Craving Green... and a Little Taste of Spring

via avant gardenist @ pinterest "'Country’ is an idea – a texture, a flavour, a state of mind. Close your eyes, and imagine the English countryside. What do you see or hear, smell, feel or taste? It might be a sweep of beautiful landscape or the warmth of a roaring pub fire; perhaps a porch filled with dripping coats and muddy wellingtons, the scent of ripe apples and freshly baked bread, or the hum of bees in a sleepy kitchen garden." - Jasper Conran

 Country

Jasper Conran, Country, shot by Andrew Montgomery

via Kristen W @ pinterest

Peter Hatch, A Rich Spot of Earth,

Thomas Jeffereson's Monticello

via Tricia Foley @ pinterest

via michele michael @ pinterest

via Kim Agnew @ pinterest

snow drops @ gardenista

Thankfully I am off to the country to spend Easter with my family and hopefully get a little dose of green.

Have a happy one!

Telluride Notebook: Laid-back Beauty

Uncompahgre National Forest shot from chairlift #6.

Telluride, Colorado might just be one of the most beautiful places in the country. I am back from spending a week there so I thought I'd share my list of favorite spots as well as a few swipes from my fantasy Telluride house file. 

Telluride ranks #1 in my book for many reasons. With its dramatic setting, Telluride's early settlers built the town at the end of a majestic box canyon. A National Historic District at 8750', surrounded by towering 14,000' peaks, the town looks much like it did in the 1880's, only 12 blocks long and 5 blocks wide, everything is in walking distance. I have family there and I've been skiing there since the mountain first opened (don't bother doing the math, I've been skiing since I was four). 

It’s a very cool town, with a rich history and a smart, close-knit community that is working hard to preserve the small-town culture and the pristine natural beauty of the area; their environmental initiatives are ongoing and impressive. There is always something for everyone, from the naturalist to the outdoors enthusiast as well as the artist or the musician. When the snow melts all you will find is mud and locals, but wait a couple of months and it becomes the spot for every Festival du jour.  

via Kim Agnew @ pinterest

My dream house is simple, small and cozy. A mix of old, rustic and modern, with lots of textures. I have my eye on an old miner's shack in town, one of the last few remaining in need of  TLC. After a day of skiing, my favorite past time is cruising the real estate office windows in town. Gotta dream big. Here's a peak at some of the various inspiration in my Telluride house file: 

shot by John Werich

via Japanese trash

 via interiorsporn

via borders&frontiers @ pinterest

via ana fohmann @ pinterest

via mrs.french@ pinterest

Can you imagine lying in bed and looking out over the San Juans? Here are a few more shots of the beautiful reality that is Telluride…

view from the top of our favorite run, “See Forever”

walking into town along the San Miguel

New Sheridan Chop House on Main street

Ah Haa School for the Arts / American academy of bookbinding

Tibetan Prayer Flags flying over Coffee Cowboy

breakfast @ the new sheridan looking up the mountain just a few of my favorites: 

restaurants:

221 S. Oak: new american / chef-owner eliza gavin on top chef season 10

Cosmopolitan: local / great wine list / seasonal fusion / cozy apres ski / sushi

La Marmotte: seasonal / french / set in 125 yr old rustic Ice House

La Cocina de Luz: mexican / organic + free range / local / casual

Telluride Bistro: northern italian / organic + local / friendly / no res

The New Sheridan Chop House: opened in 1895 / new american/ organic / best steak / great bar

on the mountain:

Alpino Vino: @12,000' a perfect stop for lunch @ the top of see forever run / gold hill lift #14

Gorrono Ranch: favorite hang out / out buildings are original to the 1880 Gorrono Ranch homestead / sun / live music / beer / smokehouse / life is good / misty maiden run / lift #4 / 10,100'

Tomboy Tavern : @the base of lift #4 / lunch or apres skiing /  local and belgium craft beers / 9540'

hotels ( all ski in / ski out):

The Peaks: mountain village / home to golden door spa 

Hotel Madeline: quiet and small / mountain village / great restaurant (especially for breakfast)

Hotel Columbia: in town, across the street from the gondola / cozy rooms and friendly service

shops: 

Between the Covers: epic bookstore / great assortment / lots of soul

Garden Store: beautiful flower shop /  nice home accessories / gifts at the end of colorado ave

Pip's Fine & Funky Consignment: seriously good vintage / check out cowboy boots collection / already broken in = win-win

Tweed: sweet home store and interior design

hang out at:

Brown Dog Pizza: great for kids / best pizza in town / locals bar

Coffee Cowboy:  pick up a coffee + some sun at the caravan / local roaster / seen in

Edible San Juans

Steaming Bean: local hang out for cappuccinos or catching up on the local gossip

Last Dollar Saloon: local bar / dates back to the mining days

There: tapas bar / simple / kid friendly / opened by a smart new yorker who gave up his career @ Nobu for a life in the mountains

check out:

Wilkinson Public Library:  "Came for the skiing and stayed for the library," says a popular Telluride  bumper sticker. What ski town do you know invests in building a brand new, cozy, light flooded, well stocked, five star public library? Their motto: "Inspire. Engage. Challenge. Transform." 

Kinda says it all; very cool place.

soaring high over the canyon

Lots more places to stay / things to do at Telluride.com and Telluride Ski Resort.

While you can fly into the tiny Telluride Airport, its easier (and more reliable in bad weather) to fly into Montrose and rent a car or hire Telluride Express for the scenic hour and a half ride; besides, you really don't need a car once you're there.  Enjoy! 

Fire Island Notebook: Before + After Sandy

Here are some comparative shots, before and after the flood, just to give you a sense of the scale of our project.

photo by William Waldron, stylist Kim Ficaro

The after shots were taken about 6 weeks after Sandy hit. Access to the island was initially closed off while the Village crews, fire department, and teams of electricians went throughout the village, house to house, assessing damage and cleaning up any dangerous debris of downed power lines and floating propane tanks. 

We started cleaning the house ourselves, but given the scale and distance from home, we threw in the towel (literally) and hired a cleaning swat team to clear up mold and toxic residue from the flood. Tara's Personal Cleaning Service, a brilliant green company that only uses non-toxic, natural materials, did an incredibly thorough job. My extended family came out and helped us pack up the whole house, and I can't imagine how we would have been able to do it without their help. They were fantastic. We stored any salvageable furniture and personal belongings in a 20' shipping container that was shipped across the bay by our contractor and positioned down the block. Next came the demo crews to pull out any mold damaged walls which revealed that some walls had to be completely removed and reframed. Flood damage is a challenge enough in itself, think about the complications involved when it's on a small barrier island .

view from kitchen into living room

photo by William Waldron, stylist Kim Ficaro

kitchen and back door

photo by William Waldron, stylist Kim Ficaro

bathroom skeleton

The before pictures are from a photo shoot that Country Living did a couple years ago. How fortunate to work with their lovely crew and the amazing William Waldron + the ever-so talented Kim Ficaro styled all the shots. Check out their inspiring websites. 

photo by William Waldron, stylist Kim Ficaro.

I love this photo of our front porch. It reminds me of all the great times we've had in that house, birthday parties, dinners with neighbors, the lazy Sunday afternoons, and it keeps me looking forward to many more happy times.