ann kent

Cute Aesthetic

I really like this.

Freunde von Freunden - Sarah Illenberger from Freunde von Freunden on Vimeo.

Snow In The North East

    

We continue to be mired in snow in the Northeast! I love it because I grew up in Buffalo, New York where we were blanketed in snow nearly every day during the Winter! And, one must admit, snow and sunshine is a beautiful combination!

In any event, I found a wonderful Christmas craft idea at the Better Homes and Gardens website (here) and, yes, it is after Christmas; nevertheless, if we commit to making just one of these ornaments per month, we will have quite a nice collection of very lovely, architectural Christmas ornaments to either keep or give away as presents in December 2010!

PS I am drawn to the mid-century modern ornament! Enjoy!

Images via BHG and JCrew.

How To Decorate A Modern House, Ranch, or Split Level II

I recently found this apartment featured on the Living Etc website and I am truly smitten.  Hasn't Jamie Karlsson (co-owner of Jimmie Martin, a hip furnishings purveyor) articulated the perfect blend of modern and classic?  I love the neutral walls and floors and the pops of color (see frame and chair)!  I adore Mr. Karlsson's text based art and covet the black velvet settee!  And the french chair with the bright flower print - it's mine!  Mr. Karlsson's decor is exactly the mix of antiques and modern that I reference in my earlier post about modern decor here.   Mr. Karlsson - thank you for the inspiration - we love it! 

Invitation To Spend A Weekend At Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright?  Unless you were well connected, you likely never had the opportunity, like me.  Well, now, if you are fortunate enough in this economy to have a spare $1200, you too can spend a weekend at FLW's Fallingwater near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia and perhaps even dine with a luminary from the architecture world.  See this article for details!

How To Decorate A Modern House, Ranch Or Split Level.

If you read some of my earlier posts (e.g. this one about Amy Butler's home) you know that I grew up in a modern ranch home built in the sixties.  Once I struck out on my own, however, my taste manifested itself in colonial design.  I wanted all of those Palliadian references - symmetry; decorative molding; high ceilings; and tall, arched windows.  Nevertheless, I recently arrived at a new appreciation for modern design in residential dwellings and have a burgeoning respect for my parents design choices back when I was a child. My new appreciation has been fueled in the last year by my visit to New Canaan, Connecticut to participate in the 2009 Modern House Tour where I met Toshiko Mori who spoke about modern design.

With my new near obsession with 1960s residential design, I often find myself thinking about how I would decorate a modern home or even my parents' 1960s ranch if I had the opportunity.  I peruse new modern design magazines and blogs that showcase modern interior design.  I see many homes faithfully following the 60s design ethic and owners even purchasing accouturements from the 60s on E-bay or Craigslist. 

Yet, I find something wanting in those interiors.  I find that I am missing a lightness, modern color schemes, and a reference to the past.  I crave white interiors to maintain a bright, clean ambience.  I find the color schemes of brown, orange, and mustard brought forward from the 60s to todays interiors to be saddening.  Rather, I love pops of modern, bright colors against a neutral background.  And I continue to have a passion for eclecticism - perhaps a modern interior with an antique or two to mix it up and make it real. 

In any event, if you have a modern residence and are presently updating and sprucing it up, my recommendation would be to start with white walls, paper a wall or two with an interesting design, and use bright color in strategic places.  Fill your home with modern furniture and light fixtures but mix it  up with tasteful antiques.  The classic lines of the antiques will provide a savvy guest with contrast that will emphasize your fine modern lines.  So, try not to copy the 60s design aesthetic; strike out and create something unique, something of today, something clean and fresh.  The results will make you happy!

Images via Sixx Design (1,2,7,8); Brocade Home (3,4); Chic Sensibility (5)  Serena & Lily (6); Christina Lundsteen (9); Decorology  (10, 12, 13); Anthropologie  (11).

Factory Girl: Art, Fashion, & Destruction

I recently watched the film, Factory Girl, starring Sienna Miller.  The movie is an artful, fictionalized depiction of the story of Edie Sedgewick, an heiress who became the muse of Andy Warhol in the 60s.  Andy's studio was named "The Factory" and as you can imagine, all kinds of hi-jinks were rumored to have played out there.  

Factory Girl was an entertaining experience on many levels.  Sienna Miller was amazing.  Watch the clip below to see her as gamine Edie and note in particular the nuances of her expression.  I had no idea that she is such a talented actress.  I loved her character's 60s-style fashion especially the A-line dresses and boots.   I was skeptical about seeing someone portray Andy Warhol as he was a bit eccentric and could not imagine that any actor could make me believe that I was watching Warhol.  Yet, Guy Pearce met the challenge.  He was perfect.

Although there are numerous aspects of the film to enjoy, you will find that the story does not present Andy Warhol in a favorable light.   However, there are those that say that as Factory Girl is part fiction that Warhol's role with respect to Edie was not as depicted in the film.  In any event, the idea of Andy's role in Edie's downward spiral does inevitably give one pause.  Nonetheless, if you are intrigued by 60s era pop culture, this is definitely a film to see.

Here are some shots from the film and a clip.  Enjoy.

 
 

Marimekko Memory Game

Here is a fun game to keep your mind sharp on this rainy day in the Northeast: The Marimekko Memory Game.

             

The Artful Cupcake

                     

It was a busy day.  I made cupcakes.

Texture.

                        

A beginning?

For Book, Font, and Architecture Lovers

                                  
                    This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Funny thing is that  I just moved The Diving Bell and The Butterfly to the top of my Netflix queue!  Is this not one of the loveliest animated short films?