Saturday, September 22, 2012

Gardener's Party

The annual Gardener's Party at Wave Hill is one of the high points in our social calendar. We were invited by Adam Rose and Peter McQuillan, who are very generous in their support of all things horticultural.

Drinking and shopping is a great fundraising formula so they hold a plant sale and silent auction during cocktail hour. I admired this Jackpot at the silent auction, designed by Jack Lenor Larsen for Seibert and Rice and planted up with an Agave plant.


John and I bought this little Hydrangea Sargentiana at the plant sale / cocktail hour. It will go in the garden this weekend.


When the party moved inside for the dinner and live auction, I was very impressed with the clear plastic tent - so expansive under the twilight sky. 


This Marten house was on the block. Made of wood reclaimed from the garden it also sported a green roof.


Reckless bidding was encouraged, and the auction supports the garden. John and I bid on some tree work but were quickly bulldozed by someone with more money (and sicker trees, I imagine).


On our way out, the greenhouses glowed.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Paperwork Lantern

As seen in The New York Times, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012.

























By Arlene Hirst: Harry Allen deals in twisted household archetypes. The New York-based designer's continuing Reality series includes a fruit bowl cast from a bunch of bananas, a coat hook shaped like a hand, and a roller skate playing the role of a door stop. For his latest project, Paperwork lanterns for Hive, he has transformed an old barn lantern into a ghostly light fixture. Cast in papier-mâché and mounted on black or chrome steel, the collection includes a table lamp, floor lamp, and chandelier, all designed to hang from hooks attached to an armature. The lights are illuminated with LED Bulbs. A single lantern costs $350. Information: (888) 889-9005 or designbyhive.com


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Paris Seen

I spent the weekend in Paris for the Maison et Objet show where Hive was launching our Paperwork lamps, and Gaia & Gino was exhibiting our fashionable little Gaia vase. Paris is a fantastic mix of old and new, high and low, home and garden, and fashion and design. It always provides a unique design perspective, and although I was taking it pretty easy, I stumbled upon many beautiful things. For instance, these folded tables at the Tools gallery ...


... a green wall tucked away in the Bastille ...


... a mix of rustic Americana ...


... and colorful, electro-community at Merci ...


... these folding LED fixtures at Triode gallery ...


... a classic display of macaroons at Ladurée ...


... the public bike system ...


... more garden-as-adornment atop a contemporary shelter ...


... Giverny, the original green muse ...


... the Docks building along the seine ...


... that housed the exhibit NOW! le OFF, a show of young design that included these smart little self-adhesive folded paper lamps by Well Well Designers (paper was everywhere BTW so our Paperwork lamps, after five years of development, were right on trend) ...


... not to mention the food, sunshine, and people-watching at the cafes ...