Jan 12, 2010 0
In the late 1930s, NYC used WPA money to hire unemployed workers to photograph every building in the city for the Department of Finance. All the photos still exist–I went online and ordered a print of my Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, brownstone, which in the photo looks almost identical to its appearance today (except for the Model T out front!). Read the rest of this entry →
Nov 28, 2009 0
In this interview with Bridgette Meinhold of the blog Inhabitat, I explain why old houses were the original green architecture. I also offer tips on how to renovate sustainably, Read the rest of this entry →
Nov 25, 2009 0
When I do book signings and lecture/slideshows for Restoring a House in the City, invariably one of the first questions I get is how I found the 21 houses in my book. There is no short answer as each house–and how it came to be included–has its own story. As a former editor at House & Garden and Martha Stewart Living, I had many contacts in the interior design and architecture community and I cast a wide net. I called everyone I knew and looked at hundreds of houses before choosing the ones in my book. I sifted through emailed photos and whenever possible scouted homes in person. I’d visit a city or town–Boston or Savannah for instance–and make a targeted scouting trip where I would visit as many as fifteen houses in a weekend. There were so many wonderful houses. The final selection came down to variety–I wanted the book to include a range of architectural styles, locations, decorating styles and renovation approaches.
One house, in Troy, New York, astonished me both in the beauty of the architecture and in the way the restoration and décor capture the original spirit of the home which dates from the 1850s. Check it out on p. 42 of Restoring a House in the City, in the chapter titled Forgotten Grandeur. What’s Sonic Youth and Edith Wharton got to do with it? Here is the back story on how I discovered this wonderfully preserved house. http://bit.ly/6v8DrJ
Nov 15, 2009 0
Although I’ve never visited Akron, Ohio, the town already holds a place in my imagination at the home of David Giffels, who wrote a wonderful chronicle of his old-house reno, All the Way Home. Meanwhile Michael Ruhlman’s House, about his restoration of an old Victorian, is set not far away in Cleveland Heights. So I couldn’t resist these before and after photos sent to me by Akron resident John Joyce who renovated an 1853 house that had been abandoned for a decade. Here is the garden that lured him into taking on this huge reno.
Click on John’s photo essay which tells the whole story. http://redincorporated.com/wp-content/uploads/RenoBookSmall.pdf
Nov 13, 2009 0
This Reuters story on Restoring a House in the City is on the business/real estate home page for MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com
Nov 12, 2009 0
I have three appearances coming up this week:
November 14: I’ll be signing books at The Conran Shop from 3-5 p.m.
November 17: Lecture/slideshow at The Salmagundi Club, sponsored by the Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation. 6:30-8:30 pm.
November 18: Lecture/slideshow at the 92nd Street Y Tribeca, noon to 1 p.m.
Check the events page on this website for contact information.
Oct 31, 2009 0
A Tibetan woman recently asked me if in the research for my book I had discovered a lot of haunted houses in New York City. No more than anywhere else, I told her. The one documented ghost in my book was in Savannah, where having a ‘haint’ in residence adds to one’s real estate value. The woman, who grew up in Nepal, said that in her culture every house previously occupied is said to have spirits. The first thing they do when moving into a house is to recite prayers and enact purification ceremonies to keep the ghosts at bay.
Renée Schettler is the winner of my contest for the spookiest true old house tale. Renée is a former editor at the Washington Post and Martha Stewart Living, a foodie who recently started the cathartic blog ThankYouGourmet.com and who leads wonderful workshops in recipe writing and editing (for more info: ReneeSchettler.com).
Oct 30, 2009 0
I’ll be showing images from the book, talking about restoring old houses, and signing books at the following events. Many, many thanks to Artisan Books for organizing these wonderful events:
DATE: November 5, 2009
TIME: 6:30 PM
VENUE: Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
LOCATION: 2 East 91st Street MAP
CITY/STATE/ZIP: New York, Ne 10128
PHONE: 2128493255
URL: http://www.cooperhewitt.org/VISIT/
DESCRIPTION: Author talk with slideshow followed by a Q&A with book signing.
Oct 27, 2009 0
Many thanks to Book Court and all who turned out for the book’s launch. It paid off: Restoring a House in the City is now Number 1 on the Book Court weekly bestseller list for Hardcover Nonfiction! Meanwhile, my friend Jonathan Lethem holds the top spot for Hardcover Fiction for Chronic City. The best part is that they are now offering a 20 percent discount on the book, as they do with all bestsellers. Thank you, thank you Book Court.
Oct 22, 2009 0
At last, it’s October 22, the official publication date for Restoring a House in the City. I’ll be speaking at Book Court in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, tonight to launch the book. The focus will be on the Brooklyn homes in the book, and many of the homeowners and designers and architects will be there. Ask us anything! And what great timing: one of my favorite New York Times’ reporters, Penelope Green, today filed a story on the pre-launch book party hosted by my amazing friend Jennifer Rubell: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/garden/22seen.html?ref=garden.
