The Pursuit of Happiness in Manhattan
Back in January I wrote a post (Embracing Black and the End of Mediocrity) in which I declared war on the status of mediocrity in a mini manifesto of sorts. I declared that I was going to embrace my true self and express my individuality (with my husband Yoav’s blessing) and basically not give a sh*t what people think about our home and how we have it decorated.
I don’t always have big things to write about, but there are often little things which I think are important enough to warrant their own post. To fill that niche, I am creating a series of posts to called Detail Matters.
God is in the details….. This phrase brings to mind my design ethos. Basically it is saying that attention paid to small things has big rewards, or that details are important.
Hi folks! I am still here! Yoav and I just got back from a much-needed vacation in Arizona (my first time traveling more than 100 miles from NYC in 19 months!). Now that we are back, we are getting full swing into working on the apartment. Each weekend is devoted to projects, sometimes one big one, sometimes lots of small ones. We have much to write about and reveal, but all in due time as much of what we are working on is still in progress. But I promise some super amazing stuff soon…. In the meantime, here is an update on one of my favorite spaces in our apartment, our center hall.
I would like to say that I am not materialistic, but that would be a lie, and I am not a good liar. And while I may not have any want for status objects desired most by others (fancy cars, jewelry, designer clothes, etc…) I do have a strong sense of aesthetics and a strong opinion that end user experience is of utmost importance. Form should follow function and sometimes that function is to just look beautiful.
So from time to time, I plan to do a post about a material object that I have obtained (or lusted after) and this is my first post about a material object.
Why America? Why????? Why?????
Why must so many American’s be so f*cking boring when it comes to style and design? Why is our country always ten years behind Europe before finally adopting new ideas?
Last fall when we were at Ikea Elizabeth to order a kitchen for both the rental and for us, we found out they were discontinuing Akurum, the cabinet system they have sold in North America for the past 20 years and introducing a new system in February of this year
My Manifesto:
I hereby declare that I will no longer appease the utter blandness of the majority of the world when it comes to my home, and I vow that I will make my home how I want it* regardless of what others think. There will be no mediocrity allowed in my home. (*With the support and approval of my husband.)
This post is likely to be somewhat pivotal in the history of my blog as I am declaring war on the status-quo. Why? Because all of my life I have been, for various reasons, required to comply with the interests, likes, and dislikes of others. Or, at the very least, my own perception of what others thought about me and my sense of style.
Well…. With the exception of input from my husband…. No More!
Lest you think I have abandoned my new blog, rest assured, I have not.
Life has just been busy…. I mean like extremely busy. I have been too focused on other things to sit down and write. But I have several posts started, and there is much more to come… In the meantime, I am going to post a few teaser photos to keep you interested (I hope).
OK, the proverbial cat (or really a dog) is out of the bag…. Today, Yoav and I picked up our new member of our household. His name is Fritz, he is a seven-ish year old Miniature Schnauzer (mostly, we think) who was dropped off at the Animal Care and Control of NYC and then rescued by Posh Pets Rescue (an amazing local animal rescue organization).
Wowzers! I just realized it has been four weeks since my last post!!!…. It’s not that nothing has happened (or that I have had a lot of time on my hands)…. In fact, a huge amount of things have happened…. But none of it is really ready for prime time yet as nearly all of my various projects are not quite complete.
So, instead, I am going to give you an update on…. Drumroll please…..
There are times when the realities of life can be a bitch; slap you hard in the face and leave a welt. When I (we) make plans, God just sits back and laughs…. Right now feels like one of those times. Fortunately, all is not lost… Far from it.
Reality number one:
Despite my being unconvinced at times that I am a middle-aged man, I am painfully aware that I no longer have the stamina of 20+ years ago, nor the physical abilities
Hi, my name is Devyn. This was my blog about the adventures of finding, buying, renovating, fixing up, restoring, DIY'ing, and decorating a part of New York housing legacy. We have left NYC for a new life in Philadelphia. Visit my new blog Our Philly Row and read all about our "fixer-upper-ing" an 1852 rowhouse
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