Add live flowers, greenery or house plants. Especially during the dormant months of winter and early spring here, plants can boost our mood and clean the air we breathe indoors.
The kitchen. We keep a stool at the counter almost 100 percent of the time to include our 2-year-old daughter in everything we prepare. You can also find us dancing around the island before/after dinner on a regular basis.
Favorite place to shop for home décor?
An antique shop, like Waverly Square Antiques in Ballston Spa, or a solid flea market. The one-of-a-kind pieces make a space unique and bring out a style you cannot buy new at a store.
Include something old. Bonus points if it’s useful. As the great William Morris once said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Our butler’s pantry! We converted our original mudroom into a traditional scullery with a big farm sink and oval window that overlooks our kitchen garden.
Favorite place to shop for home décor?
Antique stores and thrift/consignment shops. I love the thrill of the hunt. Saratoga Consignment Studio is a favorite. For new décor and tableware, as well as the occasional antique find, I turn to either Silverwood or Front Street Home.
The next time you find yourself strolling through the Saratoga Spa State Park on a warm spring day, do exactly the opposite of what Meryl Streep ordered in last year’s Netflix hit Don’t Look Up. Instead of a planet-killing comet hurtling towards Earth, by gazing skyward you’ll see something a little more mundane but still intriguing: some oddly placed reading material.
The Hall of Springs, Administration Building and Roosevelt Baths are all known for their long arcades, covered walkways adorned with arches that were built in the 1930s to provide shelter to Saratoga Spa patients confined to wheelchairs. Along those arcades are square pavilions, at which wide staircases offer access to the walkways. It’s on the upper part of those that you’ll find plaques inscribed with phrases about Saratoga’s mineral waters. “In this favored spot spring waters of life that heal the maladies of man and cheer his heart,” one plaque on the Hall of Springs reads. “Renowned art thou and to the joyous scene of health and pleasure drawest the thronging multitude,” reads another.
The phrases themselves are borrowed from a 1817 poem written by Reverend Reuben Sears of the Ballston Center Presbyterian Church more than a century prior to the construction of the arcades. “The use of inscriptions as a form of decoration is one more characteristic of the architecture of the time,” former Skidmore professor James Kettlewell writes in Saratoga Springs: An Architectural History, 1790-1990. “This was done in imitation of the many inscriptions found on the buildings of ancient Rome.” Those ancient Roman buildings have stood tall for some 2,000 years. We can only hope the same fate awaits the arcades of the Spa State Park.
When you ask an artist as impressive as pianist Lara Downes if there has been a moment in her career when she felt she had officially “made it,” you expect an impressive answer. Maybe “when my recording topped the Billboard chart” or “when the New York Times featured my latest album” or “when I was named 2022 Classical Woman of the Year.” But while all of those things have indeed happened to Downes, who’s performing at Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center this April 14 and will return to Saratoga with the Philadelphia Orchestra August 4, none of them were her answer. Instead, when asked if she had an “I made it” moment, she said, “No! And I don’t think there ever is. You do your work and you’re really happy when wonderful things happen, but I’ve noticed that the more success I have, the things that give me real gratification are not the applause, approval, recognition—of course it’s so wonderful to have those things—but when I feel that what I’m doing is actually impacting or helping someone else.”
Luckily for Downes, there have been plenty of those moments throughout her career. The homeschooled daughter of a Jamaican father and Jewish mother, Downes moved with her mother and two sisters from San Francisco to Paris in her teens. (Her father passed away when she was young.) The family spent years studying and traveling around Europe, a place where classical music, according to Downes, is much more part of the culture. “I came back here when I was in my early 20s, and realized that the combination of ‘isolated, home-school bubble’ and ‘formative years abroad’ left me without much sense of an American identity,” she says. “My journey with American music really started there—trying to understand where I fit into this tradition, which I think is mostly European, as an American artist and as a woman of color. That really started me on this search into American music: What is it? Who wrote it? Where did it come from?”
That search led her to discover the works of Black composers who in many cases helped shape classical music as we know it today, but aren’t necessarily recognized for having done so. Take Scott Joplin, the turn-of-the-20th-century composer who serves as the inspiration for Downes’ recent album, Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered. “It’s an interesting story because he wasn’t under-appreciated in his time,” Downes says of the musician. “He was very, very famous in his time as the ‘King of Ragtime.’ But at the same time he was also a classical composer and wanted to write operas.” Joplin did write Treemonisha, one of the first operas by a Black American composer, but did not live to see a full production of it. “Of course,” Downes continues, “the doors that were closed to him in his time were closed because of race.”
That Joplin album is just one of a series of albums released under Downes’ Rising Sun Music label that explores the work of Black composers—including Eubie Blake, William Grant Still and Florence Price—and their contributions to the American classical canon, which has historically been dominated by white males. And the iconoclast doesn’t stop there. In addition to highlighting the works of influential composers from the last 200 years, Downes also explores the contributions of contemporary BIPOC artists in her born-from-COVID NPR series, AMPLIFY, which features performances by and conversations with such musicians. Piano Magazine perhaps put Downes’ outsized impact on the world of music (and, frankly, the world in general) best when it called her “a trailblazing pianist who combines exquisite musicality with an acute awareness of how an artist can make a positive and lasting social impact.”
“This is a nice mix of past, present, future and a celebration of what America can be when we do it right,” Lara Downes says of her April 14 performance at Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center. (Jiyang Chen)
Downes’ April 14 Skidmore performance, she says, will cover the “broad landscape of American music. It’s going to be everything from very familiar things like Harold Arlen’s ‘Over the Rainbow’ and Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ to music by Florence Price, who is having a renaissance now but was absolutely unknown until, I’m going to say five years ago by the general public.”
Speaking of Price, the pioneering composer—who in the 1930s became the first female composer of color to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra—will be the focus of Downes’ performance when she returns to Saratoga with the Philadelphia Orchestra. (This year’s Orchestra residency at SPAC will feature a record number of works by female and BIPOC composers.) At the August 4 show, Downes will also perform “The Strayhorn Concerto,” a brand-new piece of music created just for her from three songs by Billy Strayhorn, a jazz pianist and songwriter known for being a close collaborator of Duke Ellington’s. “The two pieces will be revelations to anyone who hears them,” Downes says. “This will be the opportunity to hear two things that you don’t [normally] hear in the symphony hall.”
And while Downes’ work does indeed focus heavily on BIPOC artists, she hopes that her music brings people of all backgrounds together. “This is a time when people feel really divided,” she says. “Music is a place where we can see where we have crossed paths, where we have given and taken from each other, and where even the difficult and painful parts of our history have produced beautiful things.”
If you were driving down Broadway at, oh, about 5:30pm on Monday and had to stop so a crowd of women in billowing dresses could cross the street, sorry—that one’s on us. The sea of immaculately dressed ladies was the part of the crowd for our Overdress to Impress event making their way from the VIP pre-party at soon-to-be-open Champagne bar Bocage to the main event at Salt & Char.
Overdress to Impress, presented by Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern, honored Design Issue cover star Andrea Zappone, and saw nearly 100 guests come out to support her in fashion-forward, well, fashion. If you want all the details of the party, which may turn into an annual shindig, check out our Vibe Check recap at Saratoga Living After Hours (hint, hint: there was an epic fashion show judged by Zac Denham and Clark Gale of Bocage, Jen Marcellus of Miss Scarlett Boutique, Megan Druckman of Lola Saratoga, and Buttonista Taylor Rao of Two Buttons Deep). If you just want to see the looks from the Monday night Met Gala of Saratoga, check out the gallery at the top of this page.
The second I saw these two flirty sundresses at Piper Boutique, I had a one-track mind: brunch goals. There’s nothing quite like getting all dolled up to chow down on a bougie Broadway brunch after the weather turns warm, and letting the mid-morning slip away into Bellini-fueled oblivion. I’d choose the cream-colored babydoll dress for a Sunday morning Max London’s soirée—accessorize with a simple short heel and gold jewelry; and the slightly sexier, springier floral number for see-and-be-seen Morrissey’s. Be sure to snap a pic in the Adelphi’s Insta-worthy glass atrium: This dress deserves to bask in all the natural springtime light it can get. Oh, wait—I forgot about Boca Bistro’s brunch. Another dress, another day…
If, as The X-Files posited, “the truth is out there,” perhaps it can be found right here in Saratoga County, among the thousands of pieces of show memorabilia at the new X-Files museum, which is opening at 4284 Route 50 (just past Wilton Mall) on April 30. As “X-philes” the world over know, the daring, experimental procedural—a mix of science fiction, mystery, horror, comedy, romance and drama—inspired a cult following that’s very much alive to this day, almost 20 years after the original series finale. And two of its most ardent fans, Saratogians Jim and Kelly Thornton, have amassed a collection of upwards of 10,000 pieces from the groundbreaking television program that they are excited to showcase.
The original X-Files ran for nine seasons—some 202 episodes—from ’93–’02, spawning two feature-length films, two spinoffs and an additional two seasons that aired in 2016 and 2018, not to mention an uptick in women in STEM professions courtesy of “the Scully Effect” (inspired by Gillian Anderson’s character, Dana Scully, a cynical FBI agent and MD whose observations were rooted in science). At the height of its popularity, nearly 20 million viewers tuned in to parse the adventures of FBI agents Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny) and Scully as they investigated inexplicable paranormal happenings. The show proved life-changing for a once-troubled Jim Thornton, whose X-Files obsession helped him turn his life around and inspired a decades-long search for the items that now make up The X-Files Preservation Collection and Collectibles, the official name of the museum.
A place to show a permanent collection has been a long-held dream for Jim and Kelly. “We collaborated with the artist J.J. Lendl, who’s done work for several franchises including The X-Files, Star Trek, and Star Wars,” says Kelly. “Together, we developed a comprehensive look: color scheme, graphics and logos. We wanted something that felt dark and mysterious, like a ‘Monster Of The Week’ episode. We are excited to work this into the modern industrial feel of the building.”
Inside the museum’s walls, fans will find artifacts from as far back as the pilot episode—“show creator Chris Carter told us he had to pull the mammalian corpse right out of the dumpster after the episode was filmed, so it really is a miracle that it still exists,” says Kelly—as well as hundreds of wardrobe items, including garb worn by both Scully and Mulder. “We are also thrilled to have the actual computer Chris Carter wrote the pilot episode on, and many other items that detail the show’s creation.”
The pair have exhibited parts of their massive collection at various expos, but there’s one piece that is simply too large to transport: the Alien pod from the first X-Files movie. “We have had it for a long time now, but we have never had the space to display it,” Kelly says.
“It will be a sight to see.”
Saratoga Springs is known for many things—horse racing, performing arts, history…the list goes on. But fashion design? Not so much. Sure, we have Staci Snider, Saratoga’s resident high-end design guru, but beyond her Congress Street shop, not much clothing actually gets made here in the Spa City.
In a few years’ time, that could all change, thanks to the efforts of Arlene Kay, owner of Buffalo-based company Fashion Lab NY, which teaches children, teens and adults the art, science and business of fashion. Last year, Kay hosted two week-long fashion camps for children ages 8-12 at Saratoga Paint & Sip Studio, and plans to return to Saratoga for two more camps this summer. “The campers get to be designers for a week,” says Kay, whose son lives in Saratoga. “We teach them how designers get inspiration, how to create mood boards, fashion illustration, how to design a collection, and then ultimately they learn to sew.” At the end of the week, campers model bags, hair accessories and a pair of shorts or a skirt—all of which they’ve created themselves—in a fashion show put on for family and friends.
“The camp not only teaches kids sewing and the path to becoming a fashion designer, but it teaches them such great skills,” Kay says. “Sewing is math, sewing is reading, sewing is patience, coordination.” And so a decade or two down the line, when these campers come of age, what will Saratoga be known for? Horse racing, performing arts, history…and maybe, just maybe, its cutting-edge, home-grown fashion scene.
For more info on this summer’s camps, visit Fashion Lab’s website.
This custom-built stunner on Brant Lake was built with one thing in mind: the water. “The magic is the water, so everything you do, you have to think about the water and your view,” says Dave DePaulo of Bella Home Builders, who designed and built the home for Denise and Jack Rifenburg of Brunswick-based Rifenburg Construction. So with H2O top of mind, DePaulo strategically put all of the closets and pantries on the non-lakeside of the house, so there’s nothing but seemingly endless glass on the side overlooking the picturesque Adirondack lake. “The family room, kitchen and all bedrooms and bathrooms have beautiful views,” DePaulo says. The living area, dining room and screened-in porch all spill out onto the lakeside.
The 5,603-square-foot weekend getaway was built for entertaining and relaxation, featuring a finished 1,902-square-foot lower level that boasts a fabulous bar and TV room. “They put in changing stations and designed the lower level so people may come in and out of the lake wet,” DePaula says. The porch also has a floating tile floor with a rubberized deck.
DePaulo worked hand in hand with the Rifenburgs to design their dream home. “We started with a blank piece of paper,” he says. “We removed a raised ranch that was there, and this breathtaking house was drawn and designed every inch of the way with Jack and Denise. The home’s layout is perfect as it has exceptional flow. The design, scale and uses of material blend nicely with the surroundings.”
The five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home features a custom timber frame from the front entrance to the interior, and mahogany flooring throughout. The railings inside are all custom, and there’s an open staircase. “Denise did all the design and chose the color of the stones,” says DePaulo, noting that real granite was used all the way around the house, and inside along the fireplace.
Another feature DePaulo is proud of is the use of radiant heat, designed and installed by Anthony “Moose” Lashway, throughout the house. “It’s highly technical,” he says. “For a camp like that to have all of that high-tech stuff is very cool.”
These top-of-the-line amenities paired with the enviable views make this Brant Lake’s newest, and ultimate, boater’s paradise. Jack is “big into boats; that’s his passion,” says DePaulo. “So the lake house empties out onto their private beach with a private dock and the best views of the lake, so they can fully enjoy the sunsets and sunrises.”
There is no shortage of longtime Saratogians—especially former students from a certain Catholic school—who have fond memories of Katz’s Newsroom, a hot dog, candy and newspaper shop that operated at 267 Broadway in the middle of the 20th century, and its proprietor, Max Katz. “He always gave me free candy when we would stop by,” one local Facebook user posted in the I Love Saratoga Facebook group. “Mr. Katz was wonderful to all of us at St. Pete’s!!” another wrote of St. Peter’s Academy, the school that’s now Saratoga Central Catholic.
“Most of us from St. Pete’s were in there on our breaks,” former Saratogian Robert “Razz” Rosse says. “Everybody loved Mr. Katz. When he would get tired and need to sit down he would tell us to work the register. I think every student who ever went in there worked behind the counter at one time or another.”
In 1963, by which point Katz had already operated the store for two-plus decades, he was so popular amongst St. Peter’s students that a group of them pooled their money—15 cents each—to buy the beloved shop owner a giant birthday cake. “I was so surprised it almost brought tears to my eyes,” Katz told The Saratogian of the gift. “When children like you, it means a whole lot—a lot more than money.”
Shortly after that heartwarming gesture, Katz’s Newsroom closed for good, a “victim of urban renewal,” per a different Saratogian article. But a half-century later, the shop lives on in the memories of all those who stopped in for a piece of five-cent candy or a magazine. “I can hear Mr. Katz now,” Rosse says. “‘This is not a library—buy the paper or put it back!’”
Do you have that one super-dressy, over-the-top outfit that you bought for a special occasion and have never worn again? Or are you in the post-pandemic mood to splurge on a glam dress (or tux!), even though you know you’ll probably never wear it again?
Either way, you’re in luck! Because Saratoga Living, our design issue cover star Andrea Zappone and Tipsy Moose are teaming up to host Overdress to Impress, a totally extra, kind of ridiculous Monday night soirée to show off the crown jewel of your closet—and celebrate the end of winter (aka wearing sweats)! (Or just come out to party and celebrate the end of WINTER – entering the “overdressed” contest is optional!)
Walk the red carpet! Photos will appear online and in the next issue of Saratoga Living.
Local celeb judges from Miss Scarlett and Lola boutiques, Bocage champagne bar (opening soon!) and the Buttonista/co-founder of Two Buttons Deep will award one lucky guest the Most Overdressed—with a grand prize of goodies from the four hot local businesses!
Bocage champagne pop-up—book your summer cocktail parties now! (plus some fun surprises!)
Delicious heavy apps from Salt & Char
Curamia Tequila “Lady Madonna” cocktails (made with rosé, cucumber water and ginger)
PLUS
Two drink tickets for cocktails, wine or beer of your choosing
And cash bar for extra drinks!
**The first 20 guests who choose a (complimentary) add-on ticket will meet at Bocage at 5pm to be the FIRST in town to see Saratoga’s first champagne bar! Toast the new hot spot with an exclusive, high-end bubbly—and then stop traffic on Broadway as we walk together in one extremely well-dressed group to the Adelphi for the main soirée!
![‘Saratoga Living’ to Host Overdress to Impress Event at Salt & Char on April 4 [Sold Out]](https://saratogaliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/overdress-to-impress-4-768x461.png "‘Saratoga Living’ to Host Overdress to Impress Event at Salt & Char on April 4 [Sold Out]")