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Eataly in New York

Katy Elliott — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:55:25 +0000

I’ll the kinda girl who will go great distances to find delicious food. I dream of beautiful farmer’s markets, farm stands selling fresh strawberries and grocery stores filled with vegetables and products that captivate me. I’m a sucker for beautiful displays and packaging so sweet that I’ll spend $30 on a jar of Italian sugared strawberries. Food brings us together and for me my greatest gift is to be able to cook for my friends and family. I hope they can taste all the love that goes into everything I make.

When I was in New York last week I popped into Eataly a 50,000 square artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the Flatiron district of Manhattan run by celebrity chef Mario Batali. As soon as I walked in the doors I was blown away. The space is huge. Neatly arrange baskets inside coolers and pastas perfectly twirled onto white platters are works of art. The market was bustling at 2 pm filled with local business people grabbing late lunches and tourist snapping photos. I was so overwhelmed I had no idea where to start so I just wandered taking the space in. How beautiful are the tile floors? And hello amazing cheese counter? I completely lost track of time and had to rush to catch my train and missed out on tasting all the deliciousness. I left in love with food and with Eataly. Want to meet me for lunch next time I’m in town? Below photos from the marketplace above and below.

Eataly
200 Fifth Avenue
(at 23rd Street)
New York, NY
212-229-2560
mariobatali.com

Stripes at Chance

Katy Elliott — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:20:45 +0000

From top left: Scoop Neck Dress $105, Classic Crusher $125, Striped Linen Scarf $110, Classic Espadrilles $48, Day Tote $125, and Classic Tank $46.

I’m insanely jealous of the new store Chance; I adore the whole concept and kicking myself for not coming up with it myself. It’s brilliant—simple classic New England style pieces represented in a small collection. The pieces don’t feel trendy or complicated but just updated versions of classics. I choose the stripe dress for myself; see a photo below. It’s cute on —not to clingy or baggy—pair it with espadrilles for the weekend or dress it up with a belt for your 9-5 gig.

Founder and creative director Julia Leach is a veteran of icon brand Kate Spade. Her talent to encompass a entire lifestyle in a clothing line, accessories and art is seamless. Nothing about it feels forced or manipulated.

I stopped into Chance’s pop-up shop on Elizabeth Street while I was in New York. Stripe saturated reds and blues pop off the white washed walls and floors. A collection of accessories, art and found objects are neatly displayed on tables throughout the shop. I had super nice chat Michelle the store manager while I tried on a lobster claw bracelet by Ursa Major and a wide brim hat that made me feel like a movie star. Above my picks and a few snapshots from inside the store below.

Chance
211 Elizabeth Street
Thursday to Sunday, 12-7
May and June
New York, NY
chanceco.com

Images within the collage and girl on ferry courtesy of Chance. The snapshots below by Katy Elliott.

Spotted in Williamsburg

Katy Elliott — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:46:13 +0000

Portmanteau

I’m in New York this week for a blogging conference and thought it would be fun to share a few things I’ve spotted. First up, a few stores I popped into in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Saturday. Above a really cute 1950′s ticking stripe tufted settee spotted at Portmanteau. I’m not a huge fan of the wood finish but the petite shape—measuring 39.5 inches wide—gave me hope that I can find a comfortable and cute piece for my someday library. Maybe the settee could work in your house?

At Sprout Home I oogled their plants and accessories. I have my eye out for cool and affordable outdoor boxes—my boxwoods are coming out of the front garden and going into planters. A beautiful Oxalis plant and succulents caught my eye too.

So this is funny…While I was out Sprout Home I snapped a photo and posted it to my facebook fan page. Christine Foley the owner of Moon River Chattel left this comment:
Hey!!! You’re on my block. I’m heading into my back yard right now to plant groundcovers I bought there this a.m. Come say hi , back of Moon River Chattel.

I was totally blown away when I got the message. Crazy internet/instant connection world we live in, right? Love it. Christine is awesome! We swapped renovation stories and had a good laugh about the gross things you find in the walls when your renovate old buildings aka the rat. It was so nice to meet her and check out her beautiful store Moon River Chattel. A peek inside below.

Sprout Home

Moon River Chattel

abc Rug Sale

Katy Elliott — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:36:00 +0000

On friday I met up with fellow blogger Stephanie of even*cleveland. Remember her awesome salt dough ornaments she shared back in December? We met up at Abc to check out a tufted sofa I had spotted on CreateGirl’s blog–more about that in a second post. First, let’s get to my major rug score.

Abc was having a big sale. I’ve been on the search for rugs for months. I’m pretty particular about my colors. I would really like to find a few with pinks, greens, and navy for my second floor to go with my sage green walls. The colors I like are really uncommon because they don’t occur naturally so I need to find really faded antique versions–more common are brighter reds.

Stephanie and I casually flipped through a huge pile of 5 X 7′s when we came across a beauty. It was marked originally for $2,400 marked down to $499. Majority of the rugs in the pile were marked down to $1,499 so we thought the rug was mismarked? I was a big hesitant wondering why it such a good deal? The dealer was a little pushy telling me it was an amazing deal and putting on a big show that someone was going to get in trouble for the mistake.

We pulled it out, walked on it with our bare feet, and checked out every inch for damage. I think I ask Stephanie a hundred times, “Do you like it?” I wasn’t really sure it was an antique. The color looked like vegetable dyes but the pile was longer then rugs I had seen from Iran. In the end it didn’t really matter, the price was right and I loved it.

Photos from inside ABC above and below photos of the rug at my sister’s house. In the background you can see a red antique rug that has more typical patterning and color. So what do you think? Did I get the deal of the century or was I totally played?

ABC Carpet & Home
888 Broadway
New York, NY
(212) 473-3000
abchome.com

Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

Katy Elliott — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:09:54 +0000

Last week while I was in New York I took a quick little trip over to the Garment District for some fabric inspiration. My first stop the Fabric Czar— a men’s suiting and custom tailoring shop on West 39th street. I was searching for a light gray window paned wool with a red accent for a side chair in my den. I found a few I liked with yellow and brown accents but no red. The store is a feast for the eyes. Along one side is cotton stripes used for men’s dress shirts. The majority of the space is a collection of fine wools and plaids. I wouldn’t say it was cheap. Most of the fabrics I choose were about $60/yard. It’s still unclear to me if this shop is wholesale or retail or both. When asked if I could purchased using credit they said, cash only. But sometimes I feel in the garment district I have to really tough and kinda pushy to really get a straight answer.

Across the street I popped into Gray Lines Linen. The store is full of upholstery and drapery grade linen fabric. I’ve been searching for a striped linen to make a duvet for my bed. Fyi most of the stripes I found are on the very top shelf which is really hard to see when you first walk into the store. The staff was really helpful and showed me a stack of samples and allowed me to take a few home. The three I choose were 60″ wide and about $4 a yard (they were running a special). Insanely cheap and really great quality. Now which one to choose for a duvet?

p.s. my sister bought a bolt of linen from Gray Lines that we used for two chairs, a tufted bench, and a tufted headboard. All came out beautiful!

Looking for more resources in the Garment District? Click on the related post links below.

Fabric Czar
257 West 39th Street (Garment District)
New York, NY
(212) 475-6666
fabricczar.com

Gray Line Linen
260 W. 39th Street (Garment District)
New York, NY
(212) 391-4130
graylinelinen.com

Early Morning Commute @ Grand Central

Katy Elliott — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:23:36 +0000

Hands down my favorite building in New York is Grand Central Station. The last few years I worked in New York I lived in Connecticut and had to commute through Grand Central everyday. I know that seems crazy that I lived in another state and commuted back and forth but it’s actually a quick 45 minute express train ride. I honestly miss my train rides. I loved reading, knitting, and just having some quiet time to chill out after work.

Last week, when I was in New York I commuted in with my sister. The morning light was gorgeous trickling down on the station floor. The green ceiling above was probably my first inspiration for my den. It’s gorgeous in so many different types of light. If I close my eyes I can hear the quiet rumble of voices and high heels bouncing off the stone walls.

Grand Central Station
15 Vanderbilt Avenue
New York, NY
grandcentralterminal.com

Subway Tiles @ Soho Grand Hotel

Katy Elliott — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:52:40 +0000

I notice the funniest things since I started renovating a house. In our bathroom at the Soho Grand Hotel I was fascinated by the subway tile design. If you look closely the second tile from the top is not a standard rectangle. It’s square, interesting. I couldn’t find a reason why they did this other then to break up the line.

The hotel bathroom was simple but classic. A pretty pedestal sink with a gooseneck faucet and a stone hex floor. The floor tiles were cream, taupey brown/gray, and gray grout. Kinda funky and different. Look closely at the floor photo below. It may look out of focus on the edges but actually the floor really looked like this. It would change color as you looked at it in the distance. The sketch wallpaper keeps the space from feeling too traditional and adds a modern twist.

Below the view from our hotel room. How great is New York?

Soho Grand Hotel
310 West Broadway
New York, New York
sohogrand.com

update: The wallpaper featured in the bathroom is by New Yorker cartoonist Saul Steinberg. The paper can be purchased through Schumacher.

Green on Greene

Katy Elliott — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:01:42 +0000

In Soho this morning I spotted more green paint inspiration. Is the world telling me something? I love this green. Now I’m leaning back toward painting the molding in my den green. Ah! What to do? Above and below a building on Greene Street in Soho.

Ace Hotel, The Breslin and Stumptown

Katy Elliott — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:38:54 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, I’m in New York. I’ve been a busy bee working and visiting with friends and family. This morning my sister brought me over to the new Ace Hotel on 29th street in Manhattan. Design group Roman and Williams transformed the space into a hipster Brit infused oasis. Check out the plaid wing chair in the above photo. The back of the chair was upholstered in navy wool decorated with brass tacking. So freakin’ cute.

Attached to the Ace is The Breslin a British style pub run by Peter Cho and the Spotted Pig (my fav place to grab a burger) crew. I walked through pretty quickly but I was struck by the green molding. In the sunlight the wood appears limey in the shadows it becomes a dark olive gloss. Tufted benches, thonet style chairs, and brass accents give the space a cozy feel. Need a little pick me up? Hit Stumptown coffee just off from the hotel’s lobby. I had a latte and croissant—super yum with a nutty quality. Above and below photos from Roman and William’s website.

Ace Hotel
20 W 29th Street
New York, NY
212.679.2222
acehotel.com

The Breslin
16 W 29th Street
New York, NY
212.679.1939
thebreslin.com

Huguenot Street: New Paltz, NY

Katy Elliott — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:15:38 +0000

Historic Huguenot Street features seven unique stone houses dating to the early 1700s built by French Huguenot settlers. Huguenots from Northern France and modern day Belgium purchased 40,000 acres of land in the Mid-Hudson Valley from the Esopus Indians in the late 17th century. Small communities developed and thrived in the valley including New Paltz.

I went to college in New Paltz and would walk by these houses just about everyday. I was fascinated by the history and architecture of the buildings. The windows and shutters feel Dutch and different from anything I had ever seen in New England. Check out the green painted window frames in the room above. I wonder the real history of painting wood green? I’ll have to investigate…

Historic Huguenot Street
18 Broadhead Avenue
New Paltz, NY
huguenotstreet.org