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Eloise Would Have Loved This Madcap Powder Room

Written on January 16, 2012 at 4:04 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Monkeys swinging from chandeliers and scarlet drapes with gold tassels—the decorating scheme of this powder room is “rawther fancy,” as Eloise, the little girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel, would put it.  The powder room—in the lovely Long Island home of Traditional Home reader Christina Merrill—has a delightful Eloise connection: Its murals on canvas were painted by Hilary Knight. Thereby hangs both a tail (a monkey’s) and a tale.

 

Powder Room Mural by Hilary Knight

 

Hilary Knight’s name may sound familiar, especially if you were ever a little girl or have ever read stories to one, because Knight is the illustrator of the beloved children’s book series, Eloise, by Kay Thompson. Like all the greats, Knight made it look easy. His fluid, whimsical illustrations—which are so spontaneous-looking you’d swear they were dashed off on a napkin—capture Eloise’s youthful insouciance. They also portray the bemusement of the hotel guests and staff as she confounds her guardians and orders from room service “one roast-beef bone, one raisin, and seven soup spoons.” (I love Eloise because at five, she was Not Pretty but was already a Person.)

 

 

Hilary Knight’s photo from the back over of the first Eloise book

Knight was only 29 when the first Eloise book came out, and the powder room murals, Christina Merrill believes, were painted even before then, probably in the late forties or early fifties. Currently adorning her own home in Long Island, they were originally painted for the powder room of the Manhattan apartment where she lived as a baby. Christina’s father, Joe Buhskin, was a jazz pianist who co-wrote Frank Sinatra’s first hit, “Look At Me Now,” and  played with Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, and other greats. (Go here for his rousing version of “I Love a Piano” — as the song’s lyrics say, he knew a fine way to treat a Steinway: http://bit.ly/zeShOj ). As a young man about town just out of the Navy (where his painting was confined to literally painting ships) Knight frequented clubs where Bushkin played, and the two suave gents became fast friends.

 

 

Joel Bushkin

 

The effervescent quality of the murals captures the nightclubby, martiniesque mood of mid-century Manhattan, where Knight painted them as a gift in the Bushkin apartment in River House on 52nd St., which is still an apartment house. The Bushkin family moved to California when Christina was young, but she met Knight on several occasions. “My three sisters and I loved going to the Plaza, and we were thrilled when he signed our copies of the Eloise books,” she says.

When her parents’ apartment was sold, an adult Christina loved the powder room so much she recreated it in her classic Long Island home, out of what had been a telephone room.  Her friend, interior designer Meg Braff, whose work we have featured in Traditional Home, designed the powder room with Christina’s input—and the artist’s. Christina had restoration specialists painstakingly remove Knight’s canvas murals from the Manhattan apartment and bring them to her Long Island home. She sent a town car to the city to fetch Knight for his input. (Knight was born in 1926 and is very much alive: hilaryknight.com). “I had hired an artist to help, and together they worked out how he wanted it to be. He was so gracious and friendly, and so glad that I had gone the extra mile with the murals,” she says. Designer Braff discovered some vintage Scalamandre gold tassels that look just like the tassels in the mural to tie back the new powder room’s scarlet drapes, a perfect touch for this powder room extraordinaire.

 

 

 

Powder Room Mural by Hilary Knight

 

By the way, Christina was one of the winners of our annual Classic Woman Awards last year for her work as founder of The Bone Marrow Foundation (bonemarrow.corg). She is also the mastermind behind Town Togs, which makes ties for boys and men, with a percentage of profits going to her charity (towntogs.com). The name comes from the idea of dressing up for trips into town, just as she and her sisters did as little girls and just as her three sons do today . Meanwhile, the Eloise legacy lives on at the Plaza, where you can visit the Eloise shop or throw an Eloise birthday party (theplaza.com).

Need a last-minute gift? Give hope.

Written on December 19, 2011 at 4:43 pm
By Rebecca Christian

If, like me, you’re ahemtysomething, you already have way too much stuff, and so do all of your friends. That’s a good reason to shop the American Red Cross’s holidday gift catalog—compassion fits any recipient and  is always in style (http://bit.ly/vNLkTy) I like the Red Cross because it’s a potent symbol of the American can-do, will-help attitude and because 91 percent of all gifts go directly to helping people in need.

 

Nevaeh Gladney, 10, lies on a cot at the Red Cross Shelter at Belk Activity Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her family lost their home in heavily devastated Alberta, Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa was one of the areas heavily hit by tornadoes this past spring. Photo by American Red Cross

 

Gifts start as low as $18 for three blankets to comfort children who have been struck by disaster. For $25 you can give blankets and movies for platelet donors—the process of donating platelets, which are essential for stopping bleeding, can take a long time. Blankets keep donors’ body temperature up, and movies help pass the time. Other gifts inclulde hot meals for three for $30, a full day of emergency shelter for one person (3 meals, 2 blankets, 1 cot and personal supplies) and for $50, the popular Military Comfort Kit, which gives a wounded solider a phone card, robe, toiletries and MP3 music card.

 

 

Photo by American Red Cross

The Red Cross will give you a free eCard to send to your friend or family member announcing your gift.

 

 

Through the Eyes of a Child

Written on December 14, 2011 at 4:10 pm
By Rebecca Christian

A river of ink has been spilled about the true meaning of Christmas. Call me corny, but I am about to add to it. This is why: My granddaughter, Stella, 7, who is the love of my life and who has Down syndrome, needed to go to the Univeristy of Iowa Hospital, two hours away, last week to see a pediatric specialist. I was babysitting her little brother for the day. Decked out in shocking pink and light-up sneakers, with  her carrot-colored hair braided to a fare thee well and her favorite stuffed doggy in a matching pink carrying case, Stella wasn’t as excited as she usually would be to set forth with her parents.  That was because she was going to see The Doctor, where bad things have been known to happen, and because her brother was going with me to ride the Christmas train at the mall. (Five times, as it turned out. I’m just a gran who can’t say no.)

 

 

No one was hurt, but about an hour out on the interstate, the little family’s compact car was sideswiped by a semi driver who didn’t stop. My son, who gives people the benefit of the doubt and then some, thinks the driver may not have heard the horn or seen the bumper fly off as the car swerved wildly to the shoulder of the road. He was of course frantic about the welfare of his wife and child, and probably the most perilous moment was when he got out of the car on the driver’s side right after the accident to check on Stella. She was startled, but not frightened — and likely more upset by seeing her father so shaken than by the accident itself.

Unlike other drivers who saw them and figured – as I probably would have — that in this day of cell phones, the family could easily summon help, a couple of good Samaritans stopped as in days of old.  Jolly sisters on their way to Christmas shop at the outlet mall a half hour away, they served as witnesses to a trooper. Meanwhile they sheltered Stella and her mother – always calm and steady in a crisis, and in fact any time — in their vehicle as debris swirled around it on this raw and wind-whipped day. They even waited as a tow truck was arranged and then drove the family with them to the mall.  Meanwhile, my son had alerted his sister, who lives nearby, and who drove over with her baby to help with logistics.

They tried to make the doctor’s appointment, scheduled way in advance, but it didn’t work out – the X-rays were in the totaled car. For my son, this looked like the very definition of the day I used to read to him about in Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. (Alexander woke up with gum in his hair, his best friend deserted him, and then there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV). His family had come close to catastrophe, more time would elapse before learning more about Stella’s health issue, he had wasted a day off work, and his car – paid for –was toast.

Stella, however, was having a wonderful, marvelous, all good, no bad day. Somehow she got the notion it was somebody’s birthday. Not only did she get to ride in a strange car with two swell new friends and see her baby cousin and aunts on both sides of the family (her mother’s sister came from the other direction to transport the travelers home), but she was also granted a reprieve from The Doctor. By the time they regrouped at a pizza parlor, she was chanting “party!” and singing the Happy Birthday song. May she always treat adversities as adventures and give and receive great kindnesses, thus keeping Christmas forever in her innocent heart.

This article originally appeared in the Telegraph Herald newspaper December 10, 2011.

Bid On Great Designer Before and After Items (And It’s For A Great Cause)!

Written on November 28, 2011 at 3:45 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Recently at our Classic Woman Awards luncheon in New York, I had the pleasure of  catching up with designer Jennifer Flanders (whose drop-dead gorgeous Manhattan apartment that she shares with two darling daughters we memorably featured in our magazine: http://bit.ly/tmP5fF).

Jennifer Flanders

 

I was pleased to discover that at our Classic Woman awards program a couple of years ago, Jennifer became so inspired by Classic Woman honoree Susan Fredman’s Designs for Dignity organization in Chicago that she decided to establish the same organization in New York. Designs for Dignity uses pro bono designer services, materials and finishes donated by manufacturers, vendors, clients and showrooms to create beautiful, healing spaces for nonprofits and residences that serve people in need (http://bit.ly/w1l6uS ). Its philosophy is that everyone has the right to live in a home they can be proud of, regardless of financial or social status.

For the New York branch’s project, Jennifer had the clever idea of challenging ten top designers to find old pieces of furniture to redesign, with the idea of auctioning them off at a charity event in New York December 1. (You don’t have to be there to bid on an item; in fact, you can do it online: http://bit.ly/rM2RJC). Here is a chair Jennifer herself redesigned with Amy Statuto.

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Jennifer says, “We felt this was an apropos way to raise funds because part of what Designs for Dignity does is take advantage of all the waste and excess in the design industry. We are using the fundraiser to show ways in which old pieces of furniture can be given new life and re-used rather than thrown away.  We have a wonderful group of designers donating both their time and resources to this event, and we are hopeful that not only will this effort raise funds to help our NY chapter get off the ground, but it will also raise awareness in the NY design community.”

 

Laura Bohn Associates designed the two-drawer chest below:

 

BEFORE

AFTER

The event, a cocktail reception and auction where the upcycled items can be viewed, is Thursday evening, December 1, from 6 to 9 p.m at Newel’s new showroom at 425 E. 53rd St. Tickets are available online for $75 and at the door for $90.  It’s sponsored by VandM, which sells vintage furniture, antiques,  fine art and jewelry from around the world online (vandm.com). Designers represented are Bradley Stephens, Kevin Walz, Laura Bohn Design Associates, Drew McGukin, Christopher Coleman, Etienne Coffinier and Ed Ku of Coffinier Ku Design, Jim Aman and John Meeks, Jennifer Flanders and Amy Statuto, and Doug and Gene Meyer.

 

It’s Not Too Late: Quick Ship Decorative Items for Thanksgiving

Written on November 16, 2011 at 4:39 pm
By Rebecca Christian

If like me you are still dragging out the same tired horn o’ plenty and dour looking resin Pilgrim couple up from the basement for Thanksgiving, you might like to give some handsome Thanksgiving items from The Well Appointed House a whirl. They’re 25 percent off the prices listed below through Sunday, November 20, and can be shipped quickly.

 

Thanksgiving Wreath with Dried Magnolia Leaves and Turkey and Pheasant Feathers, $108

(it also has a coordinating table swag)

To order, use this link: http://bit.ly/vfXktU

The website also has pretty tableware, including this platter:

Pheasant Tray, $152

Use this link to order: http://bit.ly/rVq9XZ

You’ll find garlands you can have made for Christmas and lots of other pretties, too, at wellappointedhouse.com. And if you like using natural decor for your table, check out this blog post on The Daily Grommet website from designers at Anders Ruff Custom Designs: http://bit.ly/tu5ZXc (love those artichokes and white pumpkins — so pretty and so simple).

101 Things I Hate About Your House

Written on November 11, 2011 at 4:02 pm
By Rebecca Christian

That headline caught your attention, didn’t it? Me, too. It’s also the clever title of a witty and useful new book by designer Jim Swan, who promises readers he’ll take them on a room to room tour to transform their homes from faux pas to fabulous. He delivers.

Between the comatose houseplants, the blinding entryway light  meant to discourage bad guys from wandering up to my vestibule from the nearby freeway but more suitable for interrogating prisoners than welcoming guests, the stack of catalogs on (where else?) the dining room table, the furniture pushed up against the wall like redneck mothers, the faint and to me, a dog lover, not necessarily unpleasant whiff of canine I don’t always remember to temper with a candle scented with what a chemist for Walmart thinks orange blossoms smell like, I saw myself on almost every page.

The books is full of fun color illustrations, like this dowager’s beringed hand in desperate search for a coaster on which to lay her ‘tini.

Swan writes, “Often to be pitied is the guest who approaches, sweaty glass in hand, clearly intending to perch on a pouf and join in the riotous conversation. Perching complete, she looks for that small but monumentally important 3 1/2 inch shield with which she can honor her host and aid in protecting the costly table top on which her dripping drink wants to be placed….It’s fair trade, in my opinion if the French polish on that walnut-marquetry candlestand becomes ghosted and ringed with water spots.”

He also rails against too-high piles of pillows that become kitty jungle gyms. (Um, do they still call them “jungle gyms?” That is my phrase, not the author’s).

The book would make a fun gift for a friend who wants to improve the look of his or her home (and isn’t so thin-skinned they’ll take it as a hint instead of a present.) Or you might want to get it for yourself — Swan’s commonsensical advice tells you what you already know but tend to forget as the detitrus of life piles up around you and the force of habit makes you blind to your own surroundings. I, for one, am going to do something about my graveyard for dead appliances. Order the book ((HCI) for about $13 from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Things-About-House-Room-Room/dp/0757315674

You also might want to check out the book’s quirky Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Swan-and-101-Things-I-Hate-About-Your-House/374081828267

Modern Shape, Vintage Images — Intriguing Handmade Lamps at a Reasonable Price

Written on November 3, 2011 at 12:03 pm
By Rebecca Christian

If, like me, you are drawn to flea markets where you can find nostalgic oddments such as old coins, old stamps, vintage card games, and handwritten recipes, I think you will like Monica Burke’s Table Lamps as much as I do. Working at a vintage lighting studio inspired Monica to rewire old lamps and remake them using found objects and nostalgic images from old postcards and maps. Sometimes she uses her own original photography. In her recent work, a contemporary cylindrical shape gives the lamps a modern edge.

Czech Rhino Stamp Lamp by Monica Burke

The lamps are handmade of sturdy cotton with archival grade ink. I first saw Monica’s work when my daughter — who loves handmade things and likes to support emerging artists and craftswomen — gave one of her lamps as a wedding gift. The “Appearing Quote Typewriter” Lamp looks like an old typewriter with a fresh sheet of paper in it when unlit. When turned on, a quote appears — and you can pick the quote. She’ll customize it.

Monica Burke’s Appearing Quote Typewriter Lamp

The lamps are $48 at The Daily Grommet (http://bit.ly/vGUc0Q), and you can also find her work at etsy.com.

Bluestem, a cookbook for progressive American cuisine

Written on October 28, 2011 at 3:31 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Bluestem is a restaurant in Kansas City, much-praised for creating dishes that are imaginative but that ordinary people might actually want to eat: Smoked Salmon Panna Cotta, Rack of Venison with Pickled Lady Apples, Stone Fruit Cobbler, Oatmeal-Ale Cake. It’s run by passionate foodies and husband-and-wife chefs Colby and Megan Garrelts. Bluestem is also the name of their new cookbook, which is written in the first person with instructions such as “Know thy monger and thy butcher.”

If you’re already thinking Christmas like I am, it would make a nice gift for the foodie on your list (and maybe he or she would invite you over to try the Honey Custard with Linzer Wafer Cookies). The book becomes available from Andrews McMeel Publishing November 8, and you can order it for $28.22 from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bluestem-Cookbook-Colby-Garrelts/dp/1449400612

It’s also filled with the chatty asides you might expect from those who live and breathe food, such as dessert maker Megan’s anthropomorphism of sugar : “As a woman, I can confidently say that sugar is definitely female: It can be cranky and temperamental…Hell hath no fury like hot sugar.”

The cookbook is divided into seasons, keeping the emphasis on cooking whatever is fresh, good, and locally available. Each season has recipes organized this way: amuse-bouche, cold, hot, pasta, water (seafood), land (meat), sweet, and petits fours.

This autumnal recipe for Risotto with Butternut Squash caught my attention:

 

Risotto, butternut squash, allspice
Serves 8 as a first course,
4 as a main course

If you’ve ever patiently stirred risotto until it’s thick and creamy, you know why it is such a rewarding task when it turns out right. Despite the patience required, you’ll want to make it over and over again.
Risotto is not difficult to make. But before you start, make sure that you have the correct variety of rice (long-grain rice will not yield the right results), all of the stock warm and ready to go, and, above all, the time. Don’t try to rush this, or you’ll end up with rice that looks cooked but is gritty and hard within. And make sure you’re ready to eat it right when it’s done. Risotto does not reward your patience with patience; it has a very short shelf life once it’s cooked. Let it sit for more than a few minutes and it will begin to turn soft and gummy.
Any type of fleshy winter squash will work for this recipe, including pumpkin and acorn squash.

8 cups Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups butternut squash in ½-inch cubes
2 cups Carnaroli rice
¾ cup white wine
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Freshly grated allspice

Heat the chicken stock in a stockpot over low heat. Cover and keep warm.
Heat the softened butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and butternut squash and stir until softened, about 5 minutes (you don’t want to develop any color). Using a wooden spoon, stir in the rice, coating it with the butter and seasonings.
Continue to stir and toast the rice for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it evaporates.
Stirring the rice continuously, add the warm stock, 1
cup at a time, making sure that the liquid is completely absorbed by the rice before adding the next cup. The rice will start to release its starch and thicken into a creamy porridge, about 30 minutes. Depending on the texture of risotto you like, the grains of rice should be tender to firm, but not gritty. Season the risotto with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let sit for a couple of minutes.
Beat the cold butter and Parmesan into the risotto. Serve immediately. Grate a bit of allspice over the risotto with a nut grater or Microplane zester and any additional Parmesan over the risotto at the table if you like.

—From Bluestem: The Cookbook by Colby Garrelts and Megan Garrelts with Bonjwing Lee

I was also taken with this one for Beets with Whipped Blue Cheese and Candied Pecans, with an introductory comment from Colby:

 

Beets, whipped blue cheese, candied pecans
Serves 4

I can’t keep Megan away from beets when the gem-like baby ones roll in. Lucky for her, beets are readily available year-round in the Midwest. Although this salad can take on one of many variations, we strip it down to its bare essentials, focusing on the beets, whose sweetness seems intensified against the salty whipped blue cheese that we pair with it. Candied pecans give the salad some needed snap, and a few tendrils of baby frisée lettuce frame it all nicely with a frilly border.

This salad is particularly pretty if you use different-colored beets. Just make sure you keep them separated before arranging them on plates so they don’t stain each other.

1 pound baby beets, trimmed of greens
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 ounces blue cheese, softened
¼ cup Champagne Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
⅓ cup Candied Pecans, chopped (recipe follows)
Baby frisée, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Tightly seal the beets, whole, in a large sheet of aluminum foil. If you are using different-colored beats, package the beets separately by color so that the red ones won’t stain the lighter-colored ones.
Bake the beets for 40 minutes. To test the beets for doneness, a knife should slip in and out of them without any effort. Let the beets cool. Peel the thin layer of skin from each beet. Cut the beets into quarters. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese on high speed until soft and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Add the blue cheese and continue to whip, scraping the bowl as needed, until the two cheeses are evenly mixed and fluffy.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and whip a little more to incorporate.
Toss the beets with the vinaigrette. If you are using different-colored beets, toss them separately by color to prevent them from staining each other. Divide the beets among 4 plates.
Transfer the whipped cheese to a pastry bag and pipe the cheese in small mounds around the beets. Or you can simply spoon the cheese onto the plates. Garnish each salad with some pecans and frisée. Serve immediately.

+++

Champagne vinaigrette
Makes about 13/4 cups

With a nice balance of sweet and sour, this is an extremely versatile vinaigrette. At Bluestem, we find a place for it in every season.

 

1 cup Champagne vinegar

1∕₃ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1∕₃ cup honey
Combine all of the ingredients in a nonreactive bowl, adding the honey last to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Whisk vigorously until combined. Tightly sealed, the vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Before using the vinaigrette in a recipe, bring the vinaigrette back to room temperature and rewhisk to combine.

+++

Candied pecans
Makes about 1 cup

We always have candied nuts on hand to use as a garnish for everything from salads to desserts. This recipe calls for pecans, but you may substitute any unsalted nut, though the wrinkly ones (like walnuts) give the candied glaze something to cling to. Just make sure that you adjust the baking time according to the size of the nut so that you don’t burn them.

1 cup pecans (about 31/2 ounces)

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Spray a baking sheet or pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, tossing to coat the nuts with the seasonings and corn syrup (use your hands or a wooden spoon to get everything evenly mixed). Spread the nuts on the sheet evenly so that they don’t touch (clusters will be hard to break up after baking).
Stirring or shaking the pan occasionally to break up clumps, bake the nuts until they turn a deep golden brown and the sugar mixture is bubbling (about 15 minutes). Let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently break the nuts apart if necessary and store them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

—From Bluestem: The Cookbook by Colby Garrelts and Megan Garrelts with Bonjwing Lee

 

 

Fish in the Garden

Written on October 18, 2011 at 3:51 pm
By Rebecca Christian

I sometimes toss press releases touting garden accents and statuary because it seems to me you can’t improve on nature, and isn’t that what gardening is all about?

Nonetheless I hung on to a flier I got from a place called Fish in the Garden in Falmouth, Maine. There artist Tyson Weiss creates schools of fish out of colorful high-fired glazed ceramics or shiny brushed stainless steel that surge through gardens and interiors in a way that is surreal and calming. I’m particularly taken with this Cobalt Koi. I find myself looking at it several times a day, especially when I’m fighting with my computer.

Grouped together, the fish appear to be swimming in a school.

You can group fish meant to adorn interiors with especially designed tabs that hold the fish an inch away from the wall, creating interesting shadows. Different species of fish are available for the sake of regional relevance—for example if you live on the Florida coast you can order a barracuda, or in Massachusetts, a striped bass or bluefin tuna. (Do you suppose he could make a whiskery river catfish for a landlocked Iowan?). Just as in nature, the fish are weatherproof. Prices range from $49 to $480. The fish are available at fishinthegarden.com.

Love Among the Ruins

Written on October 18, 2011 at 3:32 pm
By Doris Athineos

Salvage hunters alert. Chunks of architectural history will be offered for sale in Manhattan (One Centre Street/18th floor) October 24 in a scarcely publicized city auction.  The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commissionis offering facade fragments and ornaments from demolished landmarks and other buildings including terra-cotta tile from the facade of the old Audubon Ballroom and the Helen Hayes Theater (circa 1911).