Eventi Hotel foodparc & bar basque + syd mead

i am extremely proud and gracious to be able to call futurist syd mead my friend for over 10 years now. a few years ago he told me at one of his open houses that i regularly attend, that he had been hired to design a food court and restaurant for a new hotel in nyc. when the bottom dropped out of the economy i wondered if this project would ever be completed with so many other hotel projects going on hold or canceled all together. the project under the kimpton brand in conjunction with Philip Koether Architects was completed at the end of 2010. i am so please for syd as it is his first-ever permanent interior design project. it has been fun to watch this project take form. i'm looking forward to a trip to nyc to see it in person sometime soon. xo amanda

article taken from notcot.com.

FoodParc just opened in NYC at 6th Ave and 29th Street ~ it’s like a high tech foodcourt of sorts, and Anna and Sean of Sub-Studio popped by to take a look for us! Of course they also tasted a bunch of food for us too.. and it sounds like quite the unique bacon-fest! From Bacon Snack and Hash browns with bacon and cheddar and onions inside to Benton’s Smoked Bacon Egg Rolls and Steamed Shrimp, Bacon & Watercress Dumplings… luckily there were also beautiful juices and flatbread sandwiches to even it out as well! “FoodParc is a serious, yet fun, accessible culinary destination. It has 4 distinctly different food and beverage concepts and a full-service bar that includes: The Press, RedFarm Stand, Fornetti, and 3Bs (Burgers, Bacon, and Beer)” The Press is you go to cafe, RedFarm Stand is an asian concept with a twist by Joe Ng of Chinatown Brasserie, Fornetti has italian salads, sandwiches, pastas and more, and 3Bs is exactly as it sounds! All housed in a 20,000 square foot indoor/outdoor, modern space ~ futurist and conceptual designer, Syd Mead (of Blade Runner, Aliens, and TRON) created the environment… and it’s no surprise that in addition to old school ordering, you can also order from all 4 restaurants at once at the self serve monitors!

A behind the scenes shot at RedFarm Stand.

Foodparc was conceptually designed by Syd Mead, who is also the man behind the sets of Blade Runner, Aliens and TRON. FoodParc is Mead’s first-ever permanent interior design project. Philip Koether Architects executed the actual build.

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Is mercury in retrograde?

The duck or I have zero clue what the hell "Mercury in Retrograde" means but basically we have decided  that this must be the explanation for why we just had the weirdest weekend in the history of weird weekends. The planets must be out of line and the world must have stopped turning on it's axis to make it so that this last weekend the crappiest plumbers on the planet decided to screw with us.

 Let me first start by telling you to NEVER EVER hire a plumber without a direct recommendation from someone you know that have personally used the company before. I am not in the business of saying bad things about trades people and most of the time I think it's in extremely poor taste....however this company FISHER PLUMBING IN SIMI VALLEY are the biggest A-hole, rip-off, imbeciles I have ever had the displeasure of working with. I can't even write about it without steam shooting out of my ears. I am not gonna get to wordy and long winded about this particular debacle but I will say this experience has taught me a valuable lesson. Bigger does not mean better and if some jerk with a fancy van  tells you on the phone that they are so well trained they could re plumb your entire home in only a few hours for a very low low price.. that is your cue to hang up the phone and never call them back! 

In order to forget about this terrible weekend that has left us another WEEK without a frikin stove, I have been drooling over various pretty interiors. Nothing has anything to do with what happened this weekend but at least it's pretty!

Check Em!

Lonny 

Roman and Williams

Light Locations

Estee Stanley

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Haters....Survey....Winner

So I got my first really nasty blog comment today. It was a fantastic way to start my Monday so thank you Ashlee36! I know that is par for the course when you have a blog and put yourself out there like this, there are bound to be people who don't like what you say or do. Totally understandable. Now I must admit that by nature I am a total smartass so I am bound to upset some folks and if I do, I apologize. Anything I say is just in jest people! I'm just trying to give you a lil' chuckle during a day full of obligations and responsibilities. And if you know me at all, you know that I make fun of myself WAY more than I do anyone/anything else! So chillax. It is just a silly little design blog. And if you don't like it, then you don't have to read it.

So with all that being said...and as I am about to debut my new blog and online shop I thought it was good time to send out a survey of sorts to those of you that read my blog so going forward, I can give you more or less of what you want.

1) How did you hear about this blog?

2) How often do you read this blog and when (day of the week, time of day, etc)?

3) Are there any segments (Decorganizing, Designer Peeves, This Week I...,Before&After, etc.) that you would like to see more or less of?

4) What has been your favorite post so far?

5) Is there anything that you would like me to talk about/showcase that I have yet to talk about?

Feel free to add any additional comments (but please only polite or constructive ones)!

I will choose a winner (at random) out of all that participate in this survey. All you have to do is leave a comment with your answers like so...

1) answer

2) answer

3) answer

4) answer

5) answer

Blah, blah, blah....

And you can win this book...

I will select a winner next Monday, February 7th.

I really appreciate your participation!!!

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New Beginnings; VARV the blog

For those of you who have been following our design blog, GEORGE, you've become quite familiar with our star blogger Saara. Saara has entertained and informed us for the past year with her witty postings on furniture to fingernails and everything in between. But alas, it is on to greener pastures and Saara has started her own lifestyle blog which is adeptly written, "through the eyes of an interior designer." Thankfully for us, she will still remain a special contributor, and you can continue to come here to read her Sunday postings.

www.varv.ca

You won't want to miss this beautiful new blog she's calling VARV, so check it out! Wishing you all the best Saara!!

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the hicks pendant

these photos {which are bouncing all over blog world i'm sure} further confirm my love for The Hicks Pendant by Thomas O'Brien for Circa Lighting. Check out more of Nicole's {from Sketch 42}fabulous apartment featured in Rue this month. I'm loving Rue Magazine!

I'm into the warmth of brass lately, so this may be my current choice.

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Is It A Pigeon Basket or A Coffee Table?

A basket for carrying pigeons.

A coffee table made out of a basket used for carrying pigeons.

Why not?

HGTV Dreamhome 2008

Coastal Living

Better Homes & Gardens

A Paris Market in Savannah

They are pretty much one-of-a-kind, as they are made from actual pigeon baskets with casters added on the bottom and a glass top to make it functional. But never fear, wait long enough and Pottery Barn will knock-it off and you can buy a mass produced one straight from their catalog. And so can your neighbor. And their neighbor. And so on and so on....

Do you remember the Friends episode where Rachel bought the Apothecary table at Pottery Barn but lied and told Phoebe that she got it at a flea market because Phoebe hates Pottery Barn? I actually saw that episode being filmed when I was in L.A. Still cracks me up....

"No no no, but I am mad! I am mad! Because this stuff is everything that is wrong with the world! And it's all sitting up in my living room and all I can think about is how I don't have that lamp!" - Phoebe Bouffay

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Playroom Dreaming

Do you have a room where furniture goes to die?  You know the routine, you buy new pieces for the important rooms and the furniture that you move out goes to other rooms that are less important.  Then the pieces from that space are either donated or sold b/c they have no home.  For me, the last stop before the curb is our playroom.

Several years ago I purchased a few pieces (very inexpensively) for our playroom and just never focused on pulling it all together.  The chairs are hold overs from my den, the sofa is ENORMOUS, but has a sleeper in it so we can have even more people spend the night with us!  It's upholstered in a blue twill, similar to the one below and is great for hiding stains.    There is also a pair of bookshelves (similar to these) in black for TV/storage.

These are all very basic pieces (I dare say blah).  But look what little fabric in the form of upholstery, pillows and window treatments could do for that space.

I have put together two different fabric plans and would love to know which of the two you like the best.  Maybe at some point this year, I will put one of these plans into action.  

Option 1

Option 2

For the striped accent pillows in the club chairs, I would create a design like this just to add interest.

So, which option is your favorite?  

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love bright white backgrounds

i never seem to tire of a nice clean white back drop in home interiors. don't get me wrong, i love all kinds of color too. i guess i just feel most comfortable and drawn to this type of interior. i found this home recently in adore home magazine. another online shelter mag. there seem to be so many now! love it. thanks to dan and lara einzig for sharing their paired down modern family home with adore. i'm ready to clear out the clutter now. this week is going to be a busy week!! let's get started! xo amanda

i'm looking forward to the day when we get to do a project where we spec out black tile. i always love this look!

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I Like...

My brother and his fiancee are getting married in less than two weeks! We have been busy making various decorations - including origami cranes and folding loads of tissue paper to create hanging pom-poms to decorate the ceremony and reception areas. I'm looking forward to see it all installed and in action!
I like this dining set-up above - it is also for a wedding. It has a grand and vintage feel to it all. The random combination of the lights and lanterns looks great above the ordered tables.
Photograph via April and May.

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