Bedford & New Canaan Magazine
Blog Articles:
Read through all of our past Blog articles found on this page, along with some added bonus content. Click below for yearly archives.
GIOIOSO (to be played with joy) INSIEMI (together): At Home With Joshua Bell & Larisa Martinez
By: Michael Kaplan / Photos: Frances Isaac Joshua Bell is among the greatest classical violinists - ever, and has added Musical Director of his cherished Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra to his repertoire; Larisa Martinez is an opera star who has...
Making Space: An Open Concept Family Room Re-Imagined in New Canaan
By: Sue DeChiara, B&NC Mag Homes Editor Photos: Jane BeilesJeanne Collins, of JerMar Designs, is an outstanding local designer, known for her ability to completely reimagine a space. ...So when a New Canaan family approached her about a big redesign of their large...
David Worby: The Renaissance Man
By: Michael Kaplan // Photos: Frances Isaac David Worby, a Bedford resident, is most famous for having successfully represented over 10,000 plaintiffs suffering from illnesses relating to their exposure at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attack. He hunted down the...
DETERMINED: An Entrepreneur’s Story of Brand-Building and Activism
By: Casey Kaplan // Photos: Frances Isaac Cathy Kangas, a New Canaan-ite, is the founder and CEO of PRAI Beauty, the producer of a complete collection of remarkably successful targeted products designed to help lift, firm, brighten, and tighten skin. Cathy is also a...
Fall 2021 Education Section: Rippowam Cisqua
By: Barbara Accetta B&NC Mag shines a spotlight on four of our area's most dynamic private day schools - and what makes each unique! Rippowam has a focus on project-based learning, which leads to more successful and lasting results with students. [pdfjs-viewer...
Fall 2021 Education Section: King School
By: Barbara Accetta B&NC Mag shines a spotlight on four of our area's most dynamic private day schools - and what makes each unique! King School: Examining the role of athletics in college matriculation, B&NC Mag interviewed a D1 alum from the school who now...
Fall 2021 Education Section: Ridgefield Academy
By: Barbara Accetta B&NC Mag shines a spotlight on four of our area's most dynamic private day schools - and what makes each unique! [pdfjs-viewer url="https%3A%2F%2Fbedfordnewcanaanmag.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F09%2FRidgefield-Academy.pdf"...
Fall 2021 Education Section: New Canaan Country School
By: Barbara Accetta B&NC Mag shines a spotlight on four of our area's most dynamic private schools - and what makes each unique! [pdfjs-viewer url="https%3A%2F%2Fbedfordnewcanaanmag.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F09%2Fcountry-school.pdf" viewer_width=100%...
Horizons
By: Isaiah Bien Aime (a former Horizon's student at the New Canaan Country School, and current Board member for the NCC location) In 1964, the New Canaan Country School Headmaster, George Stevens, had what was then considered to be a bold and prescient idea: That...
American RoadSchool
Photo Journal by: Emily Neville Fisher published: September/October 2021 So in late summer 2020, amid the escalating COVID-19 pandemic and with the treat of another year of remote school and work, my husband, Murray, and I, decided to pull our three kids out of...
Georgina Bloomberg @ Gotham North
THE FAT JEWISH: May/June
For the Instagram-less, who have no idea who The Fat Jewish is, or that his phenomena even exists... He’s got over TEN MILLION FOLLOWERS and has managed to parlay his top influencer status into millions of dollars of sponsorships, placements and promotions...He...
IN-TOWN INFLUENCE: May/June
Layla Lisiewski & Jessica Blouin of the Local Mom's Network It seems almost obvious that grouping local moms on social media would produce some of the most dedicated and trusting audiences, and that successful influencers in this category can have outsized...
TIME FOR A VACCI-BRATION: May/June
He looks like every soccer dad and he’s probably one of the most unassuming, soft-spoken, even demure, guys around; but make no mistake, Dan Pearson is the life of the party! Always has been - and when people start partying again - always will be! Chances are, you’ve...
INFLUENTIAL INSIGHTS: May/June
Knowing which influencers have influence, with whom and how deeply their influence extends, the demographics and behavior of each influencer’s audience, and ultimately what influencer impressions will trigger a purchase decision, is a science. Billions in influencer...
LOOK THE PART: May/June
Influencers can offer a window into a seemingly perfect life. For many, a lot of the appeal is based on a flawless appearance. With some making that unattainable image a part of their brand, and others building a business dishing on the behind-the-scenes how-tos. ...
LIZ & JD WILLITS: May/June
Elizabeth (Liz) and Jefferson Dillard (JD) Willits became Mr. & Mrs. Willits on October 17, 2020. The ceremony was held at the St. Matthew’s Chapel in the Woods, a romantic spot with wooden benches that fits about 30 people comfortably, followed by a reception at...
INFLUENCING THE INFLUENCERS: May/June
As the business of being an influencer has grown into an industry, early experts have emerged to explain and educate - the influencers and the influenced. Experimentation and experience in the evolving world of influencer commerce can be used to inform the potential...
WHERE TO GET FIT: May/June
B&NC MAG follows @the_laura_young, a lifestyle Instagram with 7.4K followers, that highlights Laura Young’s fitness journey over the past few years. Laura is a second grade teacher at South School in New Canaan and lives nearby with her husband, Ben, and their...
THE BURNHAMS: May/June
Martha Lee Civitillo and David Hunter Burnham were married in a beautiful ceremony at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church on September 19, 2020.Martha and Dave met in August of 2016 when they were set up by a mutual friend. Martha tells the adorable story, saying, “...
THE FACE OF DATING: May/June
The podcast universe is wide and deep. The array of topics about which a podcast exists to talk about it is endless. And when it comes to popular topics - audience size, enthusiasm and loyalty, sores. Ilana Dunn’s Seeing Other People podcast about dating is a great...
THE ZHUSH: May/June
With 150k Instagram followers, 57k Pinterest followers (@sued), and 15,000 - 20,000 weekly active readers on her website (thezhush.com), Sue DeChiara is a significant influencer. The @zhush followers are a focused and highly desirable affluent target audience, and...
INTERIOR INFLUENCE: May/June
Sometimes referred to as micro-influencers, Instagramers with audiences that are too small to move the needle for any mass consumer brand, like Coke or Ford, can be most valuable for advertisers looking for a more pinpointed campaign. Local brands and retailers are...
COVID CUTS THE COUNT: May/June
Covid has required that all events are limited in size and held with social distancing guidelines. Weddings have been limited, at different times and in different places during the pandemic, to 100, or 50, or even those in a ‘bubble’. Couples with existing wedding...
I’m Getting a SAGE: May/June
I turned 62 in January, and have been having what you could call a mid-life crisis...since probably around my 30th! I’m gripped by the notion that, no matter how much I’ve done, where I’ve been, what I’ve seen, and/or how great it’s been...it’s not enough, there are...
ZEN & THE ART OF BEING A ROCKSTAR: May/June
Katonah’s Musical Prodigy, Michael Sabath spends a day with B&NC Mag’s Arts & Culture Editor, Drew Bordeaux. Many of us remember our early twenties as a time when we were studying for college exams, or making the best of our first ‘real world’ job. Not so for...
POSITIVE INFLUENCE: May/June
LIVEGIRL has influence at another level! Influence beyond consumer tastes and spending... LIVEGIRL has a positive influence on lives! ...Although billions of dollars in ad spending now flows through the new generation of social media influencers - and influencers now...
THE STYLE SISTERS: May/June
Style and fashion Instagramers may best exemplify today’s prototypical influencers. In the model - and the shadow - of the Kardashians, the style and fashion Instagram-ophere is flooded with those who profess and display nothing more than their own style and...
Susan Magrino: May/June
Susan Magrino Dunning runs MAGRINO PR, her powerhouse public relations firm, with about fifty trusted and loyal staff, from corporate offices on Park Avenue South. She’s been Martha Stewart’s go-to public relations person since Martha’s second cookbook back in 1983,...
Artsy Sounds
By: Drew Bordeaux Drew Bordeaux, the new Music Editor at B&NC Mag, was a COO of a business planning and analytics firm prior to focusing full-time on creative pursuits. Drew is a musician, who plays 8 instruments including guitar and violin, and performs over 100...
Going Green(er)
BEDFORD 2020 GOING BEDFORD 2030 By: Karen SabathKaren, the new Green Editor at B&NC Mag, is a sustainability advocate with several facets. She became Bedford 2030 Board President in June after five years as treasurer. She is also CEO of TBM Designs, LLC (whose...
Planting in the Pandemic
by : Jill Brooke Jill Brooke is the new Floral Editor at Bedford & New Canaan Magazine, and is the founder of flowerpowerdaily.com, the first daily floral news site. Jill has been Editor-in-Chief of Avenue, Travel Savvy and Show Circuit magazines, a CNN...
CAMP BY MAMA
by: Megan Schinella New Canaanite and Mommy Blogger (@campbymama)As the weather gets cooler and the leaves begin to change color, it's time to start thinking about what this Fall season has to offer. Fall activities are a great way to introduce a new season, a season...
The Glass House
In the period immediately after World War II, New Canaan was like something out of a William Hamilton cartoon in The New Yorker – affluent, conservative, WASPy, with architectural tastes that tended toward Georgian and Second Empire Victorian. When Philip Johnson,...
ACORN HILL: January/February
Sahsa Lawer & Mark Noonan 55 St. Johns Place, New Canaan Sue is an artist, entrepreneur, and seasoned interior design blogger, who loves to provide her readers with up-to-date home decor and fashion advice. She is a former Pound Ridger and a long-term New...
JUDY RICHTER @ COKER FARM: January/February
Coker Farm, at 69 Stone Hill Road in Bedford, just east of the intersection with Old Post Road, is a fixture in the landscape that makes Bedford so attractive. The glimpse from the road of big red barns, paddocks, and horses out to pasture is an image that shapes...
Grace Farms Fights COVID-19
by: Mike CurranGrace Farms Foundation confronts some of the most pressing humanitarian crises around the world. So, when the acute statewide need for life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) and food relief emerged during COVID-19 pandemic, Sharon Prince, CEO...
The New Hamptons
REPORT ON THE WAVE OF SUMMER RENTALS, HOME BUYING, AND HOME AND GARDEN IMPROVEMENT Fueled by an ever-increasing wealthy population in Manhattan and relatively low interest rates, the real estate market in the Hamptons has been on fire for the last forty years. The...
WILL REEVE: January/February
Bedford-raised Will Reeve Comes Back To Visit His Old School (Rippowam Cisqua) And Sits Down For A Chat With B&nc MagWill Reeve is only 28, but his life already reads like a Disney movie; complete with a young and relatable hero, who faces extreme tragedy, and...
BLOGGER BRIDE: July/August
For those of you that do not know, I am a CT-based Lifestyle Blogger – I specifically curate beauty and fashion centric content. I started STYLEE LYST in 2018, and took the brand and business full time in 2019. My website is home to my favorite beauty products, go-to...
BUY/SELL
It’s almost too cliche to say that buying or selling a home is often one’s biggest financial decision. To be sure, it’s a meaningful, if not critical, transaction - for everyone. Even for those with multiple homes, the infrequency of buying or selling, and vagaries of...
Home Sweet Home
By: Kathleen & Caroline McCown Kathleen is a Communications Consultant. She is a former Director of Public Affairs for a Fortune 500 corporation and the recipient of several awards for excellence in communication. She has served on the Boards of the Pound Ridge...
WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT: January/February
Lisa Faith Sher & John Wesley Chambers Backyard Bedford Nuptials 8/8/20Lisa Faith Sher (daughter of Michael and Susan Sands and Carol Sands Kaminski) and John Wesley Chambers (son of Louise Chambers and the late Theodore E. Chambers) were married on August 8,...
A Note From Our President
Again, our motto is ‘Always Local, Always Positive!’ We hope our bios of great and interesting local people, getting you inside some of the most spectacular homes in our area, and bringing you features on special things in the community, has your interest. We treasure...
Cross – Border Buds
An Interview with Bedford & New Canaan Magazine's Congressmen Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY 18) & Jim Himes (D-CT 4) Bedford & New Canaan Magazine (B&NC):Sean, you represent New York’s 18th congressional district, including all of Bedford, Katonah, Pound...
The Back End
MAJOR LEAGUE LOCALS
GRIFFIN DEY Pound Ridge local, Kennedy Catholic '15/Yale University '19, Detroit Tigers 2019 Draft Pick, writes about chasing the dream... along with, Curt Casali, New Canaan local and Cincinnati Reds Catcher, Richard Slenker, Pound Ridge local and former Houston...
Debbie McQuilkin & THE STORM HOCKEY: January/February
Marc is a big-league sports agent, who played hockey at Denison. Marc and his wife, Joanne, raised their kids Sean and Julia in New Canaan. Marc did his time as a Hockey Dad, with Sean playing organized hockey in New Canaan, and then at Millbrook and Trinity. Marc...
Art @ The Glass House: January/February
Most in the area are familiar with the gem that is The Glass House; Philip Johnson’s modernist landmark residence gracing the New Canaan landscape. Few, however, may be aware of the treasures buried deep, quite literally, beneath the bucolic compound.Andy Warhol...
Competing at the PGA Championship
Local GlenArbor golf pro, Rob Labritz, competes at the 2020 PGA Championship... Sunday, July 26th, 2020Pro PrepThe preparation never stops in my life. Anytime my golf game can lead me to an opportunity, I will be ready. For the last 3 weeks I’ve been preparing for the...
Moonlight Sonata
December 16th marks Beethoven’s 250th birthday. While Covid-19 silenced the many concerts planned for his anniversary year, it hasn’t silenced his music, nor muted his message of endurance and hope. One hears it very clearly in the 9th Symphony with its rousing “Ode...
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT: May/June
Again, our motto is ‘Always Local, Always Positive!’ We hope our bios of great and interesting local people, getting you inside some of the most spectacular homes in our area, and bringing you features on special things in the community, has your interest. We treasure...
ROAD TRIPPER: January/February
THE PORSCHEDRIVING EXPERIENCE I’m not much of a driver. Or at least I thought I wasn’t... until I did !e Porsche Driving Experience this Fall.Frankly, until then, I didn’t even really understand what ‘performance’ meant in the car context. Having totaled one car going...
Philip Johnson’s GLASS HOUSE
Martha Hunt Handler’s recently released,18-years-in-the-making, first novel, Winter Of The Wolf, reveals much about Martha. NBC News anchor Stephanie Ruhle called the story ‘captivating’…and that’s a fair description of Martha as well. In the novel, a teenage Bean...
Choosing a School
Ridgefield Academy sits atop the stunning West Mountain Historic District of Ridgefield, CT. The school’s buildings and its 43 acres of land originally comprised the summer estate of John Hampton Lynch, who sold its entirety to the Congregation of Notre Dame in 1962....
Houses of Prutting
Custom builder David L. Prutting is giving a tour of his own house, located just steps from downtown New Canaan. “Pocket doors are hard to get right,” he says. Almost on cue, the door recedes into the adjacent wall and then glides back with silky precision, like the...
Honey Hollow
15 Honey Hollow is sweetness in situ! Perfectly set in a bend in the Stone Hill River, it’s immediately obvious why first settlers picked this most choice piece of property for their home back in 1860. The 16+ acres of professionally landscaped, mature and cultured...
LAKESIDE @ LAUREL RIDGE
Developer Phil Pine, of Laurel Ridge Development, LLC, is building 10 new townhomes, Lakeside at Laurel Ridge, the final phase which will be available for occupancy Spring 2021;These are spacious 3 bedroom, two and half bath homes, 2,900 to 3,200 square feet, with...
B&NC MAG’S MUST-HAVE LOCAL GOODS FOR YOUR HOME
Brass Drink Table With its handsome profile, clean good looks, and simple forged iron base that has been treatedto a black finish, this is an attractive table when only a small amount of room is available.Finished with an antique brass tray-like top. This gorgeous...
Exceptional Care
Two incredible local organizations provide a home away from home in the time of need for families experiencing sickness and death RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF THE GREATER HUDSON VALLEY Christina Riley is the Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House of the Greater...
Martha Hunt Handler
Martha Hunt Handler’s recently released,18-years-in-the-making, first novel, Winter Of The Wolf, reveals much about Martha. NBC News anchor Stephanie Ruhle called the story ‘captivating’…and that’s a fair description of Martha as well. In the novel, a teenage Bean...
The NEW New Canaan Library
Martha Hunt Handler’s recently released,18-years-in-the-making, first novel, Winter Of The Wolf, reveals much about Martha. NBC News anchor Stephanie Ruhle called the story ‘captivating’…and that’s a fair description of Martha as well. In the novel, a teenage Bean...
Glencliff
Martha Hunt Handler’s recently released,18-years-in-the-making, first novel, Winter Of The Wolf, reveals much about Martha. NBC News anchor Stephanie Ruhle called the story ‘captivating’…and that’s a fair description of Martha as well. In the novel, a teenage Bean...
Holiday Gift Guide
1. BUCCELLATI HAWAII PENDANT EARRINGS $4,500 from Manfredi Jewels These gorgeous pendant earrings (7cm) make the perfect gift. Put a smile on your special-someone's face with this festive yet elegant accessory. Style: JAUEAR0039932. CLASSIC GREENWICH HOUSES $55 from...
Review of Classic Greenwich Houses: Charles Hilton Architects
Some cities have residential architects whose work becomes legend—Addison Mizner in Palm Beach, Philip Trammell Shutze in Atlanta and Rosario Candela in Manhattan are just three who come to mind. Once this iconic status is established, residential real estate brokers...
Busy Being Martha
MARTHA STEWART has been America’s lifestyle icon for four decades, and she’s just as relevant as ever. Broadcasting her new Martha Knows Best show on HGTV from her 153-acre home and farm, Cantitoe Corners, on the Bedford / Katonah border, hundreds of thousands of...
Watch It!
James Taylor sings: “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” ...That applies double for the watch collector! These horologists get great pleasure from the minute and measured workings of their tested and true timepieces. Their watches are a style...
The Community Center
Within moments of meeting Clare Murray, you learn that the Community Center of Northern Westchester is so much more than a food pantry. A space that appears so small from the outside actually houses a grand operation with intention behind every inch: neatly-organized...
Underage Drinking is Down: We Can Help Keep it that Way
In 2012, the CDC reported that since 1991, high school age drinking and driving across the U.S. had dropped by 54%. The CDC then issued a 2015 report that described the percentage of teens who said that they had at least one drink per month had dropped from 50.8% in...
Andrew Tow
The usual quip to anyone thinking of starting a winery is, ‘If you want to make a small fortune in a winery, be sure to start with a large one’. Against all odds, Andrew Tow, long-time Pound Ridge resident, has succeeded in not only starting a successful California...
Upscale Downsize
A generation of families moved into towns such as New Canaan, Armonk, Bedford and Katonah to raise their families in big homes, with yards, perhaps a pool and maybe a tennis court, and a highly-rated school system, in a wave that started in the booming 1980s and...
Art In Decorating
Sue is an artist, entrepreneur, and seasoned interior design blogger, who loves to provide her readers with up-to-date home decor and fashion advice. She is a former Pound Ridger and a long-term New Canaanite. Founded in 2009, The Zhush (thezhush.com and @Zhush) now...
Beauty Boss, TATA HARPER
Tata Harper --- natural, complex, uncompromising, ideal. Words that describe both the luxury clean skincare brand and the woman who created it and gave it her name. Tata Harper skincare cracked the code on natural preservatives and emulsifiers to produce cleansers,...