wishes for 2012

Whatsoever you can do or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

-J.W. von Goethe

Get started.

I wish you:

peace like a river, 

joy down in your heart,

hope that springs eternal,

faith like a fortress,

kindness of strangers,

and a quilt to keep you warm.

God bless you and yours.

xo

amy

Photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

**Thank you for your comments.

Heartland

Traveling to see family is always a welcome trip.  I love driving because I get to see everything around me. Living as an urbanite for so long always makes me appreciate the beauty of the rural areas.
It got me thinking about images of Jack White at his home in the movie "It Might Get Loud".  And John Mellencamp's body of work about this same area of Indiana.
In winter, the land is striking and cold and beautiful.

 All photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

***Thank you for your comments!

Multi Colorful

Sometimes a lot of color just speaks for itself.

The Mah Jong Sofa by Roche Bobois. 

Hermes ties-an array of color.

Purl Soho zipper assortment.

boboboom lighting via marie claire maison

*Photos:           

Roche Bobois  via  bleue piece

GQ.com

Purl Soho

marieclairemaison.com

*Thanks for your comments!

a burst of yellow

As the days are grayer and snowier, a burst of yellow seems appropriate.
 

Yellow can brighten up a part of your home.

I can dream about spring 2012, while I embrace the winter chill.   Here are a few dreamy sunny pieces.

The prefall 2012 yellow coat by Diane von Furstenburg certainly makes me feel warmer already.

Don't forget your ears.

 The color yellow is associated with optimism. Count me in.

Photos: Anthropologie,  Jonathan Adler, Nanette Lapore/nymag.com, Les Copains/nymag.com,

  Diane VonFurstenburg/tmagazine, Lulu Frost/net-a-porter,  Marc by Marc Jacobs/net-a-porter.

*Thank you for your comments.

ToDryFor Towels

I am a sucker for a clean smart graphic print.  Enter-- ToDryFor. A slew of imaginatively printed towels.  I found them by way of Dezeen and their pop up store, Temporium.

Now, I just need the kitchen to match.


*Thank you for your comments.

made by hand gifts

My son is in his first year of preschool and has some wonderful teachers. I was inspired to make  patchwork potholders as gifts for the teachers.  Potholders are humble but can be beautiful and oh so useful. 
I had seen something by My Girl Thursday on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.
They were a small and quick project that let me use fabric that I own---perfect!!
Then.... my four year old son wanted to help me. Sure. 
It was fun to have him involved. I let go of my perfectionist self and embraced the process with him. We had a blast.
Some of the potholders are a little wonky, but hey, I can't blame it all on my son. :)

Next, I had fun wrapping the potholders using plain natural tissue paper, little bits of ribbon, and some cute gift tags from Target.

 

Now I had better look at my own collection of potholders in my kitchen drawer.
Yikes! I should have made some for myself!


All photos: Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive

*Thank you for your comments!

I Think I Love Berlin- Part 5

The last evening in Berlin,  I was one of many guests at the American Embassy.  My husband was the moderator of a panel discussion there about the commonalities between the city of Berlin and Detroit.  Despite the differences in the two places, there is much to be learned and to share. The united passion for progress and change was overwhelming that evening. I wonder what will come of it. It was obvious that when the event was over, the discussion was only getting started.

My husband and I were graciously invited to a dinner after the event at a restaurant called Little Otik. It is owned by American expats from Detroit by way of Brooklyn. It had the feeling of Brooklyn and Berlin at the same time. Having lived in Brooklyn, I had the feeling of being home. The meal was inspired and the room was loud with laughter and conversation. 

I hadn’t expected to make new friends in Berlin.

Personally, I shared so much in common with the new friends that I made in Berlin.  Motherhood, creativity, love and respect for other cultures, carving out new careers, and making meaningful lives for our families were the uniting forces with most of the women that I met in Berlin. An openness and fearlessness prevailed.

The gray buildings and gray skies are only part of the view.

Berlin is no longer just a place to me.  It is friendship, hope, and warmth.


All Photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

I Think I Love Berlin-Part 4

Shop Visit: Florale Welten

Right next door to my hotel, was a gorgeous floral shop called Florale Welten. It was chock full of wintry items. I found things that were whimsical as well as things that were classic. 

It was a sparkling feast for the eyes.

I took this reindeer home with me. He is happy on my mantel.

Florale Welten

Nurnberger Str. 50-55

10789  Berlin

www.floralwelten.com

All photos by Amy Dietrich For Coventry Drive.

I Think I Love Berlin-Part 3

Shopping at the KaDeWe

I got to do a little shopping (my favorite thing to do) in Germany's largest department store called the KaDeWe.

Oh, look! There's Santa.  I'm digging his color scheme and fancy coat.

I fell in love with these glass birds for the Christmas tree. I have memories of my grandparents having birds on the tree every year. So I had to get some for myself and for gifts.

And then... I cannot resist a stationery department! I bought this blue journal with grid pages. And I love these pencils with the dark rhinestones on the ends. I do enjoy nice pencils.

 All Photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

I think I Love Berlin- Part 2

The first night in Berlin, my husband, Mikel, and I were invited out to dinner.  Our hosts were a wonderful couple. She is an American expat and he is originally from Berlin, but lived in the U.S. for many years.  The dinner was in a restored Bauhaus building that is now a private club called Soho House. The other guests were lively, warm, accomplished, and interesting. And we immediately found that we had many things in common. The food was delicious and the spirited conversation was fueled by a common love of people, travel, adventure.  I felt included there, in a way that I have not felt sometimes in my own backyard.

The next evening, we attended a party held in a beautifully raw, but intimate space called Fortuna's Table.  The chef/owner, Suzy Fracassa, is an American expat from Detroit and the guest were a wonderful mixture of Americans and Germans. It was a wonderful way to connect with people who are passionate about their lives and their work with an international point of view.

 Photos: Soho House, Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive, Fortuna's Table.

I Think I Love Berlin - Part 1

I think I love Berlin.

Sometimes I have a feeling about a place before I get there.

I have wanted to visit Berlin for several years.  I had heard about the resurgence of art. culture, and life there for some time now. And Germany is also the land of my heritage. So when my husband needed to travel to Berlin for work, I jumped at the chance to join him.

The timing of my first visit to Berlin, coincided with the creeping winter darkness beginning at 3:30 pm every day.

Right away, I was struck by the severity of much of the architecture. I wasn't prepared for the lack of the beautiful ancient buildings that I love that are in cities like Paris and Florence.  Many of the buildings feel cold and austere to me. They seem devoid of warmth, the result of the years of a divided city and its infamous past. Most of the oldest buildings have been torn down over the years to make way for more modern buildings.  Evidence of the Cold War abounds. The gray skies and clouds add to the murkiness of the cement buildings. 

Nevertheless, I found beauty in architecture and graffiti as I walked around the city.

In the past, when I traveled, I would make a plan each day, trying to squeeze in as much work and sightseeing as humanly possible.  This time, I threw my agenda out the window.

The bottom left photo in this collage is a piece of the Berlin wall installed in a department store.




The city was lit up. 

The Brandenburg Gate was breathtaking.

All photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

Pink!!

Fashion + Home = Style

I have had on again - off again feelings for the color pink over the years. As a kid, I loved pink. When I was a young adult starting my fashion career, I chose to wear what I thought were more serious colors. During the years I was a redhead, I avoided wearing pink altogether.

But...even when I didn't wear pink, I still enjoyed accents of bright pink in my home.  A bright pink seems to look especially good with every single neutral. And bright pink and orange together just plain makes me happy.

Right now, there is an abundance of neon and bright pink in fashion, interiors, and products. Here are a few of my current favorites.

I , for one, am embracing pink.

Images:  Abigail Ahern,  Diane von Furstenberg, nymag (Dries Van Noten),   urbanears,  fromtherightbank,

ssence (Alexander McQueen), The Hoarde (Bertoia Diamond Chair).

Kids in the kitchen

Everybody tends to gather in the kitchen.

I am constantly imagining and redesigning my 1930's home in my head. Lately, it's my kitchen.

I like a kid and pet friendly home. I don't want anything that's too precious. I want style and comfort.  That's why I really like these two photos. A children's table has been incorporated into the kitchen design. Perfect! I love it when everybody ends up hanging out in the kitchen. (I also like to keep an eye on the action.)

I'm adding this to my kitchen dream.

(Top image: Wendy Goodman for New York Magazine)

(Bottom image: Laura Resen for Country Living )

Hydrangea Kitchen Visit

I love Mid century modern and Scandinavian design, and beauty in function. I'm mad for Henry Clarke fashion photos, clean graphic prints, and Dries Van Noten.
But... as I sit on my Bertoia designed side chair working at my MacBook Pro, I sometimes yearn for something charming, vintage, homey, and a little bit different.

Hydrangea Kitchen is just the place.

Vintage kitchen finds are mixed with new, and a cheery dining area welcomes.

One of the managers, Megan, greets me and steers me to the menu.  She makes all the sauces and her brother, Ryan, is the pastry chef. ( Another brother is away at the Culinary Institute of America.)

High tea is served every afternoon.
It's a place to sit and linger.

Hydrangea Kitchen
371 Fisher Road
Grosse Pointe, MI  48230
313.469.9970
Plus they have a store two doors down with clothing, accessories, and home goodies.
www.hydrangeagp.com