People

At Home w/Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton Gets Into the Design Game NYTimes

Diane Keaton is going strong, actively involved in preserving, then flipping homes in Southern California. The actress is on the board of the Los Angeles Conservancy, showing off her Spanish Colonial Revival house in Beverly Hills for Architectural Digest.

The latest design venture for the actress is a tabletop collection that she created for Bed, Bath & Beyond.

The stoneware cups, bowls and plates, which are available online and in some stores now, have her trademark whimsy (some are stamped with the words “eat” or “bite”) and lack of pretension (prices start at about $5). But they also reflect Ms. Keaton’s latest obsession: the heartland. The “farm-y, landscape colors” she used, she told a reporter, were inspired by wheat, grass and bark.

NYC Urban Farmer

Fellows Friday with Viraj Puri TED Blog

Viraj Puri’s Gotham Greens was created in 2008 with a mission of providing New Yorkers with local, sustainable, premium quality produce year round. Puri’s associates grow everything, from seed to harvest, in a 15,000 square foot hydroponic rooftop greenhouse.

There are a number of ways to farm responsibly and sustainably. Gotham Greens has selected methods based on a unique geographic, urban location and a largely underused resource of rooftop space. There are plenty of large, unshaded, unused rooftops in New York that may be well suited to some form of urban agriculture.

This interview is brimming with insights from social entrepreneur and social citizen Viraj Puri, who volunteers that he spent years working in Malawi working on the development of fuel-efficient stoves. In 2004 Viraj develop a company that implemented green building and renewable energy installations in Ladakh, India.

A Martha’s Vineyard Escape

New York restauranteur Keith McNally’s island farm ELLE Decor

When New York City–based restaurateur Keith McNally sets up house for the summer on his four-acre farm in Chilmark, he works the land instead of plying the sea. In addition to his wife, Alina, and five children, McNally shares the property with several Berkshire, Tamworth, and Gloucester Old Spot pigs, as well as goats, sheep, lambs, and free-range chickens and ducks. Although they have all the fixings for some pretty great dinner parties (and the famous neighbors to round out the guest list), McNally and his wife like to lead a low-key life on their mini farm. “I have the need to produce my own food when I’m always around people consuming food,” says McNally, who has even taken to making his own goat cheese. “I cook a lot too, sometimes for dinner parties but mostly for the family.” More photos at ELLE Decor

Living

Laurence Graff, a major if not the biggest dealer in big diamonds, is not inclined to market his baubles on models.

“The people who wear Graff jewelry own it,” says Henri Barguirdjian, who heads Mr. Graff’s United States sales operation. “I think it is a bit of an insult to our clients who actually purchased our jewelry,” he adds, referring to the notion of non-owners wearing Graff jewels. “If you spend $1 million, that is a lot of money. Do you want a little model wearing it?”

With Gisele Bündchen, wearing diamond earrings from Van Cleef & Arpels to the recent Met gale honoring Alexander McQueen, the ‘little model’ reference may not ring true. Forbes lays out their argument for Gisele becoming the world’s first billionaire model.

When in Rome (and Everywhere Else):

Some people spend their summer holidays rappelling down mountains, windsurfing, parasailing, bungee jumping, spelunking, and indulging in other tame, dull stuff. And then there are the true daredevils: thrill-seekers who don a fresh sundress, a pair of high-heeled sandals, and set out to find the most seductive shops in their vacation destinations, searching for one-of-a-kind souvenirs, or even better, inspirations for the fashionable days ahead.

Several designers embarked on a similar course for their recent resort collections (at least in their imaginations). Michael Kors dreamed of Bondi Beach; Derek Lam was wowed by Bhutan and Phuket; Suno was gaga for Hawaii; and Altuzarra swayed to the rhythms of St.-Tropez.

Green Beings

Out of Sync With Nature

Ji-Young Jung, Sun-hwa Park & Sojung Yoon | Kim Je Won | ‘Spring Picnic’ | Singles Korea May 2011

If future generations spend no time enjoying nature, how can this be good for conservation?

Serious hikers and backpackers tend to become members and financial supporters of environmental and conservation groups, unlike casual garden picnic makers or woodland tourists. Over a decade after hiking or backpacking in nature correlated with a willingness to financially support any of four representative conservation organizations: the Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club or Environmental Defense. The typical backpacker gave $200 to $300 per year, after the dozen-year lag.