September 2009 Archives

Walls Notebook is certainly not your traditional back-to-school notebook......it is not a big, blue, 3-ring binder; there are no plastic colored tab dividers; no pocket for pens & pencils; and most of all......there are no white sheets of paper with blue lines for class notes!!! Instead, it is "a notebook/sketchbook with 80 "clean" New York City walls as your blank slate." Created by design team Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee for their company the., this quirky notebook is perfect for writing, drawing, or doodling!!!!

Summer is finally at an end.....Am I sorry to see it go?????  I don't think so, but I couldn't let it go without this last summer thought....this crazy and wonderful outdoor shower at Ellen Nora & Gil Goldstein's house in New Suffolk!!! It is extremely clever, slightly silly and lots of fun!!! All you need is a tree (dead works best!), a green hose, a shower head, and maybe Christmas tree lights for late evening showers!!!  Sooooooo ingenious...

I am just about out of words to describe Ellen Nora and Gill Goldstein's house......so thank goodness this is the final set of rooms!!!  These bathrooms are certainly not meditative, rather they are meant to transport you to another world...and they do!!!!  

Ellen Nora has designed a jungle bathroom featuring a painted mural of flora and fauna. The mosaic encrusted sink, standing on bamboo legs, has a yellow basin...continuing the jungle theme. In addition, my favorite detail is the divine, painted leopard print toilet seat.....shades of "The African Queen!" or "Jungle Fever!!!" I wonder if Tarzan is hiding behind the shower curtain!!!!

The second bathroom reminds me of a "Carnival in Rio" or  a "Venetian Ball!!!" A mosaic melange of color, primarily red, white, pink, and black.....surrounds a red sink and covers the vanity!!!  Ellen Nora told me that rather than replace the old iron tub, she decided to continue the confetti theme and covered it with a mosaic design. I think this bathroom feels as if a great "shower of confetti" had fallen on a masked ball or parade!!!!! 

Have you ever seen a kitchen like this????  I seriously doubt it......artist Ellen Nora Goldstein has spend over a decade creating her kitchen......and I wonder if it will ever be finished.....my guess is never!!!! The ever evolving space is a brightly colored montage of pots, pans, dishes, foods, and treasures from all over. I adore the orange wall, accented with red pots, as well as the yellow wall with the green trim. Obviously, Ellen has no fear of color!!! The mosaic countertop, used for both cooking and dinning, is surrounded by metal trimmed bar stools with different color seats. There are a millions things to see in this room, and one of my favorites is the whimsical chandelier.....dressed by Ellen!!! Adorned in beads, a cow mask, crystals and pearls, and eclectic charms.......the fixture creates a glowing light for dinning, making the kitchen look like a magical fairyland!!!! AND, just when you think you've seen everything, you look down to the floor....... and under your feet is another outrageous mosaic wonder!!!

 

I am awed by how creative Ellen Nora is...... and that she has spent thirteen years "redesigning and renovating" her home inspires me!!!!  She says "I never designed anything on paper I just felt that's what I had to do and as I worked on it I got constantly new ideas. I don't think it will ever be done......" Seeing the rest of her house confirms that thought to me!!!!!

Stacking slabs of stone and marble.......accenting with rocks; a divine Chinese porcelain figurine; a stunning swan; and anything else that catches Ellen Nora Goldstein's eye, results in this extraordinary fountain that is the centerpiece of her garden!!! Ellen Nora takes whatever materials she finds and begins to "create." She makes no drawings or diagrams prior to beginning her work. Her eyes are both pencil and paper.... and the results are a variety of site specific, environmentally correct, and very elegant creations!!! This fountain, as well as Burning Bertha, and the mosaic grounds of her garden are exceptional pieces of sculpture. Giving a second life to "left overs" or scrap materials to create her art is not only interesting to the eye, but a great statement about protecting our environment from waste!!!!

After meeting the Goldstein's, Swiss-born artist Ellen Nora and her American jazz musician husband Gil, in front of their house and explaining to them how enchanted I was by what I was seeing.......they invited me to visit their magical "mosaic garden." The first thing to catch my eye was this gorgeous creature.....standing very tall and colorful in the garden, she is one of the most statuesque women on the North Fork!!!! Burning Bertha, as she is aptly named, was created by artist Ellen Nora from found remnants of tile and broken pieces of porcelain. She stands about 10 feet tall, with "boobs" that were formerly pot covers and are now attached to a moveable screen, hiding her "belly," which is the grill/fireplace!!! When lite, smoke rises through her head and out of her crown, while her tummy is full of hamburgers and hot dogs!!! Ellen has utilized every part of her including the space between her legs which houses various scraps of wood for cooking or an evening around the "camp" fire!!!! 

The garden surrounding Bertha marries a landscape of mosaic tiles and stones, with exotic greenery and flowers. There are fabulous mosaic encrusted benches in the garden, as well as a grotto nearby that houses a mosaic dinning table, surrounded by an assortment of chairs. A series of unusual outdoor showers complete the whimsical environment.