Happy New Year!

We wish you all the very best for the coming year. 

May peace prevail.









Ice on Window, New Hampshire, 2010

Hellas Signing at Rizzoli

Last week Rizzoli Bookstore on 57th St. in New York hosted a reception and signing for Bill's new book, HELLAS Photographs of Modern Greece.  We were thrilled to see scores of old friends and meet many new ones.  Additional signings are being planned for Athens and Los Angeles and an exhibition of photographs from the book is slated for New York in the summer of 2011.  We'll keep you posted on details as they firm. 

Pictured is photographer Sherri O'Connor with a copy of HELLAS.  Sherri told us this was the first signed photography book she's ever had.

UPDATE on Pate's Tapes

Yesterday we posted that PatesTapes.com, since being launched last month, had gotten over 6,000 hits.

We've just learned that number has jumped to 130,000 hits in more than 80 countries. 

Our friend, Sally Schneider noted on The Improvised Life that she thinks it has the best collection of Christmas music she's heard.

Pate's Tapes

Charles Pates, the Creative Director at Garnet Hill has a fascinating sideline.  In 1977 he started making mixed tapes from what sounds like one of the most remarkable collection of vinyl records on the planet. The tapes started to be heard at bars and restaurants but with the digital age, that changed.  But now that's changed again.  Charles just turned us onto a new site he's launched called PatesTapes.com.  He's taken this monumental collection of mixes and uploaded them for your pleasure.  Right now there are 10 mixes online but if the response to the site is any indication, he'll be making a lot more available soon.  Within the first month of launching, he had nearly 6,000 hits from all over the world and all the music aficionados we've turned onto the site are blown away by it.  Check out the site here and keep an eye on it for more releases.

Journey to India with Dominique Browning

In my new Slow Love Life, one of the most important lessons I have learned is not to defer our dreams for too long. So off we go!

Former House and Garden Editor and author of Slow Love Dominique Browning is going to India, she's invited A+B See readers to go with her and the beneficiary is GoodWeave – a nonprofit working to end child labor in the carpet industry and offer educational opportunities to children in India and Nepal.

You can view the itinerary and specifics by clicking here.

Our Dog Portrait

We want to share the talents of a local artist who paints lovely oil portraits of dogs in classic, regal poses and settings.  We discovered his work through our veterinarian, Dr. Jeff Israel here in Bedford, in whose waiting room hang many of Joseph Bushman's paintings.  These old-English inspired jewels are small--about 6 x 8 inches--and come in a simple wood frame.  A custom portrait of your dog is $95.  Our sweet Reagan, getting on in years, was captured to a tee by Mr. Bushman, from his diffident expression to his particular protrusions, all from a few jpegs we sent via email.  You can contact Mr. Bushman by email (jgbushman@aol.com) or by phone at 914-423-4971.  Tell him we sent you! 

Watching Paint Dry

The second stage of planning to repaint is to test Eve Ashcraft's color suggestions in place.  We bought sample sizes of all 17 options, and painted them on sheets of mason board which had been primed with white. 

Now, we can place the colors in their proper rooms throughout the house, and see how they work against the floor color choices and against rooms within the same sightlines.  We'll be able to see how the colors look in the light of our house, bright days, dark days and night time.  We'll walk through again with Eve, and make our final decisions.

Book Signing at Rizzoli NYC

The Amazing Woman of Color

Eve Ashcraft is widely known in the world of architecture and interiors for her remarkable sense of color.

We first met her nearly 15 years ago through our work with Martha Stewart Living.  Eve was responsible for the development of the original palettes for Martha's Everyday Paint line--still to us one of the greatest tools for introducing color into everyday living.  To this day, we've kept a complete set of the revolutionary sample chips Eve designed, which allow you to pick a color and see an array of colors that work with that choice.  We were fortunate to have Eve design the paint plan for our Bedford home when we first moved here in 1996, which I then photographed for Martha Stewart.

Since then, the colors in our house evolved--and away from her cohesive color scheme.   A few months ago, after not having seen Eve for some time, our paths crossed again on a shoot.  We asked Eve if she'd consider consulting with us again on a big palette change.   Lucky for us, she agreed.  Eve has worked on major projects with some of the best architects and interior designers of our time, and not only developed paints colors for Martha, but also Benjamin Moore and, come next spring, her own line of paints for the prestigious Fine Paints of Europe.  2011 will also see the release of her first book, "The Right Color" being published by ArtisanBooks.  It'll be Eve's year.

Last week, Eve came to our house with her giant color set,  an IPhone, IPad, and notepad.  We told her our we'd like to change from the black floors we've lived with for 14 years, to a light painted floor.  Andrea sums up the vibe we have in mind as "a Swedish beach cottage." 

Over the next few weeks, we'll test colors, move swatches and with Eve decide on a final schedule of paints.  It'll be the biggest change we've made in the house in a long time and we're really excited about the big bang that this relatively inexpensive effort will give us.  We'll share some of the process as we move forward.

Mann Oh Mann

This month's House Beautiful has a lovely story Bill shot a NYC apartment designed by David Mann.  Scot Schy, once again, provided a beautiful layout opening with one of Bill's favorite image from the shoot.  Our favorite room in this story is the bedroom perfectly styled by Robert Rufino, the new Interiors Director at Architectural Digest.

You can see the entire story here.

SEBASTIAN!

Our dear friends, Andree Chalaron and Franck Hoffman along with big sister, Elodie welcomed Sebastian Philip Hoffmann Chalaron to the world yesterday.

Bill's the godfather and could not be more proud.  Welcome Sebastian and congratulations Andree, Franck and Elodie!

Visit their blog, Giggle Gumbo

More on Acts of Love

This following was written to Andrea while she was on a shoot in Santorni, Greece.  I was home in Bedford, tending the kids and shooting in the city.  In light of an article today in today's New York Times on the disparity in French households, we thought it was a timely note to share.

I'll be asleep when you read this but I wanted to say how appreciative I am of what you do.  This house work is somewhat thankless.  Especially when you have a career.  Ok, making lunch, reading the paper, the dogs, the cat and chickens, and the hawk all need tending.  Laundry needs to be done and the beds, maybe not made, but at least, straightened.   Dinner needs to be planned, procured, made and then cleaned up.  The floor needs to be swept and the sidewalk neatened.   The vegetables and hydrangeas need water.  Zander's music and Maxie's Spanish homework need to be listened to and a full interrogation given to Simon in hearing him say, "I'm ready for my test".  Then the day job.  The car needs its tires filled and clutter needs to be removed.  There are worries about you traveling that include wanting to protect you and smooth your way.

It's a lot and I have grown a new appreciation of you -- of working mothers. The dogs are badly in need of a long walk.  My clients need my attention.  There is so much to do with the new book.  My cell phone is dying.  Did I call my mother?  Did I call yours?  The broker called.  Are the logistics on tomorrow's shoot finalized?  When you are here, I like reading the paper until the coffee is gone.  I miss you and while I am upset about having to miss the high school homecoming game that Zander came for, I want to be at the airport as you clear customs, to race you home to a very appreciative family that has missed you and needs you here.  We are once again made aware of how many acts of love you do each day.

Simpler is Better

This summer, when we visited our friends in Greece, we brought a load of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products--a gift that was absolutely loved.  

A few months ago, Bill shot the new Mrs. Meyer print campaign which is now running in magazines.   The images were shot at one of Andrea's location in Westport, styled by Peter Frank and art directed by Chris Lange at Mono.  Mono, in Minneapolis, prides itself on the axiom, 'simpler is better' and one of the great tag lines they wrote for Mrs. Meyer's is, "Nowadays, everyone is earth friendly.  Where were there manners before?"  Those of you that know us, know what that means to us.  We loved working with a company whose mission we believe in and whose stuff we've used for years. 

Talk About Intelligent Design

Baby becomes toddler, toddler becomes boy, boy becomes teenager, teenager becomes young man.  Each stage takes us by surprise, each stage thrills us.  Talk about intelligent design.  Just about the time our child begins to live a life independent of us at college, we are at a stage of life in which to see something more clearly, we have to hold it further away.  How appropriate.


Check out our young man's webcast radio show here.  Wednesday night's live broadcast is a family event.

Coastal Living Lobster Wars

We first heard about Matinicus Island, Maine in the New York Times a few years ago.  Matinicus was then the site of an ongoing struggle over lobstering in the waters there between mainland and island lobster man.  The national press started covering the struggle once gunfire started.

Late last summer, we had the opportunity to travel to (and eat a ton of lobster on) this wildly remote island 20 miles off the coast.  Any opportunity to go to Maine is always taken.  This time, we were there to photograph on Matinicus' neighbor, Wheaton Island -- the home of painters Bo Bartlett and Betsy Eby.   You could walk from Matinicus to Wheaton at low tide.  The images and story are from this month's Coastal Living and the life Bartlett and Eby have on this big rock is something to see and the influence it has on their work really powerful.

Take a look at this idyllic life click here.

October's Elle Decor

Bill's got three stories in this month's Elle Decor including the cover image of Ralph and Ricky Lauren's Manhattan apartment.  Produced by Design Director Anita Sarsidi, the stories include the Lauren apartment, Frederic Fekkai and Shirin Von Wulffen's home and dizzyingly tall model Hana Soukopova and her husband Drew Aaron's dizzyingly high up, art filled, Mark Cunningham-designed apartment. 

You can see the Lauren apartment here, the Robert Couturier designed Fekkai-von Wulffen apartment here and the Soukopova-Aaron home here.

Let's All Be Frank

Our friend, Peter Frank's home is in the current issue of House Beautiful.  Peter is a talented set designer and prop stylist and his is one of our favorite houses--a house that Bill was very excited about photographing and that Andrea is very proud to represent as a location.   Peter has great style and can ski like a banshee--something that has endeared him to our kids.  Scot Schy did a beautiful layout, Rima Suqi, a great interview and we are very happy to feature it.  You can see the entire article here.

If the photographs make you want to see it all for yourself, including all the rooms that wouldn't fit into the layout, you can! The house is one of the six houses on this year's Historic Hudson Old House Tour, which takes place on October 2nd.    Tickets available at www.historichudson.org

Exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery

One of Bill's portraits of Martha Stewart is now on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery through June 2011.  You can read the press release from the museum here.

Overhearing Things

Overheard at a recent Dave Matthews Concert in Camden, NJ:

“I wouldn’t walk barefoot on that.”

“Someone should tell that girl to stand up straight.  Bad posture is so unattractive”

“Well, that outfit does NOT enhance her figure.”

“I should have brought my glasses, I’m never gonna see him.”

“I better go to the bathroom one more time before it starts.”

“You need to do some Kegels.”

“Oh, that breeze feels good.”

“Damn.  I forgot to bring Advil.”

“I’d get Reynaud’s holding that drink.”

While our fun-loving souls may stop aging at around 21, our corporeal selves  continue to move along the timeline of life.  While we drank and danced and enjoyed ourselves immensely, these very words came out of the mouths of me and my similarly middle-aged girlfriends.  Perhaps you noticed us there.  We were the ones in the FitFlops.  (I'm fairly sure real 21 year olds don't have extended discussions about the relative merits of various foot callous treatments.)

Summer Begins

I recently took our daughter, our baby, shopping for summer clothes at Forever 21, which is a hit or miss venture.  This particular visit was all hit, and the pile of great stuff at ridiculously low prices kept growing.  "OK," I said.  "This is more than I planned on.  This is going to be your graduation present."  Maxie continued to nose around while I was watching the salesman tally our goods at the register.  "Happy Graduation," I called to her as I handed him the credit card.

"Is she graduating from college?" he asked.

"No!" I responded as if he were crazy.

"Is she already out of college?" he pressed.

"NO!" I practically shouted.  "She's only 16!"

It took a moment to correct myself.  "Wait, she's only 13!"

Today, driving home from the beach, a celebration of the first day of summer, I looked back at my girl, just days away from leaving Middle School.

Graduating from college?  Hmmm.  Guess it's an easy mistake.