Cozy, personal and always useful, new towels are a somewhat unexpected but always welcome holiday gift. I am a big fan of white towels, preferably moderately thick. The downside: After countless trips to the washing machine they tend to look a bit dingy. While they’re still usable, it often leaves me longing for a new set or two.

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In mid-March I had a fabulous visit to the Thornwillow Press in Newburgh, New York. This incredible facility, owned by Luke Pontifell and his lovely Swiss wife, Savine, is tucked away on a side street in several non descript brick buildings.  However, once inside the door (a little hard to find), one is immediately confronted with an extraordinary  array of printing equipment most of which is more than 50 years old and none of it digital.

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I’ve made a decision: A little drama in the bath is a very good thing. Everyone knows I’m a proponent of white baths — and there are so many exquisite ones — but somehow a bath clad in dark tile or paint just feels new and exciting. Perhaps a better way to describe it would be romantic, or maybe even moody.

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I love cement tile. An early version of it is documented in the dwellings and public buildings of Pompeii and Herculaneum; archeologists found small chards of glass or stone embedded in cement-like floors. During the Renaissance, cement floors were meant to be an intricate works of art. Interest in the material all but disappeared for centuries.  But during the late 19th century, it was rediscovered and used during the French Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau periods. It was often found in restaurants and vestibules valued for its durability and decoration. The manufacturing revival of the cement manifested itself in the form of tiles; they were easy to manufacture, install and readily available.

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