Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.



Roost: A Simple Life

This is one of my go-to blogs when I feel like something beautiful and comforting. A food blog mainly, it features stunning photography and thoughtful posts not just on cooking but on home, travel, life and more. Lovely.



To Bricktop, On Her Belated Birthday

Great profile in the Paris Review of Ada Smith, or Bricktop — the legendary African-American singing star and nightclub owner. She taught the Duke of Windsor to dance the Charleston and became friends with Cole Porter, who wrote the classic song "Miss Otis Regrets" in her honour. Oh, to have been able to visit her club in its heyday. Via the Browser.



15 Minutes a Day for Exercise

If you've been feeling guilty about not getting to yoga class as much as you'd like, you might find this reassuring. A new study in Taiwan shows significant health benefits can be gained from just 15 minutes' exercise every day — activities such as brisk walking reduced the mortality risk in the study group by 14%.



Jackson Pollock: Lights, Camera, Paint!

Watch a 10 minute film from 1951 of the Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock painting on glass.



Serving Stars But Never Gossip

A peek inside the pampered world of the Tower Bar, which harks back to an old school Hollywood era of movie stars dining in luxurious privacy, without the fear of paparazzi.



My Life As An Undercover Negotiator

Fascinating article about how National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne secretly negotiated the recovery of the Tate’s stolen Turners, on loan in Germany at the time.



Voguepedia

Just discovered this and have been having fun exploring it — Vogue's version of Wikipedia, a database where you can check out designers, brands, models and more.



Vegetarian Mini Pizza della Sicilia

This would be a great idea for a casual dinner party — mini pizzas topped with all variety of delicious vegetables, such as fennel, eggplant, olives, mushrooms, zucchini, spring onions and more. Via Green Kitchen Stories.





(lovely photograph by simon brown for house and garden)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

New Hitchcock Film Discovered
Exciting news for film fans — an early Alfred Hitchcock film has been found in New Zealand! Called The White Shadow, it's an atmospheric melodrama about twin sisters — one angelic and the other “without a soul.” Sadly there's only 3 reels left of the original 6, but I'd love to see it anyway!

Cinema Style: 20 Unforgettable American Movie Interiors
And while we're on the subject of film, check out this fun post over at Apartment Therapy, featuring stylish interiors from classic films.

Planet Tilda
Check out this amazing W magazine slide show of the always wonderful Tilda Swinton, photographed by Tim Walker. Otherworldly is the only way I can describe it.

Favorite Snacks of the Great Writers
Love this. Illustrator Wendy MacNaughton draws the favourite snacks of writers past and present — F. Scott Fitzgerald liked canned meat and apples, Marcel Proust drank a serious amount of espresso and Emily Dickinson enjoyed her own home baked bread. Follow the link to see some more unusual snacks, too.

The Eerie Beauty of Rare Alphabets
For his Endangered Alphabets Project, Vermont writer Tim Brookes carves into curly maple samples of the scripts of disappearing languages such as Samaritan, Tuareg, Cherokee, and others. Check out the slide show, too — they're beautiful.

Cloud Spotting
Lovely and informative BBC photo essay with the Met Office's John Hammond decoding cloud photos sent by viewers of BBC One's The Great British Weather. The photos are just gorgeous. Via The Browser.

The Year's Best Product Design: A $7 Carryall
The design site Core77 has announced the winners of its first competition — and the Product/Equipment winner isn’t a magazine-ready, industrially produced piece of technology but a low-cost, ergonomic carrier for improving the working conditions of global laborers, designed by Vikram Dinubhai Panchal. Brilliant and affordable design.

Honey Season
It's honey season, and Saveur has a delicious range of recipes that use honey in all its wonderful varieties. I still miss the extraordinary orange blossom honey I used to buy from a Polish deli years ago — the flavour was just amazing.


(photo from vt wonen via design shimmer by way of denise at home)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

Rue Magazine
The May/June issue of Rue is out! Find yourself some quiet time and settle down for another lovely read.

The Old-World Artistry Behind the Modern House of Chanel
About a decade ago, the fashion industry's increasing appetite for fast fashion threatened to close the ateliers — many in operation for more than 150 years — that worked in highly skilled arts like hand beading and embroidery. Chanel then decided to make a daring move and, over the last nine years, bought seven of the most specialized ateliers in Paris, ensuring both the survival of a dying industry and the continuation of the house's own couture techniques. Don't miss the slideshow!

The Secret Ingredient: Quirky Travel Tips
Guardian travel writers reveal how they've made their trips more memorable by getting off the tourist trails — taking house tours, having a project, going on a taxi tour, visiting a sporting event and more. Great ideas for making your next holiday an interesting one.

More Culture = Less Stress
A recent study published in the British Medical Association's Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health finds that people who go to museums and concerts, create art or play an instrument are more satisfied with their lives, regardless of how educated or wealthy they are. Another excellent reason for supporting the arts.

The Tale of the Rose
A review in the Times Literary Supplement of the new book The Rose by Jennifer Potter, which explores how throughout history the rose has not only been valued for its scent and appearance, but as a complex symbol and metaphor, too. Sounds like a lovely read.

Reborn in India
Wallpaper magazine's June edition is devoted to India — check out their website for links by the guest editors for the best of Indian street fashion, destinations, art, boutique hotels and other cool stuff.

Green With Envy
Cute trailer (Amy Adams!) for the new Muppet movie.

Eat With Your Eyes: Five Museums Devoted to Food
These sound like amazing places to visit — definitely a fun and refreshing change from the usual round of art galleries while on holiday (as much as I love visiting those too).


(lovely photo by Pia Ulin)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

Grace Coddington: Creative Indeed
Great piece about the legendary Grace Coddington — creative director of American Vogue and a force in fashion for nearly 50 years — by Julie Kavanagh, Grace's assistant in the 1970s and a friend ever since.

Writing Sheds of Famous Writers
Love this recent post on Re-Nest about the writing retreats of such authors as Virginia Woolf, Roald Dahl, Mark Twain and Dylan Thomas.

Kinetic Wave Sculptures
Lovely video of sculptor Reuben Margolin, who creates extraordinary techno-kinetic wave sculptures using a wide range of materials — from wood to cardboard to found and salvaged objects. An elegant fusion of art and science — and just stunningly beautiful.

A Nose For the Past
Wonderful profile of perfume designer Olivia Giacobetti, who creates scents from memories. She created her first perfume — Petit Guerlain — when she was just 23, and her clients have included Diptyque, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Hermès, Fredéric Malle among others. I love her poetic descriptions of her art. Via The Browser.

Kiss Me Quick
The French flirt with strangers but won't talk with them, Americans will happily chat with strangers but won't touch them, and the Brits refuse to do either. A playful look social interaction across three cultures.

3,000 Years of Warrior Women
Guardian Books has a great slide show of highlights from the new book Warrior Women: 3,000 Years of Courage and Heroism by Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross, a guide to history's heroines — released, appropriately enough, on International Women's Day.

Bubble Wrap
Having a stupid day? Pop some virtual bubble wrap and feel instantly better! Click manic mode for extra pop.

Pita Bread Pizza With Fresh Mozzarella
A quick pizza recipe that uses just a few quality ingredients (fresh mozzarella, dried tomatoes, black olives) that all add up to a delicious whole. I'd consider adding a bit of pickled eggplant, too.


(lovely photo by Joe Schmelzer)