Just about the time Hurricane Sandy was wreaking havoc on the United States’ east coast, heavy rains and high tides brought some of the worst flooding to Venice, Italy in years — almost 5 feet of water. Because the “acqua alta”, or high water, is a common yearly occurrance in Venice — and because Venice…
Read Morereno 101: how to find an affordable architectural plan-maker
After our disastrous experience with a bogus architectural plan drawer we found on Craigslist, the dilemma remained: how to get excellent architectural plans made for the Laboratory’s renovation without paying a fortune. Our new strategy was to put the word out for a talented graduate from a great architecture program like Columbia University and closely…
Read Moregreat recipes galore from ‘canal house cooks every day’ (enter our giveaway!)
Since we first got our copy of Christopher Hirscheimer and Melissa Hamilton’s Canal House Cooks Every Day, we’ve been inspired by its simple, straightforward, delicious and REAL recipes (we made their dry-brined roast turkey for Thanksgiving.) Right now, their Apple Tart recipe (below) is calling us. We’ll be giving away a free copy of their big red…
Read Morerube goldberg inspires the crazed inventor in us all
(Video link here.) This morning, the great Manhattan User’s Guide (which is great WAY beyond Manhattan), posted something of a tribute to Rube Goldberg, the guy behind the term Rube Goldberg Machine: “a comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation” according to Webster’s. What always delighted me about Rube’s inventions was that they…
Read Morewall-to-wall carpet solution: stripe it! (tiles too)
We have a strange aversion to wall-to-wall carpeting, finding it monotonous, one dimensional and claustral. But when we saw this clever carpeting made of stripey colors, we though, yeah we might could live with that. Then we saw these stipes made out of floor tiles and realized the striped thing could be done with lots…
Read Moredaily tonic: how to enjoy every moment
We find this simple practice from Thich Nhat Hanh‘s great book Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life to be a tonic. You can do it anywhere — subway, shopping mall, supermarket…It changes everything. It’s on a par with Bill Murray’s “Grab this day by the neck and kiss it”. Related posts: ‘don’t give up what…
Read Morestacked tree trunk coffee table + branch pot rack
One unexpected outcome of Hurricane Sandy for us was our new obsession with trees, after we saw some mighty ones toppled over and wondered how we could give them a second life. We hauled a bunch of huge heavy trunk parts home and have found ourselves wandering the park daily to check out the progress…
Read Morethe sometimes dangerous path to where you want to go
(Video link here.) Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, we spent a couple of hours following links in Roy Arden’s ever-illuminating blog. One took us to a vertigo-inducing video of a man walking the Caminito del Rey in Spain — a narrow path in deep disrepair pinned along the steep walls of a gorge — which people mostly do…
Read Morethanks for the day after thanksgiving
Thanks to the word that gives thanks. Thanks to the gratitude for how excellently the word melts snow or iron.
Read More! happy thanksgiving !
Recently, we were stopped in our tracks by this yellow exclamation point. It is by artist Richard Artschwager, whose work is the focus of a retrospective at the Whitney. Knowing nothing about him, we poked around and found this potent snippet about his amazing !. …Artschwager’s “blps,” black punctuation-like marks..are intended to make their immediate…
Read More‘improvised life’s’ favorite last-minute thanksgiving recipes
For the past couple of days, we’ve been getting calls from friends asking for recommendations for the Thanksgiving meal: the best way to cook the turkey, what side dishes, what to drink. So for all our readers who may still be at odds with what they are going to make tomorrow, here’s our round-up of…
Read Moreping-pong + other makeshift holiday tables
(Video link here.) We were happy to see clever Snoopy pulling out a folding ping-pong table for his Thanksgiving crowd (along with an assortment of mismatched chairs). Covered with a cloth or kraft paper, nobody would know the difference. He isn’t the only one cobbling together a table. It’s a yearly scramble for many people…
Read Moreholiday tabletop decor from the farmer’s market
Recently, Lynne Rosetto Kasper of public radio’s The Splendid Table asked Sally to come up with some ideas for decorating the holiday table. (On December 21st, you can listen to a packed 6 or so minutes of ideas). Sally went right to her local farmer’s market to “forage” for visually beautiful, of-the-season items she could…
Read Morean artist hacks ikea’s ‘billy’ bookcase
We recently stumbled on Uncopy, a website that collates images of artworks under surprising categories and keywords. As always, we hunted for ideas we could use or that would shake up our everyday thinking. Our thinking was definitely shaken up by Bookend by Helmut Smits. Smits simply placed a book under one end of an classic…
Read Morediy: oversized ripped linen napkins
Years ago, we used to scour flea markets for oversize damask napkins that were once a mainstay of early 20th century tables. They’d range anywhere from 20-to-36-inches square. Putting one across your lap at table felt incredibly luxurious: like being tucked into bed while sitting at a wonderful feast. Over the years, the look of…
Read Moreproductivity tip: display completed to-do’s
Like many people, we’re always trying to find ways to increase productivity without stressing ourselves out. We’ve discovered that along with the idea of being more productive and in control comes the pressure to accomplish things. I can have the effect of making us “look over the fence at other people’s greener grass” and be…
Read Morespace voyeurs: studios of 10 brilliant artists
We recently stumbled on Flavorwire’s tour of 10 famous artist’s studios, a welcome break from cleaned-up interiors pictures that are everywhere. These spaces are interesting because they’re fluid, unconcerned with conventional notions of stylishness, yet uniquely beautiful in surprising ways. Often they reveal important elements of the work process — like taping a nap, resting…
Read Morekraft paper table “cloths” and place settings
Inspired by designer Pamela Hovland‘s hand-drawn place settings, we’ve just ordered a 48″ x 200′ roll of kraft paper ($26!) for the holidays. Pamela unrolls a long swath of paper to act as a tablecloth, then draws each persons place setting, with their name, right on it (taking care of seating arrangements in one fell swoop).…
Read Moreleap! (turnip)
Recently, we emailed a friend-fearful-of-the-future our version of a care package: a handful of uplifiting signs and images about taking risks, leaping, going forward into the unknown, one of our favorite subjects. We had just sent off “Leap And the Net Will Appear” when Cynthia Allen from 50 Years 50 Recipes sent us a link to…
Read Moreperfect roast turkey via ‘canal house cooks everyday’ (which we’re giving away!)
With Thanksgiving soon upon us, the debate about whether to brine or not-to-brine the turkey before roasting rages on. We’ve long been a fan of brining, having found it the foolproof method for insuring a moist, well-seasoned bird. Until recently, when two things made us question our belief. Yesterday, on Serious Eats’ Food Lab we…
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