The Tween Room

Definition:  TWEEN
A less-than-12, more-than-7 girl, with the mind of a 20-year-old.  One who listens to your choice, and chooses the opposite.  She's pink or blue, and if she likes blue, she hates pink.  She's Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, and not Hannah Montana (anymore).  Too old to go to Flying Horses (unless no one's watching).  Prefers an Orange Julius, at DQ Edgartown, over a cone dipped with sprinkles.  Playdates are passe, it's "getting together", please!

It's about now, that the room needs an overhaul, if she hasn't begged and pleaded with catalog in hand, already.  Oh, and twin beds...yes...must have a place for her BFF to stay.

If you're looking for a great blog about Tweens...pay a visit to Ms. Twixt.

Images via:  Domino, Vogue Living, Harper's Bazaar, Better Homes & Gardens, Diane Bergeron, La Dolce Vita, and MABelle.

Tween Room - Part Deux, Funky/Bold

* for notes, see post above.

The Mini-Vacation

Change the place, change the view, change the pace...wake up to a new life (even if it's just for a week).

A Journey of Stones - Martha's Vineyard Fireplace

What does this stone want to be?  That is what my professor of architecture, used to say.
He liked to imagine he was Louis Kahn:
“To express is to drive.

And when you want to give something presence,
you have to consult nature.
And there is where Design comes in.
 And if you think of Brick, for instance,
and you say to Brick,
"What do you want Brick?"
And Brick says to you
"I like an Arch."
And if you say to Brick
"Look, arches are expensive,
and I can use a concrete lentil over you.
What do you think of that?"
"Brick?"
Brick says:
"... I like an Arch"”

These stones were reclaimed, by Rockwell Masonry, from an old wall in Watertown, CT where the homeowners wanted all removed, and new landscaping put in (can you imagine letting go of this history?)  - shipped in a truck, brought over on a ferry to the Vineyard, and then hand-picked and assembled to form this striking piece of fireplace architecture (firebox - Vermont soapstone).  Can't wait to see the finished result of this home with it's modern aesthetics and historical details.  Architecture by Breese Architects.  Bespoke stone fireplaces by Greg Pyden, Rockwell Masonry.

A Few Finds...Reclaim

Sustainable Green.

Top two images:  Casement Windows
(love the second set: 114"w x 74"h)
Images 3 & 4:  Reclaimed Doors
Image 5:  Reclaimed Cabinetry (beautiful in natural finish...or painted...36x98x90...gorgeous!)

See Mr. Demo (John) and Donna, at Nor'East Architectural Salvage in NH.  In 2008, a fire completely destroyed their entire decade of hard work and inventory...massive 6-alarm fire...took 22 towns to respond.  They re-opened in the spring, of last year...and again, have built-up their inventory with beautiful things.  Worth the trip, about an hour north of Boston.

Grandmother - Patriarch of Easter

"Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you, all day, and now the day was complete."   --Marcy DeMaree

"Grandma's don't just say "that's nice" -- they reel back and roll their eyes, and throw up their hands and smile.  You get your money's worth out of grandmas".   --Author Unknown

"Grandmothers are just "antique" little girls."  --Author Unknown

"If nothing is going well, call your grandmother."  --Italian Proverb

...enjoy the beautiful weekend, gorgeous weather, and time to reflect with your family.  --L.

Photos: Hugh Stewart, Quotes/Quote Garden. 

For the Seaworthy

...Jeut Net Chandelier, Midnight Farm, in Vineyard Haven.  There is always something unique to be had, here.  Co-owner/Designer, Tamara Weiss produces a well-edited collection of finds, season after season.