Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Our house stud.


Refinery 29 recently included our very own Pamela Johnston of Plume Jewels in their editor holiday picks list. Have a look! Our thanks to the lovely Christene.

xoxo COUNCIL


christene-editor-picks-2.jpg

Above, from left:

Pamela Johnson Gold Bars Stud Earrings, $205, available at Council. "I love the simplicity of these long gold bar studs."


To read the full article, click here.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Kissing Cousins.


COUNCIL commissioned a dynamic duo of felting cousins who are very close to our hearts, Bridget and Monique Mouton, to make holiday pieces for the shop. Their work is shipping to the store this week, and we cannot wait to unpack their creations and show them off to you. Until then, enjoy some teasers in the form of other works by still other felters. Oh, the possibilities of what's to come!

xoxo COUNCIL


image via them

image via them

image via them

image via them

image via them

image via them


Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanks & Giving, Pt. I


There are many things to be thankful for, all day, everyday. In addition to the air we breathe, the golden yellow piles of Ginkgo leaves on the sidewalk this time of year, and the blessing of a city such as ours, we are thankful for: meals cooked together. And family. And friends. The ability to appreciate beautiful things. And having these exorbitantly expensive roofs over our heads (for they certainly are better than no roofs at all). And for one roof in particular, we at COUNCIL are particularly thankful. More than the roof itself (obviously), the love - the warm, generous, overwhelming, graceful, demanding, gratifying, and sometimes completely surprising love that it has sheltered this past year. For that, and so, so much more, 

Thank you.

xoxo COUNCIL

P.S.

An excerpt from our supper (that turkey's a fake!!!).




Saturday, November 21, 2009

And when the night calls.


Scenes from our Alexis MacDonald opening.

xoxo COUNCIL























Thursday, November 19, 2009

Alexis MacDonald, tonight!


We hung Alexis MacDonald's show for COUNCIL last night, and the store has never looked so good. Her works of ink, dye, and acrylic on canvas have infused the space with an incredible color palate and an expansive, new scale.

We hope that you can join us this evening for her opening from 6 - 9 where we will be serving wine and Alexis may even be mixing cocktails for a lucky few...

If you would like to know more about her, please visit her website here.

xoxo COUNCIL


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Saturday, November 14, 2009

I left my heart in Palm Springs.



Our Pam's nuptials in Palm Springs stole us all away from the store for a weekend and stole our hearts forever. The ceremony was a dream set atop a grassy oasis in the middle of the Southern California desert, surrounded by the splendor of the chic Viceroy Hotel. The couple's I do's may have been 18 years in the making (beginning with a homecoming dance at 14), but the ceremony was almost more than memory could bear. A charmed, twinkling, colorful evening full of love and lovely people. We are so happy for Pam and Josh!

xoxo COUNCIL


the location, cocktails / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


the location, ceremony/reception/dance-off / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


the designer of The Dress, Alireza Massoumnia / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


Final Touches / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


tulle / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


flowers by Miranda Bennett / photo by Athena Von C


the bouquets / photo by Athena Von C


flowers by Miranda Bennett / photo by Athena Von C


flowers by Miranda Bennett / photo by Stephanie Schwallie


first walk, over pom-pom's and flower petals / photo by Athena Von C.


first laugh / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


first walk, cont. / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


Man and Wife / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


Teenage Mariachi Band / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


Teenage Mariachi Band / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer


First Dance / photo by Bradford Shane Shellhammer




Friday, November 13, 2009

The Times, they are a changin'.


Emily S. Rueb recently wrote a story for the New York Times called A Street Where Old is New, Again about the transformation of the store fronts along Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Our shop was lucky enough to be profiled. We have included an excerpt of the story below (slated for print in this Sunday's edition of the paper). We could not be happier. Really and truly.

xoxo COUNCIL


LOCAL STOP | ATLANTIC AVENUE

A Street Where Old Is New, Again


2:30 P.M. Walk back toward Atlantic, admiring the Victorian rope moldings on buildings along the way, and stop at Council, 360 Atlantic Avenue, (718) 522-6906. The store is named for the collaborative decision-making of its three owners: Miranda Bennett, below, who uses details from vintage pieces to design items like a pier dress with a bubbled waistline ($365); Pamela Johnston, who offers hair combs, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry ($25 to $400); and Genie Lee, who has rescued a five-drawer 1940s oak secretary and bureau ($400), along with other Southern Gothic furniture. Ms. Johnston likens the collective to “an old sewing circle of friends and designers.”



Caption: On any given day at Council, visitors are likely to see at least one of the three partners greeting customers from behind a desk.

Caption: Miranda Bennett sells her vintage creations at Council, a collective owned by Ms. Bennett and two other women who each bring an expertise to the space. She shares the store, on Atlantic Avenue, with Pamela Johnston, a jewelry designer who does her own metalwork, and Genie Lee, who rescues Southern Gothic furniture.
Photos: Julie Glassberg/The New York Times