Category Archives: Uncategorized

There is never a dull moment in New York from the second I step off the train into the throngs of people to the mad dash to the subway and push myself into the car. However, a week or so ago I had a new experience in our 58th Street showroom. We were quietly working away when the alarms in our building started screeching.  Because this is New York, everyone carried on as if nothing was wrong.  We all covered our ears with our hands, “kept calm and carried on”. However, it was not long before the incessant alarm was too much and clients began exiting and all the rest of us decided we should get out too. All of the building’s occupants emptied on to the street (thankfully on a warm sunny day) and before long two gigantic fire engines came flying on to 58th Street.

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It is no mystery where I am headed! These images give it away. A week of hiking, visiting, photographing and eating multiple fresh lobsters in and around Acadia National Park is always a fabulous vacation. I’ll be back after Labor Day.  Enjoy the holiday.

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It seems as if we are in a stone moment. Our overwhelming enthusiasm for stone should not eclipse ceramic tile as a fabulous material for backsplashes, fireplaces, kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and mudrooms. It is extraordinarily versatile, with unique palettes, easy maintenance  and architecturally as well as structurally interesting. Personally, I think there is nothing more beautiful than a wall of handmade tile. There are nuances of glaze variation, surface irregularities and artistic expression in each tile.

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Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of participating in a tour of Grand Central Terminal with Francis Marrone, the noted New York architectural historian. After perhaps a thousand trips in and out of the terminal wearing blinders, he pointed out the richness of details, large and small, and the remarkable and enduring mystery and myth of the building that transformed New York in 1913.The impact of this landmark architectural treasure was by no means certain when it opened  since train travel was in its infancy nor were the changes created by the renovation anticipated.  It has become a hub for the comings and goings of about 750,000 people a day.

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