Massachusetts Green

We explored Massachusetts for the first time this weekend and am sorry that we passed it over during our New England trips. We found the land to be lush, the water to be soothing and the countryside as picture perfect as can be. Here are a few of our moments on the hunt...

The perfect backyard in Leverett

Right outside Amherst

Waterfall in Georgetown

Stream along Leverett Pond

Behind the Scenes

Part of our love for antique homes is the silent history each of them contain about those who lived there in the past. And while a house can't actually speak, the layers of paint and plaster and wallpaper and stencils tell a thousand words...

Original wood laths from a Leverett, MA Center Hall Colonial, installed as art on top of vintage wallpaper

Layers of '30's wallpaper over plaster in a Riverton, CT brick Federal

Center chimney in the stairwell of a Southbury, CT Saltbox built in 1700

Original stenciling in the same Southbury, CT Saltbox

Layers of wallpaper from the '30's to the '70's in a New Milford, CT Colonial

Vintage wallpaper in the attic of a Hampton, CT colonial

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More vintage wallpaper from the Riverton, CT brick Federal

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'40's wallpaper in the dining room of the New Milford, CT Colonial

American Art at The Met

On Friday when we visited The Met for drinks on the roof, we also found a little time to visit the galleries. Though the Picasso exhibit was our initial draw, we are always amazed at how much else there is to see. Some of favorite, less "flashy," but truly luminous works were by American artists of the 30's and 40's--O'keefe, Sheeler and Torr.

Charles Sheeler, Americana, 1931

Oil on Canvas

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Gaston Lachaise, Georgia O'Keefe, 1972

Marble

Georfia O'Keeffe, Near Abiquiu, New Mexico, 1930

Oil on canvas

Helen Torr, Crimson and Green Leaves, 1927

Oil on plywood

Niles Spencer, Erie Underpass, 1949

Oil on canvas

The Starn Brother's Nest...and Rooftop Drinks at The Met

We spend so many weekends away from the city that when we're here, we love to partake in those "city only" luxuries like drinks at The Met on Friday nights. This season, the Starn boys have installed (with the help of a few rock climbers) an incredible structure of 5,000 bamboo poles. It's a perpetual installation, so the install is not complete until the exhibit ends, but it is awe inspiring already. Drinks in hand, we stood inside the "nest," marveling at the seemingly random architecture and scale. You can walk up or climb inside, but there was a private tour while we were there (such is our luck!)--but either way, there's really nothing more stunning than a drink at sunset overlooking Manhattan.

Art Deco Masterpieces, on View Daily

No matter how long we live in New York, there are certain sights that always mesmerize us; the Boat Pond in Central Park, Carnegie Hall...the list is endless. And one of the favorites is Rockefeller Center. Just running an errand down 5th Avenue the other day, we got caught up in the architectural and sculptural integrity of the buildings. Here's what we found...

A Secret Garden

This beautiful stone bust in Woodbury, Connecticut got us thinking about the mysteries of a garden--how nature can create the most perfect work of art through the organic growth of a seed. Photographers Judith McMillan and Steven Meyers went one step further, looking within the flowers themselves...

Poppies in Riverton, CT

Judith McMillan Icelandic Poppy , 2000

Tulip at Abingdon Square Park

Steven Meyers Triumph Tulip , 2000

Orchids at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Judith McMillan Paph Orchid, 1999

Roller Coaster on 15th Street

Lion Brand Yarn Studio on 15th Street has some of the most amazing window installations we've seen in Manhattan. Beautifully designed and meticulously crafted, these windows both awe and inspire.