Opened in 1921 by Helen and Ed Power, the Nut Tree was, according to the press, a “culinary and curio oasis in a desert of endless roadway.” With furniture commissioned from Charles Eames and artwork by Wayne Thiebaud the restaurant was light years ahead of its Pacific Standard Time – every detail from the furniture the the dishware to the way the food was presented was art-directed by Don Birrell, the Nut Tree’s head designer from 1953 to 1990. ”We had a master plan for everything, from the design of the billboards to landscape architecture, interior design to the way food was arranged on the plate,” Birrell says. “We wanted to create a certain feeling, make people remember us.” Get the whole story »
No doubt one of the most misunderstood games on the planet (somewhere on the same level as “Curling” I’d imagine) Jai Alai has some of the best art direction in sports. Awe at the “fastest sport in the world” – with a ball traveling up to 188 mph – is only eclipsed by the amazingly designed uniforms and perfectly art-directed courts. Thanks to Florida and the Cubans in Hialiah for keeping this alive. You can’t get much chic-er than this:
Another ode to my mixed up DNA (my dad’s side hails from the fair Cuban isle)…
I just used a bunch of these vintage Cuban film and and political posters while designing the interior of The Blue Parrot restaurant in East Hampton this spring. I think I will be papering a wall of my living room with these. A great collection and accompanying history can be found here.
I absolutely adore porcelain anything, and Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg is the dream stuff is made of. They have been churning out the finest porcelain in the world since 1747. Inextricably linked to Germany’s Royal Bavarian Wittelsbach family, the house produces all of its figurines and serving pieces using original methods at the Nördliches Schlossrondell Palace in Nymphenburg. Schloss Nymphenburg was built in 1664 as a summer residence for Elector Ferdinand, and is still owned by the Bavarian royal family.
No other factory in the world still manufactures its products the way that Nymphenburg does. It’s one of the last places where all products are made entirely by hand, and the term “manu factum” really does mean what it says. The conscious decision not to use any type of automated process has produced the most breathtaking pieces. The porcelain paste – which other companies buy as a semi-finished product – is made on site. Nymphenburg also creates and mixes its own paints; its porcelain painters work without templates. Each item is shaped and painted by hand, each ornament individually applied and all designs, regradless of how intricate, are cut with tiny blades into the unfired porcelain. Nymphenburg consciously decided to only employ manual production methods, and since the 18th century has refined them to near perfection. Clients are often amazed to hear that delivery of a four-part food service will take two years.
The buildings and workshops are as much works of art as the pieces they produce. I could live in the Paste Mill or Gilding Room. The spaces are so magnificent, they are available to rent out for events and film shoots. Can you imagine???
I almost had to peel myself off the floor when I saw the Bergdorf Christmas windows. I swear they have a hidden porthole to my brain. How do they do it all over again year after year?
Run by two families since the early twentieth century, the Piedmont Candy Company still uses the original recipe for its pure sugar candy, producing over 2000 pounds per hour. These people know their peppermint sticks and puffs. The perfect packaging doesn’t hurt either. Get yours for Christmas at your local CVS, Eckerd/Rite-Aid, Walgreens, or Dollar General.
Readers know I’m a huge fan of the Botánica – the Spanish-Afro-Carribean beauty-health-spiritual wellness shops that are found in Latin and West Indian neighborhoods, where resources are scarce and superstition is about all you got. I grew up with these stores and I still believe they offer the only perfumes and soaps any girl could ever need. At the top of the list are Florida Water and Rose Cologne by Lanman & Kemp.
Lanman & Kemp was established in 1808 by Robert Murray at No. 313 Pearl Street in New York City (a couple of blocks from our apartment!) and was renamed Lanman & Kemp in 1861. They moved around a few times – from Pearl Street and to William Street to Water Street in 1900, finally ending up in Westwood, NJ.
Their marquee item – Florida Water – has been made famous around the globe for its host of personal and household uses. No doubt this is what made it so popular among the Cubans; we are notorious for using Windex and Vicks as absolute cure-alls. Florida Water is an astringent, a lotion, a deodorant, a shaving aid, an insect bite / headache / nervousness remedy, a salve for sore muscles, a room freshener, a conscience-clearer, and a hair tonic. It also looks quite chic on your dresser or in your medicine cabinet! Get the whole story »
Pam Bristow is a twelve year veteran of the design and marketing worlds. A master "placemaker", she has been creating unforgettable, concept-driven environments and "jewel box" experiences for clients in the fashion, lifestyle, art, retail, and hospitality industries for over a decade.
Her work includes concept development, environmental space planning, temporary event and installation design, and the development of unique, culturally sensitive, and highly-tailored communications and branding strategies. Pam is a Style and Culture contributor to the Huffington Post.
