Empire State Of Mind

I am indeed in the Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of, and yes Jay-Z and Alicia have been on repeat in my head since the plane touched down.

I have escaped for a work trip to NYC leaving project squat in the safe hands of the boy. Despite almost missing my plane due to crises kitchen flooring meeting with builder, I am entirely confident that I will return to a fully completed kitchen, it might look totally different than I intended but hey ho!

In an amongst the work I have managed to spend a substantial amount of time indulging in my favourite New York past time, frequenting bars and restaurants. It has reminded me quite how much NYC has inspired my interior design sensibilities - the subway tile bathrooms which I first saw in Schillers about 6 years ago and totally blew me away, (http://www.schillersny.com/), the execution of 'shabby chic' which appears soo effortless but clearly the work of master designers, best seen possibly in the faded glamour of Moto (http://www.cafe-moto.com/) and of course, the lighting, New York is my lighting mecca! Every cafe, ever restaurant, even the shops have the level of dim honed to perfection. The kind of lighting that draws you in, that mixes cosy with urban and seductive with practical, the kind of lighting that makes you wish you were on a date. Who cares what the food is like, the place looks great and in this light I look ok in it!

Hosteliers of the UK I implore you, get your asses state side and see how it is done! (or just ask me and I will do it for you!).

Thankfully I have not been starved of interior design chat. Eamon and Martina (with whom I am currently residing) have jut bought an apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, a lovely, leafy, neighbourhood of brownstones and parks - markedly less grunge with a slightly lower hipster count than their previous Williamsburg residence. Much time has been spent with Mart virtually discussing the relative merits of shades of grey and how best to finish a wooden floor so it is a joy to see it in person. Our places couldn't be more different but the issues remain the same - HOW can it cost that much? The current point of discussion - blinds, windows that wrap the full width of the living room they need a good solution and, it seems, good solutions do not come cheap.

We also popped to Fort Greene flea where I picked up a little birthday present to me, a battered old jug.

So I present to you, my first guest appearance on the blog, chez Eamon and Mart, their neighbourhood, and my jug!