White tulips. Especially these ones, this morning—they look like they're learning to fly.
On repeat
Spring!
Happy place
"Man in a Bowler Hat Reading Newspaper and Drinking Tea, London," by Leon Levinstein. Via.
On repeat
"The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap"
Procure some Kleenex: A pitch-perfect Modern Love column, by Eve Pell.
Stairway to heaven
A bookshelf staircase in a London townhouse, by Levitate Architecture and Design. More photos here; sketch here.
Quoted
What Do We Have In Our Pockets?
Marshmallow chic
Snapped this photo at the Herman Miller booth last fall at NeoCon East. Loved her black flats. Just yesterday, I came across an old Metropolis article that dishes more details on Nelson & Company, who designed the sofa for Herman Miller in 1956. Turns out the woman in the photo was George Nelson's receptionist (according to Metropolis, "The office was straight out of Mad Men, with men in crisp white shirts and ties, and the few women in black dresses—cigarette smoke everywhere, classical music in the background..."), and the Marshmallow Sofa's designer, Irving Harper, "cooked up" his first model with a small metal frame and a checkers set. Inspiration everywhere!
Recently on N Street
Best dressed
Stripes illustrated
Michelle Dockery in February's Vanity Fair, wearing ODLR navy silk duchesse satin and ivory silk gazar, sketched by the talented fashion illustrator David Downton. Article and two more gorgeous sketches here.
Related, VF's helpful guide for tonight: "How to Simultaneously Watch the Golden Globes, the Girls Premiere, and Downton Abbey Without Having a Nervous Breakdown."
Bricks and mortar
Long story, but for a school project last fall I found myself on a job site with John Allen of AllenBuilt, Inc., trying to process the finer points of bricklaying. And let me tell you: it is hard, painstaking work! I only stacked three bricks and pushed the mortar back and forth like, twice, and my arms were sore for a week (not saying I'm Popeye or anything, but I thought I had a little more brawn in me than that). Gave me a whole new reverence for brick buildings and the people who put them together.
On repeat
Coveted
Miranda Brooks and Bastien Halard's carriage house-turned-workspace, and a master
bath that's "like a library/sitting room with a bathtub in it." More photos and full story here.
Joy, by Zadie Smith
Great read.
On repeat
So November-y.
Yesterday on Dumbarton Street
Quoted
"No scientist in the world can make winter follow spring. It's rather a relief, don't you think?"
—C.Z. Guest, from her book First Garden
Mixed greens
Loved making these picks for Matchbook's February issue, and love the way the collage turned out! Really feeling green right now - so crisp and springy.