A friend recently gifted us some flowers from Farm Girl Flowers. She sent us were some beautiful white ranunculus, that shipped in a box with an optional vase. The instructions were clear as to how to prepare and care for the flowers and they lasted almost 2 weeks. We would recommended using their services, especially when sending to friends that are limited in floral options beyond the standard funeral flowers.
Bob Coscarelli our resident photographer created a tribute series to the house and it’s previous owners Dr. Robert and Amelia Frost. The Frost’s were better known at home and to family and close friends as ‘Bob’ and ‘Babe’. The series was shot one Autumn Day in September 2019, it involved a team of people: Brandon Frein Wardrobe Stylists + Debbie Jacks Hair & Make-Up Stylist + Sabrina Jurlina as Babe + JJ Banicki as Bob.
We always forget to document and date our photographs. Actually we are just really pathetic at keeping a neat and tidy digital filing systems of all the photos that are taken. So we are making an effort to do a better job of keeping living records of the changes in the house and the garden. We just updated the ‘tour’ section of our website showing a timeline of photos of the rooms as they have changed over the years since we have been in the house.
So here we go, we are going to start with our Christmas tree for 2020, and our Christmas Day table. It was a small celebration for 3 adults and one dog. Despite the micro-celebration it was actually a really lovely relaxed couple off days of cooking meals together and watching movies.
Of course, the gift of giving this years was the ‘Resident Dog’ book that features Banksy and the Frost House.
Who doesn’t love setting the table for special occasions? It is a favorite thing to do, and we collect vintage dish-ware and glasses so we can dress the table up. We have some metal shelves and large plastic bins in the basement to store all the goodies. The collection is forever growing, we might have a small problem.
Our favorite linens for the dining table come from Huddleson. The only company that I am aware of that makes table linens especially for Saarinen Tulip dining table. The dinner set was found in a resale store in Benton Harbor, likely a wedding gift that was hardly used, it came with all the serving pieces and a place setting for 12. The glassware was purchased from Etsy and Ebay they are a smoked grey/green vintage glasses by Gorham.
We finally made the pilgrimage to the modern mecca of design in Columbus Indiana to see the Miller House. It has long been on the ‘visit’ list, and we finally got around to a quick overnight road trip. We wanted to get some design inspiration for updating the living room, injecting some color without making it too much of a modern mid-century maximalism [ahem Jonathan Adler-esque). We thought the Miller House was the perfect home to help us out.
We equipped ourselves with a few tour maps to help guide our tour: 1] Curbed did a great map and story in Sept 2019, and does a great job with building descriptions; 2] ArchDaily also did a nice job with a map and editing down the buildings to visit Jun 201, but it lacks descriptions.
For the Miller House Tour, we booked well in advance to get tickets, as the tour is popular and limited in availability. The bonus of going during COVID there were 50% fewer people on the tour than normal, so there was plenty of room to socially distance, and less people you needed to dodge in your photos. MCM Daily by DC Hillier has a great write up and photos that you should check out, along with Leslie Williamson via Dwell.
The Miller House – it has to be seen to really grasp this beautiful property – the gardens were much larger than expected.
And then there was more garden to admire ….. we missed the pool – it was already closed for the winter.
We also booked an overnight stay at ‘The Inn at Irwin Gardens’, it was easy to book online, and came with breakfast in the morning included with the room rate. This private home and gardens was converted into an Inn in 2009, and much of the charm has been preserved and maintained to the original 1910 remodel, with some furniture pre-dated to the original build in 1864. It gained a lot of screen time in the movie ‘Columbus’ (2017).
The overnight trip was a little too quick, and because it was a weekend and during a global pandemic – many locations were not available for interior tours. None-the-less we enjoyed our visit.
We are excited to announce that The Frost House along with Banksy our ‘Resident Dog’ are featured in a book due to be released Nov 10th 2020 on Amazon. Last fall photographer Nicole England and her Stylist / Assistant Natalie James paid us a visit from Australia. The duo for 6 weeks traveled the world to capture some incredible homes, by legendary architects and designers (Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler, Luis Barragan, Found Associates .. to name a few). Anyway, straight from the website of publisher Hardie Grant (UK) here is what they have to say about the book:
…. showcases over 25 of the world’s most amazing houses, and the dogs that live there.
As an architecture photographer, Nicole England found that the shoots she enjoyed the most were the ones where dogs were present – nothing lightens the mood like a nonchalant pup. However imposing the architecture, some doggy hijinks can immediately bring an element of sociability and fun. With this in mind, Nicole set about setting up her Instagram, Resident Dog, and now this book, Resident Dog [Volume Two], which showcases over 25 of the world’s most amazing houses, and the dogs that live there.
Photographing dogs is not always straightforward, because they don’t always cooperate! The result is that these images end up with a looser, more spontaneous style. Just as every home is different, so is every dog. The photographs showcase amazing architecture and capture the personality of the idiosyncratic personality of each canine. Take a wander around the world’s most stunning homes, from Mexico City to Sydney, London, New York and LA, with the home pooch as your tour guide. Each home will feature several photographs, and an interview with the architect or homeowner.
We are truly humbled, and forever grateful that our house and rescue mutt are preserved on the pages of this beautiful book. Order your copy today.
Just reminiscing about that time you are scrolling Instagram in bed – and a girlfriend tags you in a post and you – squeal a little – because a design Icon has utilized your house for inspiration of one of her projects. Back in July 2019, Lisa Perry shared with the world her inspiration for the pool in a Palm Beach, FL home she designed [and sold for $9.1 million]. Lisa Perry (mid-west girl from Chicago) is the queen of color pop, her work is so fun, playful and total eye candy. This interview and Dwell article really shows the house off.
Here is the instagram post – where you can see the Frost house in the design inspiration for this pool wall. We were so floored to see the house being used for this incredibly beautiful house. We admire her fashion design, and are now even bigger fans of her home design work too. If you want some eye candy on your coffee table – get her book.
The Frost House 