Monty

Yesterday I finished Patricia Bosworth's very fine biography, "Montgomery Clift", a fascinating yet depressing portrait of the haunted, tortured, and ultimately self-destructive Hollywood actor. He was the star of such classic motion pictures as "Red River", "A Place in the Sun", "From Here to Eternity", "I Confess", and "The Misfits", whose face was disfigured at the height of his popularity in a horrible car accident.

The book

Montgomery Clift in his heyday

I was surprised to read that in the last five declining years of his life Clift owned a four story townhouse only a few blocks from my house at 217 East 61st Street.

217 East 61st Street today

The current front door

He lived there from 1960 to 1966. I happen to walk down that block every week because it's the stop where the Hampton Jitney drops me off on my walk home. I've admired this tree lined street with its uniformly lovely townhouses every time I see it, so it was pleasing to read this famous matinee idol once resided there. A little quick online research revealed that this block and 62nd Street are designated a small historic district named Treadwell Farms, named after the Treadwell family, fur traders who originally owned the land and developed it back in colonial days. It's a very sweet and charming couple of blocks, a fitting final resting spot for such a talented actor.

Living gifts

Last weekend when my architect and a photographer came to take pictures for his portfolio and website and for the contractor's website as well, they brought along some flower arrangements and plants to 'stage' the rooms a little. It always helps to add these nice touches to a room. Look at any shelter magazine and you'll see what I mean...fresh flower arrangements, fresh produce on the kitchen counter, the odd personal touch like a sweater thrown haphazardly (but perfectly) over a chair, a newspaper folded to the crossword someone stopped in medias res...it's all to make the room feel more human and lived in. After their shoot I found out that Steve brought along a friend of his who's an interior decorator who's styled many a home. He was doing Steve a favor. As a thank your for giving them access to the apartment, they left the arrangements as a gift. It was nice to come home at the end of the weekend to find them (Thanks, Steve!) They've lasted a few days now.

A small arrangement for a side table

Some eucalyptus branches for one of the window sills

An arrangement of herbs for the kitchen window

Home is where the hearth is

I stumbled upon a great app for my AppleTV the other day. It's called "Magic Fireplace" and it's simply video of a burning fireplace that plays on a loop so that you can have something cozy on your TV screen when you're at home and not watching a program. It comes with sound effects that you can turn up, down, or mute, the sounds of a crackling logs. The best part is that there are a number of different fireplaces to choose from, different styles and hearth materials. I program mine on 'shuffle' so that every minute or so the look of the fireplace changes. It's quite nice to have it going when I'm just working on my computer and listening to music. Here are a few shots of how it looks:







I mean, if I can't have a real fire in my fireplace I might as well have the next best thing, right?

The port cocheré

The French call it a "port cocheré", my friend Dean laughingly says that's a fancy way of saying "car port". In any event, the dictionary defines the phrase as "a covered entrance large enough for vehicles to pass through, typically opening into a courtyard, or a porch where vehicles stop to discharge passengers". I think it's one of the more distinctive architectural designs of my building, which is situated on a corner, so that it allows for this transverse.

The corner entrance of my building, a classic "port cocheré"

Taxis can pull into the port cochere to drop people off and if it's raining you don't get wet. You can also pull your car into it to drop things off. But you have to be quick about that. The building frowns on leaving your car there for more than a very quick idle, you have to move it along as other vehicles could be waiting behind you. I've often wondered why more buildings in the city didn't incorporate this idea into their designs, it makes so much sense.
Right now, and for the next few months, our port cocheré is being renovated. One of the doormen told me there was some kind of water drainage issue. The concrete edges too had gotten quite worn over time. So there's an assessment currently in place to pay for the cost of the renovation. Both vehicle entrances are blocked right now with protective barriers to allow the workmen to do their job (and to hide the unsightly worksite). But there are peepholes along the walls so you can see the progress. There's a side entrance to the building and that's the one we're using for the time being to gain access in and out of the building.

The current worksite covering

One thing I never noticed on the corner of the building is a taxi lantern. One of my fellow tenants showed me recently that there is a special button inside the elevators that says "TAXI".

The special TAXI button in the elevator

If you push it, it illuminates the lantern to signal cabs to stop by for a passenger pickup.

The taxi lantern on the corner of the building

This goes under the heading "you learn something new everyday". Now, I haven't tried this little amenity yet because, well, I'm too poor right now to take taxis, but as soon as my finances are in better shape I will definitely give it a try. It's the old 20th Century version of Uber, LOL.

Magic carpet ride

If there was one thing my architect, Steve, and I disagreed on throughout the design process it was the floor material for the kitchen. I believed strongly that it should be tile or linoleum, something that could withstand getting wet or splattered. He felt it should be the same hardwood flooring as the entryway and hallway (and the rest of the apartment). He felt the visual 'flow' would be interrupted if we started a new material right at the entrance of the kitchen. During the construction, when I first saw the space I had to agree that it would be an odd transition. But the thought of maintaining wood flooring in the kitchen gave me the real heebie-jeebies. I find that liquids can form stains and marks very easily. Steve said the solution would be a kitchen carpet that could withstand all the wear and tear of cooking. In the end I acquiesced knowing that I was right functionally, but wrong aesthetically. So the search was on for the right carpet. It took me months to find the right one. I didn't want an ordinary rug, it would be too easily stained. And the dimension was awkward, very long and narrow. After looking everywhere I found just the right one in the Ballard Designs catalog, and the price was very reasonable too. I thought the gray trellis design would work nicely with the dark grout pattern in the white subway tiles and the gray cabinetry, and the size was perfect. I'm very happy with it.







You can find the "Tricia" trellis indoor/outdoor rug here.

Mirror, mirror, pt. 2

I've been wanting to hang something on the blank wall space in one of the corners of the main room, the wall next to one of the built-in bookshelves behind my easy chair.

I kept thinking I would do a grouping of some small artwork or a small painting of some sort, but my finances being limited these days I'm sure this wouldn't be in the cards anytime soon. 

But then I had a brainstorm: I've had a black wooden mirror stuck in the back of the closet since I moved in, wouldn't that be the right size to fit there? In short, it was and it is. 

I hung it a couple of days ago and it feels like it's been there all along.

Here's a shot of the space before the mirror:

And here's a couple of shots after it was hung:

I can always change it out someday if I find something better (remember, I ALWAYS hang anything in my apartment with damage-free Command™ hooks), so it's the perfect solution, at least for now. 

I love the way mirrors reflect light back into a space and as you walk into that main room it subtley makes the room feel just a teensy bit bigger, another decorating advantage of reflective mirrors. One note: I'm really not loving that floor lamp beside the chair. It's got to go...too big. Plus, I've got enough drum shaped lampshades in the room. I've had my eye on a small standing floor lamp to go next to that chair, it's from West Elm, it's got a nice carrera marble base...but I need some cashola coming in before I splurge on it.

The bedsheet dilemma

This Saturday my architect, Steve, is going to come to the apartment with a photographer to take photos for his portfolio and website--so stay tuned for some nice shots of the place in future blog posts.
I wanted to make sure that I had his preference for what sheets I should have on the bed for the shoot (I leave town for Sag Harbor on the weekends so I won't be here on that day). I made him this guide so that he could pick which he preferred.
I only have three sets of sheets which I rotate every week or so. The first choice was a floral pattern, white with dark gray flowers, the fitted sheet underneath is dark gray as well. The second was a great set I got in a department store in Hong Kong, they're a creamy beige with a fine patter made up of blocks of Chinese writing. The last set is a solid grayish beige, or "greige" as call it, some one say it's a 'mushroom' also.
I sent him these choices and he picked--drumroll please--the solid! So the solid sheets it is. Stay tuned for the photos when I get them.

The 3 sheet options for the upcoming photo shoot of the apartment

Pocket park #2

Across the street and half a block away from my building is another little public space, a "pocket park" at the dead end of 65th Street.



It's also labeled "Sutton Place Park" like the one directly across the street on 57th Street.



It's wedged in between two large apartment buildings and the approach is not all that attractive, you're even met with a cheery sign that says "DEAD END".



But if you climb up the ramp to the higher level you get a decent view of the East River and the Queensboro bridge.




There are some benches for sitting and a little rectangle of grass. It's not much to look at but at least it's something, right? Better than nothing I say.



Actually the view looking back toward Midtown is quite nice, you can see a bit of the Sony building's Chippendale top peeping thru the canyon off in the distance.