Brooklyn Crab

Today my good friend Lizzy is here giving us a little dose of Brooklyn. Scott and I loved Brooklyn when we lived there, but now with a baby and a need for more space and better schools, we're making the Jersey migration (also those crazy intense Park Slope moms scare me a bit!). But that doesn't mean that we can't make the occasional jaunt through the tunnels and over the bridges to get our Brooklyn fix.  Lizzy recently turned me on to Brooklyn Crab which sounds like such a fun place.  I'm looking forward to trying it before the end of the summer.  Take it away Lizzy:

The other weekend a group of us decided to take a little Brooklyn Bike Adventure. Setting off from Williamsburg we rode south to Brooklyn Crab, the recently opened shellfish lovers mecca, nestled on the water's edge in rehabilitated Red Hook. The crab shack stands three stories high above the East River providing scenic views of the Statue of Liberty, Governor's Island, and lower Manhattan.  When you arrive the bustle of the city immediately escapes you, and you are taken to a local beach-side watering hole where you smell the salt water and the fresh catch in the air.  The host jots your name down and casually mentions it will be a few hours, then gives you the run down on the shack's amenities.  Bar to the left, mini-golf and corn-hole in the back yard; we will call your cell when you're up!  We walk away confused and excited, head to the bar, grab a beer and absorb.  The bar's windows are fully open shutters providing unobstructed views south and east.  Families, old, young, hipsters, and Hamptonites are meshed together like a large dysfunctional family enjoying Sunday dinner and one another's company.  A few beers and hours later, we we're seated.  Shortly thereafter our patient and helpful waitress entices us with a Bloody Mary.  The Old Bay infused Bloody is topped with none other than the oyster of the day.  Of course!  The menu is full of raw, steamed, baked, and fried deliciousness.  When heading to the shack I recommend taking a few pals, ordering family style, and plan on a wait, so pack a snack for those hungry husbands.  Leave Brooklyn and the city behind, take in the fresh food, the casual atmosphere and enjoy the little shack in Red Hook.

Wanelo Anchor Scarf, Joe Fresh Boatneck Tee, Joe Fresh Vintage Denim Short, Wanderlust Bracelet, Original Sperry Top Siders, Bike Basket, Public Bike, World Market rope door stop, Anchor Stationery,

- Lizzy

We're Open!

Last week was an exciting one for my hardware line. The Nest Studio hardware shop is up and running and accepting pre-orders for shipping in August. Stop in and check it out.  AND our faceted knob got featured on HGTV's Daily Delights Blog!  Stay tuned for new prototypes and designs in the coming month and get your orders in before our first production run sells out.

Art that looks like interiors...

1. Bedroom by Lauren Stern Design
2. Dining Room by Unknown
3. Bedroom by Joakim Blockstrom

- Lauren

Wanderlust: South Africa

Today I'm over at Delicious Duds guest posting about one of the places I've been dying to hit up.  Here's a little sneak peak;  jump over for the full post.

Stylin' Mammas: The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent...

Blame it on the boots and San Francisco's "June Gloom" but I am taking the Southwest thing and running with it.  This outfit is for the San Francisco summer.  Too cold for shorts, so cropped jeans give a nod to the season while keeping the legs warm.  Button down is rumpled for a "fresh from the beach" feeling.  Sweater is perhaps more aptly described as as a big old blanket for when the fog rolls in.  Necklace is that nod to glamour that finishes the look and makes it appropriate enough for cocktails al fresco -- if you don't have kids and do that sort of thing -- or a late-afternoon beer with the husband, if your life is more like mine.

Cropped jeans

Belt

Button down

Madewell boots 

Stella and Dot Festival necklace

Denim and Supply draped sweater

Ray-Ban aves 

- Jaime

Thoughts on New York

It's been a crazy few weeks here with moving and getting adjusted to big city life again. We've been very fortunate to have my parents with us since early July.   They helped us with our move in LA and drove our car across the country (yes, you heard that right) to deliver it to use in NJ.  And now they're here helping us with the house hunt and taking care of Baby Bryan while we get settled.  We can't thank them enough for all the help and support they have provided during this time.  

Transitioning back into the land of humidity, public transportation, and walk-up apartments has been interesting.  City living definitely requires an extra layer of coordination with everything you do, but it's also so exciting. I joined some friends for dinner and drinks last week in the city.  Completely forgetting about the off-duty cab witching hour, I ended up walking from the West Village to Nolita. Thank God I was wearing sensible shoes!  In any case, please stay with me for these next few weeks. I may be a little slow on the blog post front, but I hope to keep you as updated as possible (and we should be close to making a decision on our little version of NJ house hunters). 

House Hunters: New Jersey Edition

Lately I've felt like I've been on an episode of HGTV's House Hunters.  We've been hunting for Chez Davis East for a while, but recently got serious now that Chez Davis West is pretty much sold.  

We're looking in several communities in New Jersey.  Montclair / Glen Ridge, Maplewood, and Millburn. Each community has its own vibe and unique personality.  Montclair is the more urban of the three. It has several town centers: Downtown Montclair, Watchung Village, Walnut Village, and Upper Montclair.  Lots of great bars and restaurants (many of which are BYO which means extra cash in the bank - cha-ching!) and a very cool magnet school system.  Glen Ridge, its adjoining sister town is a little more white bread but has some of the best schools in Jersey.  Maplewood is smaller than Montclair but closer to New York City.  It has a New England Town sort of feel with tons of mature trees, a super quaint town center and a high school with a ropes course to die fore.  Millburn feels a little more suburban but the property values are really high (which means if we can get the worst house in Millburn, we'll still be good to go), and the schools are some of the best in the nation. 

Of course, as luck would have it, we are considering three houses in all three areas.  There are pros and cons to each. Some need more work than others, but have amazing proximity to the Manhattan bound train. Others, less work but a higher price point, while others are farther from the train but have more square footage. As you can see, all three are some sort of take on the Colonial style (center hall, side hall, front porch etc) which is very prevalent in these parts.

Which one will we choose?...... stay tuned after the commercial break (of course, unlike the TV show, we might put in an offer and not have it accepted and not get any of the three). We shall see....

Art that looks like interiors...

1. Bathroom by Emerson et Cie
2. Bedroom by Unknown
3. Dining Room via Traditional Home

- Lauren

Childstyle Shoot

Well, one last hurrah for Bryan's nursery.  Now that we're all moved out and settled in Jersey, it's nice to have HGTV's Childstyle episode as a little momento of Bryan's first room. Here's hoping we can find a house that is as great as ours in LA and that affords us the same opportunities to personalize and upgrade as we did at Chez Davis West. It was so much fun meeting Rebecca and the rest of the Childstyle Crew and being a part of the shoot.

Taking the Plunge

Image

As most of you have conjured from my recent blog posts, change is afoot in the Davis household.  Scott is set up in his new job at Nickelodeon in Times Square, and we've made the big cross country move to New York (well, really Jersey just across the river from Manhattan).  We are very excited about our big move and eager to reconnect with our friends on the East Coast.

So what does that mean for me career wise?  Well, I'm taking the plunge and am wading into the wild world of sole proprietorship and being one's own boss.   For those who have been following along for a while, you know that in between work, baby and renovating our home, I've been pouring my heart and soul into both this blog and my new hardware line.  Well, with so many commitments, something had to give.  Many folks in my industry have asked if I am transferring back to Wilson Associates' New York Office (from whence I came before setting up shop at Wilson LA).  Wilson has been my family for the past eight years, and there was certainly the opportunity to go back to the New York office.  And having that opportunity made my decision that much harder.    However, I'd been thinking about going out on my own and making my passion projects into a real business for a while and the time just seemed right.  I'll get to spend a little more time with Bryan while he's a wee one and focus more energy on growing my hardware line and doing some residential and commercial projects on my own.

I am very excited about this new chapter in our lives and the opportunity to share it with you all.  From house hunting in Jersey, to renovations and updates at Chez Davis East, to new introductions to Nest Studio's Hardware line, I hope you stick around and follow along with this new phase in our journey!