home again
I'm walking around Tuvalu half boasting/half complaining: IT WAS 30 DEGREES THIS MORNING IN CHICAGO.
The truth of it is - I loved it.
I mean, of course I loved the crystal clear weather and the icy breezes and sneaking around Poppy's building (we messed around in the back halls doing laundry). And I loved that while Angie, Wendy and I were at the supermarket buying veggies and crackers and yogurt and fruit and lemons, across town, Poppy was in another supermarket buying the exact same things. She texted me with her list as I was handing money over to the cashier.
I loved staying up late and laughing to the point of exhaustion. I loved going to Sephora (I did not love being mistaken for Angie's mom in Victoria's Secret) I love that we couldn't get a table for lunch at Water Tower Place and ended up at Poppy's old-world genteel club instead.
It was the perfect weekend to forget about work.
And now I am home and we've turned on the furnace. I love that too.
A reader asked if I'd post some photos of the interior of Poppy's beautiful home and pointed out that I only ever shoot the view, probably because it is SPECTACULAR.
The inside ain't bad either...
It started out with a gorgeous layout and was furnished in that way that second homes sometimes are. Some new furniture, some cast offs, some thrift shop finds. But a couple of years ago the condo below Poppy's burned down. It was a huge and fatal fire and the Buxoms lost at least half of the contents of the apartment and had to do extensive renovations to make it livable again. On the upside (if there can be an upside to such a thing) Poppy was able to plan her decor in toto rather than do a room at a time. She spent more than a year putting it together and the result is a restful and beautiful environment to relax in. And that was the plan all along. At one point last weekend she told us that she doesn't let anyone leave any junk at the condo because she wants it to be a pared down, calming space.
She did a great job.
There's a long hallway...
...with the infamous leopard-carpeted master bedroom at one end
and then Master Buxom's room
followed by the adorable Miss Buxom's room.
There's a rather amazing white marble and mirrored bathroom and then the space opens up into some of the most amazing real estate I've ever been lucky enough to sit around in.
The interior walls are mirrored and reflect the room and the view and the inside sills of the windows are mirrored as well and reflect the views again. It's a touch that a professional must have suggested years ago as it's one of those things (mirrors in the sills of the windows) that a person would never think of on their own. And I know mirrors everywhere sounds like it could be tacky - but in this space, reflecting giant windows, thirty-odd floors up, it is amazing.
The kitchen is typical for a pied-a-terre. The previous owners spent a fortune on very intricately fitted out European cabinetry, granite and high end appliances.
Add Poppy's brilliant taste in furnishings -
some deliciously cozy down comforters and pillows, Thai food and a couple of dozen whiskey sours and you've got an amazing weekend away.
Thank you, dear Poppy.
I had a wonderful time.
The truth of it is - I loved it.
I mean, of course I loved the crystal clear weather and the icy breezes and sneaking around Poppy's building (we messed around in the back halls doing laundry). And I loved that while Angie, Wendy and I were at the supermarket buying veggies and crackers and yogurt and fruit and lemons, across town, Poppy was in another supermarket buying the exact same things. She texted me with her list as I was handing money over to the cashier.
I loved staying up late and laughing to the point of exhaustion. I loved going to Sephora (I did not love being mistaken for Angie's mom in Victoria's Secret) I love that we couldn't get a table for lunch at Water Tower Place and ended up at Poppy's old-world genteel club instead.
It was the perfect weekend to forget about work.
And now I am home and we've turned on the furnace. I love that too.
A reader asked if I'd post some photos of the interior of Poppy's beautiful home and pointed out that I only ever shoot the view, probably because it is SPECTACULAR.
The inside ain't bad either...
It started out with a gorgeous layout and was furnished in that way that second homes sometimes are. Some new furniture, some cast offs, some thrift shop finds. But a couple of years ago the condo below Poppy's burned down. It was a huge and fatal fire and the Buxoms lost at least half of the contents of the apartment and had to do extensive renovations to make it livable again. On the upside (if there can be an upside to such a thing) Poppy was able to plan her decor in toto rather than do a room at a time. She spent more than a year putting it together and the result is a restful and beautiful environment to relax in. And that was the plan all along. At one point last weekend she told us that she doesn't let anyone leave any junk at the condo because she wants it to be a pared down, calming space.
She did a great job.
There's a long hallway...
...with the infamous leopard-carpeted master bedroom at one end
and then Master Buxom's room
followed by the adorable Miss Buxom's room.
There's a rather amazing white marble and mirrored bathroom and then the space opens up into some of the most amazing real estate I've ever been lucky enough to sit around in.
The interior walls are mirrored and reflect the room and the view and the inside sills of the windows are mirrored as well and reflect the views again. It's a touch that a professional must have suggested years ago as it's one of those things (mirrors in the sills of the windows) that a person would never think of on their own. And I know mirrors everywhere sounds like it could be tacky - but in this space, reflecting giant windows, thirty-odd floors up, it is amazing.
The kitchen is typical for a pied-a-terre. The previous owners spent a fortune on very intricately fitted out European cabinetry, granite and high end appliances.
Add Poppy's brilliant taste in furnishings -
some deliciously cozy down comforters and pillows, Thai food and a couple of dozen whiskey sours and you've got an amazing weekend away.
Thank you, dear Poppy.
I had a wonderful time.
Comments
jbhat
Tee hee!