April 7, 2016

The Kampong—Historic National Treasure, Reimagined

About Town
The Kampong Showhouse

Much has changed since Dr. David Fairchild, one of America’s most influential horticulturalists and plant collectors, bought a property in Coconut Grove in 1916 with his wife, Marian, and named it The Kampong—the Malay word for village. Not long after purchasing the waterfront acreage, he enlisted the architect Edward Clarence Dean to design a Mission-style house there, which was completed in 1928 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Over time, he experimented on the grounds here with an “introduction garden” of plants he collected on his expeditions around the world and he loved to share his knowledge of the plants he cultivated in the … Read Post

June 5, 2011

Celebrating The Happy Home Project

About Town, Events

Last week author Jean Nayar’s book, The Happy Home Project (Filipacchi Publishing), was officially released—and to celebrate its publication her friends at Wood-Mode hosted a party at the InHouse Kitchen Bath Home showroom in the New York Design Center, where she was joined by good friends and colleagues, some of whom are pictured here. If you’d like to enter to win a copy, please email us at [email protected]. Happy June!

April 22, 2011

Celebrate Earth Day with Eco-Friendly Jewelry

Events

Looking for a fun way to celebrate Earth Day? Then visit Greenwich Jewelers and buy yourself or a loved one some beautiful, eco-friendly jewelry. Jennifer Gandia, one of the store’s owners, was at a Celebration of Sustainable Living event at the Visionaire last weekend (the LEED Platinum residential building in Battery Park City) with a range of other eco-friendly designers, retailers and manufacturers to participate in an expo it hosts every year to honor Earth Day). Jennifer says that being environmentally friendly has always been a part of Greenwich Jewelers’ DNA since her parents opened the store in 1976. When they create … Read Post

March 14, 2011

Artful Eco-Friendly Table Accents

Epicure

If you’re an organic foodie dedicated to cultivating a sustainable table, then you’ll love the products from Modern-twist. Founded by Kat Nouri, a mother of three who’s passionate about nutrition, spirituality and organic farming, the company produces place mats, table toppers and coasters that are free of BPA, latex, phthalates and other harsh chemicals, making them as eco-friendly as they are beautiful. A believer that what you eat on is as important as what you eat, Kat collaborates with independent artists and designers to bring art to the table by printing her company’s accents with food-grade, hand silk-screened silicone. Given … Read Post

November 1, 2010

Easy, Stylish Entertaining Ideas

Epicure

Product designer Julia Knight, who’s brimming with ideas on how to entertain simply and stylishly, is a firm believer that, when it comes to food, presentation is as important and preparation. Julia recently introduced a new line of serving pieces that make even ordinary fare, like crudités and snacks, look extraordinary. “I’m a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving, and I love entertaining,” she says. “This is one holiday when it really is all about abundance and food! And no matter what I prepare for the holiday, I want to present it on elegant trays, in beautiful bowls, and arrayed on … Read Post

October 19, 2010

Wholesome Halloween Treats

Epicure

No Halloween celebration is complete without the treats. But there’s no rule that says they have to be packed with sugar and artificial ingredients. Don and Susie Morris, the founders of Donseumor, a European-inspired bakery in Alameda, California, take a less-is-more approach to making cookies, using wholesome preservative- and additive-free, all-natural ingredients to produce buttery, light, artistic cookies and cupcakes. And for anyone interested in making some unique, wholesome Halloween treats this year, here’s a recipe they sent us for delightful Witch’s Hat Cute Cakes, which are soft and moist, and made with the finest quality all-natural ingredients. Inspired by … Read Post

October 4, 2010

Behind the Scenes at Christie’s New York

About Town, Events

Thanks to an invitation from the Jesters Club, an international squash organization that was celebrating its 75th annual jubilee last week, we had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes tour of Christie’s New York location in Rockefeller Plaza with Becky MacGuire, a specialist in Chinese Export porcelain. After visiting the interiors rooms and sitting in on a live auction, we learned that you can actually get some good-quality estate furniture and accents—as well as an incredibly wide range of art and artifacts—for fairly reasonable prices (one woman told us she furnished her entire summerhouse with furniture she purchased at a … Read Post

September 3, 2010

Super-Easy Recipe for Green Salad with Parmesan Dressing

Epicure

Over the past couple of days, Madie and Kenny, two kind readers of my blog, left incredibly complimentary comments on an older post (Cooking for a Crowd: A Simple Summer Meal). As a way of thanking them for their very encouraging words, I’m immediately following through with a quick follow-up post, as Madie urged me to do, which includes the recipe for a yummy mixed green salad with Parmesan dressing (another adaptation from an old Food & Wine book). Everyone I serve it to loves it, and I hope it might come in handy in the event you plan to … Read Post

July 19, 2010

Cooking for a Crowd: A Simple Summer Meal

Epicure

I have to confess that there are times when my ambitions exceed my abilities—or at least the hours in a day I have available to achieve them. Such was the case, alas, with my plans to serve an Indian-inspired meal to my friends at a party I hosted with my husband, Anil, this past weekend. After entreating a talented Indian chef, Kuntal Kumar, to supply me with a menu for the gathering (see my 6/21/10 post Healthy Organic Gourmet Food), I put forth the effort to test drive the recipes during the previous week and found to my delight that they … Read Post

July 8, 2010

Hosting Guests with Style

Epicure

The summer party I’m throwing is coming up, so I recently asked Ali Pincus, one of the co-founders of the luxury daily sales site, One Kings Lane, for some easy entertaining ideas—especially ways to set an informal table. “I love personalizing seating,” she told me. “My new favorite thing is to write each guest’s name on a piece of fruit. I think green or yellow apples work really well. I saw this at a friend’s home, and loved it! And a beautiful glass pitcher with water and sliced lemons & limes always looks lovely.” Since One Kings Lane offers home … Read Post