Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

Gosh, I love that song! Well, better home, no gardeners I'm off to London and Paris for a few days. Even though Uncle Sam took his slice (for my overseas friends, that's what we call the tax man in the U.S.), I was determined to get away this summer.

I'll do my very best to post while I'm gone, so stay tuned as I hope to share pictures of flea markets, curiosity shops and other things I fancy.

Jean Shrimpton, London; Josephine Baker, Paris

Cheaper Than The Strand?

Somewhere the owner of a used books store is quivering.

Photo by Jonathan Player for The New York Times

Electronic Thrift Shop: Part Deux

I'm still marinating on that vintage sofa and chair (see previous post). I won't be bidding on it but would love to know if anyone does...and wins. Please share pics of the finished product. I think they would look awesome recovered in fabric from Mod Green Pod (http://www.modgreenpod.com/).

Electronic Thrift Shop

Recycle, renew, reuse, re...oh, whatever! Just buy it.

I found this two piece vintage sofa and chair combo on eBay. Seller says they're clean and in very good condition. Sort of reminds me of West Elm's day beds. Items can be picked up or delivered for just $50 within 40 miles from Parkesburg, PA...wherever that is.

Grab some paint, pick up groovy fabric and dust off your staple gun because at $99.00 with zero bids, you've got a shot! Bidding ends May 30. Ebay search term: Vintage Retro Eames Mid Century Sofa Chair Yellow.

Disclaimer: better home, no garden is not the seller, nor do we know the seller, nor do we have a vested interest in the selling of this item. We just think it's a cool find and wanted to share it with readers. Enjoy!

Hoping They'll Adopt Me

I'm hoping this nice couple will adopt me and bring me to their fairy tale land (also known as Atlanta, GA) to live in their house among chairs upholstered with lentil grain sacks and lamp shades covered with coffee bean bags. They've added an incredible amount of architecture to their home, salvaging door frames, benches and other junkyard goodies from France, Portugal and Morocco.

Home of Mary and Robert Bairstow, photographed by Sean Drakes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Holiday Weekend.

It's a holiday weekend in the U.S., so my brain is on auto pilot. If you want something to dance to while you're decorating, download Barbara Streisand's song Queen Bee from the "A Star is Born" album, circa 1976. She's rapping. Enjoy!

Only in New York

Photo by Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

Create a Quiet Space

If you're looking for inspiration on how to create a quiet space, here is a collection of charming sanctuaries from House Beautiful.

Photo credit: Mikkel Vang
















Photo credit: Nathan Schroder
















Photo credit: Michael Price

Photo credit: Victoria Pearson (above),
John Coolidge (below)

Should I Buy This?

I'm a commitment phobe when it comes to art. By the time the last nail hits the wall, I already regret my purchase. Last fall, I did this zebra print thing above my couch but it feels sort of trendy, so I'm over it. Especially after walking into Club Monaco and seeing that they copied my idea. Kidding. So, now I'm thinking a large butterfly mural above my couch. What do you think about this one by photographer Harry Fox?

I'm so over these darn zebras....



















$9.99 well spent. I keep it on my fireplace mantel.

$2 flea market find. Could use a light dusting...

Check Out That Ottoman!

Photo credit: betterhomenogarden.com

I was cleaning out my camera and came across this photo I took during a Victoria's Secret photo shoot I worked last fall at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. I'm longing to spend some time outdoors, but New York is still chilly. So, for my readers in those sunny places, this ones for you...

Photo credit: Lisa Romerein

Photo credit: Saxon Holt and Lauren Bonar Swezey



















Photo credit:Thomas Story

Tropical Life Revisited

Hello better home, no gardeners! I just returned after several days in gorgeous Exuma, Bahamas. The water was varying shades of breathtaking turquoise that would stop any decor-lover dead in their tracks.

I snorkeled in open water, tossed pastries at swimming pigs, fed iguanas, shoved conch fritters in my mouth and waved at fellow boaters!

Unlike last summer when I was on India Hick's stomping ground -- Harbour Island -- this trip to Exuma offered a different kind of decor. While British Colonial is one of my all time favorites (heck, India's book "Island Life" serves as my inspiration and a beverage coaster daily), I kind of fell in love with the ramshackle, "found things" look of the places I visited in Exuma.

One spot that stood out was Chat 'n Chill (www.chatnchill.com), an island outpost for yachters and BBQ enthusiasts, whose ceiling is covered with shirts ripped right off the backs of travelers.

But for my polished readers, I took some pics while visiting Grand Isle Resort & Spa. Do you know where I can find these sweet coral coasters!???

Leaving Some Things Behind

I'm heading to Exuma, Bahamas for a work-related project but wanted to leave some beautiful images behind. Since one of the things I'll miss the most while I'm in Exuma is sinking into the couch with my hubby and watching reality TV, I thought it only fitting that I dedicate this post to lounging.

(Photo credit: Thomas Story, MyHomeIdeas.com; Roger Davies, MyHomeIdeas.com; Marie Claire Maison; Pieter Estersohn and Designer: Amelia Handegan for MyHomeIdeas.com; Inside Out Magazine)

Where Women Create...Down Under

I've become really fascinated by the creative spaces where artisans work. Especially female artisans because many unabashedly use pink. The current issue of Inside Out magazine (Australian but available at Barnes & Nobles) brings us another example: the airy, beachside home of Sydney-based paper artist Lizzie Buckmaster Dove, who has a passion of nature, family and art.

The Thrift Book

UK author India Knight just released The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less and she opened her turquoise doors to Living Etc. magazine (www.livingetc.com.) I love that she used a silkscreen pull down shade instead of frosted glass to protect for privacy.

Where Women Create

I can't get enough of Where Women Create(www.wherewomencreate.com). Order online or pick up the latest issue (I say without humor that Marie Osmond is on the cover). You'll be inspired by the vibrant work spaces of female artisans.

If you think Cubicleland is hard now, wait until you see this book!

Brooklyn Flea Market Boom

Just as The New York Times is reporting that dwellers who once surrendered keys to their Manhattan digs during the housing boom are now returning, an article in today’s Metro New York about the Brooklyn Flea Market boom reminds us that Brooklyn is still awesome!

A guide to Brooklyn Flea Markets as reported by Amy Zimmer for Metro:

The Brooklyn Flea: “You can get Balenciaga in one corner and a $20 coffee table in another,” said co-founder Eric Demby referring to the spectrum of highly curated goods. Saturdays in Fort Greene, Sundays in Dumbo.

Coney Island’s Festival by the SeaWill be catering to a “beach crowd,” says Digna Rodriguez-Pouten, so you won’t find furniture there. Opens Friday and will run Thursdays through Mondays.

Artists & Fleas’ Market in McCarrenOrganizer Ronen Glimer says, “There’s nothing flea, nothing vintage. It’s only artists and handmade things.” Saturdays

Williamsburg Flea Market: Looking for vintage home furnishings, clothes, crafts, books, and record vendors for its June opener. Wythe Avenue and South Third Street. Sundays.

Park Slope Flea Market: Will have more bargain basement goods thanthe Brooklyn Flea, which manager Mohammad Toom referred to as more a “boutique than a flea.” In the Al-Noor School parking lot on 20th Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues. Weekends.

Click to read full article: http://metro.us/us/article/2009/05/11/05/0751-82/index.xml

Photo by Jennie Aleshire for Metro

Recession Hits Jill Zarin?

After checking out early on Friday, I strolled along swanky Third Avenue (joking) and spotted none other than Team Jill. Jill Zarin, the empress of a fabric empire headquartered in Chinatown, was exiting Jeri's Fine Jewelry with her mah Gloria.

Wearing a hot pink blazer that partially covered the tiniest waist I'd ever seen on a "mature" woman, Jill and her mah Gloria lunged into the back seat of a grey Lincoln Town car. Not the chauffeured Bentley or Mercedes we're used to seeing her in on Bravo's "Housewives" but the kind of Town car New York corporate types take everyday -- and an older grey one at that!

Could it be that "Housewives" is embellished? Why that's absurd! So, it must mean that this recession has hit even the deepest pockets.

Some people choose between food and prescription drugs, others choose between Bentleys and expensive jewelry.

In case you haven't TiVo'd "Housewives," here's a feature from Traditional Home on Jill's newly remodeled apartment.

http://www.traditionalhome.com/design_decorating/howwelive/real-life-redo_ss1.html

Unexpected Chat with domino's Tom Delavan

Like many, I was first introduced to Tom Delavan through the pages of domino with a feature on his elegant West Village townhouse. But so much has changed since then so I chatted with the former editor at large at the end of domino's tag sale.

Tom kind of served as the floor manager/social director. He greeted shoppers, negotiated with them - and himself - and along with former domino style director Dara Caponigro made sure everyone had a good time.

He's down-to-earth, boyishly handsome (even catching me off guard) and grateful for the support of the many bloggers that helped fuel the magazine's success.

While The New York Times' announcement of the tag sale undoubtly provided buzz for the event, Tom was surprised by the level of success. "I was afraid no one would show. No one knew what to expect," explain Delavan. "But 90% of the items sold," he continued with a sigh of relief.

Tom tossed around the idea of a tag sale with domino staffers for some time, but the time finally felt right after years of collecting furniture, housewares, artwork and other items from photo shoots and the everyday priviledges of working at a leading shelter magazine. Tom saw the tag sale as an opportunity to "purge house and ask friends with good taste to join."

"Price things to move!" he directed domino sellers, allowing fate to take its course. Tom admittedly has a "love-hate relationship with things" and when asked if there was any item he found hard to part with, a relaxed Tom said he felt "unburden" and planned to "enjoy empty surfaces for a while."

I witnessed Tom unflinchingly mark down a creamware set from $30 to $15 when he realized it hadn't moved.

The Connecticut-native developed his knowledge of art, furniture and antiquities during a stint at Sotheby's, learning what's marketable and commercially available, and refining his taste by strolling New York's galleries on Saturday afternoons.

An accomplished interior decorator, the closing of domino has given Tom time to expand his clientele.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tom's work in the pages of other shelter magazines...along with his boyish good looks.

Photo: Tom jokes around with tag sale co-creator Dara Caponigro at the end of the successful domino Tag Sale. Credit photo to http://www.betterhomenogarden.com/

Tag Sale Extravaganza!

Today was one of those special days in New York. Not too hot, not too cold and the sidewalks were jammed. I woke up with a mission to hit the best tag sales this city had to offer, starting with domino magazine (Read exclusive interview above with former Editor at Large Tom Delavan).

The mag's editors were ditching their furniture, artwork, rugs and housewares for at least 40% off retail at a Greenwich Village townhouse. Before heading to the sale, I got on Twitter to check the climate.

"The line at the domino tag sale is insanity! All the way around the block!" tweeted SoHaute. "Line at domino tag sale pre 10 am...Not looking good," lamented Irenehu. "@ domino mag tag sale. Line is 200 people deep. Yikes!" declared AlexisTT.

I arrive around noon hoping to avoid the lines and find a few overlooked treasures. A guy who I think was Chase Booth, the mag's former set producer was playing bouncer. Style Director Dara Caponigro was manning the cash register, Editor at Large Tom Delavan was in "tag sale spirit," overseeing the customer experience while Tori Mellott ran between her items for sale and a floor lamp she admired.

The recession-friendly goodies went early -- I imagine with the 200+ people who arrived before me -- leaving pricier items like a $3,000 silk-upholstered sofa with tufting, $800 sisal rugs, and a white, baroque-style chandelier behind. Late-comers were still able to scoop up sizeable rolls of silk or velvet fabrics in hues of chocolate and lime green for a mere $25.

Perhaps what I found most amusing was that domino editors were even buying from each other.

After proceeding to the register only to hear that the turquoise, pink and yellow Mexican-style rug I wanted was already sold, I headed out to Housing Work's Design on a Dime sale at the Metropolitan Pavillion. This was an opportunity to "shop spectacular rooms by the country’s top designers," according to the charity's Website.

Now in its final hours, the sexier items were already sold. Still there were bins of subdue duvet covers from area (www.areahome.com), artwork and the occassional side table. It was great to see New Yorkers shopping with fury and nearly everything was sold...for a great cause, helping people living with AIDS.

This day was bittersweet; a chance to meet and shop with the editors who created a thriving "guide to living with style" that was taken away from its loyal followers unexpectedly. I took it hard when Conde Nast announced the closing of domino and I could have considered this event closure...except the guy who I think is Chase Booth says the sale may return next year!!!

(Top left photo: Cool couple snagged groovy vintage light fixture at domino tag sale for $50; Bottom right photo: Stylish New Yorker Scherri Roberts snaps up colorful pillows for her living room at the Housing Works event) Credit photo to www.betterhomenogarden.com

BROOKLYN

Grab your New Balance sneakers because this weekend will be SERIOUS! Between the Domino tag sale and BKLYN DESIGNS show, I may have to consume a street kabob just to manage. But why stoop so low when there's a Vietnamese sandwich shop just around the corner?

Plan carefully and carry plenty of water. New York will be a scorching 72 degrees!

better home, no garden is really looking forward to checking out girly stuff like handprinted textiles from Aviva Stanoff (www.avivastanoff.com) and vintage wallpaper patterns from Flavor Paper (www.flavorleague.com).

BKLYN DESIGNS™ is New York’s hottest exhibition of designers and manufacturers of contemporary furnishings, lighting, and accessories made and/or designed in Brooklyn, all handpicked by a jury of editors from leading design and shelter magazines.

May 8 - 10, 2009, at St. Ann's Warehouse, 38 Water Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Tickets are $15 at the door and $10 for students with proper I.D. Go to www.brooklyndesigns.net.