Design the Other 90%: Cities – Cooper Hewitt at the UN

If you are in New York City sometime between now and January 9th and find yourself with a couple of hours to spare, head over to the United Nations to see a great exhibit on how simple solutions can make a tremendous impact.  While the Cooper Hewitt Museum itself is closed for renovations, the UN is hosting its exhibit, Design the Other 90%: Cities. That is where I found myself on a rainy Wednesday in October after skipping the long lines at MOMA in exchange for a less crowded (and free of charge) venue.

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Sweet Scoop: Behind the Scenes of Demi Pêche Calendar 2012

February's Persian Love Cake with Rosewater Buttercream

The Droolworthy 2011 Calendar

My friends Joe and Madelene collaborated on a gorgeous dessert calendar for Demi Pêche last year filled with original recipes from Joe and beautiful styling and photography by Madelene. The first venture was such a success that they decided to do another calendar for 2012 with new recipes that Joe had been developing all year.

They invited me to the photo shoot and I was happy to take some behind the scenes pictures and help them figure out what to do with all those delectable desserts once the shoot was done.  It was the first time I had ever watched a food photo session come together from plating to scene styling. The process was detailed and meticulous yet the outcome seemed so effortless.  Every berry, every orange segment, every sprinkle of nut was carefully placed and tweaked for maximum effect and the results were drool worthy.

If you’re wondering whether the desserts tasted as good as they looked, I can definitely vouch for their deliciousness, particularly February.  Be sure to grab a copy of the 2012 calendar when it comes out to try these recipes out in your own kitchen! You can subscribe to Demi Pêche’s news feed here.  For more pictures from the shoot, visit my flickr page.

Feeling Crabby? Just Plate it!

I just renewed my Flickr account and was going through some photos to upload to a Paris set I’m working on and came across this cute little guy. It was part of a window display at a tableware shop I passed by somewhere near Rue de Sèvres. Crabby sits atop these gorgeous plates with coral(color and noun!) accents. I wish I could have brought them home but the owner was out having lunch…

Purrfect Charm – Vintage Kitten Wall Hooks

The Doctor just bought a lovely home and today, a group of us tagged along for a preview. The house is a restored Victorian filled with well appointed vintage details such as these  darling little key hooks with their brass exterior muted over the years into a lovely patina.

Modern Vintage: Design and Function with your Morning Coffee

I stopped in at the Art Institute of Chicago last month to check out their new modern wing and fell for this little gem of a coffee service set which was part of the museum’s Avant-Garde Art in Everyday Life exhibit running through Oct 9, 2011.

Would you have guessed this design is dated from the turn of the 20th century when ornate Victorian was still in vogue?  This coffee service was designed circa 1901/1902 by Austrian artist Jutta Sika who was part of the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) artist community.  I love the minimalist blue and white color palette and the geometrical themes that run throughout the pieces!