Metro Shelving

I recently needed shelves for my closet. Never one to buy something that is throw-away, I bought Metro shelving from the Container Store. (Go to "Shop by Category"-"Shelving"-"Metro Convertible"- and from there, I clicked "Design Your Own Metro Commercial Solution").

For one closet I bought enough posts, shelves, and floor protectors for two complete shelves, which I figure I will have for the rest of my life. If I move, maybe they will go in the basement, maybe they will go in another closet- but they will definitely move with me, seeing as I paid 300 bucks for the two of them.

There's a New York Times article on these shelves, which are durable, practical, beautiful, and can be used in many different ways.

And here it is reprinted, just in case:

POSSESSED; Shelves That Bear The Weight of Time

By DAVID COLMAN
Published: Sunday, August 19, 2007

IF you are tired of your morning commute and long for some middle ground between home and office, you are not alone. Look through the pages of Phaidon's mammoth new design survey, ''Contemporary World Interiors,'' where you will find hundreds of jaw-dropping, gravity-defying spaces by today's A-list of design -- Frank Gehry, John Pawson, Marcel Wanders, OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, to name but a few -- and you see that the greatest minds in design share your concerns.

Susan Yelavich, an assistant professor at Parsons the New School of Design, spent years compiling the book, and to her eye what unites the book's many projects is how they manage, even in avant-garde ways, to bring warmth and wit and domesticity to the grandest commercial projects. In other words, how they endow an industrial space with the human element of a home.

Ms. Yelavich has gone through this process herself, in an admittedly haphazard way. In 1977 she moved into a forlorn industrial loft in SoHo, and with her husband, Michael Casey, an artist and general contractor, she proceeded over the years to mold it into a space in which the starkly industrial and the cozily domestic struggle for a yin-yang balance.

''Can-do only takes you so far,'' she said of their amateur approach. ''There are awkwardnesses that I pretend are fine, but other people probably flinch. You know, the washing machine is behind the dining room table because the pipes are there.''

When she was asked to write the Phaidon book some five years ago, she realized that her home office at the center of the loft needed upgrading. She did not plan to acquire what may be the ultimate hybrid of domestic and industrial style; she just needed shelves. So she did what a loft owner does: she went to a Bowery restaurant supply and bought Metro shelving.

Patented by Louis Maslow in 1951 (he founded the Metropolitan Wire Goods Corporation in New York in 1929), the Erecta Shelf system was designed as a modular easy-to-assemble line for the home, available in black paint over steel or brass-plated steel.

But the line did not take off. In 1955 the company retooled to offer chrome-plated shelving designed for food service and medical applications. The result was a hit. Then in the early '70s, design-happy European consumers began using Erecta shelves in their pristine kitchens, a trend that caught on later in the decade in New York, where lofts, and industrial chic, were taking off. By the '80s, the Erecta shelf, known as Metro shelving, was It, the proud mark of the urban frontiersman who was not looking back.

''I realized when I was getting them that this was a memento from the '80s,'' she said. ''There was a sense of picking a cliché.''

But the shelves have stood the test of time. ''What I am interested in is the tension between the ideal and the real,'' Ms. Yelavich said. And the Erecta shelves suggest both the hardheaded pragmatism Ms. Yelavich exhibits for her work -- they are, she said, ''the sturdiest things in the apartment'' -- and the high-flown design idealism she writes about. (Despite the supreme look of utility, the wire shelves are less than practical when it comes to holding books upright and intact, but Ms. Yelavich worked around it, stacking them horizontally).

''They're perfect,'' she said. ''You know, I am a huge reader, and a lot of time is spent in my head, on the couch. So I don't just look at things. I read them. That's the tension with things in my life.''

Happily, her shelves are an open book.

Thonet's No. 14 Chair

This article, by Alice Rawsthorn, was in Design and Living, Winter 2008, published by the New York Times.

Reproduced below, just in case.

Six Easy Pieces
Thonet's No. 14 chair, still modern after 149 years. By Alice Rawsthorn

It consists of six pieces of wood — two circles, two sticks and a couple of arches — held together by 10 screws and two nuts. Together they make the wooden chair known as Thonet Model No. 14, which, although no one has ever actually done the math, is thought to have seated more people than any other chair in history.
The No. 14 was the result of years of technical experiments by its inventor, the 19th-century German furniture maker Michael Thonet. His ambition was characteristically bold. He wanted to produce the first mass-manufactured chair, which would be sold at an affordable price (three florins, slightly less than a bottle of wine). Many of his rivals had tried to make similar chairs but failed.
Thonet succeeded. When the No. 14 was introduced in 1859, it was the first piece of furniture to be both attractive and inexpensive enough to appeal to everyone from aristocrats to schoolteachers. By 1930, some 50 million No. 14’s had been sold, and millions more have been snapped up since then. Brahms sat on one, as did Lenin, and millions of us have perched comfortably on them in cafes. Another admirer was Le Corbusier. ‘‘Never was a better and more elegant design and a more precisely crafted and practical item created,’’ he said. More recently, the Dutch designer Maarten Baas staged his own homage to Thonet by setting fire to a No. 14-style wooden chair. The charred result was auctioned at Sotheby’s last month.
What makes the No. 14 so special? The answers tell us as much about our attitudes toward design, and how they’ve changed over the last century and a half, as the chair itself.
First and foremost, it fulfills its designated function, as every well-designed object must do. Second, it looks and feels great. ‘‘It’s one of the most beautiful chairs there is,’’ said the German furniture designer Konstantin Grcic. ‘‘And it has exactly the right weight. When you pick it up, it feels perfect.’’ Third, it was startlingly innovative. Thonet perfected a process of bending wood into strong, smooth curves that had eluded his rivals. By making the chair from the fewest parts possible and standardizing their shapes to help unskilled workers assemble them and pack them neatly in shipping crates, he devised a blueprint for efficient mass production.
Fourth, the No. 14 is timeless. It seems to suit every era, which is why Le Corbusier chose it to furnish some of his early-1920s modernist interiors, and it is still the default seating for brasseries. ‘‘It has the freshness of a new product, because it has never been bettered,’’ said the British designer Jasper Morrison. Fifth, it improves with age. ‘‘As the screws and glue loosen, the structure becomes softer,’’ Grcic said. ‘‘Michael Thonet probably didn’t intend that to happen, but it’s a beautiful sensation. I’ve tried to do it with new chairs, but it’s amazingly challenging.’’
Then there’s the history. The No. 14 made industry and modernity seem sexy, rather than associated with belching chimneys and shoddy goods. It also established Thonet’s company, which was run by his five sons after his death, as one of the great industrial dynasties of the late19th century. It employed thousands of workers in enormous factories that were the equivalent of company towns, with schools, libraries, nurseries and shops where goods were sold in its private currency.
The No. 14 can even claim to have been a pioneer of sustainability. The early models were made in a factory in the village of Koritschan, in what is now the Czech Republic, from beechwood grown in nearby forests. Even when extra supplies of wood had to be shipped in from farther afield, Thonet limited its carbon footprint by making its own tools and machinery.
Baas’s charred homage to the No. 14 isn’t the only recent tribute; Sanaa, the Japanese architecture firm behind the New Museum, has created a metal chair in a similar shape. Ikea developed a supercheap hollow composite version called the Ogla, which has been one of its best sellers since 1961.
While Thonet itself fragmented years ago — there are now three Thonets, each making slightly different versions of the original designs, in Germany, Austria and the United States — the No. 14 may have lost some of its populist sheen. The model sold at Moss (made by Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, which is owned by the Italian company Poltrona Frau) costs $625. This may be rectified by the German Thonet, which is collaborating with the Japanese retailer Muji and designers like Grcic and Morrison on a new collection of affordable chairs inspired by its vintage models. The results, which were unveiled in Tokyo last month, included a new take on the No. 14 developed by the British designer James Irvine, just in time for the chair’s 150th-birthday celebration next year.

Must-Haves for the Kitchen per the NYTimes

Love this article. Olive oil in a hand-pumped sprayer instead of mystery oil in an aerosol can. Simple concoctions instead of bottled salad dressing. Lemons. Dried beans. Frozen vegetables. A variety of different grains. Maple syrup. It's the kind of stuff people would be buying anyway if advertising didn't exist. Simple, inexpensive.

Watches

Here is the watch I wanted:The Cartier Tank Francaise watch. (I have great taste.)

Here is the watch I got:

The Victorinox Alliance. This was significantly less than the Cartier version, and the lady at Nordstrom said the face wouldn't scratch, which is what I was aiming for- something that would last.

About Grout

Added to my short list of most-excellent home-repair people: About Grout. They re-grouted and re-caulked my shower to a lovely, gleaming, uniform whiteness. Perfect lines abound. Cute to boot.

Euro Street Style

From Lucky Magazine: Parisian street style.

Update: The New York Times Magazine this week has an article on "street-style photoblogs", and from the sound of it, they like Garance Dore as much as I do (which is to say, a lot).

Besides Garance Dore, they also list many other street style blogs they like.

Shea Butter

100% pure Shea Butter. There is no better moisturizer, this from someone with very dry, sensitive skin. All natural, so it doesn't irritate. Great for lips, too, and as a hair gel.

Zagat

A Zagat guide is indispensable for urban dining, so it's really not surprising that the good people who created the Zagat guides, the Zagats (in the photo above- photos by Nathaniel Brooks for the New York Times) have a really cool house.

It was featured in the New York Times on October 9, 2008.



Just look at this kitchen. First, there is a gas stove. Enameled cast iron pots and a lovely tea kettle sit on the stovetop. The butcher-block counter has a warmth to it. And then there is the cupboard full of cookbooks, and a counter full of wooden salt and pepper grinders and miscellaneous cooking supplies. All the ingredients one needs for the good life.

Norma Kamali Swimwear

If this isn't the most gorgeous swimsuit ever made then I don't know what is. It has that old-time glamour thing going for it, is slimming, and covers up the important stuff while still managing to be sexy. Apparently Miranda wore a red version in the "Sex and the City" movie (but I so love it in black!). At $350 I'll be saving my pennies to buy this one.

Ballroom Dancing

Music and dance bring beauty into people's everyday lives.

When I was twelve I went to my great- great- aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary party. My cousins and I served coffee and were the only people under the age of 60 there. I will never forget watching those people dance.

If you live in Seattle, or near enough to come here every week, you should sign up for classes at Century Ballroom, IMHO one of the most beautiful spaces in Seattle. You can take Salsa, Tango, Swing, etc. (The photo is from their website.)

Twyla Tharp at PNB

Friday night I saw "All Tharp" at McCaw Hall. Twyla Tharp is a genius.

On the right is a photo of her with a dancer from PNB (photo by Marc Von Borstel, from the PNB Uleashed Blog).

The show was pure bliss. On the cover of the program was a photo of Ms. Tharp. She is lovely in her faded Levis, white shirt, with her hair casually swept up.

A great ballet can make you fall in love with a piece of music. And so, right now I am deeply in love with Frank Sinatra. (Last year it was Philip Glass, Glassworks).

The Ten Best Games of All Time

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Croquet. You need a really big lawn.
2. Cribbage. You need a really cute wooden thing, and I think some cards. I obviously haven't played it in a long time.
3. Yahtzee. Super fun, you can play it all afternoon.
4. Monopoly. The best board game ever.
5. Scrabble. The second-best board game ever.
6. Card games- I have to throw in a few- war and go fish are clearly the winners here, but any card game is great cause you only need a deck of cards. THE game for minimalists.
7. Chess. I don't know how to play it. Very important to have a cool set made of marble or something, not some cheesy Simpsons set or something.
8. Checkers. Way better and way easier than chess.
9. Candyland. My sister ate the Plumpy card from our set. And people say there's nothing to learn playing this game.
10. Twister.

Recuerdo, by Edna St. Vincent Millay

WE were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.

We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.

We were very tired, we were very merry,
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed "Good morrow, mother!" to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, "God bless you!" for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares.

Ramtha

Fortunately, it looks like J.Z. Knight's channeling of Ramtha, a 35,000-year-old male spirit warrier, is safe from the evil forces of Whitewind Weaver.

If you think that's crazy, imagine placing a $12,000 set of china in unlocked cabinets in a retail store. See for yourself at Knight's store, J.Z. Rose in Bellevue Square. What a great selection of books she has on her website (especially loving the Beauty & Fashion and Home & Garden selections). There is even a separate section of her website titled Art Nouveau.

Crazy people always have great taste.

Babar

There is only one thing better than a classic children's book, and that is a classic French children's book.

Here is an article in the New Yorker about Babar.

How To Build a Better Wardrobe, Chapter 2: Stocking the Basics

The most expensive items in your wardrobe should be the things that you wear the most. Coats, shoes, bags, and whatever else you wear/use every day should be the best quality that you can afford. Keep them clean (get them professionally cleaned occasionally) and in good condition.

A few years ago I splurged on a pair of Chanel sunglasses which were (well, let’s just say they cost a lot). However, I wear them almost every day, I love them, and for me this was money well spent.

When I am considering buying a new bag, I ask myself, “Will I have this forever?” If the answer is no then I usually walk away because bags are a) incredibly expensive and b) ideally of high enough quality that they can last forever, so I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that won’t be around for long. I’d rather have one or two really nice bags than a whole bunch of not-so-nice bags.

I think most of us have a uniform, which may be jeans or suits, for example. Mine is skirts since this is typically what I wear to work. We all deviate from this of course, but I think it’s helpful to identify what it is that is easiest for you to pull on in the morning and feel good about, and pay attention to those pieces as they will be what you wear the most. In particular, think about your uniform when buying things. For example, if you wear jeans most of the time make sure that your most expensive shoes are something you can wear with jeans.

For basics like button-up shirts, pencil skirts, and solid-colored sweaters, buying online (for example, at bananarepublic.com and jcrew.com) can give you better selection of colors, styles, and sizes than buying from the brick-and-mortar store. Only buy from a store that you have easy access to so that you can return things easily. I prefer not to buy pants or jeans on-line as I usually have to try a zillion of these on just to find one pair that works.

Bauer Pottery

Loving this pottery by Bauer Pottery:

Above is the teapot in turquoise. This would make a great gift, especially with the creamer (not shown) and sugar bowl:

How To Build a Better Wardrobe, Chapter 1: Research

Basic research into building a better wardrobe begins by reading (and when I say reading, I mean of course looking at the pictures) magazines and catalogs and clipping things that you like to get a sense of what your style is, and for inspiration. You can paste these clippings into a scrapbook, or what I like to do is put them into clear sleeves that snap into a three-ring binder for easy editing. Subscribing to magazines is usually way cheaper than buying magazines on the newsstand. I like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, but I also use catalogs such as J. Crew, and celebrity magazines are good, too.

Your scrapbook allows you to see which colors and combinations work best. Sometimes what looks great on a person looks really boring on a hanger. For example, I have in my scrapbook an outfit (from a J. Crew catalog way-back-when) with a black t-shirt, white Capri pants, and black ballet flats. While a black t-shirt with jeans risks being too boring, with the white Capri pants it makes a great look.

Basic research may also include shopping trips where you don’t buy anything. Although it might drive your guy crazy, there is nothing wrong with going out for a day of shopping and not buying anything. Shopping is not just about buying things- it’s about knowing stores' inventories, when sales are, prices at different stores, and what size you typically wear in each store, so that when you need to find something you will know where to look. Research may be done at any time- shopping trips with friends, lunch breaks from work, etc.

The people around you are also a wealth of information. Listen carefully to well-dressed friends for tips on where to shop and what to look for. Especially valuable in this regard is a friend who always looks great and loves to talk shop. Also, when out in public, pay attention to what other people wear. You can get some great ideas just from people-watching.

Lake Chelan

The best Washington summer vacation to be had is at Campbell's Resort on Lake Chelan. About 3.5 hours from Seattle, Lake Chelan is the perfect little town for a weekend vacation. It's beautiful there in the Summer and Campbell's is the perfect place to stay. Right on the lake, with two pools and several hot tubs, the best rooms to stay in are on the bottom floor for easy access to the fun stuff. They just renovated and it looks lovely, but even if they hadn't renovated I'd be back next year. There's a full service restaurant and pub so you never have to leave (which is good because there's not many other restaurants in the area). There's also a Safeway just across the street which is nice because every year I forget my toothbrush. There are kids everywhere but in this magical land of Campbell's they are all adorable.

Be sure to hit Slidewaters, the best water park ever. In my next life I will have one of those retro blue and orange shirts that says, "Slidewaters Staff".

Jackie Kennedy Give a Tour of the White House

Jackie Kennedy's tour of the White House, Valentines Day, 1962.