche Bobois +Gensler has a very cool tableau -- just the kind of outré look you want to see at a show like this.  While the walls were a series of their signature stuffed chairs, a "huge" lampshade kind of hat or "cone of silence" suspended over the table.  
Roche Bobois + Gensler Dining Tableau 

Inside were projectors so that the dining guests will be able to bask in a moveable feast for the eyes -- besides the purported bubbly dinner conversation, of course!  


Crate & Barrel had a good narrative: a couple comes home from a night out and along with friends, they raid the refrigerator, pour more champagne and enjoy their “Midnight Snacks” in the kitchen. The composition wasn’t a tablescape; rather a kind of set design.

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Crate & Barrel "Midnight Snack"

The Design Within Reach table was a treat: a garden table display that was a true eden fantasy. The walls are alternating mylar, mirrored table top covered in moss, twigs, air plants, and green.

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Design Within Reach garden tableau 

A lovely, transporting tablescape and dining room is designed by Eddie Ross, Style Director, ATG Stores. I learned ATG will be changing its name in April. Stay tuned. Products will still be available at The Mine by ATGStores.com

The tablescape is in a greenhouse - available at ATG -- featured an Asian as interpreted by an English garden look with lots of blowsy hydrangea plants, trellis, indoor styled furniture and lamps, layered pastel dish settings, fabric tent runners, urns, mirrors, lights… The details add up to an intriguing and compelling design.

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ATG's Eddie Ross design 


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ATG English garden table decor in a greenhouse 


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ATG richly-layered tablescape 

Be sure to visit Pier 92 for DIFFA’S 20th Annual DINING BY DESIGN New York. The Architectural Digest Design Show is home to this spectacular display of cuisine, creativity, and glamour with one-of-a-kind dining environments that awe and inspire—all in support of DIFFA’s work to fight HIV/AIDS. DINING BY DESIGN also features a dynamic silent auction, the legendary COCKTAILS BY DESIGN party on Thursday, March 16th as well as a closing night Gala on Monday, March 20th.” You can purchase tickets to the Monday evening gala.











Friday, March 10, 2017

Honor & Celebrate the Women in Landscape Design as part of International Woman's Day / Women's History Month

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Nellie Allen deisgn, TLC photo

While the rest of the world celebrated great women of all fields of accomplishments for this year’s International Women’s Day and Women's History Month -- for my part, I choose to recognize distinctive “Landscape Ladies.”

It wasn’t all that long ago that a student of landscape design like me had to research and/or purchase antique landscape and garden design or home/shelter books to study classic garden designs. I have a full set of those Garden Club tomes and some Hinck & Wall rare books - when I could afford them. To learn about heritage designers - especially American garden designers, was really pushing it. And women landscape artists? Well, besides there not being more than a clutch of them even being discussed, there just was not really anything available. Then, a groundbreaking reference book - filled with photos, biographies - and yes, at long last: women artists was published.



Pioneers of American Landscape Design: The Cultural Landscape to which I modestly yet proudly shared my research with contributing author, Arthur Melville Pearson, for the chapter on Nathan Barrett.  Barrett is a famed Garden State landscape architect who for decades worked for railroad magnate, George Pullman, designing the gardens at his company’s New Jersey Central Railroad train stations, Pullman’s country house in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and ultimately, the designed town of Pullman, Ohio. I had long been fascinated by Barrett, his designs at Naumkeag and his connection to the Garden State; even before I learned that one of my most favorite garden design clients had owned a Rumson home that featured an extant Barrett garden. I breathlessly described it to my client following a garden tour there while she patiently waited till I finished before telling me that previously - that was her garden estate! I was even more smitten…

Pre-internet - I had done a lot of research on Barrett - for my own inspiration, later for a Garden History paper for my studies at The New York Botanical Garden’s Landscape Design certificate program, and finally, I shared my efforts with the Pioneer book’s contributing writer, Pearson - (who was introduced to me via another garden author and enthusiast; all pre-online social media! Just the Post and phone calls.)

The definitive Pioneers book, authored by the brilliant Charles Birnbaum, president, CEO, and founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation -- a pioneer himself -- along with Robin S. Karson, showcases 140 American landscape design artists. Here I am extrapolating some of the notable female pioneers to honor for International Women’s Day and Women's History Month - wonderful woman’s days that celebrate the “cultural, social, economic, and political achievements of women.” So raise a glass -- and a spade -- to all the great women.
Now, just imagine what hurdles these early female garden designers and landscape architects had to overcome?

Great Women in Landscape Design

(most of the bio text is excerpted from Pioneers book)

Nellie B. Allen - (1869-1961) - Allen designed in the (popular - especially after WWII) Anglo-American style -- According to Between 1921 and the late 1940s Allen maintained a landscape architectural practice based in New York City, designing residential gardens primarily in the New York and New England area

Rose Standish Nichols (1872-1960) - Best known as a landscape gardener and author. She wrote several books including English Pleasure Gardens (1902), Italian Pleasure Gardens (1928) and Spanish and Portuguese Gardens (1924). Nichols was also an accomplished wood carver.

Marion C. Coffin (1877-1957) - One of my favorites: an active practitioner, received her degree from MIT in 1904. Some of Coffin’s best known projects include her designs for the grounds of Winterthur, the Henry F. du Pont estate and the campus layout for the University of Delaware. She won the Gold Medal of the Architectural League of New York for her work in 1930. Coffin was highly regarded in the field and perhaps the best known female landscape architect to graduate from MIT.

Mabel K. Babcock (1862-1931) - received her degree from MIT in 1908. She had not only an active practice but also taught landscape architecture courses at Wellesley College from 1910-1914. Among her best known designs are the MIT President’s garden and Great (Killian) Court. She may have also been involved in the design of the Wellesley campus and Bates College in Maine.
Marjorie Cautley, photo TLC

Marjorie Sewell Cautley (1891 - 1954) Graduating in 1917 from Cornell’s (my beloved father’s alma mater!) College of Agriculture, where she studied landscape architecture, Cautley worked for Warren H. Manning and then architect Julia Morgan. She opened her own practice in New Jersey and, in 1921, designed the 30–acre community park, Roosevelt Common, in Tenafly. In 1924, she was hired by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright, the developer-philanthropists backing the Garden City movement. With them, she worked on Sunnyside Gardens, Phipps Garden Apartments, and Hillside Homes, all in New York City, and on Radburn, in Fairlawn, New Jersey. Cautley is credited with the selection of native plants for these projects, creating interior common spaces onto which homes and private gardens were oriented, and working to enhance a sense of community through landscape features.
Yeah for Native Plants. It took a woman…

Marion Cruger Coffin (1876-1957) - Another of my most favorites designers. Born in New York City and raised in a patrician world, Coffin pursued a career in landscape architecture out of financial necessity, preparing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a special student, and traveling to Europe to study great gardens. Through her friend Henry Francis DuPont, she received many client referrals as well as her most important commission, Winterthur, near Wilmington, Delaware. Other important commissions included Gibraltar, also in Delaware, and Clayton, the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Childs Frick in Roslyn, New York. Clayton has since become the home of the Nassau County Museum of Art. At the height of her career, she designed over 50 significant estate gardens in the northeastern U.S. In her book, Trees and Shrubs for Landscape Effects, she articulated her design theory. Though less well-known than her contemporary Beatrix Farrand, Coffin was recognized for her refined and elegant designs, both formal and naturalistic.
Ellen Biddle Shipman, photo TLC

Ellen Biddle Shipman (1869-1950) - Yet another of my favorite landscapers; also of greater renown so others know her work. Ellen Shipman began her career as a garden designer in Cornish, New Hampshire, and gained a mentor in the architect Charles Platt. Platt’s assistant taught her draftsmanship, and from Platt himself she developed a taste for strong axial garden layouts and tight visual connectivity between house and garden. She held her own, however, in preferring the simple clean geometries of Colonial gardens.
By 1920, she had opened an office in New York City, where she hired graduates of the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture. Her most noted gardens are Longue Vue Gardens in New Orleans, the Cummer Estate (now the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida), and Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio, the latter where she was recommended by Warren H. Manning. Among her rare commercial projects are Lake Shore Boulevard, Grosse Point, Michigan and Aetna Life, Hartford, Connecticut.

Beatrix Farrand (1872-1959) - One of landscape design’s all-time darlings, The only founding woman member of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1899, Farrand was born in New York City and studied horticulture and garden design under the tutelage of Charles Sprague Sargent, director of the Arnold Arboretum. Through her New York social connections, she received major estate commissions and quickly developed a reputation for her elegant, restrained style and rich architectural detail. Her thoroughness of approach and attention to detail was appreciated by such exacting clients as Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, whose garden at Seal Harbor, Maine, Farrand designed, and Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss, with whom she collaborated for 26 years on Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. Dumbarton Oaks remains her finest surviving work. Farrand is also recognized for her campus work, including Princeton and Yale.

Farrand’s New York City home is right next door to ours -- Kismet! And I wrote about her previously for Garden Glamour

Continue to honor these astonishing, talented women. Their landscape art can often be experienced today in parks and preserved gardens. Those landscapes that were foolishly and unwisely destroyed can be studied and appreciated via the Pioneers book and other landscape tributes. Now more than ever we need to honor our cultural landscape heritage. I bow before these Landscape Ladies.  Thank you for continuing to inspire me.


Tuesday, February 28, 2017

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.