Chris Nordquist
Julia’s 18 months old now and changing every day from a baby into a little girl. Recently, I’ve made some changes to her room in New York that, I think, make it less babyish and reflect her new high energy and sunny disposition. This week’s project was bright new cover for the daybed (and plush […]
I’m a Californian, so I think it should be Spring now. In New York, though, where I spend a lot of time, it most definitely isn’t. It’s snowy (well, mostly slushy) and bitter cold, and there’s still no sign of change in the air. Winter has worn out its welcome, at least with me. Of […]
I remember watching old movies as a kid and being intrigued by the way some impossibly suave person –Cary Grant, Ray Miland or someone like that– glided over to his home bar and poured a drink from a glittering bottle of amber liquid –removing the stopper, pouring just a splash, replacing the stopper. It seemed […]
For us cooks, the good news is that over the last 20 years or so good cookware has become widely available. Equipment that would have been difficult to find outside Europe when we were kids is now available in nearly any shopping mall, and mostly at accessible prices. The downside to this is that it’s […]
When we entertain, particularly on weekends, my partner David and I usually divide up the cooking dish by dish: one takes the soup, the other the meat, and so on. This works pretty well. Responsibilities are clear, nobody feels like the other’s sous-chef (or galley slave), and it’s relatively easy to work out the timing […]
A few months ago, I was sitting across the table from my friend Jon at a cozy (that is, rather dimly lit) restaurant in the West Village, squinting at a menu I held inches from my eyes. Jon whipped out a pair of chic horn-rimmed reading glasses and carried on without effort. When I complemented […]
I’ve never been very enthusiastic about houseplants, by which I mean those species of plants meant to live indoors indefinitely. It’s just a matter of personal taste, of course, but, aside from in places like sunrooms, atriums and grottoes (none of which I have), I prefer changing displays of cut flowers and greens. Cut flowers, […]
It happened fast. After being stuck on the lame New York real estate market for months, our beautiful but too-small loft in the Meatpacking District sold to a cash buyer who wanted to close quickly. Fortunately, at just the same time, we found a great new place in West Chelsea. It was modern, light and […]
If you’re as old as I am, or if you’ve been watching Mad Men, you may know that in the middle of the last century there were ashtrays all over the place, for obvious reasons. They weren’t just utilitarian objects, though. Many were beautifully crafted, and no coffee table tableau was complete without just the […]
A couple of weeks ago I was walking through Manhattan’s Chelsea Market (on a mission to buy Mahi Mahi fillets, gin and green beans) and something caught me eye. Oddly, for a food market, Chelsea Market has among its tenants, Imports from Marrakech, a shop featuring Moroccan lanterns, tile, rugs and other decorative accessories. Piled […]
