Paris Hotel - Is It Old or New?

Irwin Weiner ASID - I wanted to share a few photos that I snapped during a recent shopping trip to Paris with a client. I came across this building near the Arc de Triomphe, just off the Champs-Elysees. It's the new hotel Fouquet's Barrière, on the corner of rue Quentin Bauchard and Rue Vernet.

The building is - at first glance - a typical neoclassical French building that is now a hotel. I loved it because the renovation respected the old architecture, but updated it with a twist.

The building appears to take the same moldings and details of the original old building and recasts them in stainless steel and poured concrete, then punctures the exterior facade with some asymmetrically placed rectangular sheet glass windows.

But here's the Big Surprise: the building's facade is

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Admiring Finds from Antique American Wicker

Irwin Weiner ASID - While we're putting away our outdoor furniture for the fall/winter season, we couldn't help thinking about what we're going to be putting out for spring next year! It's exciting to plan ahead, and we found a few "wish list" outdoor favorites we would love to have in our home during the invitation-only opening night preview of the latest Antiques, Art & Design at the Armory show this past September 21 at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, co-hosted by Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake, and Dr. Eva Andersson-Dubin. 

Immediate wish-list gratification came in the form of the Antique American Wicker display - always near the front entrance of the Armory shows. The Nashua, NH entrepreneurs Michael Donovan and James Butterworth are experts at curating beautiful and complete sets of wicker furniture, everything from dining room sets and seating (we think the seating in the top photo would look great on our farmhouse front porch - if the porch was perhaps twice its present size!) to lemonade sets and tea services (see the handsome tea table trolly above) and appropriate period-perfect antique lighting (see the 1890s mercury glass lamp below). 

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Plan Perfect Playdates for Your Kids

Megan Gates - There’s no doubt that playdates are beneficial to kids. No matter how old your children are, playdates encourage sharing, taking turns, and socializing with others. But when it’s time for you to host the playdate, it can be challenging to know what to do! While there’s no need to throw a party-like atmosphere, a little preparation can go a long way.

There are a few things you’ll want to handle prior to the playdate to ensure that you get started on a good note. First, make sure your child puts away any toys that he or she doesn’t want to share. You may also want to place a few activities within reach for the kids, such as those that encourage them to play together. Good examples include arts and crafts, puzzles and board games. And of course, make the playdate suitable for the ages of the children. If you’re inviting a toddler, 45 minutes is adequate. Even older kids can get overtired, so limit the playdate to 2 hours or less.

One of the best places for a playdate is outside! Not only do you minimize a messy house, but being outside always seems to make kids play better. Don’t think you need to arrange an outing at the park, either. Open up the sandbox, play a round of catch or drag out the soccer nets. This fall, it's fun to

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Don't Design Boxes Cutting People Off From Nature

Tony Cenicola / The New York Times

Irwin Weiner ASID - Look at the beautifully designed apartment in the photo above. They live in the country, right? Well, not really. They're on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and the principles of biophilic design are hot at work here (click on this link for a scholarly explanation, but click on the photo above for a less academic take on the subject). This school of design tells us (here I paraphrase) that when humans are cut off from nature, we start to feel sensory deprivation. How many of you stuck indoors during the recent Hurricane Irene blow felt extreme "cabin fever" and couldn't wait to get outdoors. That is exactly what we're talking about with biophilic design. Watch this video to learn more about how incorporating nature into residential and commercial architecture is imperative to bringing us back to a more natural, humane, enjoyable living and work experience. The goal is to create spaces where we want to stay, work, play, and live - and it will be healthier for everyone. Even though I can't keep a single houseplant alive for more than a week, I second that motion.

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