Saturday, June 09, 2012

Hudson: Lifestyle – Susan Simon.



Hudson: Lifestyle – Susan Simon.  Cookbook author Susan Simon and her dog Allegra just moved to Hudson after living thirty years in New York City.   She is the author of five cookbooks, the co-author of the James Beard award-winning, Pasta Sfoglia, a guidebook, Shopping in Marrakech and translator of Italy Dish by Dish, a region by region guide to the food of Italy.  She writes the food and travel blog Susan Simon Says.
Above.  Susan and her dog Allegra, who is part Vizla and part Pitbull come out of their pretty green and red eighteenth century brick row house in the center of Hudson in the Hudson River Valley.


photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 1. A small wooden painted table holds two pots of Begonias, the book Historic Homes of the Hudson Valley by Gregory Long and an early bow gesso sculpture by her friend and artist Margaret Saliske.

 photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle.  Blues and especially Cerulean blue seem to be a recurring color in Susan’s décor, like her painted desk and bookcases in  the writing corner overlooking the garden.


 
Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 2. On the fireplace mantle a collection of mercury glass vases “One of the first things I unpacked was my collection of mercury glass – in such rare colors as turquoise, pink and gold – to place on the mantle.” Susan writes in her blog.

 
Susan Simon – Lifestyle. The table on the upstairs landing hold pots filled with geraniums and paintings sit on the floor on a pretty pink and red striped carpet. The first painting of a still life on the left was painted by Susan in her student days at Bard College, which is just “down the road”, the horse painting is also a Susan Simon that she painted for her aunt and uncle Jessie and Jim Smith of one of their big winners called Swift Reward and the last, but not least, is of a typical shingle house on Nantucket by her friend Robert Cronin.

                                                   photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 3.  On the bedside table, a tray with the words “encouraging good intentions” designed by John Derian for Target, holds glasses and an elegant bottle of Saratoga Spring Water, the pretty lamp base with roses and dots is also a John Derian creation and Sweet Williams complete this pretty picture.

 
photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 4.  In the living room on top of a low bookcase by the window a blue and white Chinese export ceramic lamp, a green plant and good friend Louise Fili’s and Lise Apatoff’s book Italianissimo – The Quintessential Guide to What Italians do Best.

  photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 5.  Majestically on the dinning room table silver and mercury glass candlesticks hold burned down beeswax candles look elegant and “decadent”.

 
photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 6.  Breakfast.  Strawberries and blueberries in English Willow pattern blue and white bowls and Pure Honey from Nantucket “First and most importantly, my brother-in-law, Jimmy Gross, is a beekeeper on Nantucket.  His dozen or so hives produce hundreds and hundreds of pounds of blue-ribbon award-winning honey not defined by a particular blossom - but, a blend of many - he collects his honey at the end of season.” Susan writes in her blog.

 
Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 7. Breakfast.  Susan makes her own Granola with vegetarian cook, Amy Chaplin’s recipe, which includes brown rice syrup that gives the whole thing a crackling texture.  A guest's iPad with the New York Times sits besides the enamel bowl. 

 
photograph and copyright by manfredi bellati

Susan Simon – Lifestyle detail # 8. Books are on show in a pretty garden urn; Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People by Hamish Bowles and Mutts by Sharon Montrose.  A terracotta white glazed early American cider jug and a Sicilian tile, found at the flea market in Palermo sit on the low bookcase by the window in the living room, above which one of her good friend, Massimo Vitali’s beach photographs.

 

 Susan Simon – Lifestyle.  Allegra the part Vizla and part Pitbull rests on her bed surrounded by cushions covered in elegant Rubelli fabric.

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