shopshoot - brook farm general store

shopshoot - brook farm general store

14 Jan 2013

Before I flew to New York last year, I arranged to do a few shopshoots. The third and last in the series was Brook Farm General Store in Williamsburg. Brook Farm General Store is described by it's owners as a modern interpretation of the traditional general stores of New York City. If you’ve ever visited Labour and Wait a gorgeous store I visited in London in 2011, you’ll know exactly what they mean.

Brook Farm General Store is located in Williamsburg and I have to say I found its South 6^th Street location a little hard to find. I walked around in circles for a while before eventually admitting defeat and asking for directions in the drug store. Whoever says New Yorkers aren’t helpful are clearly wrong because when I asked for help, I was given very clear directions and 10 minutes later found the shop nestled in a small street just under the Williamsburg Bridge.




I was greeted by Philippa, one of the owners, and she let me snap away to my heart's content. The shop is filled with light, a perfect way to highlight the wares on display.



True to the owners' word, there was a little bit of everything on display in the store. I found goods for the kitchen and items for pets. There were things for the office and things for the home like lights, brushes, enamelware, rugs and throws. 



Brook Farm General Store stocks brands I recognised such as Riess Enamel ware, Falcon ware and Opinel in addition to items from their own in house brand, Tourne. 



Aren't the rubber duckies gorgeous? Of course I had to go home with something, but with so many lovely things in the store, it was hard to make a decision. In the end, a box of Opinel French knives came home with me, tucked carefully into my luggage. If you look carefully, you might spy one of the knives on the blog during the next few weeks.

Next time you’re in Brooklyn, you can find Brook Farm General Store at 75 South 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States Phone: (718) 388-8642. If you’re not in town, they have a great online shopping site that you can find here. 

2016 Edit - Brook Farm General Store has moved. They can now be found here

Housefolk
10 Main Street
(in the Parrish Mews, just next to Rowdy Hall)
East Hampton, NY 11937
(631) 604 6088

I'll be back again on Wednesday with some summer food suggestions.

See you all then,

Jillian

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central park, new york

central park, new york

10 Dec 2012

Although I was only in New York for 6 days I took quite a few pictures whilst I was there. Todays photos are from Central Park.



A few years ago I saw some engagement photos which were taken at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park. The terrace was recently restored and it looked gorgeous so I immediately bookmarked it as a place to see when I was in New York. I didn't know what a popular location it was.



I arrived around lunch time and the place was packed as a group of B Boys entertained the crowd. I took some photographs but they weren't the kind of photos I wanted to take. A few days later I left my hotel room bright and early in an effort to beat the crowds.



I arrived in time to catch some beautiful early morning light and to see all the dog walkers and early morning joggers enjoying the park. I was also able to get the serene photos I was seeking.



I made sure to save some of my precious black and white film to shoot a few scenes of the park.

See you all again on Wednesday with the first recipe in this year's Christmas Collection.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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union square, soho, the bowery and chelsea

union square, soho, the bowery and chelsea

5 Dec 2012

Doing a shopshoot is a great way to see a city and to explore new locations. The night before the Michele Varian shopshoot, I sat down at a local cafe with my copy of The Stylists Guide to NYC to plot my route for the day. Sadly I left the book behind in the cafe and it was never seen again!

The day started out a bit grey and dreary but I went ahead with my plans to visit the Union Square Green Market.



I love seeing the way people shop and the food they eat.



I seemed to spend quite a bit of time around and about Union Square, in no part due to the presence of ABC Carpet and Home, J. Crew and Fishs Eddy.



What a fabulous place ABC Carpet and Home is. I loved everything I saw and wanted to move in!


After visiting Michele Varian I spent the afternoon exploring the lower East Side where I spied this great building made from cast iron.



Then it was back on the subway to Chelsea to buy some food at the Chelsea Market before walking the High Line.



My friend 'Little One' set me a challenge. When she was in New York in May she'd hidden a MMOA token on a bird feeder on the High Line and I had to track it down. I searched high and low but couldn't find it anywhere. Later on we discovered the bird feeder was a temporary art installation which had been dismantled by the time I made it to New York.



It didn't really matter because the walk was such a beautiful experience.



I just loved the old industrial buildings, the sympathetic plantings, the elegant street furniture and the occasional unexpected pop of colour. I wonder whether there's a similar hidden treasure in Sydney?

Less than 2 weeks now 'til my last working day for 2012. Roll on the weekend!!

Jillian

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michele varian shopshoot

michele varian shopshoot

28 Nov 2012

When I was planning my trip to New York, I asked Holly from the blog decor8 for some shopshoot suggestions. Her first suggestion was Michele Varian's shop in New York's Soho district. Sydney is a long way from New York and I confess to not being familiar with Michele and her work, so I checked the website to get an idea of what her shop was all about. I was heartened by what I saw and we made a date.



As I walked towards the shop I found Howard Street blocked to traffic. The street was lined with trailers and lots of important looking people walked by carrying clipboards and loud hailers. A tv show was being filmed. 



What did I find inside? An enticing mix of Michele's signature cushions and new line of wallpaper, vintage furniture, lighting, gifts and artwork.



The front of the shop is quite dark and moody.



I just love the chalkboard globe and the delicate glassware.



The mood lightens as you move towards the rear of the store to the colourful display of cushions.



Don't you just love the vibrant colours?



Some of the delicate jewellery Michele stocks.



Many thanks to Michele for being so welcoming and allowing me to photograph her lovely store. Her store can be found at 27 Howard Street in New York. 

If you'd like to know more about Michele please read this Q & A on decor8.

See you all again next week,

Jillian

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nyc in black and white

nyc in black and white

19 Nov 2012

I started my visit to New York with a visit to the Guggenheim Museum where a great Picasso in Black and White exhibit had just opened. As a tribute, I thought I'd devote this post to black and white images.



I always travel with my film camera and a few rolls of black and white fim. I didn't manage to take any black and white photos of Quebec and Montreal so I used the film in New York. Not all of these images were shot on film though. Can you spot which ones were shot digitally?



I thought this scene was kind of timeless.



Grand Central Station is such an iconic building, isn't? As is the New York Public Library



A street scene from Brooklyn.



I hope you all enjoyed your weekends. I was hard at work in the kitchen baking christmas cakes. They're all wrapped up stored in their tins just waiting for Christmas to arrive.

See you all again on Wednesday,

Jillian

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brooklyn, nyc

brooklyn, nyc

14 Nov 2012

New York is the place to go at the moment for my friends and workmates. Despite the very long journey involved, I'm the third in my circle of friends and the third person at work to visit this year. In a piece of good timing, which is rare for me, I managed to leave New York before Hurricane Sandy hit.

I knew I'd be heading to Brooklyn a couple of times for some shopshoots, so I picked up my cameras and went out exploring.



On my first visit, I walked from Brooklyn Borough Hall back to Manhattan.



I passed some beautiful houses in Brooklyn Heights, some of which were being used for location shoots.



I walked along the promenade for a look at the New York skyline and a touching memorial to 9/11. I managed to walk the Brooklyn Bridge without being bowled over by a cyclist but it was a bit hair raising at times.



I love this photo I shot on film during my visit to Williamsburg.



My last visit to Brooklyn was purely for my enjoyment. I visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, which was one of the highlights of my trip. I'm sorry to learn how much damage was done to the gardens by Hurricane Sandy. 



I visited the gardens on a gloriously sunny Saturday. I explored the rose garden and the Japanese Gardens.



I admired the bonsais that were on display in the greenhouse.



I have plenty more images of pre-Sandy New York to share with you over the coming weeks. I'll see you all again next week, so until then

Jillian

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lotta jansdotter

lotta jansdotter

29 Oct 2012

I haven't featured as many shopshoots on the blog this year as I have in the past, so I was determined to get a few shopshoots done during my 3 week trip to Montreal, Quebec and New York.

As you may know, I write a monthly column for decor8 called 'Shopgirl visits' but as Holly's readers are not my readers I don't always know what shops will appeal to her audience. I asked Holly for some suggestions before I flew to New York and she suggested approaching Lotta Jansdotter. I was familiar with Lotta's work, in fact I'd bought some cards featuring her designs some time back. I emailed Lotta and we arranged a time to meet.

Lotta works from a studio in Brooklyn. I've been to Brooklyn before but I soon discovered each area of Brooklyn has a different look and feel. Lotta's studio is located in an industrial part of Brooklyn called Gowanus where the skyline is dominated by this sign.



It was a glorious day and it was easy to spot Lotta's studio by it's vibrant colour.



Lotta apologised because the area was a bit sparse but I love to photograph sparse, so I was happy. I have this motto, 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should'. I'm definitely a less is more kind of girl.



There were all kinds of sweet vignettes to photograph, like this one.



I just love that Blue mason jar.



The studio is a real workspace as evidenced by this collection of shears.



Lotta can even make aprons and a collection of pens look attractive!



There was plenty of colour on display as well.



I spied some Rae Dunn ceramics alongside some of Lotta's textiles.



A symphony of blue and green featuring some of Lotta's designs for Fishs Eddy.



Many thanks again to Lotta for letting me visit her Brooklyn studio. The studio is open by appointment only but visitors are always welcome. You can call ahead  or email the studio. Lotta also runs printing workshops from the studio and the details can be found here.

See you all again on Wednesday,

Jillian

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NYC, here I come

NYC, here I come

22 Aug 2012

I found this great photo taken in the Bowery in the NYPL digital gallery. It was taken by Berenice Abbott and it's from a Collection called Changing New York by Berenice Abbott. So why a photo of New York you may ask? Well that's where I'm planning to be on Columbus Day.



Late last year I started planning a trip to Canada in 2012 to attend a conference. It's hard to believe but in just 5 weeks I'll be getting on a plane and flying to Canada for 10 days. I'll be in Montreal for 2 days and the rest of my time will be spent in Quebec City. I've been to Quebec City before but only for 2 days and it was a long time ago so my memory of what I saw and did is pretty hazy. I'll be staying in Old Quebec whilst there and I'm hoping to escape the convention centre whenever possible to do some sightseeing. After the conference I'll be flying to NYC for 6 days of eating, shopping, gallery visiting and hopefully lots of photography.

Dear readers, as it's been an age since my last trip to NYC, I'm looking for your suggestions for things to see and do, people to meet, places to eat and of course to shop whilst I'm there in October. I've done all the usual touristy things on previous trips so I'm keen to experience something new.

I can't wait to hear all your suggestions! You can leave them in the comments section or you can email me directly if you prefer.

Jillian

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