All photographs and words in this guest post by Ashley & Aron Bruhn of Hither Thither

One of the culinary scenes you will find in full force here in New York–and, thankfully, around the country–is the farm-to-table movement. At the heart of this is the city’s Greenmarket network, the largest outdoor urban farmer’s market network in the country.

We are particularly partial to our local Greenmarket, which also happens to be the city’s flagship market, in Union Square. Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, it makes eating locally and seasonally a reasonable and exciting (if still expensive) part of our lives. And even when we aren’t stocking our fridge from the market’s stalls, it’s nice to know that many of the area’s restaurants are (we’ve even spotted some celebrity chefs trolling for goods).

It’s wonderful to watch the seasons changing from the vantage point of produce–and to sense excitement mounting for prizes like strawberries, ramps, or those very first concord grapes. There’s literally a celebration when asparagus arrives. And then one has to act fast and indulge plenty before the scene changes again. (We did our best to make sure we got our fill of crisp, almost sweet asparagus before it started to disappear: we had it almost every night for two weeks!)

A farmer’s market isn’t an obvious destination for a visitor to the city, for someone unlikely to have a kitchen or an occasion to cook, but the Greenmarket at Union Square is not only a beautiful sight (especially when the flowers start to appear in the spring) but a revealing look at how the city actually lives.

Ashley & Aron Bruhn, Hither & Thither

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Do you remember some time ago now, I wrote about an architecture & design firm called tacklebox? It is an innovative company based in New York, founded by my friend & architect Jeremy Barbour. If you recall, he designed the saipua showroom in Brooklyn, NY, creating a fabulous space made from recycled silver barn wood (read my post and view the gorgeous photos of the space here).

Last year, Jeremy came out to Australia for a special secretive research mission for melbourne-based skin care range aesop, and over a lovely lunch in Paddington, here in Sydney, he revealed to me a little about what he was up to and what he wanted to create. I was captivated, and could not wait to see the project unfold and revealed to the public. A few months ago, the spaces in New York were opened: one in grand central station, another on Elizabeth St in the Nolita, and the other in Greenwich Village, University Place. Take a look…

Aesop Nolita, Elizabeth St, New York, photos by Gianluca Fellini.

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Aesop Grand Central Kiosk, in Grand Central station, photos by Juliana Sohn.

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Aesop University Place, Greenwich Village, photos by Juliana Sohn. (particularly loving the store’s sink which was salvaged from Bethlehem Steel’s 140-year-old plant in Pennsylvania).

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The concept was to use the New York Times newsprint as a material within the foundations. The aesop Grand Central Kiosk for example, is constructed of 1,800 reclaimed newspapers from the New York Times. The aesop range sit on a tiered mass of stacked and bound newsprint while loosely hanging papers form a canopy above. For the Nolita store, 2800 New York Times newspapers were hand-torn into 400,000 strips which were then stacked to create “a soft, felt-like surface held within a continuous oak wrapper”.

“Just as oak is commonly used to store and age wine and spirits, so too will the newspaper age, turning a light tan, thus marking the passing of time. In this way, the history of Aesop North America will be recorded within the very walls of this first store.”

The newsprint, stacked and pressed, ready to be used.

As you know, I’ve been loving the use of recycled paper as a material lately, perhaps it has something to do with the onslaught of technology, and the growing, ill feeling of living within a paperless society. Preserving and maintaining the use of paper in our world seems imperative, and I love how imaginative people are toward its many uses these days.

Congratulations Jeremy on completing yet another stunning set of spaces using recycled material and furnishings – you’re an inspiration to us all, I can’t wait to see what you create next! And a big thank you for sharing your projects here in the (blog)house.

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The shopping opportunities in New York are staggering! Many visitors crowd Fifth Avenue’s grand department stores, and SoHo is a must for any serious shopper, but there’s also a wealth of unique wares to be found at any one of the amazing markets being held around the city on any given weekend.

Look out for the New Amsterdam Market under the Brooklyn Bridge near South Street Seaport, the relatively new Hester street fair on the Lower East Side, and–perhaps the most well-known, and a personal favorite–the Brooklyn Flea. The highly catered market, full of new and vintage treasures, is held in some of the most stunning locales around the city.

The flea food vendors are as much a part of the market as anyone else–maybe even our favorite part–and there’s now a food-only market called Smorgasbord, held on Saturdays in Williamsburg, in full view of the Manhattan skyline.

Whether you’re angling for independent crafts or just in the mood for some good style-spotting while people-watching, we highly recommend taking in one of the unique markets around the city.

Ashley & Aron Bruhn, Hither & Thither

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Have you noticed? It’s the city on everyone’s lips, and it seems to be the place of longing in everyone’s hearts. I have so many friends who dream of living in NYC, and I have many friends living and working there, enjoying everything the city has to offer. It’s a pretty amazing place to be, so I thought I’d showcase it a little more here in the (blog)house. Over the next month I’ve invited two New Yorkers into the guest quarters to share with us ‘their New York’. Ashley & Aron Bruhn of Hither & Thither will be joining us weekly to take us on a personal tour of the city. They are already unpacking their bags, setting up home in the guest quarters as I type -  click here to read their introductory post (thank you for sharing your part of the world, Ashley & Aron!).

And coming up next, I have a lovely post about a friend who creates amazing spaces in New York using recycled components, this time he’s used one of my favourite materials: paper.

+Both images in this post by Irene Suchocki, see more of her incredible travel photography here.

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People often ask us what they should see or do in New York. There are so many iconic sights–it is hard to know where to begin–and so we usually leave destinations like Ellis Island or Times Square to the guidebooks. And we travel, for better or worse, we have a tendency to sacrifice some of those big-ticket items on the chance that we might inhabit a place as a local for a time: have a drink in a hip neighborhood, or shop at the local markets.

With those things in mind, here is a New York that might appeal as much to tourists as to locals. These are a few of the things we love best about the city; this is how we would visit the city we live in. Over the next month, I hope that we can see it together…

Ashley & Aron Bruhn, Hither & Thither

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Here is a quick still life of a few of the gorgeous cards I received last month – some made by hand, others printed photographs and illustrations on beautiful card stock. Thank you lovely friends.

I hope everyone has had a peaceful, ‘time to reflect’ start to 2012. I’ve been nesting as you can imagine, and am happy to say our house now – finally – feels like home. It took a while but it’s ready – and I’m ready – to greet this new little person in our lives.

Happy holidays everyone! Here’s to 2012 being a year of hope, action, and positive change for all and each individual.

xx

PS my friend Jenni rented out the movie “babies” for us yesterday, something she’s been telling me about for months but I hadn’t yet got around to finding. We watched it last night and it’s truly fabulous, I was especially drawn to the Namibian family, and french boy loved the mongolian nomadic way of life (impressed that they had a satellite dish and mobile phone). An inspiring film, I hope you take the time to watch it if you haven’t seen it already.

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sending a little thank you gift to a dear friend overseas. Handmade gift tag by paper boat press.
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clockwise from top left: gorgeous jute crocheted Christmas decorations in newspaper taxi; signed copies of My Heart Wanders & Paris: Made by Hand wrapped and ready to be sent far away; on the coffee table; the sweetest handmade christmas decorations from paper boat press.
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Since I’ve been less and less mobile over the last few months, I’ve been relying on my iphone to capture some of my day enhancing moments. I’ve been posting them on instagram, which has become my new favourite ‘visual blogging’ medium as I love the instant, intimate aspect of it. It’s been a wonderful way to keep in touch with friends near and far, see what they’re up to during the day in a visual way. Every now and then I post some images on facebook and twitter, and recently I asked my readers if they’d like to see these images on the blog too, or if it would be too much repetition. There was lots of positive feedback, so I thought I should give it a try. I thought maybe once a month I could pick my favourite shots and post them in a collection like this – let me know if you like this idea.

Here’s the latest collection, with captions and links for your clicking pleasure…

inside Stef’s shop,newspaper taxi:1
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inside Stef’s shop, newspaper taxi:2
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afternoon tea with Stef at Black Star Pastry, featuring their beetroot chocolate cake with rose petals, and lavender and blueberry tart.
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surprise art in the park: 1… drink, anyone?
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surprise art in the park: 2… the beginning of a beautiful story.
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surprise art in the park: 3… nature’s purple neon spectacular, jacaranda love.
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on the coffee table: bowl of scented sunshine from the garden, a page from My Heart Wanders, rocks from French Boy’s  hometown lake in France, Heidi’s gorgeous book ‘super natural every day’, my collection of aromatherapy reference books, and a cup of chai.
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Also, I’ve been looking into some new-to-me music, here is my current background music while I work/lay on couch/waddle around the house, perhaps you’ll find something here you like too:

+twice by little dragon (also like ‘after the rain’)
+i follow rivers, lykke li
+how come you never go there, feist
+you are all i see, active child
+brother, matt corby
+feeding line, boy & bear

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I wanted to write this post in time for Thanksgiving since that is when I first met sweet Amy last year. Shall we pretend I did  actually manage to write this in time for the occasion? okay yes, well then this is what I wanted to say:

“This time last year, I received an email from Brooklyn-dweller Amy Merrick, informing me of her upcoming trip to Amsterdam and how she’d like to meet up if I had the time. I’d admired Amy’s work, blog, and ‘living in’ posts (where she puts together a collection of homewares and furniture inspired by the sets of favourite movies) on design*sponge for some time, and was rapt to know that I’d have the opportunity to meet her in person. Amy was traveling with her dear sister Micha and they happened to be in Amsterdam on Thanksgiving day. So I decided to surprise them and book a table at the only place in the city that serves a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner – lovefood. Perhaps it was going to be more of a treat for French Boy and I as the last time I’d had a real Thanksgiving meal was 15 years prior when I lived in Pennsylvania, while French Boy had never had a Thanksgiving feast. French Boy, my dear friend Heidi and myself rode our bikes to the restaurant on the prinsengracht to meet the girls. It was a gorgeous, crisp Amsterdam evening, and we rode side by side, chatting and catching up on the week’s happenings.

In we all went, took our seats, and didn’t stop chatting for the whole evening, dining on turkey, homemade cranberry sauce and all the Thanksgiving trimmings that could fit on the table. It was such a memorable evening, I was captivated by Amy’s stories of recent travels and life in New York, and hearing about Micha and Amy’s childhood memories and ambitions. I’m so thankful for that evening, it meant a lot to me to enjoy that special meal with such beautiful people.

In the conversation, Amy mentioned her transition into a solo career in floral design.  She had ideas to start a website and work from her Brooklyn apartment. In August of this year, I was delighted to find out she’d done just that, and has created such a delightful online showcase of her work as a prop stylist and floral designer, take a look at some of her work in the following images…

Stunning, non?  Take a moment to read her post on how it all came about, and how she was inspired by her visit to Amsterdam. And while you’re visiting her blog, an apple a day, take a moment to read her most recent post about her visit to Florida with Micha, which tells of how their parents met (it’s the ultimate “Most Romantic Meeting Story of All Time”)…

Amy is not only a beautiful genuine soul, but incredibly talented as you can see. I’m excited to continue to follow her journey to see what she creates in the years to come, and how her creations will evolve over time.

“Happy Thanksgiving mes amis.”

So that is my very belated thanksgiving post featuring dear Amy. I figure, better to give thanks late than never, right?

xx

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+All images courtesy of Amy Merrick.
+To peruse Amy’s new website, click here.
+To read her blog “An Apple a Day”, click here.
+And to view her awesome ‘living in’ posts on design*sponge, click here.

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Wow, November went by quick didn’t it? My November online book boutique is about to close its doors – there are only 2 days left to order your personally signed copy of My Heart Wanders, Amsterdam: Made by Hand, and Paris: Made by Hand (or all three)…

It’s been fun signing books, wrapping them and sending them off to interesting destinations around the world. Thank you to everyone who has ordered so far. Some people have asked if I will extend the opening of the store but the answer is a very certain ‘no can do’ as I’m now nearly 8 months pregnant so my attention over the next 6 months will be focused on bringing our first bub into the world. That means now is the time to place your orders! I won’t be doing any public events or signings for the coming months. Click on the image below to be taken directly to the boutique…

note: I will be closing the boutique on Thursday December 1st so that North American readers have until their November 30, end of Wednesday, to order.  px

PS keep in mind I will ship ANYWHERE in the world – if your country is not on the shipping list just pick the country nearest you, then when ordering you type in your shipping address with correct country. (I just couldn’t type every country in the shipping, it would have taken me days.) If you are unsure, just email me your shipping address and book request and I will email you an invoice.

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My dear friend Leslie recently sent me some of her latest creations from her studio in Amsterdam- pillow portraits, featuring some of her favourite once-forgotten portraits from her personal collection. They each have a name, and each their own little narrative which is screen printed in unique handwritten fonts on the back of each cushion. Here, I’ve taken some promotional photographs for Leslie to use. Below, meet Rolf…

…and Bridget, who tells us about journeying along a canal and finding the perfect shop …

I adore the anecdotes on the back of the cushions as much as I love the portraits themselves. There are six pillows in the collection thus far, and I secretly hope Leslie designs more. I can imagine collecting each one as they are made…

Leslie is happy to ship these anywhere in the world, so if you are keen to start your own portrait pillow collection, click here to read the details on her blog.

xx

PS I think my favourite is Rolf – he goes on walks and collects leaves and bits of nothing that mean something to him. Man after my own heart.

PPS wow, this time last year.

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