Possibly the most fascinating house I was in this year had hardly any furniture and nobody lived there. It’s where Christina Olson, immortalized forever by Andrew Wyeth’s painting of her crawling up a windswept hill lived her entire life.
I never really liked the painting. It always seemed creepy and sad but when you summer in coastal Maine it is hard to avoid the legendary Wyeth and I am bedazzled by many of his other works. At least once a year I make a pilgrimage to The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland to soak up some Wyeth-ness and this year, for a few extra dollars purchased a ticket to visit The Olson House in nearby Cushing.
And boy, was I glad I did. The house, along with the property it sits on, offers a breathtaking glimpse into the world of this iconic painter and his unlikely muse. 
Everywhere you look; through the windows, at the walls, out the doors, there is a story ready to unfold. The light streaming through the leaded glass windows reflects, and makes you reflect on the rooms and the lives of the people who lived there. Were they unbearably long and hard or was there joy here too? For every dark shadow there appears a bright spot, much like an Andrew Wyeth painting. 
If you get a chance, go. And go soon because it is only a matter of time before the house is cleaned up, and the public partitioned off. Right now every room is accessible and virtually untouched from the days the Olsons lived there. You can see the rooms as Andrew Wyeth saw them and know how terrible, and how wonderful Christina’s world must have been.
Make sure to walk the grounds as well as tour the house. We were early so we wandered through the field familiar to us from Christina’s World. As we approached the riverbank we discovered a small graveyard and were surprised to see that Andrew Wyeth had joined the Olsons in perpetuity.
I didn’t want to leave either.
However, it was past lunch time and those of us still of this world were getting hungry. The good news was we were only twenty or so minutes away from McLoon’s Lobster Shack. In the isn’t this a small world after all vein, McLoons is actually owned by a branch of the Douty family, as in our very own Lusty Lobster in Highlands and offer what Yankee Magazine reckons is the number one Lobster Roll in Maine. Maybe.
It was really good, but if you can’t get to Maine anytime soon don’t fret, my recipe may just be better.
Best Lobster Roll Recipe
Lobster Rolls are a cinch to make–all you need are a few key ingredients.
- Freshly cooked lobster. When ever I put lobster on the menu I always get a few extra for lobster rolls the next day. In Maine we use soft shells because they are easier to crack open, but probably hard shells will be the only option elsewhere.
- Hellman’s Mayonaise, yup, it has to be Hellman’s.
- Hot Dog Rolls. And this gets tricky out of Maine because you want them sliced down the middle–not sideways.
- Celery (optional)
- Butter (essential)
First chop your lobster meat into bite sized chunks and finely chop up a small amount of celery. (This is where I depart from The Yankee Magazine reviewer; this is how my mother from Rhode Island did it and I like the little bit of crunch–it breaks up the chewiness of the lobster).
Then melt some butter in a frying pan and cook your hot dog rolls inside and out until golden brown.
Add a dollop of Hellman’s to your lobster and celery mixture and insert into your freshly toasted hot dog roll.
That’s it. Serve with your favorite potato chip.
A hundred years ago Sea Bright was just a small fishing village nestled on the sand spit separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Shrewsbury River. The humbleness of the town was in direct contrast to the grandeur of the large vacation homes surrounding it. Mainly owned by wealthy New Yorkers, they employed architects, like the renowned Stanford White, to design intricate, multi-storied shingle style houses so they could enjoy the Jersey Shore’s ample sunshine and refreshing sea breezes in comfort.
This beautiful building is a survivor–no mean feat considering it sits barely above sea level a stone’s throw from the river. Nor’easters, and of course hurricanes are a constant threat–the latest was Sandy in 2012.
While the side yard is a parking lot–this is a working marina after all–
there is a large front lawn that ends where the river starts. Flanked by daylilies and hydrangeas, and a huge border of what looks to be ornamentals, but is, in reality, a massive vegetable garden, it is the perfect spot for plunking down with a book on a sunny day–or to have a party!
Their experienced floral designers always make sure we have gorgeous flower arrangements on all the tables (we always do a sit-down dinner). And they also schlep over these huge palms that we use to decorate the inside of the tent.
Somehow it all comes together. It doesn’t hurt that one of the owners of the fabulous 
This year he served a grilled salmon that belied any thought of the Salmon Fatigue Syndrome I have been suffering lately.
When a customer from North Jersey called last week to check on the status of her classic farm table from our factory in Hungary–meant to arrive in May but now coming in June, sadly–she told us the same table she was waiting for was featured in a Rumson home in this month’s HGTV Magazine!
And sure enough, there was our British Cottage table! But it didn’t start out with this Rumson family. About 15 years ago a couple from Spring Lake had had it with the traditional layout of their perfectly located home. He cooked, she loved to entertain, the sequestered formal dining room and barely adequate kitchen were not working for their lifestyle. So they blew out the back of the house, and the wall separating the dining room and the kitchen and made a fabulous room overlooking their fabulous garden. They added new cabinets and state of the art appliances then anchored the whole shebang with a custom British Cottage farm table.
Basically, we have been on the road all spring, finding inspiration and beauty everywhere we go. Nothing, however, tops young Charlotte here. Our newest grandchild, and look, at just seven months, already a lady who does lunch!
We started out in April in North Carolina at the 
We did not buy the rug (only because it was not for sale), but we did buy this fabulous ecru velvet Chesterfield sofa along with the two coordinating armchairs. Classic, elegant, vintage, but with a smattering of modernity, that is our British Cottage story.
Looking at this vignette, you have to wonder; is this really the best a billion dollar company can do? Crank it up. Go get those Fiezy rugs and a coffee table that doesn’t clash with everything. While you’re at it, rethink your artwork. And accessories. Come on Warren, it’s definitely time to up your game; hire some new buyers, and show Nebraska some style.
It was architecturally awesome; I loved the polished concrete floors, the M.C. Esher-esque seemingly never-ending series of arched doorways, symmetrical room settings, and the high-reaching ceilings. Sadly the products were every bit as lacking, in their own way, as the items at Warren’s Nebraska Furniture Mart. Not that they were ugly or poorly designed but, after you’ve seen one crystal chandelier, one upholstered linen chair, and one low-slung couch, there’s fifty more to look at. Enough already!
But we had other fish to fry:
Nordstrom’s to shop:
And Farmer’s Markets to frequent. 
Next up was the hunt for tables. While we build a lot of our own product at our factory in Hungary, High Point Market gives us the opportunity to augment our inventory with some of the latest designs on the market.
Originally built in the mid 1800’s as a lighthouse on a hill on the eastern Middletown border, this house exudes charm and personality. From the entrancing private lane, you enter through the iron gates to a lushly landscaped, circular drive topped by this simply lovely home. I want to say it is the icing on the cake, or the jewel in the crown–it is really super.
I walked through the periwinkle blue door straight into a kitchen right out of the original Smallbone Catalogue.
Smallbone is an English firm famous for introducing “unfitted kitchens” to the United States. Totally bucking the trend of build-in, built-up, over-built kitchens that are now the norm, an unfitted kitchen features freestanding furniture and appliances and a variety of finishes and materials. Utterly charming, yet totally serious with industrial strength appliances, this is my dream kitchen.
Upstairs, besides the master bedroom (which has an en suite bathroom to swoon over), there is an enchanting guest room and bath, another bedroom they use as a dressing room and a spiral staircase that leads to a ladder that leads to the cupola where the lighthouse used to be. It is like the stairway to heaven; you keep climbing and climbing and finally you get there. You can literally see for miles!
You can do this with lamb shanks but I usually just buy a boneless leg of lamb–it is all in one piece and easier to handle. Salt and pepper then sear on both sides in olive oil in an oven-proof pot.
When I was growing up in Rumson there were a couple of rituals that made summer even more wonderful. One started on the last day of school and lasted all summer long–going to the beach. Every single day it was not raining my mom would load our old station wagon with three, four, five, and finally, six kids and head over the Sea Bright Bridge.
Possibly the world’s largest trade show facility with over 700 million square feet, America’s Mart January market bills themselves as “An unparalleled collection of exceptional Home products…” and for once someone is telling the truth. There are acres and acres of products, thousands of vendors, and fun stuff like crazy cash machines (see above photo).
Also featured were a series of vignettes by several of the country’s top designers that included products from a wide variety of manufacturers. This is what we do every day at British Cottage, so it was interesting to see how professionals took products we carry, like this chandelier from Curry & Co, and put it with an area rug by Loiloi (a company we are considering). Generally, we are not a fan of dark wall colors but love how everything pops in this stylish space.
And everywhere you looked there was a gorgeous navy blue couch–as our British Cottage aficionados know a look we have championed for several years now. We find navy fresh and classic, equally at home at the beach or in the city. 
There was no shortage of seminars and workshops. We especially enjoyed the presentation sponsored by Veranda Magazine. Billed as 30 Years of Veranda, interior design icons (from left) John Oetgen, Suzanne Kassler, Bill Peace and Susan Ferrier, candidly described their favorite memories and shared insights about how interior design has become what it is today.
And after all that, it was nice to come home and resume nesting, and there is nothing like a home cooked meal after being out and about for a while. My favorite stew, of all time, is Chicken Cacciatore or Pollo Alla Cacciatora as my beloved Marcella Hazan, author of “The Classic Italian Cookbook” would say. First published by Knopf in New York in 1976, some say Marcella Hazan’s cookbook is the most authentic and best guide to Italian food ever written. Of course, I knew none of that when I pulled it out of the sales pile at Barnes and Noble over 20 years ago–but I know it now.
As we all know the holidays should be all fun and games; but often times it is easy to get struck down by the details so it is best to be prepared. First, accept you are not Martha Stewart; perfection should never replace fun. Delegate, smile a lot and try not to sweat the small stuff. You have all of January to be miserable.
Same for the tree. Fresh or fake–your choice. I prefer fresh because it smells better and you can throw it out the front door on January 1. Toss on a few strands of the aforementioned white sparkly lights, no more than one box of ornaments, and call it a day. One year I only did lights and I think is was our prettiest tree ever. Less is more.