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A view from inside the People's Climate March.

‘With world leaders coming to New York City for a landmark summit on climate change, people around the world took to the streets to demand action to end the climate crisis.’

Like prompt Vermonters, my husband and I arrived early for The People’s Climate March in New York City. The cab driver who drove us across town hadn’t even heard of the march. We had to inform him that many city blocks were going to be closed off with police barriers. We were practically the only two people there. It was early and quiet on Central Park West and 63rd Street, but there was an expectant hush in the air as joggers passed by with intrigued expressions as marchers started setting up.

A handful of young activists in colorful t-shirts were laying large bright orange circles on brown cardboard poles on the avenue between 62 and 63rd street, taking up a whole a city block.  These artsy life preservers represented the city communities hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy.  Sidestepping names like Canarsie, Red Hook, Rockaways, I found the one we came to represent - Breezy Point.  Sandy left my 86 year old Dad a Climate Change refugee when it washed through our Breezy Point home.  This march wasn’t just a curiosity.....it was deeply personal.

Texting my daughter Elizabeth at that early hour, she teased back that the march didn’t start for hours.  I replied that every march of a thousand starts with two.  

We walked the empty streets down Central Park West to Columbus Circle, where the police had created a barricaded area for the dignitaries and the media to set up shop.  Things were starting to bustle there and we called to Bill McKibben who came over and gave us a hug and a photo op.  Same with Bernie Sanders, a handshake and a photo.  Vermont is a small state and we have the luxury of personally knowing our local celebrity activists and politicians.

It was fun to watch the streets come alive with people carrying colorful and thought provoking signs and to watch the activists moving the large art pieces into line.  Finally, the march began.  We were surrounded by a cross section of the New York City communities from all walks of life, ages, demographics and there was a feeling of camaraderie among this diverse group of New Yorkers.  Resolute, steadfast, determined, people held their signs high, banging drums and chanting together.  The truth is, protesting is a heck of a lot of fun and New York City made the perfect backdrop as we slowly marched down Central Park West, turned at Columbus Circle and headed down Sixth Avenue.  Everyone knew we were making history.

At precisely two minutes before 1:00 pm, a hush fell over the crowd as the marchers held their hands in the air to silence the crowd in a wave that reached to the back of the line, to honor those already suffering in the face of climate change.  I watched a jaded New York cop straighten a bit in wonderment as this silent power that washed the crowd of what we now know was 400,000 strong.  After two long minutes, the silence was broken with a deafening noise as the crowd of thousands clamored to signal the alarm of climate change.

This peaceful demonstration of people power was organized seamlessly by over 1500 environmental groups around the world, with our very own Vermont 350.org group founded by Bill McKibben leading the way.  There were similar marches in 162 countries around the world, Paris, London, New Delhi, Peru, Egypt and on and on. 

It was an amazing moment in history and I wouldn’t have missed it.  I won’t miss the next one either as we continue on the people’s path to respecting and honoring our home planet, Mother Earth.

To re-upholster or not to re-upholster? THAT is the question.

This is a frequently asked question with no easy answer, so let’s uncover this subject together. 

The first step is to really look at the piece you are considering for re-upholstery.  Quality counts when evaluating a piece of furniture.  A high quality sofa or chair has eight-way hand tied coil spring construction and is made with solid hardwoods.  The frame should have a heft to it and if you reach under the seat you will be able to feel the coils. 

If the sofa or chair is the correct size for your room and the styling fits into your décor, it may be worth recovering. The added bonus is that you will not need to discard it and that is always a good thing.  There are tricks to restyling that a good designer and upholster can share with you, such as removing or adding tufting to a pillow back; adding decorative nail head trim, gimp or double welting; adding additional padding to seats or redoing the cushions altogether.  The fabric choices are endless, so you can find the perfect fabric to fit your overall design scheme. 

If a seat or back cushion needs to be replaced, you have a range of cushion fill choices awaiting you.  A good standard cushion is a foam core with a dacron or feather wrap.  You could choose all feather if you don’t mind fluffing everyday, which may be worth the fuss as it will feel like you are sitting on a cloud.  Most professionals would agree that the best cushion fill on the market is a spring and feather combo that will last a lifetime with a price tag to match. 

Pieces from the past tend to have a uniqueness about them that is hard to replicate with the overstuffed style choices of today’s furniture.  Chairs, especially, can have a one-of-a-kind personality that is worth making the effort to revive. They can become a star in any room. Many times my clients have chairs that their grandparents owned, creating a strong sentimental bond for them. 

Should you do the job yourself?  Only if you are an expert tailor will it come out with any degree of professionalism and this is not a task for the feint of heart.  Think of re-upholstering as making a dress, a really big fitted dress with tailoring in the way of welting, zippers that go on forever and a pleated skirt.  The most common mistake I come across is the homemaker who reupholsters a dining room chair using a piece of plywood as a base for the foam and fabric to wrap around.  A professional upholsterer will discard the plywood and replace it with webbing on the frame to give the seat a bit of a bounce.  

Did you notice that I waited to discuss cost?  It is a misconception that re-upholstering a sofa or chair is the cheaper option.  This is a labor-intensive operation and in addition you must factor in the cost of the fabric: around 20 yards for a typical sofa and 8 yards for a club chair.  If you are comparing the cost to a furniture store sofa, keep in mind that many sofas on the market today are made using cheaper construction techniques and may be imported with the cost advantage for the manufacturer of cheaper labor so make sure you are comparing pricing in regards to quality.  Having said that, if it is a quality piece of furniture it can be worth the cost. I have seen incredible transformations of pieces put in the hands of an expert upholsterer that many would have considered too far gone. It is a thrill to see the look of awe on a client’s face as we bring in the freshly recovered sofa or chair.  That is priceless!

“What should I do about my pink bathroom? And, it’s not even a nice pink.”

This was the question my sister-in-law, Marie, casually asked me at her son’s high school graduation party last week.  “Let’s go take a quick look at it”, I replied. Being a decorator is sort of like being a doctor, although thankfully I am not asked to look at people’s bunions. When I am at a party people show me all sorts of problem parts of their homes for quick fire suggestions.  So, in this instance, half the party trooped up to her tiny little bathroom to take a look.

The party guests were yelling over each other to add their suggestion to the chorus of what to do about her pink bathroom but I realized it wasn’t about her bathroom at all. It really wasn’t that bad a pink, she was just not a pink person. I knew that a coordinating paint color and a streamlined window treatment would do a quick fix.  Looking around I reminded her that she had decided to sell the house now that her son was leaving for college, so shouldn’t we be talking about how to make the home as attractive as possible for potential home buyers.

My sister-in-law was at one of those crossroads of life, when a dramatic change is about to happen to a family and the needs of a home change with it.  At this moment conflicting thoughts were surfacing for her -- the practical, logical reasons for making the change and the fact that she raised her son in the home and it held so many wonderful memories.  She explained that downsizing felt like a process of shedding one layer of her life – the mother role and trying out some other role – although right now she is not sure what that will be. 

We walked through the house together the next day and discussed the best way to stage the home for the best sale possible. I gave her homework to begin the process of de-cluttering. After that we can paint the dated avocado green kitchen cabinets white and change the hardware – a quick fix that gives a lot of bang for the buck. Then we can rearrange the furniture and maybe paint a room or two.  

At these bittersweet crossroads it is good to acknowledge the mixed feelings and then take practical actions so that your home will fit your needs in the present moment.  Think of it as packing up all of your memories and bringing them along with you into the future. 

A very green solutions to your home - repurposing your own furnishings.

Purse and keys in hand, my sister, Gina, asked if I was ready to go shopping now.  It was early morning in her house in Maryland and as I looked around at the disorder of the family room, I said, “Not so fast, we have work to do here first.”

I was spending the weekend helping her to get ready for an upcoming family occasion and she was prepared to do whatever it took to have her house “company ready.” For my part, I have been dying to get her lovely brick colonial organized for years.  This is called perfect timing in the decorating business --  a captive client and an anxious decorator.

Now to be fair to my sister, she had just spent the better part of a month de-cluttering and made tremendous progress before I came.  I gave her that instruction so we would not move clutter out of the way.  This is a very important first step to any redecorating project.

Since my sister has the largest house of us four kids, she adopted most of my parents furniture when they downsized from their Brooklyn house.  I took a moment to walk through all of the rooms, observing everything with a calculating eye and realized the daunting task ahead of us.  Quick, I needed a piece of paper.  I wrote the following words as my goal for the day.  “Going from Early Immigrant to Old World Charm.”  That’s it. We had a focus and direction that would work with her eclectic collection of furniture from my parents. It also gave her laugh.

She had plenty of furniture but it seemed to be in the wrong places or shoved up against the walls, and the rooms had no balance.  We spent the better part of the morning shuffling furniture around.  She had very large potted plants that were scattered throughout her home, so we moved those into her sunroom.  Sometimes the most obvious solutions elude clients. Collections always look better en masse as opposed to sprinkled throughout a home.  

We moved her tan colored oriental rug from her formal living room into her red dining room.  Somehow that rug looked dull in the living room but rich and warm in the dining room against the red walls.  Simple solution there.

We created a new seating area in her large family room by moving a black leather Bergere chair and ottoman from the lost corner of her formal living room to its own special reading spot; adding a table, good lighting, a throw and pillow to create a cozy ensemble.  Please note that when her husband got home that evening, he made a bee line to that chair and plopped comfortably down.  That is the ultimate test of good room arrangement.

Gina has the most exquisite collection of antique maps that were stacked on the floor of the dining room along with boxes of old books.  We decided to turn the mostly unused dining room into an inviting library.  I styled her two wrought iron Etageres with books and mementos and lined the walls with the framed antique maps.  

When we were done with repurposing all of her current belongings, we took a walk from room to room and made a list of items that she needed to purchase.  The list was not long and it will be great fun to find things like a great pair of lamps for the living room, a pair of comfy reading chairs for the library and more wall art.  

She and her husband were amazed at the way it turned out.  Mostly using their own belongings but in new ways.  

My motto - always shop the client’s house first!

Concrete comes inside.

I grew up in the ‘concrete jungle’ of New York City, where my experience with concrete was the bruises it caused on contact with the neighborhood kids’ knees.  Not  an endearing history with the material.  

Fast forward to now, where concrete has made its’ way inside, paving the way (sorry) for a trendy, industrial style interior.  Perhaps this phenomenon started with the renovation of old industrial mills as living spaces.  Homeowners and home decor experts have found innovative ways to use concrete in unexpected items such as lighting, furniture, wall tiles and even wall coverings.  Using the material for flooring and countertops is a natural fit.  

Concrete floors are an affordable flooring option and can mimic more expensive natural stone.  There are unlimited colors, textures and patterns that can be custom designed, but I love the signature gray color of the natural material. I would suggest adding a semi-gloss sealer to give it a refined finish.  Remember you want to be creative with this material so that it does not look like a garage floor.  Layering wood tone furniture and soft furnishings in a room with a concrete floor adds warmth and plays off of its hard edge.  Contrasts of material always create the most interesting interiors.  Another suggestion for us Vermonters is to add radiant heat beneath the floor for a cozy living experience.  Concrete floors are easy to maintain and clean, and a wonderful choice for people with pets or allergies.  And, when you get tired of it, it is easy enough to carpet or tile over it.

Consider concrete countertops as a change from the usual granite choices.  Concrete countertops are handcrafted and give you the option of customization.  They can take on any shape and interesting materials can be embedded in them such as glass, nailheads, you name it.  The choices are unlimited.  But do consider hiring a professional to create your countertops.  There is a steep learning curve for the process, making it a difficult ‘do it yourself’ project.

Concrete is not quite a “Green Building” material yet because of the enormous amount of energy needed to produce Portland cement and the large quantities of CO2 the production of concrete emits. But there are strides being made to find substitute materials to reduce the amount of Portland cement with recyclables such as post-consumer glass.  

If you want to see a fine example of a concrete countertop, visit Seasons Restaurant in Manchester and ask Paul Bogossian to tell you his story about creating the beautiful countertop at the bar.  It was a challenge, but so worth it.

What's hot in the kitchen? New technology in home appliances.

A few of my clients are pondering remodeling their kitchen, so I thought I would take a ride over to Brook Valley to see what’s new in the world of home appliances.  Ken Ax took me for a spin through his showroom, explaining all of the latest in cutting edge technology. I felt like I was viewing a “world of the future” kitchen at Disney, except that it was here and now.

He brought me over to a stove with an induction cooktop surface.  These cooktops generate electromagnetic fields to heat up pots and pans so you must use cookware that has a ferrous material (iron). They are twice as efficient as traditional heating elements, with an instant on and off switch. You can touch it moments later without getting burned, a nice safety feature in a home with small children.  The heating element is below the surface so it is easy to clean.

Convection baking technology has been around for a while but it is worth mentioning for those of you who, like me, still have our old appliances.  Convection ovens use radiant heat to cook food by circulating the hot air, which provides a consistent temperature to all the surfaces.  Ken pointed out that the heat element was also below the surface of the bottom of the oven, leading to easier cleaning. If he could only see the bottom of my oven. Ugh. I can see the appeal.

Wall ovens have also had their makeover.  Now there are touchscreen key pads on the oven door to assist with your baking.  Maybe more than assist.  With their user friendly photos and easy commands, you type in what you are cooking, the type of pan it is in and it shows where to put the oven rack, the perfect temperature and more.  I could see beginner cooks loving this smart oven because it guides you through the steps of cooking without having to put in years of study in the kitchen, pouring over recipes and methods. You can even set up a build in meat thermometer to let you know when your roast reaches the perfect temperature.  It is light years away from my old meat thermometer that isn’t quite accurate anymore.

There are appliances for the real foodies out there.  The steam wall oven utilizes water vapor in the cooking process for a speedy and healthy dinner.  You fill a container with water and slide it in to the oven and the computer will monitor the appropriate amount of steam.  This is the home version of a restaurant steam table.

Ken’s eyes lit up as he walked me over to his prized possession, a beautiful caramel colored Aga stove looking like the classic British star that it is.  But behind the facade of a traditional stove lies a state-of-the-art wonder with a touch screen panel and remote handset.  He described it as a piece of furniture that cooks.  Indeed.

The Aga is going to be part of his big plans for the future. He is putting in a test kitchen to hold culinary events and maybe someday expanding to a cooking school on the premises.  Sounds like an exciting dream and a wonderful addition to our community.  I am looking forward to the future, or is it here now?