Coffee & Wine

Since about 18 years of age I have loved coffee. It served its purpose in the morning and during late nights but I never really understood the amazing nuances of the different varieties until this great coffee shop opened across the street from us. One winter day, when all I really needed was something to warm me up and keep me going, I was told by our new favorite barista, "try the Idido Misty Valley... it tastes like a strawberry field." "A what? Did you say strawberries in my coffee?...OF COURSE I'll try that." Then WHAM I actually felt like my mouth was swimming through a strawberry field. Alright, honestly, I never would have noticed the strawberry flavors if someone had not just told me to look for them but they were indeed definitely there. Either way, it is an amazing coffee and is available from Counter Culture for $12.35 for a 12oz bag. You all should give it a try!



And one more beverage suggestion... Gruner Veltliner. This white wine is most commonly produced in Austria and typically has a clean, full bodied and crisp flavor. It is a remarkable wine that pairs well with a lot of difficult foods (think asparagus, artichokes, beets, etc.) and is usually affordable. I predict you will be seeing a lot more of this wine at your favorite restaurants and wine stores as the summer months unfold.

Intel "Hero" Commercial

We don't have television so my only exposure to commercials is when they are featured on Hulu. I have to say, I love this one. Everything from the sweet room they are in to the drawing of Ajay with hearts around his head to the Intel music at the end makes me smile.

Mother's Day Weekend & Blossoms

Hope all of you mothers out there had a wonderful mother's day! Alissa and I got to visit with our two sisters, our niece, my mother and my father. It was a great weekend. Here are some Polaroids I took.

Migration!

In a continued effort to ensure stable boutique access, we have been migrated to a new, state-of-the-art server with far better features. We did experience some down-time during migration but it was a necessary step to providing everyone better service. Sorry for any inconveniences.

HORNE team

Spade & Spade

I have an unhealthy obsession with all things Spade right now.

• I love that Kate & Andy Spade were able to create a company on a whim (not that it wasn't hard work).
• I love that they didn't rely on trends to create their products but instead looked to what inspired them.
• I love that they sold the company to Liz Claiborne Inc. to spend more time with their child and pursue other artistic endeavors.
• I love that they love the covers of cloth-covered books as art.

• But I especially love Andy Spade's new project Partners & Spade (part ad agency/creative consultancy, part art gallery boutique). Located at 40 Great Jones St. NYC, open only on weekends and by appointment on weekdays.
  

It will definitely be on my must see list the next time we are in the city.

A view from inside the gallery, George Glazer's collection of globes.

photo by: Jordan Provost

From the Partners & Spade website: part of a Jason Polan drawing of everything in the store.

-Alissa-

shopHORNE.com offline on May 4th

Due to an error in a component of the file system of Cluster.02 of the server we use (whatever the heck that means), our boutique went offline at 7:15pm EST on May 4th. We apologize for any inconvenience this down time may have caused. Our site is now back and fully functional.

Thank you for your understanding.

HORNE team

Homes

Now that Alissa and I are married, I have 'house' on the mind all the time. I browse endless real-estate websites, I order catalogs from any and every home appliance and home fixture company I can think of and I spend a good chunk of my evenings writing down details about what our dream house needs to include. I am not sure if we will build, buy or renovate but I ran across this barn conversion today and it has me seriously leaning towards renovate. Oh so beautiful.