WAG March 2016

JOAN LUNDEN

On health, happiness and her beloved homes

I.M. PEI

Architectural gems, from Paris to Somers

JOHN BASSETT

Factory man, furniture icon

KITCHEN TRENDS WITH DEANE INC. INTERIORS

By Charlotte Barnes, Lauren Muse

FRANK GEHRY MEETS BARD COLLEGE WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE MARCH 2016 | WAGMAG.COM

celebrating DESIGN

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CONTENTS

WHAT’S INSIDE: 14 18 20 22 26 28 30 34 38 42 46 48 50 52 56

A woman’s place…

The remains of designing days Eye for design Knock on wood Paging through the world of design Homey setting for gift boutique Making a house a home Everything including the kitchen sink A Muse for good design Classic meets 21st-century design Take note Partners, by design Luxe home goods for the bargain hunter Very Gehry COVER STORY: Joan Lunden – This very public figure savors her life at home

A craftsman adds the final touches to a pair of black lacquer half-moon cabinets. The hand-gilded design is cross-hatched in a process known as “penning”; while it resembles scrimshaw work, here it is laquer not bone or ivory, that is engraved. Penwork created an illusion of a shadow on the gilded motifs. Photography by Ray Main, as featured in “Classic Contemporary: The DNA of Furniture Design” by Tim Gosling (Thames & Hudson). See story on page 26.

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FEATURES: 62 WEAR Dress-ing up the season 66 WEAR Spring fling 68 CHIC CHOICES Gifts and new products 70 HOME LIST Redesign your home

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74 AUTO LIST Hit the road in style 78 WANDERS Cherry blossoms jubilee 82 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The Dessertist finds sweet spot in Croton 84 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Towering achievement 86 WONDERFUL DINING Not just noir et blanc 88 WINE & DINE All wineries great and small 90 WHETTING THE APPETITE Jackie Ruby’s Red Wine Linguine 92 WHAT’S UP? A design for working with autism 94 WELL Weighing in on diets

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102 PET OF THE MONTH Happy go Rikki 103 PET PORTRAITS Bosco, Twiggy and Dollar Bill Cash 104 WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events

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Elegran Real Estate - 5 elegran.com Entergy Nuclear Northeast - 83 entergy.com Euphoria Kitchen & Bath – 29 euphoriakitchens.com FEA Home - 13 feahome.com

108 WATCH We’re out and about

One Twenty One Restaurant - 91 121restaurant.com

Penny Pincher Boutique - 49 pennypincherboutique.com

Eager Beaver Tree Service - 85 eagerbeavertreeservice.com

100 WELL Achieving weight-loss success in menopause

Mercedes Benz of Greenwich - 75 Mercesesbenzofgreenwich.com Miller Motor Cars - 77 millermotorcars.com

CareMount Medical - 95 (formerly Mount Kisco Medical Group) caremountmedical.com

96 WELL Getting in the Zone

LOL Kids Armonk - 40 lol-kids.com

The Performing Arts Center Purchase College - 101 artscenter.org The Ritz-Carlton Residences Westchester II – 2, 3 rcresidenceswestchester.com Ridgefield Playhouse - 105 ridgefieldplayhouse.org John Rizzo Photography - 93 johnrizzophoto.com

Skin Center – Advanced Medical Aesthetics - Back Cover, 99 bestskincenter.com Sothebys International Realty - 60, 61 sothebyshomes.com/greenwich Stamford Innovation Center - 29 stamfordIcenter.com Stepping Stones Museum for Children - 97 steppingstonesmuseum.org Sterling National Bank - 45 snb.com Stickley Audi & Co. - 32 stickleyaudi.com Terra Rustica Ristorante - 11 terrarusticaristorante.com UK Gourmet - 67 ukgourmet.us United Hebrew Willow Gardens - 19 uhgc.org United House Wrecking - 27 unitedhousewrecking.com Val’s Putnam Wines & Liquors - 107 valsputnamwines.com The Valley Table - 33 hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com Vincent & Whittemore - 81 vinwhit.com Westchester Medical Center - 9 westchestermedicalcenter.com Westchester Philharmonic - 63 westchesterphil.org

Royal Closet - 12 royalcloset.com

White Plains Hospital – 55, 108, 109, 110, 111 wphospital.org

Gregory Sahagian & Sons - 71 gsawning.com

R&M Woodrow Jewelers - 1 woodrowjewelers.com

Sila Heating & Air Conditioning- 7 sila.com

112 WIT How do you feather your nest?

JOAN LUNDEN

ON THE COVER:

On health, happiness and her beloved homes

I.M. PEI

Architectural gems, from Paris to Somers

JOHN BASSETT

Factory man, furniture icon

KITCHEN TRENDS WITH DEANE INC. INTERIORS

By Charlotte Barnes, Lauren Muse

FRANK GEHRY MEETS BARD COLLEGE WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE

celebrating DESIGN

JUDGED

BEST MAGAZINE IN NEW YORK STATE

MARCH 2016 | WAGMAG.COM

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Joan Lunden, at home with herself.

See story on page 56.

Photograph courtesy Joan Lunden.

MARCH 2016

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In our February story on Brittany Bochow Brandwein (“Turning Points,” Page 42), we misstated a condition that led to chronic nerve pain for the dancer turned director of events for the White Plains Business Improvement District. It was a benign cell tumor.

And then we compounded our mistake with a typo in her email address. For more on her “Bouncing Back” ballet class, email her at brittany.brandwein@gmail.com.

Then on Page 70, we published an incorrect phone number for Rosamaria Brown. Her number is 571-432-7718.

Apologies to both ladies.

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EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

March is the month we associate with the beginning of spring — and spring cleaning — so it’s the perfect time for us to “Celebrate Design” in our homes and in our lives.

We’ve got everything to inspire you for your building or renovation projects — from innovative architects (I.M. Pei and Frank Gehry) to a contractor who’ll stay with you through the project and through the years (George Pusser of Cornerstone Contracting) to interior designers who’ll work with your needs and desires (Gail and Stephen Huberman, Charlotte Barnes and Lauren Muse).

The kitchen that expands into the family room and connects readily to the dining room continues to be a hot trend, along with a palette of serene neutrals that occasionally pops with color.

But our annual design issue isn’t just about making a beautiful home. It’s also about creating a home that reflects a gracious way of living — one perhaps complete with thank-you notes from stationer Dempsey & Carroll, gift items from Zeste or objects from The Local Vault. The hand that adds these grace notes is usually a female one.

“Women are the ones who make a house a home,” says cover subject Joan Lunden, intuiting our opening essay.

Journalist, author, TV personality and health advocate, Joan is at the center of three homes — one of which is in Greenwich — where her passion for interior design, preparation and organization enables her to create lovely havens for her family and herself that also serve as springboards for her work on behalf of others.

That service to others is a large part of John Bassett’s design for living as well.

The scion of the Bassett furniture family, he has famously bucked the tide of outsourcing manufacturing jobs to save 550 at the Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co. in Galax, Va. The fiery, folksy Bassett is an example of how all politics remains local. He’s a rallying cry for other businesses to invest capital to keep jobs here. And he’s a reminder that houses and other buildings, along with their accoutrements, are nothing without the

Feeling “at home” at Bloomingdale’s White Plains. For more on the chair, see Chic Choices on Page 68. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

people who inhabit and use them.

It’s something that I tell myself all the time — I with my no-grass-growsunder-my-feet landscaping, my Dewey Decimal System-arranged bookshelves, my alphabetical, color-coordinated closets, my mania for curating artistic “environments.” (“Is there any dust in this house?” I once heard a friend of my sister Gina ask her during a post-funeral reception at my place.)

I’ve always been a hopeless perfectionist. But I’m reminded of the film “Craig’s Wife” (1936), based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by George Kelly (Grace’s uncle). It stars the great, underrated Rosalind Russell — a strong woman if there ever was one — as Harriet Craig, a woman whose priority is preserving her house as a kind of museum — and fortress against the vulnerability she felt as a child whose father had deserted her mother.

Harriet’s aunt-in-law and housekeeper warn that one day all she will be left with is her house. And, sure enough, one by one everyone who might’ve mattered in her life deserts her.

OK, so Harriet is ahead of her time in forbidding her husband to smoke in the house. (It’s meant to show how domineering she is. My, how things have changed.)

But she’s also a cautionary reminder that there’s no point in having a lovely home unless you’re sharing it in some way with others.

Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Water Music” and the forthcoming “The Penalty for Holding,” part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” which is also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com.

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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Among the many quirky moments in the recent “Sherlock” special — set in the Victorian London of Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ creator — is one in which Dr. Watson, frequently absent from his home to attend Sherlock’s cases, is exasperated by the absence of his wife, Mary, frequently attending the business of state as a spy for the British government. He’s also perturbed by their impertinent maid, who’s less interested in dusting and polishing his boots correctly than in discerning why she never appears in the Sherlock Holmes stories Watson writes for The Strand Magazine.

“Marginalia: Vir Domesticus” by Tricia Wright. Photography © Jeffrey Sturges.

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’S PLACE ...

“I shall have a word with my wife to have a word with you,” Watson fumes.

Elementary. Because it’s a woman’s place, no matter how lofty, to run the house. And it has been that way since at least the time of the ancient Greeks.

The men held forth in the agora, or marketplace, the gymnasium and the symposium and at all those parties where the wine flowed and the hetairai beguiled.

Their wives in turn confined themselves to the home and the supervision of its contents, including children and slaves, Greek democratic ideals being restricted to freeborn men.

WAGMAG.COM MARCH 2016

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Even in the postfeminist era, the not so subtle message of female domestic necessity shines through.

“White Louis XVI End Chair, Women’s Rights are Human Rights” by Laurel Garcia Colvin. Photograph courtesy of the artist.

But the Victorian adage that “a woman’s place is in the home” refers not only to the marginalization of women — a subject explored in “SHE: Deconstructing Female Identity,” a multifaceted exhibit opening at ArtsWestchester March 13. (See sidebar.) It suggests that women remain the emotional hearth of any home. And it’s also a reminder that without women taking the lead that probably nothing would ever get done there. Or at least

it wouldn’t get done as efficiently, beautifully or even perfectly as many of us ladies would have it.

Talk to women from Greenwich to White Plains when they are away from the company of men, and many — though certainly not all — will lament how the men in their lives attend to household tasks and care for their children.

“They’re not finishers,” one opines. Another scoffs at the notion that her husband should do

Among the aspects of female identity considered in “SHE,” at ArtsWestchester in White Plains March 13 through June 25, is the woman’s relationship to the home. In Tricia Wright’s “Marginalia,” white doilies, faucets and dead animals on sculpted sconces suggest “the sidelined status of the home and those who work in it, despite its critical influence on us as individuals and citizens,” Wright observes. Rebecca Mushtare’s multimedia “Matrilineage” (2012) consists of wallpaper printed with thermochromatic inks that when touched turn invisible, revealing vignettes from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s seminal feminist short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” about an intellectually straitjacketed woman’s descent into madness. And Laura Garcia Colvin’s toile-based drawings, reproduced as upholstery fabric to update Louis XVI-style chairs, is part of a larger installation considering the tensions between private and public lives.

For more, visit artswestchester.org.

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the grocery shopping, observing that he wouldn’t buy more than a day’s worth of food. Still another is incredulous that her hubby didn’t check their 7-year-old’s homework.

Some female friends prefer to express gratitude for male help around the house — and then rewash the dishes or remake the bed “the right way.”

Perhaps this is hard-wired into women’s DNA after all those millennia honing their fine-motor skills as they gathered plants while their men went about slaying mastodons. But the view of women as domestic goddesses has been reinforced from Madison Avenue to Hollywood.

Even though Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich were glamorous stars, they were well-known — Crawford infamously so — as haute hausfraus who weren’t above getting down on their hands and knees to scrub a bathroom. (Today Joan and Marlene would be proud of Jennifer Garner, a Martha Stewart devotee; Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goop lifestyle blog; and Blake Lively, a self-proclaimed homebody.)

Period films — including those made or set in the 1960s and ’70s at the crest of the most recent wave of feminism — also underscore the domestic womanly role model. When Rex Harrison speaksings “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” in “My Fair Lady,” it’s not just because he’s grown used to Audrey Hepburn’s lovely mug, but because without her organizational skills, he can’t find his damn slippers. And when Elizabeth Taylor must accept the rough-hewn ways and homestead of bridegroom Richard Burton in “The Taming of the Shrew,” she does so by turning the tables — literally — swathing her trademark raven tresses in a scarf, donning the Renaissance equivalent of an apron, whipping out her feather-duster and snapping that villa into shape.

Even in the postfeminist era, the not so subtle message of female domestic necessity shines through. In the film “Munich,” Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir discusses retaliation for the PLO’s massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics while serving key male figures coffee. And in “The Queen,’’ Elizabeth II faces a monarchical crisis in the wake of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, but not before settling on the leftover lamb stew for a family meal.

It’s not just the stuff of fictional treatments. Remember when potential first lady Hillary Clinton was castigated for saying she wasn’t the type to stay home and bake chocolate chip cookies? Today, she is running for president of the United States.

And you can find her recipe for chocolate chip cookies with an oatmeal twist on Good Housekeeping’s website.

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THE REMAINS OF DESIGNING DAYS: The Katonah Museum of Art’s ‘Nest’

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Sharon Beals’ “Brown Booby Sula leucogaster brewsteri” (photographed 2008, collected 1925), grass, sticks, seaweed and bones.

Courtesy Katonah Museum of Art.

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Birds do it. Bees do it. Even sentimental fleas do it.

You get the idea: Nature loves to nest. And not just so its various species can raise the young’uns. The male bowerbird, seen in a recent episode of PBS’ “Nature” called “Natural Born Hustlers,” builds elaborate twig bowers resembling arcades or maypoles that are filled with stones, shells and blueberries arranged in optical illusions just to attract the female. Talk about your courtship.

But we digress. First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes “The Nest,” the title of a new exhibit at the Katonah Museum of Art (March 6 to June 19) that explores the bird’s nest as a metaphor for home, art and design itself.

Some of the 15 works in various media — representing 10 artists from the United States, Germany and South Africa — interpret that title quite literally. Björn Braun “collaborates” with a pair of zebra finches that he has raised to reproduce a zebra finch’s nest in coconut fiber, plastic and tinsel in “Untitled” (2015). Judy Pfaff’s “Time Is Another River” (2012) goes Braun one better, creating a pretty, wreathlike nest of honeycomb, cardboard, expanded foam, plastics and fluorescent light that is redolent of nostalgia and suggests the ephemeral

quality of nature and time itself.

Some of the works aren’t traditional nests at all.

Ai Weiwei’s “Owl House 4a” (2010) is a lovely blue and white porcelain garden stool with leaf patterns and cutouts. Sanford Biggers’ “Baby Ghettobird Tunic” (2003 and ’06) is made of a bubble jacket and various bird feathers.

Others use the nest to suggest the human capacity for physical and artistic creation. Birgit Jürgenssen’s “Nest” (1979) is a chromogenic color print (printed in 2011) of a nude woman seen from the waist down with a bird’s nest containing a couple of eggs between her legs. Paul Villinski’s “Self-Portrait” (2014) is a life-size man of steel filigree that evokes anatomy drawings. A bird’s nest lies at its core.

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“Self-Portrait” plays with negative space as do other works in the exhibit, reminding us that “nest” is often modified by “empty.” David Wojnarowicz’s “Untitled (Hand holding nest)” is a 1988 silver print of two hands — one holding an empty nest and the other sporting bandages. Nina Katchadourian’s 2003 C-print “Too Late” captures the letters of those words written on seven eggs in a large nest.

Have they been abandoned? Will they never hatch?

Or is this just the artist’s mind game?

Dove Bradshaw also seems preoccupied by pain and loss. Her “Home” (2008) is an approximately 3-foot tall bush of honey locust thorns, while her “Nothing III, Series 2” (2004) is an 18-karat gold cast of a goose egg shell cracked open and devoid of its yolk. The sculpture plays with the Aesop fable of “The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs,” a cautionary tale against greed. But we shouldn’t call it “Nothing.” The shell alone is worth its weight in gold. It’s something, as are the brains, talent and technique Bradshaw poured into the design.

And perhaps that is the overarching point of the show. When the chicks have flown the coop and it’s time to downsize the nest, you can still admire what you have wrought — and what remains.

For more, visit katonahmuseum.org.

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In November 1971, shortly after I returned from a journalistic assignment to China, I was surprised to receive a phone call from I.M. Pei. I was thrilled. I knew that this Chinese-American was already one of the most famous architects in the world — renowned for his geometric juxtapositions that contrasted the classic with the modern, the curving with the angular. He had recently designed the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

And after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, his widow, Jacqueline, chose Pei to design the Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Pei had read my reports in The New York Times and my cover story “Return to Changing China” in the National Geographic and was eager to hear more about my visit to his ancestral home in Suzhou, where he was born Ieoh Ming Pei in 1917. His father made a fortune selling medicinal herbs. His family can trace their ancestry back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), yet he chose to make his own family home in Katonah. Pei will reach the honorable age of 100 on April 26 of next year and is still going strong.

As journalists, my husband, Seymour Topping, and I met with Pei and his beautiful wife, Eileen Loo, also an architect, on several memorable occasions. We were immediately charmed by his

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EYE FOR

modest demeanor. Pei exuded positive energy.

His ever-smiling face, lit up by alert, bright eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses, revealed the earnest inquisitiveness of a true creator.

At the age of 10, Pei’s family moved to Shanghai where he attended St. John’s Middle School, run

by American Protestant missionaries. He learned English by reading the Bible and Charles Dickens.

He became enthralled by Hollywood movies and claimed that Bing Crosby’s films, which made college life in the U.S. look like fun, had a great influence on his choosing the United States instead of England to pursue his education.

In 1935, Pei sailed on the SS President Coolidge to San Francisco and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in architecture. But when he found that the professors based their teachings on the old-hat Beaux Arts style, rooted in the classical traditions of Greece and Rome, he transferred to the engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The dean of the architecture school noticed his eye for design and convinced him to return to his original major. But Pei found the MIT architecture faculty also focused on the Beaux Arts school, so he explored art and architecture on his own. In the

DESIGN

BY AUDREY RONNING TOPPING

Courtyard of the Musée du Louvre and its controversial I.M. Pei pyramid. Photograph by Benh Lieu Song.

library, he found three books by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier and was inspired by the innovative designs of the new International style, which used glass and steel materials. He was also influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, but he later asserted, “I have cultivated myself.”

Pei received a B.S. in architecture from MIT in 1940 and an M.S. in architecture from Harvard University in 1946, teaching at Harvard for two years.

Soon, however, he was inundated with projects.

In 1952 he worked on a series of projects in Colorado that helped him conceptualize architecture as

part of the larger urban geography. “I learned the process of development,” he said, “and about the city as a living organism.”

In 1978, Pei was asked to initiate a hotel project in China. He chose a valley called Fragrant Hill on the outskirts of Beijing that was once an imperial garden. After visiting Suzhou, he created a design based on traditional residential buildings with a four-story central atrium covered by glass panels.

This was to be surrounded by abundant gardens.

But alas, a series of mistakes ensued, stemming from a lack of sophisticated machinery in China.

Whereas 200 workers might have been used for

a similar building in the U.S., the Fragrant Hill project employed more than 3,000 workers. As the opening neared, Pei found the hotel desperately needed work and the 325 guest rooms were in dire need of cleaning. Later he laughingly told us how he put his family to work. He and Eileen began scrubbing floors themselves and he ordered his three sons and daughter to make beds and vacuum floors. The project imposed an emotional strain on the whole family, but the opening celebration Oct. 17, 1982 was a grand affair. Unfortunately, the whole place soon fell into disrepair.

Pei is probably best-known for his controversial design of the glass-and-steel pyramid for the Musée du Louvre in Paris in the early 1980s. He became the first foreign architect to work on the historic art museum. At the center of the courtyard, he designed the glass-and-steel pyramid to serve as an entrance anteroom skylight. It was mirrored by another inverted pyramid underneath, to reflect sunlight into the room. During the digging, construction teams discovered an abandoned set of rooms containing 25,000 historical items that were incorporated into the rest of the structure to create a new exhibit space.

Some critics found Pei’s original design shocking. One called it a “gigantic, ruinous gadget.” The Louvre director, André Chabaud, was so upset he resigned from his post complaining that Pei’s design was “unfeasible.” Another condemnation bore nationalistic overtones: “I am surprised that one would go looking for a Chinese architect in America to deal with the historic heart of the capital of France.” However, Pei and his team eventually won support from many architecture enthusiasts, including Prince Charles of England, who found it “marvelous, very exciting.”

The experience was exhausting but rewarding for Pei. The opening of the Louvre Pyramid coincided with four other successful projects he designed, including the IBM complex in Somers.

Paul Goldberger, then The New York Times’ architecture critic, called him “The High Priest of Modernism” and declared 1989 to be “the year of Pei.” At the age of 72, Pei gave up thoughts of retiring and continued working long hours to see his designs come to fruition.

“For me,” he said, “the talk of Modernism versus Postmodernism is unimportant. It is a side issue. An individual building, the style in which it is going to be designed and built, is not that important. The important thing, really, is the community.

How does it affect life?”

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wood

KNOCK ON

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

“Once in a reporter’s career, if one is very lucky, a person like John D. Bassett III comes along,” Beth Macy writes in her absorbing book “Factory Man.” “JBIII is inspirational. He’s brash. He’s a sawdust-covered good old boy from rural Virginia, a larger-than-life rule breaker who for more than a decade has stood almost singlehandedly against the outflow of furniture jobs from America.”

To which we might add a humorous, folksy, verbal Artful Dodger who is, above all else, Churchillian. Winston Churchill is a hero of this post-World War II Army vet. And it was Winston Churchill who told the British people with their backs against the wall in the dark, early days of the war that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

“That was tough talk. Imagine that,” Bassett muses. “You know, President John F. Kennedy said, ‘Churchill mobilized the English language and sent it into war.’”

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And that’s what Bassett does. Whether listening to his keynote speech at the Westchester County Association’s 2014 Fall Leadership Dinner or interviewing him on the phone, you feel as if you could and should conquer the world.

Bassett — who will speak at Westfair Communications and Bank of America’s “Transformations” event May 12, two days after his business book “Making It In America” is released — not only has this attitude. He has to have this attitude. He is an epic figure swimming upstream in a tidal river of imports, bringing some 550 employees of the Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co. with him. The Galax, Va., company — which was founded in 1919 by J.D. Bassett Sr. and B.C. Vaughan, his grandfather and wife Pat’s grandfa-

ther respectively — makes mid-priced bedroom furniture in two factories in Galax and Elkin, N.C., from locally sourced ash, beech, birch, cherry, maple, oak, pine and poplar.

Which makes Vaughan-Bassett virtually unique.

With sales of $84 million, “the company is doing better,” Bassett says. “But it has been a struggle…. We still face difficulties…. With a strong dollar, our exports are being hammered.”

How Bassett came to Vaughan-Bassett — he’s now chairman — 33 years ago is a tale of two battles, one global; the other, familial and philosophical. Bassett isn’t just covered in sawdust. He’s got it in his veins.

That’s his family’s name on the Virginia town where he was born during the biblical flood of 1937 and where future New York Yankee Phil Rizzuto led the Bassett Furnituremakers to the Bi-State League title.

And that’s the family’s name on the Bassett Furniture Co., which once had sales of more than $500 million, making it the world’s biggest wood furniture manufacturer. Today, John Bassett says, Bassett Furniture — a publicly traded company that is not affiliated with his private one — buys products and parts from overseas, makes upholstery and is in the retail business with its Bassett Home Furnishings stores.

John D. Bassett III. Photographs courtesy Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co.

If life had gone differently, Bassett — scion of the family — would be running Bassett Furniture today. But two things happened to him. The first was brother-in-law Bob Spilman, who outmaneuvered Bassett for control of the company with the idea that his son Rob, now CEO, would eventually take over. In “Factory Man” — which Bassett describes as “ ‘Gone With the Wind’ meets ‘Peyton Place’”

but which might remind you more of “Dallas” or “Dynasty” — Macy paints Spilman as something of a villain, a controlling manipulator who micromanaged everyone to death but was capable of quiet, individual acts of kindness and generosity. She writes that Bassett refused to open up about how he felt toward Spilman — the husband of his sister Jane — and a relationship that may have involved

fisticuffs. Bassett in turn says he told Macy how he felt. She just never wrote it.

Let’s just say Bassett has chosen to stay classy.

“I wasn’t very pleased,” he says of his forced resignation with a hearty laugh. “But I put it behind me. People love to talk about the past. You look to the past, but you look to the past for one reason only: You’re learning to duplicate what works and

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JOHN BASSETT’S

5

DESIGNS FOR MANAGEMENT

1. ATTITUDE “If your team thinks it won’t win, it will lose. I hate the word ‘can’t.’”

2. LEADERSHIP “A leader never shows fear.”

3. CHANGE “You’ve got to be willing to change and improve.

Again and again and again.”

4. DON’T PANIC “People love to panic.

I’ve never seen a good decision made in panicking.”

5. COMMUNICATION AND TEAMWORK “Communicate to your team.

Work as a team.”

not what doesn’t. You take your ego out of it.”

But if Bassett is still circumspect about his Bassett Furniture departure, he was about to become vocal over the rise of cheaper Asian imports and the closing of American factories. Under pressure from its shareholders, Bassett Furniture would go with the tide, closing its Bassett, Va., factories and importing wood products from China, Indonesia and Vietnam. But John Bassett was determined that this would not happen to Vaughan-Bassett.

In 2003, he and the coalition he organized filed a petition with the United States Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission against China over “dumping,” or the practice of pricing exports to this country below the cost of their materials, which is illegal.

“It cost a great deal of angst and anger,” he says.

“Many retailers boycotted us. It was not pleasant.”

Bassett was awarded $55 million on duties from the importers of record; the coalition, about $300 million. About 38 percent of his award went to taxes. He says he has spent $96 million on continually modernizing Vaughan-Bassett.

Bassett has learned two things from his experiences — well, more than two and maybe he’s always known them.

Furniture from Vaughan-Bassett.

The first is the importance of real leadership.

Whether you’re for Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders, he says, people are hungry for leadership.

And the second: “Numbers are important. But people create numbers. People are more important.”

For more, visit vaughan-bassett.com.

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© Patio.com 2016

S pr ing S a les Eve n t . . . Save o n a l l Co l l e c t io n s

Greenwich • Ridgefield • Stamford • Westport • Mount Kisco • Scarsdale Southampton • King of Prussia • Tysons Corner • Boca Raton

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The dining room table and sideboards all feature elements based on Robert Adam’s designs. They are framed by three spectacular double-barrel vaults. Photography by Ray Main.

PAGING THROUGH the world of design

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THAMES & HUDSON

Design lovers will not only prominently display the new release “Classic Contemporary: The DNA of Furniture Design” by Tim Gosling (Thames & Hudson, $75) on their sleek coffee tables — but they’ll also savor its contents.

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Gosling, the British interior and furniture designer with an international reputation, has a stunning portfolio of projects that take him from a London townhouse to an English country estate, a penthouse in Venice to a sprawling Florida retreat.

He’s known for taking the architecture of his projects into consideration, melding its elements with the client’s desire to create an environment reflecting both a nod to history and an awareness of the needs of contemporary life.

Here, Gosling specifically takes the reader through a world of historical sources and examines how these time-honored elements can be adapted to today’s tastes. He walks the reader, most artfully, through influences from the 18th century to “Design in the Twenty-First Century and Beyond,” with welcome stops at destinations ranging from the Regency to Art Moderne periods.

As Gosling says in the introduction, “… How do you capture the essence of design? What are the tell-tale clues that allow you to understand when it was made and to what stylistic period it belongs?

Every chair we sit on can tell us a story through its structure and appearance, like folklore handed down through the ages: each piece can tell us when it was created and what the designer was trying to achieve. It is wonderful to realize that we are surrounded by these messages, encoded, as it were, within the DNA of furniture that we use every day.”

The large-format book, complete with 235 illustrations, is one that’s destined to inspire both countless design projects — and more than a few daydreams.

For more, visit thamesandhudsonUSA.com.

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HOMEY SETTING for gift boutique

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI

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Stephanie Finkelstein dedicates her Greenwich store to the art of gift giving — particularly unusual items for a dinner party host, colleague or acquaintance.

“A lot of people get nervous when they’re giving a gift,” Finkelstein says, “because they may not know (the recipient’s) taste. They may not know their décor.”

Finkelstein opened her 300-square-foot gift and home décor shop, Zeste, in November. The space is reminiscent of the beach — influenced by the Hamptons, Finkelstein’s longtime home — with sisal carpets and coral accents throughout.

The store’s white walls offer a high contrast to the colorful products, which include stationery,

picture frames, lotions, pet treats and pantry items.

If you’re overwhelmed by giving gifts, Finkelstein suggests starting with her paper products, such as stationery or note cards, “because everyone still needs to jot something down.”

Nearly all of Zeste’s products are made by small businesses. And Finkelstein knows who made her products, where and how they were made and the stories behind their creation.

“People like interesting things that are high quality at a good price,” she says. “They want to purchase gifts that are appropriate in price range, and they want to be sensitive to the price range of others.”

Finkelstein is not new to retail. For almost 10 years, the former social worker owned Elegant Setting, a gift and home décor store in the Hamptons that was both larger and pricier, featuring collectibles such as china and crystal. But when

Finkelstein learned that she was pregnant with her now 4-year-old daughter, traveling between the couple’s homes in the Hamptons and New York City became problematic, prompting their move to Greenwich.

In this store, however, she’s offering a service that wasn’t available in the Hamptons’ shop — gift wrapping. Following the holidays, she built a gift— wrapping station, where customers can choose to have their gifts wrapped in tissue paper, encased in plastic wrap and finished with a beautiful bow.

The station also allows Finkelstein to wrap together complementary products for a concept similar to gift baskets.

“What I found is that people are in a rush and they’re a little bit uncertain sometimes how to put things together,” she says. “So my job is to put it together.”

Zeste is at 58A William St. in Greenwich. For more, call 917-626-4611 or visit zeste203.com.

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M KING a house a home

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY CORNERSTONE CONTRACTING

In building a home, George Pusser says, it’s very easy to get to 95 or 98 percent of accomplishment.

What he and his Cos Cob-based Cornerstone Contracting strive for is that 100-percent mark.

That’s because their clients “want us to feel their house is the most important.” To that end, he has set up a group of senior managers to guide the company’s projects — everything from new construction to renovations to “repeats” that might lead to a 20year relationship. And even though he’s president of the 24-year-old firm, he makes regular visits to the sites, juggling those with office work.

The result is an award-winning (Palladio, HOBI) business that has done hundreds of projects — on homes ranging from $1 million to $35 million, from a few thousand square feet to more than 30,000 — for the captains and kings of Westchester, Fairfield, Putnam and Dutchess counties as well as New York City. Cornerstone has also done a little commercial work in Greenwich and the Big Apple. Its clients in-

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clude Hollywood actors, sports figures, politicians and plenty of Wall Streeters. Pusser cannot, of course, name names — adding “although I probably wouldn’t even if I could.”

A key to the company’s success is undoubtedly its self-containment.

“We’re a relatively small business,” he says of Cornerstone’s 50 to 60 employees, who include seven family members. “But for the kind of highend work we do, we carry our own forces, unlike other companies who use subcontractors.”

That enables Cornerstone to keep a tight control on quality and deadlines. It’s something Pusser learned growing up in the business in rural Alabama. By 20, he could build a house. By 22, he had started a business similar to Cornerstone in Dallas.

When an opportunity came to move to the Northeast, he took it. He’s been here for more than 30 years.

In that time, he’s seen a lot of changes. When he was a child, the adage that “children should be seen and not heard” applied. The children might

Winner of the 2009 Palladio Award.

have an early dinner in the set-off kitchen before mom and dad entertained in the living and dining rooms.

Now, Pusser says, everyone’s included. The trend among younger homeowners with families continues to be contemporary houses with big kitchens

that flow into family rooms with the dining rooms nearby. “The living room, not so much,” he says.

The palette is soft —“blues and grays. For a long time, people considered these colors cold. Now they’re seen as clean, crisp.” Closets are important.

“We’ve built master closets that are bigger than the

dining room.” And the décor is minimalist. “Younger people want to spend time with their families,” not maintaining knickknacks. Traditional homes — with their layout of living room, dining room, home office — are seen as requiring more upkeep.

But minimalist homes do not always mean min-

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imalist costs.

“People think they cost less, but that’s not necessarily true, because of the building materials,” Pusser says.

Another big trend in home building — green technology, including recycled materials and harnessing the earth’s natural resources as power.

Cornerstone has even built a swimming pool with a cover that comes up from the bottom that the homeowners can walk on, adding to their outdoor space.

Pusser, still a country boy, loves the outdoors.

His Greenwich home has a large wooded area that backs up to a Boy Scout camp. His Vero Beach, Fla., home — which he’s had for the same number of years, 15 — is a contemporary affair that his wife, interior designer Elizabeth Pusser, continually renovates.

But making and remaking his own homes is not for him.

“I don’t like the process,” he says. “The thing that bothers me is the amount of people and all the detail.”

He’d much rather concentrate on his clients’ homes. For which they are all no doubt grateful.

For more, visit cornerstone-builders.com.

Winner of the 2014 Hobi Award.

STICKLEY STORY NO. 729

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— Charles H.

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MARCH 2016

EVERYTHING

including the kitchen sink

BY REECE ALVAREZ PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY DEANE INC.

The family-owned and -operated design firm Deane Inc. has been serving Fairfield and Westchester counties since 1961. Now, more than a half-century later, the firm continues to be a leading provider of the latest styles.

Returning from the recent “Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2016” in Las Vegas, Pete Deane, principal of the firm, has brought back a trove of new trends he foresees taking hold.

Deane drew specific attention to man-made countertops so resilient you can flambé bananas on them, and textured laminate cabinetry that provides the look and feel of wood but is more cost-effective and durable.

Deane sees transitional design, a blend of classic and modern, as a growing theme — particularly with an influence of high-gloss cabinet finishes combined with reclaimed woods and textured hard plastic.

High contrast black-and-white color schemes as well as brushed brass, neither shiny nor antiqued, are on the horizon as well, he said.

According to Deane, sliding doors are once again taking the design world by storm, and smart technology is increasing its presence in the form of touch-activated or pedal-controlled faucets that can dispense sparkling water alongside chilled drinking water and feature their own in-system water filters.

Smart technology in the home goes far beyond the kitchen sink, Deane said: “At the touch of a button, our clients can turn on the lights to a specific setting to create an appropriate ambiance while turning on their music and raising their window blinds.”

The technology is displayed at the company’s Stamford showroom,

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A Deane Inc. kitchen. one of two locations it maintains, along with a showroom in New Canaan.

Some of the most exotic designs Deane’s firm has brought to life are kitchens featuring aquatic environments.

“We have incorporated fish tanks into a few kitchen projects over the years,” he said. “These tend to be large focal points within the space, which transform a typically static room into a natural living environment.”

According to Deane, the firm completes a variety of 100 to 120 projects a year, including kitchens, libraries, closets and mudrooms. Projects can range from $30,000 to north of $300,000, he added.

The firm was originally founded in Pound Ridge by Deane’s grandfather, Raymond Girard.

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Deane’s father, Peter M. Deane, would join the firm shortly after in 1965 and later open another location in Darien. Now Deane, alongside his sister Carrie, manages the two current showrooms.

“My sister and I were exposed to the business at an early age and both had an interest in design and the construction industry,” Deane said.

A family lineage in the business is no guarantee of immediate employment, though.

Deane said while the fourth generation is still too young to take on the mantle, its members would need to work elsewhere within the industry for a few years prior to joining the family business full-time.

“This policy has been in place and has served us all very well,” he said.

Prior to joining the company, Deane worked

for a general contractor in Breckenridge, Colo., and then for a cabinetry shop in New Holland, Pa. Carrie cut her teeth working in an art gallery and a kitchen design firm in Chicago, he said.

While the cost of a freshly designed space may seem stratospheric, an investment in style is often worth it, Deane said.

“It is common to make the analogy between the price tag of a kitchen and the price tag of a car,” he said. “As everyone knows there are extreme price ranges when it comes to purchasing a car and many upgrades that will influence the price. This holds true for kitchen design. However, the advantage to the consumer when purchasing a kitchen is the return on investment is typically stronger.”

For more, visit deaneinc.com.

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A MUSE FOR GOOD DESIGN

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY MUSE INTERIORS

Lauren Muse came to interior design in a most natural fashion.

“My husband and I, in our late 20s, starting buying and fixing up houses on our own,” Muse says. “That was how I kind of got the bug.”

Though working in the advertising business in Manhattan, the Greenwich native was finding a real satisfaction in her avocation and realized she was “in love with the process.”

With a child on the way — and a desire for a job with less travel — Muse eventually decided to turn that passion into a career and went to the New York School of Interior Design.

“I always thought I was going to go work for somebody,” she says.

But soon, she found herself tapped, through friends and word of mouth, to do a bedroom here or a living room there.

“It kind of organically grew,” she says, to where she formally

launched Muse Interiors in 2000. Today, Muse heads up a staff of six in the Greenwich-based firm.

“Every job gets a designer and a project manager,” she says. “Project managers handle the execution of the job.”

She remains, she says, aware of giving each client — residential work is her specialty — plenty of attention and not overbooking her schedule.

“It’s a partnership when you do someone’s home. It’s very personal.”

With an iPad filled with thousands of images, plus a wealth of swatches and samples, Muse is ever ready to show clients all the options as they discuss the work. She’s even been known to take a client to sit on a couch that she thinks will be ideal.

“They’re spending a lot of money and they want to be sure it’s right.”

For Muse, she likes nothing more than exploring possibilities.

“We love very open clients,” she says, mentioning one in particu-

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Lauren Muse

lar who also gave her business quite a boost.

She began working with Sue De Chiara, a design and lifestyle blogger (“The Zhush”) on her Pound Ridge home and stayed with her through a move to New Canaan.

“She has been such a big champion of our busi-

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ness,” Muse says, adding she relishes the opportunity to work with someone whose home is eclectic and approach “very daring.”

For Muse, every project, though, offers options to explore possibilities.

“We’ve done all styles,” she says. “We’ve done houses in the Hamptons. We’ve done houses in Florida because our clients have houses there.”

And as expected, when it comes to trends, Muse has observed quite a few in recent years. Most prominent is the way people now avoid the “cookie-cutter” approach.

“They want that customization and that individual look,” she says, noting she will often design furniture for a particular project.

“There’s a lot of ‘making your home a sanctuary,’” she says, adding the focus is on having surroundings that are approachable and accessible.

“I think that warmer colors are coming back in,” she adds. “It used to be about cool grays and whites…

I think that pattern is going to come more into play.”

Mixed materials, she continues, are now more often considered. Kitchens, for example, are the ideal place to combine textures and finishes such as cerused wood, painted wood and stainless steel.

Across the board, Muse says clients continue to appreciate artisan goods.

“I think people want more things that are sustainable, green,” she says.

Today’s clients — though “more educated” thanks

to shelter publications, design shows and online sources — continue to rely on her expertise.

“Clients trust us to bring them new ideas.”

To do that, Muse attends trade events ranging from the gift shows in Manhattan to the home-furnishing markets in High Point, N.C., where two years ago she identified the emergence of brass.

But, she adds, her company is “very cognizant of not getting too caught up in trends,” to avoid creating rooms that quickly feel dated.

Instead, Muse focuses on building a strong foundation to which trendier pieces — fur pillows, anyone? — can easily be added (or removed).

Muse, who has settled into her latest Greenwich home, still finds time to experiment.

“You definitely use your own home as a lab, to try out ideas,” she says.

So how would the designer describe her own style?

“I would say clean. I would say that I’m very serene in my color palette at home.”

But, she adds, that doesn’t mean boring. She might, for example, mix it up with an accent such as an agate stone lamp, as she likes “a little bit of organic, funky organic.”

Throughout the work, Muse clearly is still finding the satisfaction she did back in those early days.

“I really love design. I would do it even if I wasn’t paid for it.”

For more, visit museinteriors.net.

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Classic meets

21ST-CENTURY DESIGN

BY DANIELLE RENDA

Contemporary meets traditional.

Modern meets classic.

Old World meets New Age. This is Charlotte Barnes’ approach to interior design.

“I feel like you should be able to walk into every room in your house and love something or everything,” she says.

Barnes is the founder and CEO of Charlotte Barnes Interior Design & Decoration LLC in Greenwich, mixing antiques and modern décor. With an impressive portfolio of projects that

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extends across the globe — from New York and Connecticut to Colorado, Florida, Spain, London and beyond — she serves both residential and commercial clients, having been named last year to the New England Design Hall of Fame.

But despite Barnes’ packed schedule, her office is all about serenity. She settles in behind a white desk in a cream-colored studio, which is accented by soft lighting and sea-grass carpeting. Classical music plays in the background.

“You just feel relaxed here,” she says. “You should be able to go home and chill out. You should be able to come here and chill out.”

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Courtesy George Ross Photographs.

THE ‘ACCIDENTAL’ DESIGNER

With apologies to Freud, who believed that there was no such thing as accidents, Barnes’ interior design career seems to have come out of left field. She worked in fashion, traveling between Europe and the United States for Ralph Lauren womenswear for 11 years. While she was living in London with her husband and their 6- and 4-year-old daughters, a journalist asked to photograph her home.

“I thought, ‘Wow, that seems strange,’” she says.

“I didn’t have a decorator. I did it all myself.”

When Barnes moved from London to Greenwich shortly after, she wasn’t sure about her next career move. But then the photographs of her London home were published, and people began inquiring whether she was an interior designer.

And that’s how Barnes’ business was born.

She started slowly, working as a “housewife decorator” — as she refers to it — on smaller projects, which eventually blossomed into a full-time business. During these early stages, Barnes also became involved with Pomellato, an Italian-jewelry company, serving as president and CEO of Pomellato USA from 2000 to 2003, working to solidify the brand’s growing presence in the States.

“The training from Pomellato and Ralph Lauren, who are really brand-oriented, was how I became a

little bit more of a perfectionist,” she says.

After years of working as a designer and growing her business, Barnes took on another endeavor — her own custom-made furniture collection. In 2014, she launched Collection Charlotte Barnes, a 30-piece line of furniture, including sofas, chairs, mirrors, cabinets, stools, desks, end and dining tables and lighting.

THE FUNDAMENTALS

Barnes believes in design simplicity and repurposing, always seeking ways to reuse already-owned furniture and décor.

“I feel that in a house, you need certain things that are solid, good bones,” she says. “When you’re building a house, you want to have great floors, great paint, great hardware. You just need a good backdrop of staples. You may want to change a lampshade or a table lamp to get a different look in your house, but a lot of that can be done with rearranging everything you already have.”

Barnes points to a set of yellow-green books and a glass shelf in her office, explaining how the space’s décor is often rearranged to refresh the look, including the front showroom, which features a simulated living room.

“If you buy what you love, you’ll always have a

place for it,” she says. “I can change the whole look with very little, but it’s that one thing that inspires you to create a whole new feeling in the room.”

For a well-tailored design process, Barnes begins each project by designating time to learn about her clients’ tastes.

“The way we kind of plan our schedule is so that I have a month at the very beginning, so I can really spend time with the clients, get into their houses, see what they’ve got already or take them shopping,” she says. “I like to take them all over to get a feel for what it is they’re really hoping to achieve, because it’s the best way for us to decorate for them. We don’t live there. We want the house to look like them and feel like them.”

But most important, she believes the final product is always best when clients trust their decorator.

“You have to trust that your decorator is going to do the very best job for you,” she says. “We help these clients realize their dreams, and it’s a great privilege and honor to get glimpses into these people’s lives.”

Charlotte Barnes Design & Decoration LLC is at 173 Davis Ave. in Greenwich. For more, call 203622-6953 or visit charlottebarnes.com.

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TAKE NOTE Dempsey & Carroll keeps stationery relevant

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

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As a young man, Leo Mascotte was known for his proper etiquette.

“I wrote thank-you notes — always,” he says.

It was, after all, the right thing to do, but it also was the start of a lifelong dedication to handwritten communication.

And that timeless tradition has stayed with Mascotte, who today serves as creative director of Dempsey & Carroll.

“I’m a total paper nut, I’ll admit,” Mascotte says with a smile on a winter afternoon at the stationery company’s Upper East Side flagship.

Founded in 1878 in Union Square by engraver John Dempsey and businessman George Carroll, Dempsey & Carroll became known for providing luxury writing papers (and advice on etiquette through now-collectible publications).

Today, the elegant slip of a space on Lexington Avenue offers a walk into an earlier time — without leaving today behind.

And that’s by design, says Dempsey & Carroll CEO Lauren Marrus.

“We marry the new and the old,” she says. “Our history and our heritage is something we fully embrace.”

The 100 percent cotton, watermarked paper is milled expressly for the company, in America, with each envelope tissue-lined by hand. The company continues its hand-engraving process, employing handcrafted steel dies and copper plates for customized work.

“They’re literally 19th-century presses,” Mascotte says of the equipment still used today to create Dempsey & Carroll stationery. “They just speak to craftsmanship, of a way of production that is timeless. There’s no better way. It’s remarkable.”

And it’s one that isn’t about to be abandoned, Marrus says.

“It’s just so much a part of who we are and our brand, we haven’t thought of doing it any other way.”

The company history is close at hand.

“Downstairs is an archive of all of our dies,” Mascotte, a onetime Rye resident, says. “It’s one of my favorite places in the world.”

His enthusiasm is palpable as he soon opens a large book engraved with the words “Yacht Stationery.” Indeed, its vintage pages show countless examples dotted with nautical flags and papers designed for writing letters from one’s stateroom.

It was, he says, “kind of a lovely way to live.”

But it’s not just a relic. Its themes have been reinterpreted for today’s nautical-inspired collections or, as Mascotte shows, “from that comes something new.”

The company has also used postage stamps as inspiration, always working on new designs and collections. Even its most basic cards come in a variety of colorways — from Dempsey Blue to a gray “that’s beyond chic,” Mascotte says.

Collaborations have ranged from animal-themed designs with South Africa-born event planner Colin Cowie to fanciful notecards with Schumacher, the famed fabric line that traces its own roots from 19th century New York City.

The next edition of the Schumacher line, Marrus says, will be recolored “in a way that is really modern.”

The company, Marrus adds, is always conscious of finding ways “to still stay relevant in the digital age.”

That means calling cards that serve as retro-in-

spired introductions — or note cards with clever phrases and pictures.

A card with an image of the penny-farthing, or high-wheeler, bicycle carries the phrase “Get on it,” while one with a whisk says “Mix it up.” The Love Notes collection depicts cards sporting images of a typewriter (“You’re My Type”) to a telephone (“Give Me a Ring”).

In an ideal world, Mascotte says everyone would have paper and cards on hand for any occasion, with Dempsey & Carroll more than ready to help people “begin the assembly of a stationery wardrobe.”

Those first learning of the company and its products, he adds, will be sold by the tactile experience, “once you actually use the paper and actually write on it. You really have to experience it.”

The company has expanded to offer complementary gift items, from paperweights to writing instruments. It even offers stylish gift tags complete with some 16 inches of grosgrain ribbon, which negates the need for wrapping paper.

“That plus a bottle of wine and you’re done,” Mascotte says, again a nod to today’s fast-paced world.

But whether calling on Dempsey & Carroll for a playful thank-you card — or to create a bespoke invitation for the most formal of events, there is an unspoken graciousness to the proceedings.

The pace of corresponding by hand, Mascotte says, simply “allows you to become more thoughtful.”

As Marrus says, whether to acknowledge a gift or a job interview, “If you want to be that person who stands out, you’re sending a handwritten note.”

That belief is proven each night when Mascotte gets home, checks his mail and spies something written by hand.

“Before every bill, before every solicitation, before every catalog, it will rise to the top.”

Dempsey & Carroll stationery is available at the Manhattan flagship, 1049 Lexington Ave., or online at dempseyandcarroll.com. A selection is also carried at Saint Clair in Greenwich, at 96 Greenwich Ave. For more, visit dempseyandcarroll.com.

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PARTNERS, BY DESIGN

THE HUBERMANS LIVE — AND WORK — SIDE BY SIDE

BY MARY SHUSTACK

The latest designs from Mrs. H’s Handles, the Hubermans’ hardware division. Photograph by Bedford Photo-Graphic (Doug Abdelnour).

The website for SGH Designs Inc. says it right up front — “Partners in Life and Design” — and that’s abundantly clear to anyone who spends time with Stephen and Gail Huberman.

The husband-and-wife interior designers — whose Pound Ridge home offers a dazzling glimpse into their artfully eclectic and daringly sophisticated style — have that palpable affection and easy banter of a longtime couple.

After 40 years together, 35 of those married, they have perfected the work-life balance — in their own way.

“Way back in the beginning, we would have knockdown, drag-out fights,” Gail says. “Now we don’t have those. We bicker.”

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Adds Stephen with a smile, “That’s a nice, British sort of word for it.”

Whatever it is, it’s clearly working for the Hubermans, who met on a project in the 1970s.

“We started working together … it turned into a marriage,” Stephen says on a recent afternoon as the couple tours WAG through their home of the past 20 years, one they completely revamped in a style all their own.

Since the start, it’s been about collaboration, Stephen and Gail each bringing their own strengths and specialties to the union that has led them to craft an impressive portfolio of design work in the tristate area, as well as a custom-hardware line, Mrs. H’s Handles, now launching its latest collection.

Stephen, a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design, also has experience in theater and stage design, while Gail, a graduate of Adelphi University, offers expertise in the art field.

Together, the Hubermans are known for projects that weave centuries of influences and textures, styles and materials into finished projects, from single rooms to entire estates, that still manage to be distinctively modern and one of a kind.

They provide all services, coordinating everything from construction to renovations to those finishing details.

Their work has been featured in more than a dozen showhouses and, while the focus is residential, they have worked on commercial spaces.

No matter the project — a new one is for a largescale residence that will host several generations of one family — the goal is to create livable, timeless surroundings.

“I like when we get a certain amount of latitude from a client,” Stephen says.

And that allows him and Gail to integrate their sourcing from around the world.

“I love things that have a story,” Stephen says.

A walk through the Hubermans’ home showcases pieces unearthed through an antiques dealer in Westport, another tracing its roots to Buenos Aires and still another spotted in a Paris flea market.

All, it must be said, fit together and reflect the couple’s sophisticated-yet-playful approach, echoed by everything from the countless examples of Surrealist artwork to the custom monkey-themed mural that anchors the kitchen.

No matter the provenance, the presentation remains key. Stephen points to a grand framed work — on closer inspection a collection of limited-edition wine labels.

“Clients have always said, ‘I could buy a $5 poster and if I give it to you, it looks like a work of art,’” he says of their penchant for securing top-notch framing.

Everything, it seems, can find a place — even if one has to be created.

“A lot of the things we do, not just for ourselves but for clients, is custom,” Stephen says.

Examples here include obelisk-shaped metal displays cut down to make a striking étagère set, while quirky tiles find a new home inset within a custom-crafted wooden table.

And, Gail reminds, “not everything takes a lot of money.”

It’s more ingenuity — such as the unique textured wall coverings in their formal dining room that were sparked by corrugated paper.

Thinking outside the proverbial box is what the Hubermans seem to do best.

“Once in a while we get, ‘You want to do what?’”

Gail says, but more often, they convince clients that a bit of daring can lead to a big payoff.

And that’s just what they are doing with their latest avenue, the new pieces of hardware on display this afternoon in their home office. The bath and cabinet handles, which incorporate wire mesh and laser cutting, are at once industrial and elegant.

“These are our babies on the desk,” Gail says of the pieces that take their resin collection in a whole new direction.

In total, the Hubermans now offer some 70 pieces, all hand-finished.

“We started it many years ago and we had to put it on the back burner because the factory was sold,” Stephen says. But with everything now in place, he assures that the new line, is ready “for the world.”

In all their work, it seems the Hubermans bring a little something extra to the design table.

It’s just like the way a fanciful spiral staircase leads to a totally renovated basement level, now housing what Gail calls a “monster closet,” laun-

Gail and Stephen Huberman, at home in Pound Ridge.

Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

dry room and more.

“We don’t fool around,” Gail says with a smile.

And that translates to what the Hubermans bring to their clients.

As Gail says, “We try to give them a little bit more, not what everyone else has.”

For more, visit sghinteriors.com or mrshs.com.

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LUXE HOME GOODS FOR THE BARGAIN HUNTER It’s a common conundrum that most of us design lovers can relate to: We want great “bones,” textures, patterns and accessories but not the hefty price tags that usually accompany them. No worries.

The Local Vault’s ever-changing inventory of luxury brands is available online at a portion of the cost.

For more, visit thelocalvault.com.

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— Patricia Espinosa of The Local Vault

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Pair of Chelsea House hand-painted vases ($250).

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VERY GEHRY STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.

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Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s “The parliament of reality” was created in 2009. It is the artist’s first major permanent public outdoor installation in the U.S., commissioned by the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard.

Sometimes a turn on a road not previously taken can lead to amazing sights.

And so it is on the north side of Bard College in the hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson made famous by two alums who collectively went by the name Steely Dan that you’ll find the impressive Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

Its own steely presence made more so on a sunny, cloudless day, the center was designed by architect Frank Gehry, whose undulating works include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the colorful Experience Music Project in Seattle and the

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sky-scraping New York by Gehry apartment building in Lower Manhattan.

The Fisher Center, which opened in April 2003, took three years to build and cost $62 million. And despite its imposing (107,000 square feet) size, the center does not burn any fossil fuels, according to the school. Geothermal heat pumps furnish heat and air conditioning.

Its skeleton is made hard by 1,030 tons of both conventional and curved steel.

As for its skin, there are 5,647 stainless-steel shingles.

Gehry and his partner in his architectural firm, Craig Webb, described the performing arts center as such:

“The front façade of the building can be interpreted as a theatrical mask that covers the raw face of the performance space. Its abstract forms prepare the visitor to be receptive to experiencing the performances that occur within. In passing through the doors of the building, entering into the building’s lobby and settling into its theaters, audience members go through a series of transforming experiences that prepare them for the performance about to begin.”

The curves, the drops, the passivity of movement: The center is a rhapsody in this meadow next to Tivoli Bays.

Venture up the hill to the right of the building and what do you see?

Isn’t it a rabbit at rest?

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JOAN LUNDEN This very public figure savors her life at home

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY JOAN LUNDEN

When we think of Joan Lunden, we no doubt think of her as the longtime host of “Good Morning America” — the longest-running host on early morning TV; as a spokeswoman for A Place for Mom, the nation’s leading senior referral service; and as an advocate for those who, like herself, have had breast cancer. (Joan will be the featured speaker for the Breast Cancer Alliance’s 20th anniversary celebration April 9 at Greenwich Country Club.)

Joan Lunden’s Greenwich home.

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But there’s another title she wears just as happily, along with wife and mother, and that is homemaker — one who blends breezy stylishness with a passion for preparation to create havens for her large family in Greenwich; Naples, Maine; and West Palm Beach, Fla. “Women are the ones who make a house a home,” she says. “I relish the opportunity to decorate…. It’s fun when it all comes together.”

Joan is talking from her new home in West Palm Beach where she’s in the midst of that very process.

She and husband Jeff Konigsberg, who owns two summer camps for children in Maine, had a house in Palm Beach. But with two sets of boy-girl twins, 12 and 10; Joan’s three grown daughters and two grandchildren; and Jeff’s extended family — well, she says, it was time for a bigger place where they can all gather.

“We’re not formal people so I try to create a casual, elegant atmosphere,” she says.

Joan leans toward natural tones, rich creams and beiges to suggest comfort and serenity.

“I spent so much of my time on the road,” says the woman who for nearly two decades as a “GMA” host reported from 26 countries and covered five presidents and as many Olympics. “I’m still on the road doing 40 speaking engagements a year…. For me, living my life in the public, my home is my sanctuary.”

In the West Palm Beach house, Joan uses accents of coral and turquoise to create that “Tommy Bahama, Caribbean feel.

“You get the sense of slowing down and putting your feet up,” she says.

The lakeside Maine house has a different vibe, with tiles that mimic wood and motifs of moose, bears and canoes, while the Greenwich house illustrates how Joan has gotten “more adventurous” in the last 10 years — painting her home office red.

But it’s not just an attunement to interior design that reflects the Hestia — Greek goddess of the hearth — in Joan. It’s a sense of discipline, organi-

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Joan Lunden

Joan Lunden will be the featured speaker as the Breast Cancer Alliance celebrates 20 years of accomplishments and survivorship 7 p.m. April 9 at Greenwich Country Club. Paula and Robert G. Burton Sr. and Richards/The Mitchell Family will be honored for their contributions to an organization that has raised more than $21 million for research, fellowships, education and outreach, and screenings for the underserved.

“Joan has a powerful message to share about breast cancer survivorship,” says BCA Executive Director Yonni Wattenmaker.

Tickets are $500. For more, visit weblink.donorperfect.com/20years.

zation and preparedness that enables her to fly in from a speaking engagement and entertain 40 the next night. The pantries are stocked not only with food but with decorations for every holiday from Hanukkah to Valentine’s Day. There’s even a drawer with files of cards for all occasions. And you may spy Joan in Pier 1 Imports, Crate&Barrel and Toys”R”Us purchasing not only decorative items but gifts that she can wrap and store.

“Chance,” Louis Pasteur said, “favors the prepared mind.” So apparently does happiness.

“That’s a way for me to remove the pressure points,” she says of her passion for organization.

“It’s the only way for me to live life in a state of happy.”

Joan brings to that life not only discipline but enormous energy — qualities that no doubt have stood her in good stead through challenging times. One led her to become a spokeswoman for A Place for Mom, which was founded 15 years ago to help mom — and dad and other relatives — find the best senior housing options for themselves.

This was something Joan struggled with after her brother died at age 51 from complications of diabetes and her mother needed care.

As with many who become caregivers for the elderly, Joan cycled through shock, denial and the fits and starts of navigating the complex world of geriatrics.

“I was finding a place for the mom of 10 years ago, not the mom of today,” she says. It wasn’t until she talked to a senior adviser with A Place for Mom, who assessed her mother, that she found the right place — a small residential home with around-the-clock care. Joan’s mother was there until the end of her life at almost age 95. And her daughter can be seen regularly on A Place for Mom commercials as well as its website.

It’s not the only challenge Joan has faced in recent years. In June of 2014, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, which does not respond to conventional treatments.

Joan Lunden’s Maine home.

“You hear those words ‘You have cancer,’ and there’s no way that you are not overwhelmed and shocked,” she says. “There was no history of it in my family. My father was a cancer surgeon. And health was my beat on ‘Good Morning America.’

The core of my work was to help people make better decisions.”

Now Joan was the one in need of help.

“I didn’t say, ‘Why me?’ But I thought, ‘Here I am a health advocate. How am I going to face everyone? I’ve let them down.’”

That night, she thought about her father, who was also a pilot. He was coming back to the family home in Sacramento from Los Angeles when his plane crashed and he was killed.

“And I thought about the odd opportunity I had been given to continue his work. I can go on as a health advocate.”

In that instant, Joan says, her cancer journey changed from a focus on herself to how she could use it to serve others. It has taken her to ALIVE

With Joan, an online channel dedicated to people living with and surviving breast cancer, and her book “Had I Known,” which charts her battle with the disease while offering reflections on her life and career.

Joan endured 16 rounds of very aggressive chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation to shrink her two tumors before having a lumpectomy. It’s been about a year since her last treatment.

She lost all her hair and posed bald and beautiful on the Oct. 6, 2014 cover of People. When her hair grew back, it was curly, as it often is post-chemo.

Today, the old “Joan bob” is gone and in its place is a super-short cut that flatters her lovely bone structure.

“You roll with it,” Joan says. “It’s another thing you go through. Another chapter.”

For more, visit alivewithjoan.com and joanlunden.com. And for more on A Place For Mom, visit aplaceformom.com.

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MAJESTIC MID-COUNTRY MANOR | $12,995,000 This commanding Mid-Country manor blends the timeless architecture and exquisite craftsmanship of a bygone era with 7 bedrooms, 4 acres, and 60’ pool.

WEB ID: 0067897 | Joseph Barbieri | 203.618.3112

EXTRAORDINARY COUNTRY ESTATE | $10,988,000 Extraordinary stone and clapboard Georgian manor perfectly situated on over 4 level, landscaped acres on serene lane. Pool and Tennis court.

WEB ID: 0067428 | Brad Hvolbevck | 203.618.3110

CONNECTICUT CLASSIC | $7,450,000 One of historic Round Hill’s highest properties, 4 acres of sweeping velvety lawns is the stage for this beautifully scaled home with pool.

WEB ID: 0067047 | Steve Archino | 203.618.3140

COUNTRY RETREAT | $5,195,000 Private country retreat, masterfully renovated with custom details. Sited on 5 private landscaped acres. Includes Pool and Tennis Court.

WEB ID: 0065222 | Fran Ehrlich | 203.618.3112

FROST ROAD | $4,495,000 Normandy style home on approx. 2 picturesque acres overlooking Horseneck Brook with pool. A truly special estate.

WEB ID: 0067786 | Shelly Tretter Lynch | 203.618.3103

WYCKHAM HILL | $3,795,000 The beauty of the landscape wonderfully blends with the romance of this lovely five-bedroom Georgian brick house on over 2 acres.

WEB ID: 0067860 | Leslie McElwreath | 203.618.3165

GREENWICH BROKERAGE | 203.869.4343 One Pickwick Plaza | Greenwich, CT 06830 Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.

Joseph Barbieri presents:

HILLANDALE | $75,000,000 A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire the area’s largest and most significant estate. Stately European-style stone manor presides over 262± sylvan acres stretching across the NY/CT border with stunning views over formal gardens and picturesque lake. Original built in 1900, the 20,000± square-foot residence is an exquisite showplace for grandscale entertaining, adorned with imported antique marble, limestone, onyx, mosaic tile and stained glass. Fireplaces serve as focal points of the elegantly paneled formal living and dining rooms, cloak room, library, conservatory and breakfast room. A sumptuous indoor pool with Italian mosaics complements the lovely pool outdoors. Grounds offer tennis court, greenhouse, barns and 4 guest/staff residences.

WEB ID: 0067856 | Joseph Barbieri | 203.618.3112 GREENWICH BROKERAGE | 203.869.4343 One Pickwick Plaza | Greenwich, CT 06830

sothebyshomes.com/greenwich

Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.

WEAR

DRESS-ING

UP THE SEASON

BY DANIELLE RENDA

DRESSES, DRESSES AND MORE DRESSES. As women, we can simply never have enough.

With spring approaching, dresses are certainly at the forefront of fashion.

And what better time to revamp your wardrobe with a few fabulous pieces?

WAG selected seven favorites from Neiman Marcus — four daytime and three evening dresses that are simply spectacular, featuring attractive necklines, flattering silhouettes and demure embellishments, like sequins and lace.

For the daytime looks, we chose colors akin to the budding season.

For the evening, we opted for a glittering palette.

But each dress offers something special — just like the woman in it.

SAMIRA SHORT-SLEEVE LACE DRESS, PALM Elie Tahari, the New York-based designer of this eponymous brand, combines palmgreen lace with scalloped cuts for this ultra-feminine look. Featuring an A-line silhouette, “Samira” nips at the natural waist to enhance the figure. $398.

SLEEVELESS CUTOUT PLEATED DRESS, PINK Fashion icon Carolina Herrera, known for her exquisite style, has created a feminine leather dress with a rounded neckline. The dress seems to have drawn its inspiration from classic tennis wear, as the A-line pleated skirt would look right at home on Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova. $2,990.

SLEEVELESS FLORAL-PRINT FIT-&-FLARE DRESS, PINK/RED

HALF-SLEEVE LACE-HEM DRESS, RED

A spring collection is never complete without a floral print. And this Carolina Herrera creation, with its blossoms of bold red and pink, is a sure showstopper. Featuring a rounded neckline with centered V-cut, this sleeveless dress has a fit-and-flare silhouette, which hugs the natural waist. $1,990.

This Lela Rose creation is the epitome of fabulous daywear. Featuring a textured, scalloped sheer hem with guipure lace detailing in a stunning shade of red, this dress embodies the designer’s ability to mix elegance with contemporary style. $1,396.

Furniture Sharehouse Art Sale Fundraiser

Jaime Laredo, conductor & violin

April 17th at 3 pm Vivaldi: Concerto Grosso in D Minor (Op. 3, No. 11, RV 565) Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 John Corigliano: Voyage Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite

Home is where

the heart is.

Snap up artwork for your home or office: bargains, treasures & one-of-a-kind finds.

Thursday, April 7, 6:30-9:00 pm Serendipity Labs

80 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Rye, NY

Westchester Philharmonic 914.682.3707 | westchesterphil.org

Come to our art sale for a social evening with a few fun surprises.

For tickets visit furnituresharehouse.org

Concerts at the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College.

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SEQUINED OMBRÉ ILLUSION 3/4-SLEEVE DRESS, BRONZE

COSMIC BEAM EMBELLISHED MINI DRESS, BELLINI

SEQUIN-STRIPED TIERED COCKTAIL DRESS, BLACK

Ombré is an ongoing trend in fashion — from hair color to eye shadow and lipstick to jeans and, now, dresses. Monique Lhuillier, known for her wedding gowns, features this stunning sequined, ombré dress with three-quarter sleeves and nips at the natural waist. The dazzling look includes a rounded illusion neckline and a straight skirt with an illusion hem. $3,995.

Fun, flirty and fabulous is the motto of this dress.

Also in an ombré palette, this sequined creation

by French Connection features sleeveless, cut-in shoulders and a fitted silhouette. The high neckline contrasts with the length, which highlights the wearer’s legs. $268.

For an evening look, WAG couldn’t resist another creation by Carolina Herrera — a beautiful, embellished-woven, sleeveless dress with a rounded neckline. The tiered look creates an attractive A-line silhouette and the black bow, positioned on the neckline, adds a youthful touch. $5,290.

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For more, visit neimanmarcus.com.

WEAR

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SPRING FLING

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY NEIMAN MARCUS

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When a woman sees the signature shiny, red-lacquered outsole, she knows it’s a Christian Louboutin.

And that name has been synonymous with luxury since 1991.

Known as the man who reintroduced stilettos into fashion, Louboutin creates shoes with ultra-high heels that lengthen and accentuate the leg. They’re simply showstoppers with all the trimmings, including glossy studs, intricate straps, eye-catching colors, hand-placed crystals, embellished mesh, bold bows and the more unusual touches, like the wavy heel.

For spring, WAG selected six favorites from Neiman Marcus Westchester. Featuring an array of prints, colors and styles, this fabulous footwear will make an impression, whether it’s at a daytime affair, cocktail party, business event or late-night dinner.

(1) FOLLIES SPIKED CORK RED SOLE PUMP, MULTICOLOR Like luxury, these shoes need no introduction.

When you enter a room wearing these bad boys, you’ll have all eyes on you (or them). The printed cork pump with the allover golden spike studding is a most enchanting combination for any fashionista. Pair it with a little black dress for an unexpected pop. $1,295.

(2) SENORA DENIM RED SOLE SANDAL, BLUE/WHITE Embody the tropics with this four-inch stiletto’s palm-print embossed leather trim. The blue denim material complements a white, black or pastel-colored day dress. To draw attention to the sandal’s T-strap, pair it with a knee-length dress. $895.

(3) DORISSIMA PATENT RED SOLE PUMP, RED What shoe collection is complete without a traditional red heel? Because some of us just like conventional.

This classic four-inch patent leather heel features a topstitched collar and rounded toe. And — must we mention? — red adds spice to any ensemble. $675.

(4) SO KATE CHEVRON CORK RED SOLE PUMP, MULTI This shoe is the epitome of modern art, with its multicolored geometrical print in chevron cork.

Pair it with a monochromatic dress for a charming statement. $695.

(5) TUCSKICK GLITTERED RED SOLE PUMP, WHITE/GOLD You’re all about the glitz and glam when stepping into — and out with — this shoe. Bring attention to the glittered collar with matching gold jewelry or a bedazzled clutch. $845.

(6) SUELLENA LASER-CUT PEEP-TOE RED SOLE PUMP, NUDE Sophistication and spunk define this shoe. The laser-cut leather adds fine detail, while the peeptoe gives it a subtle sexiness and the beige tone, a certain softness. $1,295.

For more, visit neimanmarcus.com.

Enjoy a Wee Bit of Real IRISH Food A Unique Grocery Store OPEN EVERY DAY Sun & Mon 12-4 Tues-Sat 10-5 Wed & Fri 10-7

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GIFTS AND NEW PRODUCTS IDEAL FOR ANY OCCASION COMPILED BY MARY SHUSTACK

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IN A MOST DRAMATIC LIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE)

Ethan Allen, the Danbury-based furniture and home fashion company, has its finger on the pulse of chic lighting with the dramatic Alexa Chandelier. Featured in the HGTV® DREAM HOME 2016, the statement piece is available in antique silver, shown here, or antique gold. Add a touch of understated elegance to your surroundings with the design, in small ($939) or large ($1,399).

For more, visit ethanallen.com.

Photograph courtesy of Ethan Allen.

TAKE A STYLISH SEAT

(2) The Lillian August Design Center in Norwalk is certainly a place for décor inspiration, and the company — featured a year ago on the cover of WAG’s “Passion for Design” issue — has just shared some new designs from its Lillian August Fine Furniture for Hickory White collection. Among our favorites is the Sylvie Chair (from $1,587), with a stylish tufted back.

This example, $2,043, is in Columbo Teal/Grade 12 fabric with a silver antique artisan finish.

For more, visit lillianaugust.com or hickorywhite.com/lillianaugust.

Photograph courtesy of Lillian August.

A TRIP TO CAPRI

(3) Capri, in all its glamorous vibrancy, inspired this

3

Sarnia Aqua Brass Square Chair ($2,580) designed by Francesco Della Femina and handcrafted by skilled artisans around Naples. The black varnished iron chair, upholstered in fabric by Casamance, balances minimalism with a touch of grace.

For more, visit artemest.com.

Photograph courtesy of Artemest.

ANGLING FOR ELEGANCE

(4) Corner comfort and elegance with the Mimi Chair at Bloomingdale’s White Plains. This 100-percent cotton, blue-colored beauty fits and sits easily. Plus, two can be combined into a loveseat. $970.

For more, visit bloomingdales.com.

Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

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REDESIGN YOUR HOME

A selection of the finest home-design companies to renew your abode COMPILED BY DANIELLE RENDA

ARCHITECTS

BATH & TILES

BUILDERS

3 Pine St., second floor South Norwalk, Conn. 06854 203-838-5616 pbs-archs.com

830 Central Ave. Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 914-723-2002 bestplg.com

27 Grove St. New Canaan, Conn. 06840 203-966-0726 hobbsinc.com

Pagliaro Bartels Sajda Architects

Best Plumbing Tile & Stone

Shope Reno Wharton

18 Marshall St., Suite 114 South Norwalk, Conn. 06854 203-852-7250 shoperenowharton.com

AWNINGS & SHADES

Gregory Sahagian & Son 18-20 N. Central Ave. Hartsdale, N.Y. 10530 914-949-9877 gssawning.com

Hobbs Inc.

Murphy Brothers Contracting Inc. 416 Waverly Ave. Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 914-777-5777 203-629-1291 murphybrothers.com

CLOSET DESIGN The Royal Closet

6-B Muller Drive Norwalk, Conn. 06851 203-847-4179 royalcloset.com

CURTAINS

Curtain Works of Greenwich 30 E. Putnam Ave. Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-622-2354 curtainworksofgreenwich.com

Best Plumbing

Gregory Sahagian & Son

Scarsdale 914.723.2002

Stamford 203.975.9448

Somers 914.232.2020

Yorktown 914.736.2468

Do You Dream in

?

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Awnings Beautify your Home!

Transform your pergola, deck, patio, or terrace into an extra living space that everyone will enjoy. Maintain the traditional appearance of your home by installing a stationary awning or create a more contemporary look with a retractable system. Our awnings allow you to maximize your outdoor living space, provide relief from the sun’s harmful rays, reduce energy costs and create an elegant expression of your personal taste and style.

Gregory Sahagian & Son, Inc. 18 North Central Avenue Hartsdale, NY 10530 (914) 949-9877 A Full Service Awning Company Since 1990 Fully Licensed and Insured LIC.# WC-10266-H99

Visit us online @ www.gssawning.com

FURNISHINGS & RUGS Lillian August

32 Knight St. Norwalk, Conn. 06851 855-576-4144 lillianaugust.com

MANTELS, STAINED GLASS & UNIQUE ITEMS United House Wrecking 535 Hope St. Stamford, Conn. 06906 203-348-5371 unitedhousewrecking.com

Stickley Audi and Co.

POOLS

Aqua Pool & Patio Inc.

53 Newberry Road East Windsor, Conn. 06088 866-623-9886 aquapool.com

50 Tarrytown Road White Plains, N.Y. 10607 914-948-6333 stickley.com

HB Whitaker Garage Doors

GARAGE DOORS

HB Whitaker Garage Doors 5 Fallsview Lane Brewster Heights, N.Y. 10509 914-962-9872 whitakergaragedoors.com

KITCHENS

Bilotta Kitchens

564 Mamaroneck Ave. Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 914-381-7734 bilotta.com

Deane Inc.

Aqua Pool & Patio Inc.

189 Elm St. New Canaan, Conn. 06840 203-972-8836 deaneinc.com

WAGMAG.COM

Photograph courtesy Lillian August

SELECT CARS AND DEALERSHIPS

Top picks in luxury, inventory, style, safety and customer service in WAG country COMPILED BY DANIELLE RENDA

Acura MDX

Audi Q5

Bentley Continental GT

BMW 528i Sedan

• Starting from $42,865 • 3.5-liter engine, 290 horsepower, V-6 engine • EPQ fuel economy ratings of 19 city, 27 highway and 22 combined • Rearview camera with three separate views • GPS-linked climate-control option for changing conditions

Acura of Westchester

• Starting at $40,900 • Earned rating of Top Safety Pick+ from Insurance Institution of Highway Safety • Smooth handling with design elements like LED daytime running lights • All-wheel drive and choice of three powerful engines

New Country Audi of Greenwich

• Starting at $212,150 • EPQ fuel economy ratings of 15 city and 25 highway • Electronic stability, security system, traction control • Automatic temperature controls, illuminated entry, remote keyless entry, steering-wheel memory

Miller Motorcars

• Starting at $50,200 • EPQ fuel economy ratings of 15 city and 34 highway • Panic alarm, ignition disable, overhead airbags, security system • Rear-window defroster, high-intensity discharge headlights, rain-sensing wipers

BMW of Darien

2155 Palmer Ave., Larchmont, N.Y. 10538 888-856-9113 acuraofwestchester.com

181 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 888-475-8594 newcountrygreenwichaudi.com

273, 275, 338, 342, 348 W. Putnam Ave. Greenwich, Conn. 06830 800-721-8781 millermotorcars.com

140 Ledge Rd., Darien, Conn. 06820 855-349-6240 bmwdarien.com

Serving Westchester County and the Tri-State Area since 1986.

2155 PALMER AVE. • LARCHMONT, NY

1-888-928-3008 www.AcuraOfWestchester.com

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Infiniti Q50

• Starting at $45,630 • 3.7-liter engine, V-6 cylinder configuration, 328 horsepower • Automatic temperature and speed control, illuminated entry • Dual front- and side-impact airbags, power alarm, security system

Pepe Infiniti

300 Central Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10606 877-895-8251 pepeinfiniti.com

Mercedes CLA • Advanced airbag protection system, 24-hour roadside assistance program, anti-theft alarm system • 208 horsepower, all-season tires • Rain-sensing intermittent windshield wipers, keyless start, dual-zone automatic climate control

Mercedes-Benz of Greenwich

261 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 877-635-2290 mercedesbenzgreenwich.com

Subaru Forester

Toyota Corolla

• Black, three-piece hard-top, premium sun-rider soft top • Power-heated mirror, remote keyless entry, security alarm • Fuel city 17 miles per gallon, fuel economy highway 21 miles per gallon

Stamford Subaru

• EPQ fuel economy ratings of 28 city and 37 highway • Electronic traction control, intermittent windshield wipers • Climate control, tilt telescoping steering wheel • 1.8-liter engine, 132 horsepower

Rivera Toyota of Mount Kisco

2015 MINI Countryman

2015 BMW 435 xDrive Gran Coupe

198 Baxter Ave., Stamford, Conn. 06902 877-356-9939 stamfordsubaru.com

325 N. Bedford Rd., Mount Kisco, N.Y. 10549 866-443-5436 riveratoyota.com

2015 VOLVO XC90

BMW of Darien BMWDarien.com 203-656-1804

MINI of Fairfield County MiniFairfieldCounty.com 203-348-4700

Volvo of Westport VolvoOfWestport.com 203-222-1122

140 Ledge Rd., Darien, CT 06820

154 Post Rd., Darien, CT 06820

556 Post Rd., Westport, CT 06880

Connecticut’s Automotive Marketplace

WANDERS

Photograph by Scott Bauer, U.S. Department of Agriculture 78

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CHERRY BLOSSOMS JUBILEE D.C. HOTELS GET MAKEOVERS

BY JEREMY WAYNE

By the time you read this piece, spring will be nearly sprung, and with it (or even before it), the nation’s capital will explode in a riot of pink and white extravagance, as loud, as florid and as blousy as anything in nature. And that’s the time I want to be in D.C., when the first warm breezes start to waft in across the tidal basin as you stroll in West Potomac Park, when you feel yourself seeing pink at the foot of the Washington Monument.

This spring, a crop of new — or newly renovated hotels — all of them with exceptional design, will make the city more inviting than ever. The landmark Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown — the first Four Seasons property in the United States — is just completing a $13 million restoration of both its east and west wings. Its guest rooms are looking positively spruce, let me tell you, with a cream and taupe color palette that is not only timeless

but also subtly references cherry blossoms in soft and muted wallpapers.

The hotel’s “power” restaurant, Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak, is newly swank, too, with refreshed upholstery and a gorgeous new stone mosaic inlay floor. The Four Seasons’ spa, meanwhile, one of the very best in the city — with its own lap pool, no less — has also had an upgrade.

The enhanced locker rooms alone will make you want to take a second look.

Two blocks away, the recently opened Capella Washington DC is in an enviable position, right on the Chesapeake Bay and Ohio Canal and close to the Georgetown Waterfront Park — perfect if you’re a jogger. Designed by Peter Silling, this design-conscious, intimate, 49-guest room hotel sports the first floor high-gloss wood and onyx Rye Bar, a rooftop bar and a canal-side terrace, along with museum-quality contemporary art.

Dupont Circle, which to my mind has felt ever so slightly down-at-heel in recent years, is looking up. Minutes on foot from the White House, the Irish-owned Dupont Circle hotel, part of the very well-run Doyle Collection (former Emerald Isle

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Rye Bar at the Capella Washington DC. Photograph courtesy of the Capella Hotels.

President Mary Robinson was checking out as I was arriving), boasts a terrific club lounge on the ninth floor with exceptional views across the city in all directions. This summer will see a complete renovation of the hotel’s restaurant, Café Dupont.

Already a very social hub, I think this will be a re-

Kick off the New Year creating some BUZZ for your business...

launch to look for.

One of D.C.’s most famous hotels, The Watergate, which first opened in 1967 but had fallen into decay and disuse in recent years, is relaunching this spring after a $125 million renovation — big bucks even in a city where big bucks can often

public relations sponsorships community outreach

communications branding

marketing advertisingsocial media buzz

7-11 Legion Drive, Suite #102 Valhalla, NY 10595 914.358.5080 | www.buzz-creators.com

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seem like loose change. Originally designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti, the “new” Watergate will offer 343 rooms (100 more than previously), a whisky bar called The Next, a restaurant called Kingbird and a rooftop bar called The Top of the Gate. Many of the hotel’s key interior spaces are the work of Israeli artist and designer Ron Arad.

And it doesn’t stop there: There’s a new Hyatt Place — the not-quite-budget brand from Hyatt — on K Street, near the White House; Marriott’s cosseting and rather sexy new AC Hotel at National Harbor and the totally reimagined “urban-lifestyle” Embassy Row Hotel, another Dupont Circle property, which has been completely made over.

Headquarters for D.C.’s annual Pride Parade, The Embassy Row is looking very spry after its $15 million surgery, with a 24-hour “curated” chef’s pantry, an adult playground games room alongside a seriously well-equipped fitness center and a rooftop spa among its upscale offerings.

Spoiled for choice? You will be. But wherever you decide to stay in the nation’s capital this spring, don’t forget it’s not just about the hotel. After you’ve awakened and smelled the coffee (from the latest, state-of-the-art VertuoLine Nespresso coffee machine, no doubt), don’t forget exactly why it was you came to town in the first place.

That’s right: You need to get out and smell the blossoms.

Le Farm: An inspirational property, a sought-after address! Bedford, NY This 25 acre gentleman’s farm offers privacy & tranquility in a stunning equestrian setting. The thoughtfully renovated 5 BR main house is perfectly sited on the property, overlooking a pond, paddocks, & rolling lawns. French doors beckon guests to the terrace & pool, while large windows frame idyllic views. The heart of the home is a luminous great room w/a vaulted ceiling & stone fireplace, while formal living & dining rooms offer venues for more traditional entertaining. The west wing master suite & adjacent oak-paneled study offer the perfect setting for quiet repose. Another 3 family BR’s and 2 BTH’s reside in the south wing of the home, & an additional guest suite occupies its upper level. In addition to the pool/pool house & terrace, the grounds offer a tennis court, 2-BR guest cottage, garage space, & a greenhouse. The equestrian facilities include a 5 stall barn, outdoor arena, 6 paddocks, & direct access to the Bedford riding lanes. MLS#4526323 Price Upon Request

Extraordinary Equestrian Estate, North Salem, NY Enter a half mile driveway to this spectacular 68 acre secluded equestrian estate surrounded by 200 acres of conservation land on historic Baxter Rd. The distinctive 6 bedroom, 7 bath stone/clapboard home features a spacious master suite with his and her bathrooms, a wine cellar and a luxurious indoor pool. The 8 stall barn includes a tack room, feed room, wash stall and full hay loft with a 2 bedroom Groom’s apartment above.

Adjacent to the barn is an 80 x 180 ft. indoor riding arena plus an outdoor ring and large flat grass paddocks. Numerous garages for the car enthusiast. All in turn key condition.

MLS#4521039 Price: $8,000,000

Honey Hollow, Pound Ridge, NY Sited on 34 bucolic acres of open fields, lush woodlands and within walking distance of the 4700 acre Pound Ridge reservation is this classic 6 bedroom, 6 1/2 baths colonial. This traditional home melds relaxed country living with generously proportioned rooms for elegant entertaining. The property includes a strategically situated pool, an artfully planted terrace and tennis court. This home offers a remarkable lifestyle in a picturesque setting!

MLS#4532852 Price: $3,398,000

Hook Road Retreat,, Bedford, NY

Hidden Paradise, Bedford, NY

Cross Pond Farm, Pound Ridge, NY

Built ca. 1760. 8 BR’s, 4 BTH, 4353 sq. ft. Colonial Beautiful colonial, on prestigious Hook Rd. in the heart of the estate area. Original antique was renovated and expanded to include 5 BRs & 5.1 Baths. Gourmet Kitchen w/ granite counters/custom cabinets, gas/electric cook-top & Subzero refrigerator opens to finely appointed family room/living room. Window wrapped Breakfast rm. 2 level landscaped acres fenced with gated entry, heated pool, stone work & patio. An additional 1,734sq ft. of basement with high ceilings, suitable for finishing. Privately situated but close to village and convenient to train station.

MLS#4605229 Price: $1,790,000

Privacy and tranquility await you in this tucked away contemporary built by Vuko Tashkovitch. This 4 bedroom 3.1 bath home provides 3,931 sq. ft. of sun filled rooms and beautiful views that give way to an easy flow and carefree style of living. Dramatic floor to ceiling windows and stone fireplace enhance the spacious living room with large glass doors that lead to a generous sized deck. A heated Gunite salt water pool provides the perfect place to relax and entertain. Surrounded by 100 state acres, this gem is ideal for full time or weekend iving. It is a beautiful retreat that is just minutes from town.

MLS#4436476 Price: $1,625,000

This striking 3BR, 2 1/2 bath Farmhouse was meticulously expanded and renovated in 2011. The gourmet kitchen is fitted with inset cabinets, zinc countertops, fireplace and reclaimed barn wood island. The room is further detailed with cathedral ceilings, shiplap boards, wide plank light wood floors and a window-wrapped breakfast area. French doors, a Juliette balcony, marble baths, two fireplaces and a radiant heated dog room are just a few added amenities. The 3.3 acre horse property features a 3-stall barn, several 4-board fenced paddocks and a separate dog paddock. A wraparound deck with views overlooking the property and pond adds a variety of venues to enjoy this pastoral landscape.

MLS#4603420 Price: $1,179,000

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

THE DESSERTIST finds sweet spot in Croton

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI

It’s one thing to enjoy desserts. It’s another to step into a baker’s world.

At The Dessertist, one of Croton-on-Hudson’s newest storefronts, customers are invited into the wonderland of owner Samantha Eichenberg — while enjoying her desserts, of course.

WAG first introduced readers to Eichenberg last July. That’s when we learned about where it all started — with a cake in the shape of a cat. Now the Croton resident has opened her first brick-and-mortar store, featuring daily treats, baking classes and an event space.

“I mean, it’s me. I’ve always been known to wear the stilettos in the kitchen,” Eichenberg says jokingly as she kicks up her turquoise heels before giving WAG a tour of the shop. We couldn’t help but notice she was wearing the same necklace from our first meeting, featuring a fork-and-knife tie clip that had once belonged to her grandfather and that she took as a sign from him to pursue her culinary dreams.

Those dreams have taken her to a shop with an open floor plan in two sections. Up front, customers can buy desserts, decorate their own and book events while in the back kitchen, Eichenberg makes the magic happen.

And all of it’s decorated in The Dessertist’s signature black, white and turquoise color scheme.

“The kitchen area is whimsical and colorful,” she says. “It’s kind of the window into my world.”

Eichenberg’s tour included an introduction to “Gwen,” a unicorn wall ornament with a turquoise horn. She even showed us the bathroom, which showcases interesting artwork of sugar skulls (a popular Day of the Dead treat)-turned-baking-divas and a floor-to-ceiling mural of baking goods, hand-painted by Eichenberg and her 5-year-old daughter, Charley.

“This is my home now. These are my roots. I am ingrained in these walls.”

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The Dessertist’s offerings change daily. The irresistible cake balls, cookies and cupcakes on display at 10 a.m. are not the same flavors sold hours later. In addition to retail, The Dessertist offers private event bookings, including birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, girls’ nights out and corporate meetings. The shop will soon offer monthly family-friendly baking classes, adult classes — for the boozy desserts — and dessert date nights.

Eichenberg is also starting the Design Bar, an interactive play opportunity for children. Parents or guardians can buy a package of four cupcakes, along with a few choices of frosting and sprinkles and decorate the goodies with the kids.

But Eichenberg is especially thrilled about bringing all of these opportunities to her hometown.

“When this space was available, I really never thought it could be a possibility,” she says. “But I stepped in here for the first time and just knew it was where I wanted to be.

The Dessertist is at 50 Maple St. For more, call 914-8624016 or visit thedessertist.com.

“Peekskill is my home, and keeping us safe is my job.”

Kaitlyn Corbett Nuclear Engineer Kaitlyn Corbett has always called New York home. Born and raised in Buffalo, she earned her degree in nuclear power engineering at SUNY College of Technology and moved to Peekskill to start her career at Indian Point. Safety is the single most important mission for Kaitlyn and her 1,000 colleagues at the plant, and it’s been the focus of her years of study and training in the nuclear power industry. Every day, engineers are graded on their performance by inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC recently gave Kaitlyn and the team at Indian Point its highest safety rating — for the fifth year in a row.

Discover more about Indian Point at SafeSecureVital.com

POWERING NEW YORK

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Joe Bertolozzi “plays” the Eiffel Tower as his engineers record the sounds. Photograph courtesy Joe Bertolozzi.

TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT

BY BOB ROZYCKI

Some people look at the Eiffel Tower and see a magnificent piece of architecture rising above Paris. Others say it’s a place for romance. The tower has been the backdrop for hundreds of movies since it was erected for the 1889 World’s Fair. It was where Grace Jones’ character May Day in the James Bond film “A View to a Kill” parachuted to escape Roger Moore’s 007. (Her jump was much more successful than that of French tailor/inventor Franz Reichelt, whose attempt to test his parachute device in 1912 ended in a most deadly thud.)

For Joe Bertolozzi, the Eiffel Tower is an instrument — albeit a very tall one at 1,063 feet — that was meant to be played.

For the Beacon composer it was inevitable.

When we last checked in with our intrepid musician/composer — for the Westchester County Business Journal, WAG’s sister publication — he was finishing up his album “Bridge Music,” based on his banging and drumming (with state approval, of course) on the Mid-Hudson Bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland.

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With that project complete, his restless soul needed something.

One night, his wife took her hand and bang, hit a poster hanging in their bedroom. The image on the poster was the Eiffel Tower. That could work, he thought.

He began doing his due diligence: Who owns the tower? Who should be contacted first? He wrote a letter translated into French to the mayor of Paris in 2009. He included a booklet with testimonials verifying his legitimacy so as not to be mistaken for

some kook just wanting to bang on this monument, this symbol of France.

He found that he miscalculated the speed at which things get done in France. He got the goahead to be able to record for two weeks in June 2013. And so in the airy heights of the iron lattice tower, Bertolozzi — along with two sound engineers, a producer who was afraid of heights, a secretary, a videographer and a photographer — went to work.

Girders, spindles, handrails and suicide fencing were each played in Bertolozzi’s own inimitable fashion — with wooden dowels, a black rubber mallet, drumsticks, a felt mallet, a rubber hammer and, of course, his trusty log with sheepskin pad.

Using surface microphones, each hit was recorded, and in turn its position on the tower was labeled with its exact location. The French media were intrigued. His playing was splashed across TV screens in France. He realized his celebrity status during a visit to a grocery store when the bagger said, “Hello, Mr. Bertolozzi.”

Back at his home in Dutchess County, up the stairs past his room-filling collection of gongs and cymbals, Bertolozzi sat in his studio and faced the daunting task ahead. Over four months, three knee surgeries and a blood clot in his lung, he listened to 10,000 samples of sounds he created on the Eiffel Tower. He whittled those sounds down to 2,500 and then to 1,200.

“I didn’t want the ear to hear the same strike,” he says.

He culled the sounds, cataloged the sounds but did not modify the sounds.

Each sound represented a note that he took and turned into compositions.

There are no sound effects or harmonics added to his songs.

“It’s mind-boggling,” I tell him. He dismisses my labeling of him as a “brainiac.”

Last year he worked with the audio engineer who was with him on the tower to do the mixing of his songs. The result is called “Tower Music,” and is due for full release April 29 with an event set for the Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie.

In the meantime, check out “A Thousand Feet of Sound,” the first single from “Tower Music/Musique de la Tour,” on YouTube.

As I wrote when we first met, don’t dismiss him or his works as quirky or worse. After all, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: “Music is liquid architecture. Architecture is frozen music.”

For more, visit josephbertolozzi.com/store.

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WONDERFUL DINING

NOT JUST NOIR ET BLANC A SELF-STYLED STAMFORD ‘BISTRONOMIE’ OFFERS AN UNUSUAL BRUNCH

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIELLE BRODY Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy.

Noir is a French restaurant that knows how to let loose. It’s a self-proclaimed “bistronomie” — a blend of “bistro” and “gastronomy,” offering a creative menu that goes beyond France for inspiration.

On a recent Sunday morning, I went to Noir for brunch, expecting to feel underdressed in jeans and to find a French menu with quiche and pastries. Once I found the small spot on Summer Street, I felt at ease.

It combines the drink menu and hip interior (ex86

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posed brick, large prints on the wall and chalkboards) with the intimacy of a French café (small tables and round-back chairs to seat 40), encouraging lively conversations between diners and the warm staff.

Noir has something for everyone, from the background music switching seamlessly from jazz to contemporary-but-mellow hits, to the menu, which has hearty dishes with seafood and meat and upgraded classics.

I started with a brunch food that isn’t often on the menu at restaurants — deviled eggs. While I enjoyed the creamy texture and caper aioli, a small piece of bacon – which would have been a nice touch on top – was hard rather than crispy and fatty. Had the

bacon been cooked differently, it would have been a perfect start to brunch. After, a colorful plate of sliced fruit, with fresh-tasting cream and yogurt on the side, brightened things up for the rest of the meal.

One of the standouts was pastelon, a Puerto Rican dish of layered sweet plantains, beef and cheese. It looked and tasted like lasagna without the pasta. It was hearty, yet also sweet — a perfect dish for a big appetite.

If you’re in the mood for sweet, Noir’s versions of French toast and pancakes are another must. The “Monica’s French toast,” made with challah bread, Grand Marnier and browned butter, is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was a little un-

Bananas Foster griddle cakes topped with praline pecans.

Pastelon.

dercooked but still decadent. The bananas Foster griddle cakes, also a dessert-like treat, were balanced with the crunch of the praline pecans on top and a spice that gave the pancakes a kick, whether eaten on their own or with the delicious glaze.

With all this food under my belt, I thought I could go for a true cocktail — a Jazzy Latina, with jalapeño-infused tequila, strawberry purée, lime and Cointreau. Don’t let its friendly pink color fool you: It is intense with a sweet and sour punch. If you can handle it, it’s also intensely satisfying. Other drinks listed on the chalkboard were just as inventive and beautiful prepared.

With the salty refreshment, I was ready for

Deviled eggs with caper aioli, bacon and pimentone.

some dishes from the sea. I enjoyed the eggs Benedict with fresh jumbo lump crab and hollandaise sauce. The seafood was an unexpected addition to an often simple dish. I was surprised to see Cajun-spiced shrimp and grits on the menu, but I liked them. The grits, which I don’t normally order because they tend to be bland, were the star, and I smothered the shrimp in the creamy Southern staple.

The dish I was most excited about, chicken and waffles, was a little disappointing. The chicken was not as crispy as I thought it would be, but I did like the heat from the jalapeño maple syrup and the soft, thick waffles.

Despite some small issues — and remember, Noir’s brunch is new — I enjoyed the atmosphere and the menu, especially because many of the dishes had unique surprises. Best of all, I left full enough until dinner, which is all you can want from brunch.

If you’re looking for more traditional French food, Noir’s dinner menu has escargot, steak frites and pappardelle, among other small plates, salads and entrées of meat and fish. The restaurant is open Tuesdays through Saturdays for dinner and Sundays for brunch.

Still, whether it’s le matin or la nuit, Noir, is worth walking into, even in jeans.

For more, visit noirstamford.com.

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WINE & DINE

ALL WINERIES great and small

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING

When I was a kid, my parents and my considerably older siblings would drink gallon-size bottles of Gallo or Almaden or Inglenook on ski trips or other vacations. There was never any kind of discussion of taste or structure or finish. It was all about the price and the buzz. I never remember any 750-milliliter bottles with corks being opened, and I never saw anything from Europe or any of the other nascent wineries or wine regions of the world. Choosing was easy for them — big bottle, cheap price.

Today the buying options can be truly bewildering, especially if you shop at the mega-chain wine and spirits stores that didn’t exist in the U.S. until recently.

Wines are displayed by region or by grape or even by pricing. You might find 200 examples of Chardonnay or sparkling wine. How do you decide? Public relations expert and wine consultant Paul Wagner — founding president and partner of Balzac Communications & Marketing in Napa — told me, “The most difficult part of the wine industry is selling your wine, making it stand out in the marketplace.” And there are many other aspects of the business that are notoriously difficult. To make wine requires significant knowledge of farming, microbiology, technology and finance, to name a few related fields.

There was a time when I would only drink large, well-known producers, the thought being there was a predictability in the bottle and it rarely disappointed.

But then on a media wine trip in the late 1990s to Israel, I discovered boutique wineries, and a whole new sense of unusual grapes and wine styles presented 88

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The husband-and-wife team of Ilaria and Giovan Batista Basile enjoy a quiet moment overlooking their vineyards in Tuscany.

Basile Winery produces 50,000 bottles annually.

itself. A boutique winery is loosely defined as having an annual production of around 100,000 bottles or less. Since then I have visited hundreds of wineries in both hemispheres, and I have come to realize there is a cooperation between most of the big and small producers of the world.

Most every wine region of the world has at least one huge and well-financed winery that has the desire and the means to bring in soil and terroir consultants who might suggest tearing out uninteresting vineyards and replanting something better.

These wineries also have the resources to experiment with pruning and harvesting techniques, along with winemaking and oak influence ideas, and often pave the way to the market regionally, which gives credence to all the smaller producers of the area. American-born Victor Schoenfeld of Golan Heights Winery of Israel is, simply put, the most influential winemaker in that country. All eyes in the winemaking world of Israel are on him, and he is thorough with his experimentation and generous with his knowledge and discoveries. His success helps all the producers of the region as a rising tide lifts all boats.

Georges Duboeuf is that guy in the Beaujolais region in the south of Burgundy. Gérard Bertrand and Jean-Claude Mas, of Gerard Bertrand wines and Paul Mas wines respectively, each lead the way in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France.

And Claudio Tipa of ColleMassari winery in the Montecucco region of Tuscany has the money, reputation and influence to improve all the wines of the region.

His massive investments in the area are transforming this relatively unknown part of Tuscany into an area capable of making high quality wines. Meanwhile in Chile, Casa Lapostolle and Concha y Toro are two of the large and monied wineries forging the way.

The smaller producers of the world often come from some other careers or business sectors. I have visited many of these wineries and it’s usually like visiting a relative. The owner will typically welcome us in the driveway, give the vineyard and winery tour, which often has some unfinished construction components due to financial constraints, and then welcome us to the family porch or dining room to taste through the wines.

So how do you choose? It’s not an either/or decision. Go big. Go boutique. Try them all. There are some large wine tastings in most metropolitan areas that will showcase a regional collective of wines where it’s easy to find wineries of all sizes. And if you have the good fortune to visit a wine region of the world, do a little homework first. On location, winery tours are informative, not just about the wines but also about the geography, geology and regional history, among other interests.

If you communicate with a boutique producer in advance and tell him or her you tried the wines and would like to visit on an upcoming trip, you could well find yourself sitting in an easy chair, wine glass in hand, overlooking the vineyards, with the winemaker telling the story of how this wine came to be.

There’s nothing better.

Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.

WHETTING THE APPETITE

RED WINE LINGUINE

BY JACQUELINE RUBY PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI

INGREDIENTS

Well this is something out of the ordinary. I always wanted to try this recipe. Had the girls over, and they went crazy for it. You will be a star chef when you prepare this easy dish.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

DIRECTIONS 1.

2.

3.

For more, contact the Saucy Realtor at jacquelineruby@ 90 WAGMAG.COM MARCH 2016 hotmail.com. Tableware courtesy Casafina.

5 cups water 3 1/4 cups dry red wine Salt 3/4 pound spaghetti 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped basil and parsley 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley 1 cup walnuts (4 ounces), toasted and coarsely chopped 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving Freshly ground black pepper

Fill a saucepan with the water, three cups of the wine and a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the garlic and red pepper and season with salt. Cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of wine and the reserved cooking liquid and simmer. Stir in the pasta and cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed, 2 minutes. Add the parsley, nuts, the 1/2 cup of cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and toss. Season the pasta with the basil-parsley mixture, salt and pepper and serve, passing grated cheese at the table.

Serve with Montepulciano Red Wine or Barola.

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WHAT'S UP?

A design for working with autism

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

A selection of American Girl dolls on display at Girl Again. Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

In the heart of White Plains’ pink brick and stone financial district lies a most unusual doll shop.

The cozy pastel-colored 750-square-foot space sells donated, slightly used, reconditioned American Girl dolls — most of them retired favorites like Kaya’aton’my and Felicity Merriman — for a portion of what they would cost on eBay. The Girl Again store, which also teems with accessories, is catnip to Tricia Guldner, who sometimes visits with her 6-year-old, Elizabeth.

“This is a special treat for my daughter,” says the Eastchester resident. “We don’t have to go into the city to the store there, and the dolls are of excellent quality.”

Sales, however, are not the real point of the shop.

“We’re not in the doll business,” says Marjorie Madfis. “We’re in the job-skills business.”

A former IBM-er, Madfis is founding president of Yes She Can, a 3-year-old nonprofit designed to train autistic women for the workplace. So far, Girl Again, which opened under the Yes She Can aegis two years ago, has served 14 women between the ages of 17 and 27 who have been diagnosed with the autism spectrum disorder. The spectrum includes pervasive de-

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velopmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS) and Asperger syndrome.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 68 American children has been identified with the autism spectrum disorder. He might be that numbers whiz who has trouble joining in at the company picnic. Or he may be severely handicapped. And it usually is a he. Only 25 percent of those identified are female. They are doubly, even triply challenged, Madfis says, because as with heart disease, autism research centers on the male. And because women are expected to be socially pleasing in the workplace, while people on the autism spectrum usually have trouble picking up on social cues and communicating. Being seen as “quirky” might cut it for men, she adds. Women, not so much.

Among the young women who’ve been identified with autism spectrum disorder is Madfis’ daughter Isabelle, who always dreamed of styling hair for American Girl — created 30 years ago by Pleasant Rowland to teach 8- to 11-year-olds history through a series of books and dolls of various backgrounds. (The Pleasant Company is now owned by Mattel.) At Girl Again, young women such as Isabelle learn to clean, repair, inventory, price, tag and display items. And yet, Madfis and her team of volunteers say that’s not enough.

“An important piece is what (autism expert) Brenda Smith Myles calls 'the hidden curriculum,'"

says Sheri Baron, a psychologist and volunteer whose practice centers on those with autism spectrum disorder. “There are people rules that aren’t articulated. Rules that are implied and inferred.”

Rules that those with autism, who may be highly structured and hyper-focused, don’t intuit.

“Shifting gears is a problem for them,” says Patricia Rowan, a social worker and volunteer whose practice is also concerned with those on the autism spectrum.

So part of what Girl Again does is to teach workstyle skills — communicating with your peers, for instance, instead of always going to the supervisor.

There have been success stories like Cristina, who now works in a library two days a week, three hours a day. But Madfis says, “The people we target don’t get 40-hour-a-week jobs. It would be too much for them physically and emotionally.”

If there’s one thing that observing autism teaches you, however, it’s the central role of context in everyday life.

“We’re a diamond in the rough,” Rowan says with a smile.

“But,” adds speech therapist and volunteer Betty Walensky, “priceless.”

Yes She Can is seeking board members with nonprofit experience to grow its organization. For more, visit YesSheCanInc.org.

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WELL

WEIGHING IN

ON

BY LAURA CACACE

DIETS

Since the 1960s, Weight Watchers has aimed to prove that dieting doesn’t have to be impossible, and the word “diet” doesn’t have to mean cutting out your favorite foods.

Oprah Winfrey. Photograph courtesy Weight Watchers International.

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Weight Watchers believes you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight. It’s all due to its SmartPoints plan, which awards each food item — including fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, desserts and snacks — a certain amount of points. A fixed number of daily points is given to each member to use however he or she would like, with continuous guidance on how to get the most food value for the points allotted. Rather than cutting out all snacks, carbohydrates or fats, Weight Watchers wants you to enjoy them and does all the portioning work for you.

With investor Oprah Winfrey as the new face of the company, Weight Watchers has introduced its Beyond the Scale program, an initiative that aims to put more focus on the individual’s overall well-being. Winfrey has been an integral part of bringing that message to the world. As a public figure with unparalleled star power, she’s always been honest about her struggles with weight management. In Weight Watchers advertisements, she’s forthcoming about how her weight has held her back over the years — how she’s tried to lose it and failed, only to try and fail again. Not only is her struggle with weight relatable, but it makes her a person to look to, a guiding hand of sorts. “Let’s do this together,” she says at the end of the advertisement. And what’s amazing is that she means it.

Since she started her Weight Watchers journey this past summer, Winfrey has lost 26 pounds.

“That’s the genius of this program,” she says in a video posted to her Twitter account. “I have lost 26 pounds and I have eaten bread every single day.”

But she has also been upfront about her doubts, telling talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres that she was always a little skeptical of the program and that she never wanted to count points. So when Weight Watchers called asking for her endorsement, she said, “I will have to do the program myself to see if I actually like those points.” More than 25 pounds down, it’s safe to say they’re working well for her.

Doreen Antonaccio, a waitress who lives in Westchester County, has lost 50 pounds using the program. “I joined Weight Watchers four years ago and still go to meetings every Monday evening. The first year I lost 30 (pounds), then stayed the same for a year, then lost 20 and I’m maintaining my loss now.”

Antonaccio was also skeptical of the points system. “I don’t like counting, weighing, measuring, etc.,” she says. “I now follow the Simply Filling option Weight Watchers offers.”

This option provides members with a list of foods for which counting points is unnecessary, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean

proteins and more. “Simply Filling is no sugar, no fat, basically,” Antonaccio says. As long as you eat exclusively from the list, there are no points to count. However, if you do stray, you can still use points from your daily, allotted allowance. “Weight Watchers is about so much more than weight loss,” Antonaccio says. “It can change your life. It’s not a diet to me. It’s my lifestyle.”

With a mobile app enabling users to log their daily points with OnlinePlus, Beyond the Scale makes losing weight easier, shifting the focus to feeling good and living a healthier lifestyle. The Weight Watchers website provides healthy recipes that fit into the SmartPoints plan, as well as FitPoints that you can earn from more physical activity — all of it tailored to each person’s individual lifestyle and goals.

But if the technology doesn’t appeal to you, Weight Watchers continues to hold local meetings and provide personal coaching for those, like Antonaccio, who prefer an in-person experience.

Whatever your preference, Weight Watchers gives each person the tools and support needed to succeed in losing weight. And for Winfrey to invest her time and money into the program, there can be no doubt it only leads to success.

For more, visit weightwatchers.com.

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WELL

GETTING IN THE

BY LAURA CACACE PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI

Chef Nghie Huynh at ZoneManhattan.

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As WAG arrives at the ZoneManhattan facility in the Bronx, the staff is busy at work, finishing up the day’s meal service and preparing for a whole new menu for the next day. The service delivers three square meals and two snacks right to your door, with the chefs ensuring that each meal is crafted to suit an individual customer’s dietary needs and tastes.

“We’re a business created from a chef’s perspective,” says Steve Lindner, CEO of ZoneManhattan, who combined his experience in restaurants and as a private chef to create a new kind of food service — fresh, healthy, delicious meals, fully prepared and delivered right to your home.

“It really came about out of necessity,” Lindner, says about how he started the service after a restaurant venture with a partner was thwarted by the Sept.

11 terrorist attacks, amid a lawsuit that was taking up a good chunk of his time and money. “During that time, I started seeing an opportunity in designing meals — catering to people’s personal likes and dislikes.”

He remembers that time of unemployment well.

He used to watch daytime television and see commercials for meal services meant to help people lose weight. “They were selling 1,200 calories worth of meals for the same price as our check average at our restaurant. So I did the math and realized there was an opportunity there. I didn’t like what they were doing. I felt that we could create a situation where we

were designing customized meals for the individual.

So we went ahead and implemented a plan to put up a website and push forward with it.”

It’s been 12 years since ZoneManhattan’s inception and an idea that started as just a way to earn some money in a time of difficulty became a much more popular and profitable service than Lindner could ever have anticipated. That’s because the food is as fresh as it gets. With Hunt’s Point Market just a block away, the food customers receive on a daily basis has been purchased the same day it’s cooked and delivered to be eaten.

“We design meals around people’s personal preference, but our general program is always low sodium, low cholesterol, high dietary fiber, lots of green vegetables and lean protein.”

Regardless of whether or not you’re trying to lose weight, the ZoneManhattan chefs work to create meals with as many organic, hormone-free products as possible. We were fortunate enough to sample some of the food, and it’s as good as it sounds.

From the outset, each customer’s personal food preferences and allergies are accounted for and logged for future reference.

“We base it on a consultation our customers have with a dietician. When somebody signs on, we have somebody contact them to set up their program and we set a fixed calorie range based on what they’re looking to use the program for. So if somebody wants

to use it for weight loss, we set it up at a reduced calorie range that facilitates healthy weight loss.”

But ZoneManhattan also caters to other dietary needs and preferences, designing meals for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and people allergic to gluten or just opting to eat gluten free. All you need to say is that you don’t want or like a particular item and the cooking and packing staff will ensure that it doesn’t come to your door.

“Our goal is to become your mother,” says Lindner.

“Your mother knew what you liked and didn’t like, so she would already have in mind what she was going to cook for you and cook a meal that she knew you could eat. That’s kind of the way we work.”

Curious about the cost? “The price pay is fixed.

It’s based on the program you commit to. The longer the commitment, the lower the price.” For example, the 60-day special costs $34.95 per day, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re getting meat, fish or a vegan protein as part of your meal. It’s the same price for everybody.

For those who don’t like to cook or don’t have the time, ZoneManhattan is a perfect, healthy solution. And they deliver throughout Manhattan and Westchester County, even reaching into Long Island, southern Connecticut and parts of New Jersey.

“We don’t get complaints,” Lindner says. “That’s because we focus on getting it right.”

For more, visit zonemanhattan.com.

Cafe an d Store

Stepping Stones Museum for Children presents

Hands-On Exhibits

rams p-In Prog Daily Dro

Birthday Parties

Special Exhibit Now Open Rainforest Adventure introduces children to tropical rainforest communities, the challenges they face and ways that people of all ages can impact their survival. Younger children discover the beauty, wonders and rich diversity of rainforests. Older children may become rainforest scientists and investigate issues, analyze information and determine their role in supporting rainforest conservation.

This is one awesome adventure your family can’t miss.

For the most up-to-date activities and events, visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/calendar

Rainforest Adventure was created by Stepping Stones Museum for Children.

This exhibit is partially sponsored by Horizon Foundation, Inc.

Norwalk, CT • Exit 14N or 15S off I-95

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WELL

design for exercise

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

In December 1873, Edward Stanley, the Earl of Derby, observed that “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”

You were committed to your New Year’s resolution to exercise, but you haven’t yet been able to find enough time. Before disappointment sets in, start to think about why you set that goal, how much time you can reasonably commit to exercise and where you can do it.

Wherever or however you choose to exercise, here are some non-negotiables that I think your workouts should include: • Soft tissue work. Get on a foam roller before you exercise, and gently give your body a once-over, paying attention to any extra-sensitive spots. (Those are most likely adhesions that are adversely affecting your movement).

This can also be performed afterward as well.

• A drill to address the feet and ankles like simple ankle circles and flexing the feet up and down. The foot has 26 bones and 33 joints. It is our connection to the ground. A 98

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bad foot (or feet) will inevitably affect the rest of the body.

• A drill to address the hip like a basic squat. What is above and below the hip? The lower back and the knees. What are two of the biggest complaints we hear about? Pain in the lower back and knees. The hip is the connection between the upper and lower body and is pivotal in keeping your body orthopedically sound.

• A drill to address the upper back/thoracic spine like performing bent-over Is, Ys, and Ts. No one wants to walk around with a rounding of the upper back. That pushes your head forward, adding additional pressure to your neck and takes you off your center of gravity.

• A drill to address the core like a plank. In addition, there are plenty of exercises that can be performed on your back such as the dead

bug, in which you engage the core by alternate reaching with the opposite arm and leg.

• Some type of drill for your cardiovascular system like running in place or stepping up and down off a chair.

Does this seem like a lot? Well, it really isn’t. Three minutes to foam roll, one minute on each foot, one minute on hips, one minute on upper back, one minute of cardiovascular exercise. That’s eight minutes. Then you’d go back through the ankle, hip, upper back and cardio. That’s 12 minutes. Add in a water break and transition between exercises, and that’ll put you right around 15 minutes.

I am giving you the lowest possible scenario — 15 minutes without a gym or equipment.

Just imagine if you had more time and tools.

In 15 minutes, you can give yourself a quick massage and do four exercises two times through. Fifteen minutes done three times a week: That’s 45 minutes a week. That’s three hours of exercise per month. Once you have successfully completed a few weeks of exercising, I’m betting you’ll be able to find even more time.

Could you be causing more harm than good? A warning I will give you is to be wary of some at-home video workouts. I often remind my students that just because a form of exercise makes you feel tired and makes you sweat doesn’t mean you did anything truly beneficial. I am not saying that the thought process of these videos is wrong. What I am saying is that a lot of the drills being asked of you can be dangerous without proper supervision. The main job of most of these videos is to push your body hard. Is your body ready to be pushed that hard? Do any injuries prevent you from potentially performing some of these tasks successfully? Could you actually be damaging your body orthopedically for the sake of that tired and sweaty feeling?

If you are having difficulty moving, let that be motivation to begin dedicating a few minutes a day to helping you move better. Do you think you will feel better magically, or are you resigned to the fact that this is how it’s going to be for the rest of your life? As long as there is breath in your lungs, then you have a chance to improve.

If you are interested in learning and hearing more about the specific exercises I recommended for the areas I mentioned above as well as any others, please feel free to reach out to me via twitter @GiovanniRoselli or email me at GioRoselli@gmail.com.

WELL

ACHIEVING WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS IN MENOPAUSE: A hormone-based solution

BY JACQUI JUSTICE

One of the most common issues my patients seek help with is menopause-related weight gain.

All evidence has long pointed to hormone fluctuations as a factor, and thanks to new research, we finally have the answers — and a medically sound solution for addressing them.

As the nutritional director at NY Health & Wellness in Harrison, I oversee our recently developed medical weight loss program — Balance3H+ (B3H+) — a groundbreaking medically-supervised weight-loss, nutrition, fitness and wellness plan tailored specifically to ease hormone fluctuations and reduce the incidence and severity of menopause symptoms such as weight gain, belly fat, brain fog, hot flashes, stress, dry skin, low libido and mood swings.

When we treated these hormonal imbalances, patients at NY Health & Wellness were able to follow our Balance 3H+ (B3H+) healthy nutrition plan without feeling deprived, and many lost up to 25 pounds during the initial 14-week program.

Created by and offered only at NY Health & Wellness, B3H+ uses an integrative combination of customized nutrition plans, a “Reboot” hormone-balancing fitness regimen and pharmaceutical-grade supplements to help alleviate menopause symptoms, reduce inflammation, suppress the appetite and boost metabolism for optimum health and weight-loss results.

It all begins with a special “Metabolic Cleanse,” a two-week detox program that eliminates toxins from the body in preparation for a quick-and-easy fat loss. Next is the “Lean Body” two-week weightloss program — and that’s when the numbers on the scale really plunge.

B3H+ has three key components: 1. A nutrition plan designed specifically for the unique dietary needs of women experiencing the hormonal transitions of perimenopause and menopause; 2. B3H+ all-natural herbal supplements to restore hormone balance, alleviate the symptoms of menopause and help women feel stronger, healthier and happier; 3. Personalized habit transformation coaching 100

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Balance3H+ (B3H+) is an integral part of NY Health & Wellness’ menopause-related weight-loss program. Photograph courtesy NY Health & Wellness.

that utilizes the latest methods of behavioral science to help women create a lifestyle that will generate and sustain desired results.

The Balance 3H+ Diet Program is designed to target the three key hormones that are known to fluctuate and disrupt appetite signals during menopause — ghrelin, leptin and cortisol — and help bring them back into balance:

GHRELIN Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone. Elevated ghrelin levels can cause a spike in appetite, triggering cravings for more and fattier foods. Controlling your ghrelin levels helps to curb these unhealthy cravings, making it easier to stick to a sensible nutrition plan.

LEPTIN Leptin is known as the appetite-suppressor hormone. It sends signals to the brain to tell you when to stop eating. Unfortunately, leptin naturally decreases as we age, making it harder to detect satiety. This can lead to overeating. Balancing your leptin levels can restore those signals, making it easier to limit your daily caloric intake to levels that are appropriate and sustainable for weight loss.

CORTISOL Cortisol is the stress hormone. It is part of a complex stress-response system stemming from the human body’s early evolutionary needs — one of which was to store fat in times of stress, often associated with periods of hunger. But stress today doesn’t look like it did in the early days, and part of that response — specifically, the retention of visceral fat, or belly fat — is no longer an appropriate response to modern stressors. Managing your cortisol levels can help keep this now unhealthy stress response in check.

Most women understand the nutrition and lifestyle changes that are necessary for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight but find it challenging to adhere to those habits when hormone fluctuations cause inappropriate levels of hunger and stress. When the underlying hormonal imbalance was treated through nutrition and supplementation, program participants reported an increased ability to follow through on their weight-loss plan and maintain their new weight.

Jacqui Justice is nutritional director, Balance 3H Plus Diet Plan, at NY Health & Wellness in Harrison. For more, visit nyhealthandwellness.com.

Pictured: Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood. Photo courtesy of Mills Entertainment.

EXPERIENCE.SOMETHING.REAL.

MARCH 2 Purchase Film Series: The Iron Ministry Directed by J.P. Sniadecki

10 Montana Rep: All My Sons

Arthur Miller’s first great play

12 NTL: Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Featuring Tony-award winner Janet McTeer

11 Eileen Ivers

Beyond the Bog Road tour

13 Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra & Chorus Bach’s St John Passion

20 Opera at The Cinema: Tosca

A new production of Puccini’s masterpiece

APRIL 1 Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood

Two Man Group - live improv comedy

APRIL (cont’d) 3 Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars Gifted young singers in recital

7 Purchase Film Series:

Free Angela & All Political Prisoners

9 State Street Ballet: Carmen

Choreographed by William Soleau

16 Clifford the Big Red Dog Live!

Family fun for ages 3 and up

16 Robin Spielberg, piano

Spellbinding musical storytelling

24 NTL: As You Like It

Shakespeare’s beloved comedy

30 John Pizzarelli & Ramsey Lewis A tribute to Nat King Cole

For event details and tickets, call 914-251-6200 or visit

WWW.ARTSCENTER.ORG THANK YOU

PET OF THE MONTH

We talk a lot about how we should treat our senior citizens, but what about our senior pooches? Are we giving them the same TLC to ease them through the golden years?

Meet Rikki, a senior male Shih Tzu. He came into the SPCA of Westchester as a stray and, sadly, no one ever claimed him. And that’s a shame, because Rikki is a sweet, mellow but still very agile fellow who just wants to feel safe and loved. In return, he’d be the perfect couch-potato companion or loving lapdog to snuggle with.

To meet Rikki, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor.

Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914-941-2896 or visit spca914.org.

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RIKKI

HAPPY GO

Lyle A. Liberman, who works in the cybersecurity sector for a firm in Stamford, has submitted this photograph of Bosco, his 7-year-old chocolate American Cocker Spaniel, who lives with him and his wife in Pocantico Hills.

PET PORTRAITS

Lyle describes him as “a pampered pet who has an old soul. He is very kind, gentle, loving and laid back. He loves his humans and, like most American Cockers, he loves people food, especially pizza bones (the crust).

“Bosco is part of a genome study from the University of Pennsylvania that is trying to isolate the genetic markers for cataracts in Cocker Spaniels, and he is under the care locally of Dr. Jane Cho of the Veterinary Eye Specialists in Ardsley…. We need additional dogs to participate in this noninvasive study.”

The American Spaniel Club Foundation – along with the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Gustavo Aguirre, who is heading the cataract research – is searching for any Cocker Spaniel with a pedigree or that may be affected by cataracts. For more, contact Marlene Ness at nesmar@live.ca.

Sales Wagger Lisa Cash submitted this to us: “Dollar Bill Cash was born on March 4, 2006 and, unfortunately, passed away from cancer on Dec. 28, 2015.

“An English Labrador, Dollar was loved by all. He loved to go for long walks, playdates at the dog park and was passionate about food. Dollar brought us so much love and laughter. The memories of him will always bring a smile to my face and fill my heart with love every day.”

The Rev. Jeff Grant has sent WAG this photo of wife Lynn Springer with their new Chihuahua puppy, Twiggy, taken recently at Compo Beach in Westport.

“We had adopted Twiggy the day before at the Connecticut Humane Society in Westport,” he writes.

“Lynn is the founding advocate of the Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project, the first ministry in the United States created to support individuals and families with white-collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues.”

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WHEN & WHERE

through March 6 RiverWinds Gallery presents “Aqua Essence,” watercolors by Betsy Jacaruso that capture the atmosphere and luminosity of the Hudson Valley. Noon to 6 p.m.

Wednesdays through Mondays, 172 Main St., Beacon; 845-838-2880, riverwindsgallery.com

March 2 The Capitol Theatre hosts thrash-metal titans Slayer.

Replete with breakneck tempos, whiplash-inducing changes of pace and swivel-eyed declarations of defi-

NY PET RESCUE – TAILS OF THE HEART GALA MARCH 4, THE FOUNTAINHEAD, NEW ROCHELLE

ance, Slayer performs songs from its latest album, “Repentless.” 8 p.m., 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester; 914-937-4126, thecapitoltheatre.com

March 11 through April 7 The Greenwich Arts Center’s 99th annual Juried

March 4

with more than 26 musical performances, five floats and 90 groups.

Exhibition – Akili Tommasino, an assistant curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at The Mu-

“Tails of the Heart” Gala – NY Pet Rescue, a Larch-

seum of Modern Art, is the judge as artists compete for

March 13

mont-based nonprofit that finds safe and loving homes

prizes totaling more than $2,000. Categories include

“The Haydn Connection” – REBEL offers a program of

for cats and dogs in need, honors longtime “angel”

oil/acrylic, pastel, watercolor, sculpture, photography,

classical chamber music by Haydn and his contemporar-

Ruth Frumpkin, who has saved thousands of dogs and

computer art and fiber art. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays

ies performed on period instruments at Bedford Presby-

cats over her 20 years of service. 6:30 p.m., The Foun-

through Fridays, noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sun-

terian Church. A reception follows. 4 p.m., Village Green

tainhead, 55 Quaker Ridge Road, New Rochelle; 914-

days, The Bendheim Gallery, 299 Greenwich Ave., Third

(Routes 22 and 172); 914-734-9537, rebelbaroque.com

835-3332, ny-petrescue.org/Gala

floor; 203-629-1533, greenwichartscouncil.org/Bend-

March 6

†§¢ Phelps Food, Wine & Beer Fest – This event features

heim-Gallery

dining stations hosted by local restaurants. Attendees will sample the restaurants’ delicacies while enjoying

The Pleasantville Chamber Music Society presents a

March 12 through April 3

program of works by Mozart, founding director Joseph

The Canfin Gallery presents Kui Dae Lee’s mythically

All proceeds benefit Phelps Memorial Hospital Center. 1

Goodman and current director Edward Smaldone, featur-

driven “New Works.” 39 Main St., Tarrytown; 914-332-

p.m., Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill, 200 Gunpowder Lane,

ing members of the faculty of the Aaron Copland School

4554, CanfinGallery.com

Tarrytown; 914-631-3030, phelpshospital.org/food-wine-

of Music at Queens College. 3 p.m., Pleasantville Presbyterian Church, 400 Bedford Road; 914-564-9583 pvillechambermusic.org

wines selected by the chefs to complement their fare.

fest †§¢

March 12 and 13

Spring ahead with Daylight Savings Time, which be-

†§¢

The 22nd annual Larchmont Antiques and Collect-

gins at 2 a.m. today. Don’t forget to turn your clocks

Shanghai Acrobats: The New Shanghai Circus comes

ibles Show features some 45 antiques and collectibles

ahead one hour.

to the Ridgefield Playhouse. Fearless performers with

dealers. Hunt for treasures from among vintage furni-

boundless energy bring you more than 2,000 years of

ture, estate and costume jewelry, books, posters, toys,

Chinese circus traditions to this “big top.” 4 p.m., 80 East

clocks, Depression glass, china, silver and more. 10 to 5

March 14

Ridge; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org

p.m. Saturday, 10 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Free verbal apprais-

The Connecticut Ceramics Study Circle presents “Chi-

March 9

als noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Proceeds benefit The Mama-

gusa and the Long Life of a Tea-Leaf Storage Jar,” a

roneck Schools Foundation. Mamaroneck High School,

lecture by Louise Allison Cort, curator of ceramics at the

1000 W. Boston Post Road; 914-723-6989

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smith-

Mercy College presents The Anchiskhati Church Quartet, the world’s leading exponent of Georgian polyphonic

sonian Institution. 1:15 p.m., Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, programs@ctcsc.org

choral music. 6:30 p.m., The President’s Residence, 1 Clif-

March 12

ton Place; Irvington, 914-674-3033, mercy.edu/news-

Paint the town green at the 19th annual St Patrick’s

Westport Country Playhouse presents a Script in Hand

room/contert-anchiskhati-church-quartet

Day Parade in downtown White Plains. The revelry

Playreading of “The Cocktail Hour” by A. R. Gurney,

starts promptly at noon. William Bertram will be the

about a playwright (guess who) who writes a play that

2016 Grand Marshall. The parade has grown exponen-

paints an unflattering portrait of his family. 8 p.m., West-

tially in recent years and last year had Five Divisions,

port Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court; 203-227-5137,

†§¢

westportplayhouse.org

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Don’t Miss These Great Shows!

THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE for movies and the performing arts

80 East Ridge • Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877

203.438.5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG

Non-profit 501 (c)

MARCH

APRIL (CONTINUED)

10 Ron White

6

The Tartan Terrors

11 Donny Osmond

7

Jim Norton

8

Jumaane Smith

The #1 Paul McCartney Tribute!

10

Christian McBride Trio

Jessica Lynn

14

Jewel

Special guest Josh Blue

‘The Soundtrack of My Life Tour’

13 The McCartney Years 18

19 An Evening with

Groucho

Billy Davis, Jr.

Original stars of The Fifth Dimension

17 Comedian

Bridget Everett

24 Ventriloquist

Paul Zerdin Winner of America's Got Talent!

26 The Ann Wilson Thing!

23 Robin Trower

Special Guest Strange Vine

24 The Time Jumpers featuring Vince Gill, Kenny Sears & “Ranger Doug” Green

30 Johnny Clegg Band 31 Sinbad APRIL 1

2 3

The Machine Performs Pink Floyd An Evening with Stephen Schwartz

Ruby Amanfu

Special guest JD & The Straight Shot

16 Marilyn McCoo and

Starring Frank Ferrante

20 Habana Sax

Special Guest The Mighty Ploughboys

27 Actress Rita Wilson

In Concert 28

Javier Colon

29 Say Goodnight Gracie MAY 3

Dweezil Zappa & the Zappa Plays Zappa Band

4

The Waifs

nied by pianist Martha Mingle. Meanwhile, artist Nicole

March 26

Zahour will lead a hands-on Venetian mask-making

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Shakespeare’s mag-

workshop for all ages. 2 p.m., Pelham Art Center, 155

ical comedy about one madcap summer evening in

Fifth Ave.; 914-738-2525, pelhamartsenter.org

which four young lovers, a jealous fairy king and his queen and a group of aspiring young actors find their

March 20

stories colliding in the woods. Features the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Conservatory Company. 2 p.m.,

Hooray, we made it: Today is the vernal equinox, other-

Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, 1008 Brown St.,

wise known as the first day of spring. It also happens to be

Peekskill;

Palm Sunday this year.

com/events/a-midsummer-nights-dream

914-739-0039,

paramounthudsonvalley.

†§¢ The Hoff-Barthelson Music School 2015-2016 Master Class Series continues with three-time Tony Award nominee

March 27

Marin Mazzie. The public is invited to observe the master

Contrary to public opinion, Marshmallow PEEPS and

class free of charge. 2 p.m., Scarsdale Public Library, 54

chocolate bunnies are not considered one of the five

Olmsted Road; 914-723-1169, hbms.org

major food groups, though they will be consumed in

†§¢

quantities today, Easter Sunday.

“Rhythm in the Night” – A post-St. Patrick’s Day cel-

BETSY JACARUSO: AQUA ESSENCE THROUGH MARCH 6, RIVERWINDS GALLERY, BEACON

ebration, this tale of love and salvation is told through Irish step-dancing by a troupe of 18 dancers. 3 p.m., Ac-

March 31

ademic Arts Theater, Hankin Academic Arts Building,

The United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s 2016

Westchester Community College, 75 Grasslands Road,

“Swing into Spring” Gala offers an evening of cock-

Valhalla; 914-606-6262, sunywcc.edu/smartarts

tails, dinner, an awards program and dancing to live music. 6 p.m., Doral Arrowwood, 975 Anderson Hill

March 23

Road, Rye Brook; 914-997-6700, uwwp.org/gala †§¢

Author Helen Macdonald discusses “H is for Hawk,” her

“Laughing Liberally,” New York’s longest-running

New York Times bestseller and one of its picks as “The

political comedy show, presents the best progres-

10 Best Books of 2015.” Shrouded in grief, Macdonald

sive political comedians, with the goal of saving de-

The Ides of March – Julius Caesar did not heed the

purchases and raises a fierce goshawk as a means of

mocracy one laugh at a time. 8 p.m., purpl, 52 Main

warning of soothsayers to “Beware of the Ides of

coping with loss. Community event partner Earthplace

St., Hastings-on-Hudson; 914-431-9077, purpl.org/

March.” He was stabbed by Marcus Brutus and other

will be on hand with its resident hawk, Talon. 7 p.m.,

laughing-liberally

conspirators in the Roman Senate on this day in 44 B.C.

The Westport Library, 20 Jessup Road; 203-291-4800,

March 15

westportlibrary.org

March 16 This year marks the 45th anniversary of perennial classic-rock favorite America. To celebrate, founding members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell are on tour performing all their Top-10 hits like “A Horse With No Name,” “Tin Man,” “Sister Golden Hair” and “Lonely People.” 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge; 203-438-5795, ridgfieldplayhouse.org

March 19 Two-time Grammy-nominated comedian/author Lisa Lampanelli will perform her new play, “Fat Girls, Interrupted,” tackling weight, body image and food issues from the perspective of four different women. Proceeds benefit The Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport. 8 p.m., Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court; 203-227-5137, westportplayhouse.org †§¢ Italian Song: Folk Art Event – Singer Alessandra Tamerin will explore Italian history and tradition through some of the country’s most popular works, accompa-

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KUI DAE LEE: NEW WORKS MARCH 12 THROUGH APRIL 3, CANFIN GALLERY, TARRYTOWN

Family Owned Since 1957

International Wines, Spirits and Beers Free Wine Tastings on Friday and Saturday Daily Sales and Specials Corporate and Client Gifting Programs Event Planning Services

Classes, Seminars and Tutorials Private In-Home Tastings and Classes Free Delivery Service (inquire) Wine Cellar and Collecting Consultation We Buy Your Older Wines and Spirits

203-869-2299 125 West Putnam Ave. Greenwich CT, 06830 (Next to Stop & Shop) www.ValsPutnamWines.com ValsPutnamWines@hotmail.com

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Find your physician at White Plains Hospital Medical & Wellness Now in Armonk at 99 Business Park Drive To make an appointment call 914.849.7900 110

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WIT WONDERS:

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HOW DO YOU FEATHER YOUR NEST?*

MARCH 2016