Organic Modernism...

While walking on W. 18th street with Fiona and our good friend, Jess, I ran across the newly opened Chelsea outpost of Organic Modernism.   With a store name like that I think I was pretty much guaranteed to love its furniture and design since I usually describe Patrick's and my combined interior style direction as 'natural materials with modern lines'...  My pictures of the interior of this store turned out pretty awful...so I tried to pick the 'least awful pics' and they don't really do the place justice but I wanted to give an idea of what's 'in store'.  The pieces appear to be quality and the prices are also not astronomical.

Random NYC subway art...

Fun piece of subway art I came across on the wall of the 50th street 1 train subway station.  Hawaii...in the NYC subway.

The Circus Pendant Light + the Plumen Blub at the Conran Shop

I was recently visiting ABC Carpet & Home in NYC and I ended up at the Conran Shop on the lower level of the store.  I've never made my way down there before.  But their furniture and furnishings are fabulous.  Modern lines with a cozy warm feel.  I really would love to use their Circus Pendant Light somewhere in our home.

The pendant caught my eye first, but then it was also what was inside the pendant that inspired me.  Where
can you get a light bulb like this?? So perfect for a pendant where you will see the light inside on display.

I did a little internet research and it appears to be the Plumen light bulb.  Not only is this bulb's design fabulous, it is also energy efficient!  Win Win!  What a great antidote to the undeniably cool but oh so power hungry vintage filament bulbs that have been in vogue the last few years.

In our neighborhood: Buddhist Statue...

A few blocks from our apartment building, between 105th street and 106th street on inner Riverside Drive, there is a statue of the Buddhist teacher Shinran Shonin located at the New York Buddhist Church.   It's always a great surprise to walk by the statue.  It is beautiful in and of itself, but it carries even greater significance because it survived the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, having been 2.5 kilometers away from the center of the attack.  According to the plaque that lies below the statue, it was brought to New York in 1955 'to be a testimonial to the atomic bomb devastation and a symbol of lasting hope for world peace'.

the MoMa (with Babe)

Joan Mitchell, "Wood, Wind, No Tuba", 1980

As part of the New York City Challenge, Fiona and I visited the MoMa last Friday afternoon during Free Fridays from 4-8pm.  I haven't been to the MoMa for a while, and we were going to go earlier in the week and pay full price.  But our previous attempts to visit were thwarted by a sick and tired babe so I decided we would just go during Free Friday.  I was itching to go but with Fiona not feeling great I didn't want to pay full price if she was going to be fussy and we would have to leave after a short time.

Free Fridays at the MoMa, can be, honestly, a complete madhouse.  If you really want to have any time and space to look at the art then Free Fridays are not the time to go to the museum.  But for a quick and free jaunt through the galleries and exhibits, it's not a bad way to go if you can handle the crowds.  

It ended up being the perfect way for us to visit the MoMa this time.  With Fiona strapped in our BabyHawk baby carrier, we visited ever floor.  Fiona was quite the sport during our whirlwind tour and I took a few pictures of a some of the highlights for me this time around.   We ended our tour in the sculpture garden where I let Fiona walk around.  She was pretty much in heaven there.

Interesting exhibit on re-imagining suburban space after the 2008 housing crisis. 

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled" (Placebo) 1991

Mark Rothko

Mr. Jackson Pollack of course

Baby Carrier Shot

Sculpture Garden

Discovering dry leaves....

Our Subway Station...

Many years and many subway trips.  The 103rd Street Subway Station (the 1 train)...

The Antiques Garage

Fiona and I have been busy running around the city the last two days on field trips for the New York City Challenge and have been off to a great (re)start of the mission.  The weather here has been perfect for site-seeing.  Low 70s and Sunny!  Friday, we visited the MoMa and yesterday we went to the Antiques Garage flea market on W. 25th Street with our good friend Jess.  

Wow.  I really wish I had visited this place before yesterday.  As in, when we moved into our apartment three years ago.  I would have used it to decorate and furnish our place.  What a great flea market filled to the brim with everything a good Flea Market should have: clothes, books, furniture, jewelry, art, and various knick-knacks.  I could have gone home with a few things and if we weren't moving in a few months I probably would have!  The Brooklyn Flea seems to get a lot of press, but this flea is bigger, and seems to have a lot more of everything (except that it is all antiques and doesn't have any new artisans or food booths).  Really, I would have been coming here often if I had known how good it was!  Just walking through sparked my creative juices.

An old shoots and ladders type game, Canadian Toboggan style!! 

Isn't this old wall paper fantastic!  I love the colors and the design.  Darn it.  Just realized I should have bought this.

Great 50s light fixture hanging in the middle of this pic.  How cool would that look over a dining table??