Gibson Beach, Sagaponack

Took this shot while reading The World of Interiors today at Gibson beach in Sagaponack, around 4:30 PM. I like how it has an almost Rothko feel--okay, not really, but the blue stripes of ocean and sky were stunning.

End of Summer

Summer is over here in Bridgehampton and I just took these two shots to capture the waning light. The top picture is at The Beacon a restaurant in Sag Harbor overlooking the marina. The man with the gray hair on the left is Eric Ripert, the chef at Le Bernadin having an early dinner with his family. The second shot is our bedroom window that faces west. The trees filter the sunlight beautifully.

Lucca & Co., nyc

Without a doubt the best new shop to open in New York City in quite some time. Go to the renovated red brick schoolhouse on the eastern side (!) of Thompkins Square Park (295 East 8th St.) go in through the dilapidated doors climb the short flight of dusty stairs and enter into a pristine, light filled space that immediately conjures up the best of Belgian design. You may recall Ted Wolter's shop at Gansevoort St. from a few years back and before that the East Hampton incarnation but now with Lisa Jackson in tow they have created a shop that's a must see. Visit www.luccany.com.

Frank Gehry in NYC

Here's a recent shot of the just completed building that Frank Gehry designed for Barry Diller's media/internet/whatever company on Manhattan's Westside Highway. I love how it looks like an iceberg that has just crashed into the city. The abandoned train trestle in front is going to become a landscaped promenade à la viaduct des Arts in Paris.

Happy 4th!

Okay, we've all seen fireworks but New York City really puts on a show. We saw them on the 4th (why do other municipalities fire up on other days?). From out perch on Columbia Street--a very on the verge neighborhood in carrol gardens/cobble hill brooklyn--we got to see the New Jersey Fireworks and then the Big Apple show, about 45 minutes of the best that the Grucci family has to offer.

1960s Public Chic

As spring blooms fill the air and thoughts turn to our gardens here's a wintertime shot of a little vest pocket park that reminds us of the importance of structure. Paley Park designed by Zion and Breen in 1967 and located in Manhattan on East 53rd Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues features 17 honey locust trees and a 20 foot waterfall that pumps 1800 gallons of water a minute. It is a perfect modernist park that provides respite in the middle of the hectic city. And we thought William S. Paley was cool for marrying Babe!

Praia do Leca, Portugal

Will someone please save this beach pavillion! It was designed by Alvaro Siza in the 1950s in Praia do Leca a seaside town outside of Porto Portugal. It is exquisite, the photos don't do it justice. The large concrete swimming pools are set into the ocean and the bathhouse is nestled in the rocks on the shoreline. The oxidized copper roof melts into the sea as the waves crash over the pools. It is sublime, discreet architecture that needs to be restored.

Serralves Museum Porto

Lest you all think I am a traditionalist, here is the Serralves Museum in Porto Portugal. The building was designed by Alvaro Siza, the Pritzker Prize winning architect. The white stucco building is incredibly elegant with a minimum of detail, just space and shape. Even the signage made from cut out plywood is thoughtfully executed.The gardens are quite lovely in a very minimalist manner. The parterre garden is from the original 1920s house on the property.

The Palace of Queluz, Portugal

Finally, I am getting back to my posts--you'll have to excuse the pictures on their side until I figure that glitch out.. Just outside of Lisbon, Portugal is the royal Palace of Queluz often called the Versailles of Portugal, it is really more of a small summer palace for those of you/us who want to be precise (just as BA is not the Paris of South America--trust me). It is incredibly pretty but sort of run down, you sort of wish there was a conservancy that would start to renovate the buildings and work on the gardens. However, as with most of the Portugal that we (that's Kendell at the edge of the fountain) saw, it is not gentrifed and that is a big plus.

Cascais, Portugal

It's freezing here in Bridgehampton so I'm going back to October and our trip to Portugal (more posts from this trip to come). Here are some shots from Cascais a charming seaside resort about half an hour outside of Lisbon. It has its ticky tacky side, and lots of new development but still worth visiting especially as it begins to get warmer there. At the far edge of town there is a cool little boutique hotel called the Farol Design Hotel, that might be worth staying at and is certainly a perfect spot for a sunset drink at the oceanside bar.