I am a light sleeper so the bed I sleep on is truely important.  Mattresses are quite expensive, despite the ads for $399 for a Queen set you see on TV all the time, a good mid-level mattress and box spring can cost a few thousand dollars!   The selection process can be dizzying, why so many??

Several years ago, I decided it was time for a new bed in East Hampton.  I went with a Sleep Number bed from Select Comfort.  The set up of the bed is an interesting process as it is assembled on site.  The ability to adjust the firmness for each side individually was the driver for the purchase as was the 30 day in-home trial offered by the company.  http://www.selectcomfort.com/

Ultimately I returned the bed and purchased a Stearns & Foster set.  After a week, I wished I had kept the Sleep Number!!!  Unfortunately, the store I purchased it from only had an exchange policy.  I exchanged the set for a softer version and kept that for years.

A few years back, when I moved back to the City I decided to get a new bed.  The bedroom in my rental was on the small size so I went with a Queen and went back to a Select Comfort.  When I completed the renovation in Sutton, the King Stearns & Foster came out of storage for the Master and my beloved Select Comfort Queen size it wound up in the guest room in East Hampton!

I really do find them incredibly comfortable and wonder why I don’t sleep on one each night???

So yes, my friends laugh at my mattress saga…  The Prince and the pea

Sometimes you just need something simple and fast and it is great to have a place you can go to find “a good basic” with frequent success.

For me, CB2 is such a place.

CB2 was started a few years back as a “lifestyle” option to Crate & Barrel.  They were spot on from the start with cool, hip, retro and modern design.   The offerings cover everything for the home.  What I love in particular, the items can mix in with whatever style/price point you have.  From the Florence Knoll inspired Smart collection of occasional tables to the online One of a Kind section that offers a new surprise on a regualr basis.

The blok crystal candle holders are a winner.  The clarity of the glass is amazing and they could be mistaken for a high end product that might be from Gaia & Gino or even Steuben.  They make a great gift with a set priced lower than a decent bottle of champagne! 

I use a pair in my Manhattan dining-room mixed and set with a pair of classic Val St. Lambert and a pair of Waterford, yes Waterford not the traditional cut type but a clean lined pilar bases.  The design and clarity of blok is a perfect fit with the other brands/styles. 

My favorite part?  The pair was $30.00!

Finding a place you can always turn to for a great gift or something for quick fill in for yourself that saves time and makes life easier?  Perfect!

For me CB2 is one of those places!  www.cb2.com or one thier many bricks and mortar locations.

How many of you had even heard of Gluten Intolerance???  It certainly was something new to me when I first heard of someone “allergic to wheat”.

A few relatives and friends of mine are, so it has been on my radar for some time. 

Wholefoods has a gluten free bread line, but frankly hard to find at some locations. 

Schar, a company started in 1922 just south of Innsbruck Austria has made it to the US and many “regular” grocery stores now carry their tasty breads, cookies and rolls. They also offer some terrific gluten free main course and desert recipes on their website.   http://www.schaer.com/en/

Recently I came across a great little shop here in Manhattan.  tu-lu’s Gluten Free Bakery is located in the East Village on 11th street and offers some amazing treats!

The cute little shop has cookies, brownies, muffins and most importantly… cupcakes in regular and mini size!  Those familiar with NYC know there are several places with amazing cupcakes alas, they are not gluten free… 

So for a taste test, I purchased two chocolate with chocolate frosting and two chocolate with peanut butter frosting.  Not only was the frosting delicious which is not the hard part, but the cake was moist and yummy.  You would never know it was gluten free!

Tully, the owner comes with quite a pedigree.  After attending SMU, she went to Le Cordon Bleu in Austin and then an internship at Gramercy Tavern leading to her own bakery.  Not only can you get the product instore, she also sells on-line with delivery to just about everywhere so be sure to check out http://tu-lusbakery.com/

Gluten free is getting easier and most importantly tastier!

Aside from some new cool design or induction cooking, the basic shape and look of ranges/stoves/cooktops have pretty much looked the same for years.

A German Company, Kuppersbusch has introduced a new gas cooktop that I am pretty sure will be followed by look alikes from first the Korean LG/Samsung groups then the rest of the companies in that market.

The layout is the very coolest feature.  Think of this cooktop installed in an island or standard side counter.  It changes the way one or two people can cook and elimintated reaching over the front burner to reach the rear. And many times, the rear buners simply don’t get used!

Kupperbusch boasts being one of the the oldest companies in home and professional appliance manufacturing.  Begun in 1875 by Friedrich Kuppersbusch.

In addition to cook tops, they produce a large range of commericial and institutional cooking and refrideration product.

If you are looking for a new way to cook, Kuppersbusch has an answer!  http://www.kuppersbuschusa.com/index.php

Geaky as it may be, I love appliances…  as you know from my first post About Cureated Savant, I cruise manufacturer websites looking at new product.  Just a few weeks ago I received a call from a friend asking about the best 24″ refrigerator.  Thus, Curated Savant!

For Manhattan, I have a fairly good sized kitchen.  The design is clearly modern and when looking for the right appliances, I went with some items that I prior experience with.  The Viking Designer Series is sleek with a simple and clean look.  The gas burners are set on a ceramic glass surface which is so much easier to clean than cooking on a full stainless steel surface.  And the Designer Series is a better look over the usual clunky commercial look in a modern space. Although I am a Miele/Gaggenau freak, I prefer the operation of the Viking cooking surface.  Check it out at www.vikingrange.com/consumer/products/product.jsp?skuPassthru=false&id=prod110152

When it came ovens, there is only one choice in my mind, the Miele MasterChef series.  They offer 3 sizes in the series, 24″, 27″ and 30″.  The 27″ is a great option allowing a truly full sized oven while saving a few inches which in smaller kitchens is a plus.  I stacked it with the amazing MasterChef Speed oven which combines a convection oven with a microwave allowing individual or combined function.  The Miele tag line is “Anything else is compromise”  I agree!  www.mieleusa.com/

The 3″ I saved on the ovens allowed for the ultimate refrigerator.  The Gagganau 36″ bottom mount offers exceptional interior space and super high quality function.  A full stainless interior, frameless glass shelves, a totally cool motorized adjustable shelf, amazingly silent operation AND Energy Star rated with one of the operating costs around.  A Sub-Zero or a Viking cost almost twice to run…  www.gaggenau.com

By the way, the new Miele refrigeration line is OEM Gaggenau.   Many folks do not know Gaggenau, it is part of BSH out of Germany and has Bosch, Siemens and Thermadore as sister companies.  However, the only brand to offer the stainless interior is the gorgeous Gaggenau.

So yes, I love my fridge…  appliance love!

This evening when I arrived home, I noticed the mail stack is getting larger.  We are definitely in 4th quarter!  Although I do 75% of my shopping online I do enjoy perusing catalogs.

The Land’s End Home catalog was not a surprise to me, but I’ll bet it will be to you and a surprise that I am even writing about it!  You’ll have to trust me on this, the photos on site really don’t do the product justice, they don’t copy and paste either… but take a moment to check it out and then request a paper catalog.  www.landsend.com

Years ago I was looking for, quelle surprise, a grey blanket.  I came across one online made by Pendelton for Land’s End.  Pendleton wool is legendary, the sophisticated pattern and medium heather grey base color is beautiful.   The blanket is years old, gets used every winter, looks and feels brand new and looks great in my Master Bedroom in Manhattan. 

Land’s End still carries Pendleton wool and of course can also be found on their own site. www.pendleton-usa.com

Land’s End Home is on style with chunky knit throws and pillow covers, 400 count Supema sateen sheeting with a satin-stitch graphic chain design, basic cozy flannel sheeting as well as well priced 280 count combed cotton sateen sheets in an awesome Paisly and Ikat mix and match.

Surprised? 

Check out Land’s End Home.

Can’t believe it is already October 1st.  It always feels that we wait for summer to come, then it is gone in a flash!  As we enter the fall my happiness shifts from my garden and outdoor entertaining to inside entertaining.  New and easy recipes all make it even more enjoyable.

Last week my friend Don invited me to the DeGustibus Cooking School which is located on the 8th floor of Macy’s Herald Square.  info@degustibusnyc.com

The school is run by a good friend of his, Sal Rizzo.  You get to see great chefs, eat delicious food and drink some terrific wine. Sal is super welcoming and certainly makes the evening a wonderful experience!

The featured Chef was Dan Kluger, Executive Chef at ABC Kitchen located in ABC  Home.  This hot restaurant which opened earlier this year is a collaboration between Paulette Cole who runs ABC and Jean Georges Vongerichten. 

Paulette was an early adopter of sustainabilty, green living and care for our planet.  She was also the originator of Collect, don’t Decorate.  Of course all ABC philosophies were incorporated in the the look, feel and taste of the restaurant. 

Check out the ABC site for more information on the store, thier philosophy and restaurants. http://www.abchome.com/systemPage/home/tabid/190/Default.aspx

We began the DeGusibus evening with Crab Toast and lemon aioli.  This starter was one of my very favorite tastings of the evening!    The Chef made everything he cooked look super easy.  One key to everything he cooked was ingredients.  They shop local, sustainable and organic, never sacrificing quality.  With the Union Square Farmers Market near by, it seems to be a regular shopping trip for the Chef.

We went on to a beet salad with yogurt, roasted squash with parmesan, a roasted corn salad and ended with a crispy chicken with eggplant, tomatoes and peppers.  I know, chicken, how basic but seriously it was the best chicken I have ever had!

All the dishes were combined with wines.  We started with an excellent domestic sparkling wine from Domain Caneros.  A long time favorite of mine from the California winery of Taittenger.  We next enjoyed a rich St. Francis Chardonnay and then a warm St. Francis Merlot. Personally, not a white drinker and I prefer a Cab to a Merlot but the paring with foods and taste of each was excellent!

http://domainecarneros.ewinerysolutions.com/index.cfm, http://www.stfranciswinery.com/index.asp

We ended the evening with an amazing Concord Grape and Almond tart.  Truly one of the very best deserts I have ever had!

I left truly happy with recipes in hand and plans for some great evenings with friends and family indoors.

How many times do you take a piece of clothing to the dry cleaner for freshening, not necessarily cleaning?  We all know the cleaning fluids over time damage fabrics and what the chemicals do to the air… 

I have had an LG Steam washer and dryer for a few yeras and frankly have never used the steam function.  I selected the models, yes,  because they was available in red metallic! 

This week was a little humid in New York.  I was going to wash a pair of jeans and thought, maybe I should  just Steam Fresh them.  I did just that, they came out great!  I also have a quilted Burberry jacket that again, was not dirty but could have used a little freshening.  In it went on the Steam Fresh cycle and again, came out perfectly!

Like the 16 wash cycles on a dishwasher, we probably never use them all.  But someone designed those cycles and there must be a reason! 

I now know the reason for the Steam Fresh cycle on my dryer and now love getting steamy.   Check out the detials at www.lg.com

One of my favorite magazines that I still receive in hard copy is This Old House.  The publication of course has its roots in the PBS Television series.  The web site,  www.thisoldhouse.com is also a great place to find solutions and directions for just about anything home related from building a cold frame for winter gardening to repairing a plaster wall!

As you have probably seen in earlier posts, Screened Nirvana 8.16.10 or Make somethiong out of nothing 9.16.10 my taste is vintage modern so why This Old House?  Well the magazine relates to old homes, certainly not old fashioned style.  In the October ’10 issue there is a section,  Recycled, reclaimed, re-purposed products. The article highlights assorted item from recycled glass mosaic tile, wine barrel lounge chairs and cork carpet tile. 

It really is amazing the things that can come from recycled product.  Way Basics, www.waybasics.com , has a great storage idea made from post-consumer paper and is both VOC and formaldehyde free.  The 12″ squares are only $20!

The Colorful storage or activity Cube is great for kids, adults and everyone in between! Add flare to your organic living lifestyle with this unusual vibrant design.  It is one of the many useful, green and cool items you’ll find at thier site.

Another item that caught my eye in the piece is cork carpet tile.  I am a big fan of the Flor products, but this cork tile from Mio.  www.mioculture.com  They have several options for cork itmes from puzzle piece trivets to the essentially puzzle piece cork floor tile.  It can be used as an accent area type rug,  a runner or an entire room.  The tiles made from reconstituted cork, ModuTile modular flooring is a versatile way to customize and re-define space on a budget. 

Renewable, comfortable and durable, ModuTiles feel good on your feet and tread lightly on the planet.    Also consider the tiles for a cool wall decor.

This Old House is one magazine you’ll sure to find some great ideas no matter your Old or New House!

Cars, clothes, home furnishings things these days can really look the same.  You could change the tag, logo or emblem and truly not know the difference sometimes! 

I recently discovered a relatively new brand that is fresh and fun.  Serena & Lily has apparently been know for baby and children’s, but the “adult” line is terrific.  Without a doubt, there is a feminine take but there are definitely crossover items!  www.serenaandlily.com

The bedding in particular caught my eye.  The 300 count Gobipattern is an assortment of terrific colors.  It coordinates with other patterns in thier line without being granimal like.  Pictured below is the Grass colorway and is also available in Aqua and Bark, which is a versatile tan/taupe shade.

They have a tab labeled Get the Look, which makes the design process fool proof.  Items are laid out in the photos to make the purchase process super easy and to, well, get the look! 

A terrific line of fabrics tie it all together or work well on there own.  The fabric images photos are definitely geared towards baby and children, however the patterns and colors are quite sophisticated and would be great on upholstery, drapery or whatever.

Think of this first one, called Air Chocolate Diamond as a side chair in a living-room next to a chocolate brown linen sofa. 

Celery Jaipur would be fantastic on drapes in bedroom done in shades green.

This pattern, Navy Spade on a tight back pub style sofa tied in with a striped chair mixing in bright greens or just about any color would be a great look.

They also offer low VOC paints and a revolving section of unique accents called the Bazaar.  So if you are looking for something different, don’t be turned away by the baby/kid focus and check out Serena & Lily!