Even more fun new stuff from Medallion Cabinetry

My pals at Medallion Cabinetry just released a host of new styles and wood finishes on Friday and I'll post more about them later. For now though, I am so impressed with their new publicity shots I'm going to use them as a tease. These rooms are fantastic and I love seeing what's possible in the world of modular cabinetry. Each of these photos shows a design rendered in Medallion's Platinum Line of inset cabinetry. If you'd like more information about these or any of Medallion's offerings, feel free to drop me a note.

Bahamas and Fiji door styles

Bayside and Stockton door styles

Camelot door style

Catalina and Picadilly door styles

Devonshire door style

Gable door style

Hudson Falls and Trinity door styles

Newcastle door

Everything you've ever wanted to know about Grey Gardens

One of my Blogosphere heroes, Joni Webb, writes the great blog Cote De Texas. Joni's an inspiration and always a good read. Her research is always as exhaustive as it is inspiring and last week she may have outdone herself.

I've been fascinated by the story of Little Edie and Big Edie Bouvier-Beale for about as long as I can remember. Last week, Joni wrote a post that may well be the definitive story of the Beales and their home. Read A Pictorial History of Grey Gardens here.

Ceiling fan kinda day

I am meeting clients this afternoon to shop for lighting. They informed me yesterday that they're also dead-set on putting a ceiling fan in their high-ceiling-ed living room. That's fine, but these folks are another one of my contemporary jobs and that makes this quest for an appropriate fan more challenging. Luckily, I have a mind like a steel trap and I forget nothing. (Hah!) As soon as I heard the words ceiling fan, I remembered one I'd fallen hard for a couple of years ago.

Here it is. The Cirque by Mark Gajewski for G Squared.

I have never had the opportunity to put one of these babies in a project. Until now that is. If I have anything to say about it, here's my clients' new fan. Look at it. It reminds me of a Calder mobile.

The last time I specified a Cirque, my clients ended up going with an Artemis, also by Mark Gajewski for G Squared. I'll be honest. It doesn't really do a whole lot for me.

But at the end of the day, what I think doesn't really matter. After all, it's not going into my house.

Oh Silestone!

Here are some shots of a counter I just designed. It is the most complicated counter I've ever thought up, that's for sure. I have been aching to wrap something in quartz for ages, ages I tell you, and a week ago a client of rare vision decided to come along for the ride. I'd have been happy to wrap both sides of an island, and this job is that to a factor of ten. Wrapping the sides of an island is what's going on in the image at the start of this post.

The cabinetry will be a dark color like this chip.

And the counters will be White Zeus by Silestone.

This job involves a kitchen that flows into an office. 

It starts with a tall cabinet on the right and the counter flows down the side to form a desk.

From the desk, it makes a bench top over a line of suspended cabinetry.

Then it joins the counter that wraps around one side of the kitchen.

Stunning. Trying to explain this to a fabricator has been a real character builder, but this one's going to live on in infamy. I salute my new clients' good taste and his faith in me. Onward!

When in doubt, turn to Stephen Sondheim

Someone very near and dear to me is going through a rough patch right now and it's painful to watch. I know it's a stereotype, but I'm convinced that the answers to all of life's questions can be found in the Stephen Sondheim songbook. Paradoxically, the answer is that there's no answer and I find that really satisfying. Maybe no answers, but there's wisdom galore.

The situation I have in mind reminds me of 1987's Into The Woods. If you're not familiar with Into The Woods, the story is essentially an exploration of human dissatisfaction with happily ever after endings. 

In the following scene, The Baker, played by Chip Zien, confronts his father, a Rumpelstiltskin character played by Tom Aldredge. The Baker had been abandoned by his father when the Baker was a small boy. He runs into his father as he's running away from his own family and responsibilities.

I'd cut this video clip down to the meaty part I'm after if I could, but alas I have to run the whole four minute clip. The good stuff starts at 1:52. Here are the lyrics if you're in the mood to follow along.

Running away- let's do it,

Free from the ties that bind.

No more despair

Or burdens to bear

Out there in the yonder.

Running away- go to it.

Where did you have in mind?

Have to take care:

Unless there's a "where,"

You'll only be wandering blind.

Just more questions.

Different kind.

Where are we to go?

Where are we ever to go?

Running away- we'll do it.

Why sit around, resigned?

Trouble is, son,

The farther you run,

The more you feel undefined

For what you've left undone

And, more, what you've left behind.

We disappoint,

We leave a mess,

We die but we don't...

We disappoint

In turn, I guess.

Forget, though, we won't...