I’ve long been obsessed with the boutique design travel group MR & MRS SMITH. They are a company that specializes in special destination accomodations…. Conde Nast Traveler named them winner of ‘favorite travel websites’– and they have a great series of coffeetable books. So when they called asking if I would be willing to be a hotel review-which means stay in luxury boutique design hotels(on their dime)I did little cartwheels in my head.I could not say yes fast enough. THE ASSIGNMENT:Pick a destination anywhere in north or south america or the Carribbean.Bring a guest. Stay for 2 nights on the house. Take it…
Read more →
There are more gorgeous houses, cottages, cabins and fishing shacks in Beaufort than I’ve ever seen anywhere else in the world. As always, pulling a few ideas from them to take back to camp… (sort of a holiday- interest board for future projects). Old ivy on masonry- nothing could be prettier. Weathered cedar shingles. (Hmmm- possibly reclad an old bldg and make it a new sports equipment shed?) The inside of a post office that was converted into a marketplace- their bathrooms where so simple + humble + perfect. Love the large del-style wall tile. (Maybe for the kitchen project…
Read more →
There’s nothing like a holiday that inspires you to look at things a little differently- the southern coastal islands are dotted with seaside fishing cottages, cedar-shingled boat houses & a rich layered history of generations of oyster factories. (So don’t be surprised if you see a bit more navy gingham, roped handrails, taxidermy fish and white wainscoting at camp next time you’re up for a visit)! Charlie perched on a dock fish cleaning station. (We want one of these) A local (and our busboy) at one of the oldest family companies in the area ‘Hudsons’. Hudson’s kayak racks were impressive…
Read more →
This week, we are immersing ourselves in ‘low country’ – the Carolina islands.Daufuskie, Paris, Port Royal – and also inland, from Savannah to Beaufort. Here are a few scenes from this morning’s ride on a 1920s fishing boat- from the mainland to the island of Daufuskie- an old plantation island in a state of transition. On one had, in a state of intense poverty (the last remaining descendants of the original ‘Gulla’ African culture, trying to hang onto their ancestor’s original island cottages) juxtaposed to the country’s wealthiest folks. In the same few hundred feet you can see the remains of…
Read more →
I’ve been avoiding it for years. Tourist trap. Souvenir shop lined streets and overcrowded fast food joints. But when we had to take a trip there to pick up a vintage 50’s snow cone machine – I couldn’t believe that we didn’t visit earlier. The streets are lined with souvenir shops, yes. But many of them have been open for over 50 years and a few even have new old stock inside The main drag is dotted with hotels- but these aren’t your motel 6’s and holiday inns. They are amazingly preserved time mid century time capsules. We hit Paul…
Read more →
We love their product, their folks, their culture. So we were super happy to host a party / photoshoot for them at camp recently for a new line- The full pictorial hits soon, so in the meantime, here are some behind-the-scenes for what was an incredible shoot. the video in instagram feed the FB posts the tweets the flckr gallery
Read more →
in 1973 four girls hit the road on the most epic road trip they would experience in their entire lives. 40 years later, they revisited that road trip by way of a nostalgic excursion to camp wandawega. As I we were pulling into camp last weekend, we caught them packing up their cars, their stay with us had come to a close. I could see from across the parking lot that they had a big stack of vintage magazines- (always intrigued by anyone who brings vintage magazines to stay a stay with us, i had to get nosy and see…
Read more →
And… Some final snaps from the roaming venture.Cafes. Bars. Boutiques. And texture. Can’t wait to go back
Read more →
NEXT STOP: Tommy Guns A museum of epic proportions. My iphone pix will not do this place justice. (see their gallery shots at bottom). First off, the owner- Russell Manly (i mean, how could that name be any more perfect?) is a complete gentleman. We stumbling in, and found that we could not leave. He’s english, looks like a Harley Gang member, and is an insanely talented artist. the space is like walking back in time. a barbershop specifically- circa 1920. it’s outfitted with everything period. (down to the cash register) He sells new old stock toiletries that you cannot…
Read more →
NEXT! The Brooklyn Art Library. This is the library that houses all of the amazing volumes of sketchbooks that have been created by the traveling art journals send round the world. the final resting place for amazing art in the form of collage, painting, sketching. We’ve had a couple of these journals make their way to our annual Art Camps, but I could never have been prepared for what we witnessed when we walked through these doors. Thousands of books to explore. we could have moved in. some snaps from our visit: some examples of some of the sketches within:…
Read more →