Things on My Mind

At the entry of Wyeth Home - SoHo. I liked the little leather benches.

Unbelievably cool chaise - for only $27,000 it can be yours.

How different this part of the city from my Upper East Side 

- East Village one end of the street.

The other end of the street - East Village - new high end condos

Report from Minneapolis:
I'm back from New York and life in Minneapolis is slightly discombobulating, as my mother might say. First, it is very quiet here. Now, as my son points out - that is normal. New York is not normal in the amount of noise that permeates life there. Ok. I get it. All I'm saying is, it is stunningly quiet in my neighborhood. It is lovely, really. But, I'm a little slow in feeling at home in my quiet apartment with no one to talk to or drink coffee with. Work is good, though. Work is good.

The trees have changed here - they are so grand and beautiful. I once heard that Californians think the changing trees are gauche - that the subtlety of the changes in California is so much more elegant and superior.  Well, that is exactly why I don't like (Southern) California. They are just so full of themselves. Like I have any choice about how my trees change. Why don't they just take this up with God? 

Notes from Blogging World:

My friend and fellow Blogger, Ellen - author of "A Girls Garden of Menopause" is a little off her game. She has been hit with a hurricane of forgetfulness and admits to forgetting that she had a blog. Well, I understand and it is nothing to be ashamed of. There are worse things to forget - like, that you have a husband, for example. So, not to worry, Ellen. I suggested she set up a little pill box with the Sunday through Saturday sections and put a note in reminding her to write for her blog. Her blog is very entertaining and I don't want her forgetfulness to get in the way of my entertainment.

A Bargain at Twice the Price:

So back to NY - I went to a shop that a client of mine turned me on to - Wyeth Home. It was in SoHo, had a locked door, and when I walked in was more than surprised by its size. I immediately knew that there might be several things I'd be interested in for my clients and asked if I could take photos to send my clients. It was jam-packed with mid-century Scandanavian (mostly) furniture, a little Nakashima, and a little African. 

They said no photos - they would give me tear sheets for everything. And nothing had a price on it. Ok. So I walk around, take mental notes and then show the shopkeeper what I would like for tear sheets. "I think this is fabulous. I'd like that. Oh, and that. And that wonderful leather chair. Ok....and the lamp. And the little leather bench. Oh, and the chaise! That is just amazing. Ok. I think that will do."

I arrived home, expecting to find the PDF file she had sent with images and prices. It was there, like an unwrapped package. I could hardly wait. I opened it. There were the items I had carefully selected - with pricing. Well, the chaise - $27,000. One of the chairs - $64,000. A set of dining chairs - $14,000 (A BARGAIN!), the table lamp - $2800. One SET of chairs was the original prototype for a designer and the price for the pair was $195,000.  Yes, $195,000.

Do people have the confidence to spend that kind of money in this economy? Go figure. I try not to be judgmental about people and their particular financial situation. I try to just make them happy  - whatever their budget (ok, within reason.) But - whoa!  Can you possibly get $64,000 worth of pleasure from a chair????  

Welcome to New York.