Some News- Part 2

Just to add some more change to our lives, Mike and I decided that it would be best to move from New York, NY to Newburyport, MA before the baby arrives.  So we're moving next month!

We're moving from this...

To this...

And we couldn't be more excited!  We will certainly miss NYC and all of our friends but it will be great to be closer to family and we're looking forward to living in a smaller city.  (Yes, Newburyport is considered a city with a population of about 17,000)   We found a cute little rental that is a block from the downtown strip which is filled with lots of shops and great restaurants.  If you can believe it, we'll be closer to shopping and restaurants here than our apartment in NYC!  (Currently we live right on the Hudson River, so it's three looong avenue blocks before we hit Broadway.)  Newburyport is about 30 minutes north of Boston so we'll still get our city fix when we need it but we'll also get the benefits of living in a cute and quaint seaport community.  I can't wait to introduce you to our new home!  

In the meantime, take a little tour of Newburyport from some of my previous blog posts: here and here.

Diner en Blanc

Did you see the New York Times article on the Diner en Blanc in Paris?  Thousands of people converged in the plaza of Notre Dame and the courtyard of the Louvre, all dressed in white, to dine together.  Everyone brings their own tables and picnic dinners.  The most astonishing thing is that it is like a flash mob, suddenly everyone arrives and three hours later, the spaces are empty and left in immaculate condition.  Now it looks like New York will have it's own turn at Diner en Blanc on August 25th at an undisclosed location in Manhattan.  I've already signed up on their online waiting list!

Shopping in the City: Muji

Today I thought we'd go on a tour of another one of my favorite stores, Muji.  Muji is a Japanese retail store that sells a variety of items from clothes, to furniture to office supplies.  It's a combination of Ikea and The Container Store with a sparse, minimalistic Japanese aesthetic. 

Muji has several locations throughout the city, today I visited their Chelsea store.

My favorite part of Muji is the paper and office supply section.  I love the neutral notepads and pencil cases and all of the Japanese designed office tchotchkes. 

Rainbow of pens.

 

Notepads in every size imaginable.

Containers galore.  See what I mean about it being one part Container Store?

I'm pretty sure these are the toothbrushes that set designers use in magazine bathroom photoshoots.  They're simple and neutral. (You never see pink Colgate toothbrushes in those photos!)

Minimalist bathroom supplies.

I'm kind of obsessed with these Ultrasonic Aroma Diffusers.  They're kind of like a mini humidifier that scents the room and is also a night light.  Cool.

Shrink wrapped t-shirts.

Love these striped slippers.

City map handkerchiefs.

 

Cute cardboard animals.

Panorama skyline cards.

Finally, alarm clocks that aren't tacky.

Canvas tote bags.

Fun ice cube trays in letters and shapes.

Classic white dinnerware.

As you can see, Muji has an eclectic mix of products and it's fun to peruse through them all. 

Muji:

The New York Times Building 

620 8th Avenue (40th Street)
New York, NY 10018

16 W 19th Street 

(Between 5th and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011

455 Broadway 

(Between Grand and Howard Streets)
New York, NY 10013

Store Hours:
Mon-Sat 11-9
Sun 11-8

Navy Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  See you Monday!

Manhattan

I found some lovely images of Manhattan today on Pinterest.  One thing about New York, it's always glamorous in the photographs but not so much in real life.  I have a love/hate relationship with the city.  Today it kicked me down but maybe tomorrow it will inspire. 

                  
                    Source: souledbyjamieflannigan.blogspot.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

                                              
                                                     Source: tumblr.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

                                          
                                                Source: thisisnthappiness.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: reblololo.tumblr.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

                        
                       Source: fromme-toyou.tumblr.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Shopping in the City: Mood

You all know Mood from Project Runway fame but did you know that they have a whole section of upholstery fabrics downstairs?  That's where I've been going lately to get my fabrics for my lampshade and for a pillow project that still remains on my long to-do list.

Have you ever noticed that they never show the outside of Mood when they shoot Project Runway?  That's because it's in a nondescript office building with a bland lobby located on the 3rd floor. 

The elevators have that old fashioned gate that slides over the doors and there's an elevator operator!
You don't see that much in the city these days.

So you step off the elevator and there it is!  Just incase you forgot, there's a huge Project Runway poster in the entrance.  That show must have done wonders for this store!

Downstairs is the upholstery fabric section filled with aisles and aisles of gorgeous fabric.  I could spend hours in here.

Prints in every color you can imagine.

Damasks

My favorite section, neutral colored linens.

The bolts seemingly go on forever!

Love this metallic printed fabric.

Mood (get it?!) boards

Luxurious ikat fabrics

Trims

There is a big range of prices at Mood.  Typically anything from $30 to $8 a yard.  I'm sure there is a large markup at a place as famous as Mood, but for now I like that it is easy to navigate and there are always a lot of people on staff to help you out.

Mood
225 West 37th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
212.730.5003


Store Hours:
Monday - Friday 9-7
Saturday 10-4
Sunday Closed