By Stacy Kunstel

There’s a new showroom in the Lillian August flagship store in Norwalk, Connecticut.

The design mega-store, besides adding new areas by Waterworks and a to-the-trade-only fabric room and Edelman leather section, now has a styled-to-the-hilt children’s furnishings area featuring the made in the USA line ducduc.

Here’s a room fit for a glam princess.

Photos courtesy of Stacy Kunstel

At Lillian August it’s just not a matter of choosing some furniture and plopping it down on the floor for people to browse. The vignettes are part of a concept, a fantasy and an idea-driven marketing tool pulled together by designer and vice president of stores and marketing Skye Westcott.

Here’s a room for the bohemian tween.

The new section of the store takes designing parents from an ultra-cool baby crib

to growing boy

to style-conscious teen.

After deciding on such stylist fittings for the kids, you’ll of course need to visit the rest of the store to upgrade your own spaces.

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With spring underway and summer fast approaching, I can’t help but look forward to enjoying pleasant days outdoors. Each of us has a different idea about what makes the ideal outdoor space; for some, a tranquil retreat makes the perfect escape while others look forward to getting their hands dirty in the garden. For me, however, the ideal outdoor room is an extension of the interior, another destination for guests in my home, and the perfect place for summer gatherings!

Design by Amy Aidinis Hirsch. Photo by Neil Landino

To start, anyone furnishing an outdoor area in New England has to be mindful of the weather.  We get our fair share of rain and sun, not to mention those typical New England winters. Anything that spends the year outdoors must be able to withstand extreme elements while still looking fantastic. One product I cannot stop raving about is Perennials outdoor fabrics. These fabrics look amazing, are super resilient, and so easy to care for. They feature 100 percent solution-dyed acrylic fibers, making them highly UV resistant. You can literally just hose the fabric off while you water your flowers and not have to worry about fading, mildew or wear-and-tear. With a huge range of colors, patterns and textures, outside fabrics aren’t limited to typical solids or stripes, and you can stretch beyond patio cushions in bringing in fabrics. You can certainly go with funkier prints to infuse your styles with plenty of personality. Perennials also offers stunning custom rugs that are so beautiful, they look as if they belong indoors. The icing on the cake? These plush fabrics feel as great as they look. There’s no need to sacrifice comfort and beauty for durability. My perfect color palette definitely starts with a selection of these fabrics.

Fabrics from Perennials: 1) Bird Tracks in Nantucket; 2) Plushy in Linen; 3) Classico in Lagoon; 4) Vibes in Bone

For furniture, I really love teak for sturdiness and heft, as well as it’s simple good looks. The Poolside Collection from Sutherland Furniture is my personal preference. The seat cushions are made of flow-through foam so water moves through them instead of soaking them, which means they dry quickly after a summer rain.

Photo courtesy of Sutherland Furniture

I’d then choose to complement the teak furniture with wicker for a textured, layered look. Restoration Hardware’s Biscayne Collection, particularly the chaise, would suit me just fine. Upholstered in Perennials fabric, the furniture becomes maintenance-free, weatherproof, comfortable and so lovely.

Photo courtesy of Restoration Hardware

Like I said, my ideal outdoor room would be a place to host gatherings. With groups in mind, I’d install a long trestle table. Along one side of the table, I’d place a bench. Besides adding something different, a bench is a great seating option for kids who tend to come and go many times throughout a meal or party. The header chairs would differ from the chairs along the other side of the table for added interest, and I’d definitely stick with fun, sturdy tableware that can stand-up to outside use.

My ideal outside space would absolutely include a fireplace. Nothing compares to the light and ambience of a fire on a New England night outdoors, when the setting sun usually brings cooler temperatures. Lighting a fire invites guests to linger over conversation and sets a more intimate mood for the gathering. Even without guests, you can enjoy the romance of the fireplace along with a great glass of wine or bond with your family over s’mores.

Design by Amy Aidinis Hirsch. Photo by Neil Landino.

There are a couple of other pieces I’d have to add to my perfect outdoor area. Dedon has these fantastic Nest Rests, which can hang from a tree branch or rest right on the ground. Everyone should have one of these to bring back their inner child!

Nest Rests. Photo courtesy of Dedon

Dedon also has the super cool City Camp Garden Swing by designer Annette Hinterwirth that would have to be part of my ultimate outside room.

Garden swing. Photo courtesy of Dedon.

I’d also add an African table fabricated of cast stone from Sutherland Furniture’s reproductions of the great John Dickinson’s work.

Photo courtesy of Sutherland Furniture

Because I’d be entertaining, the Peninsula Bar Cart by Terry Hunziker for David Sutherland is a must!

Photo courtesy of Sutherland Furniture

Finally, I’d round out my outdoor retreat with some incredible accessories. David Sutherland has a line of table and floor lamps designed to shed light on even the most remote areas of your yard. These battery-operated lamps can go anywhere and look great. And, of course, with shades covered in Perennials fabric, fading and wear aren’t going to diminish the looks of the lamps from one season to the next.

Photo courtesy of Sutherland Furniture

Imagine the effect of handsome furniture, a custom rug suited to the outdoors, a blazing fireplace, and table and floor lamps, all in an outside space. What you have is truly an extension of your home and a wonderful place to relax, enjoy company, or while away summer days and nights with your family.

Design by Amy Aidinis Hirsch. Photo by Neil Landino

Amy Aidinis Hirsch

Amy Aidinis Hirsch is an interior designer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She writes the blog bSpoke. “Keeping an idea book of materials, references, photos and sources isn’t at all a new concept among designers,” she writes. “Taking that inspiration and sharing it with a wider audience was the logical next step and is how bSpoke came into existence.”

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By Kara Lashley

Working on our upcoming Cape & Islands issue, I’ve gotten a sneak peek at some of the fabulous items local shops will be carrying this spring and summer. Should your travels take you east of the Cape Cod Canal any time soon, here’s a roadmap of what’s new at a few of our favorite home decor hotspots.

Osterville: Stop by Margo’s for unique accessories both hip and homey, from a shocking-yellow coral on a Lucite base to folk art paintings by Tim Campbell.

Photos by Dan Cutrona. Courtesy of Margo’s

Photos by Dan Cutrona. Courtesy of Margo’s

Chatham: Midsummer Nights is brimming with textile luxuries like Mia + Finn bedding, nautical throws by Connecticut-based Happy Blanket and summery pillows from Ryan Studio.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Studio

The store also stocks some serious statement lighting: behold Currey & Company’s Hedy chandelier in turquoise and jade glass.

Photo courtesy of Currey & Company

Provincetown: Head to WA for hand-painted lamps by Brazilian artist Ana Maia, as well as shapely wooden bracelets by Colin Schleeh—they’d be just as pretty sitting on a dresser as on your arm.

Photo courtesy of www.wwiec.com

Photo courtesy of Schleeh Design

Also in P-town, Shor is all stocked up on tabletop and furniture pieces ideal for summer entertaining, like the chic Sag Harbor table by Worlds Away.

Photo courtesy of Worlds Away

Nantucket: You’ll find these cool wooden stools and other island-inspired wares at Belongings.

Photo courtesy of Belongings

Or go for a vintage vibe at Coastal with this metal daybed and ticking-stripe cushion.

Photo courtesy of Coastal

And you’ll definitely want to pick up a few handwoven cotton blankets from island workshop Union Textiles.

Photo courtesy of Union Textiles

The Vineyard: Bespoke Abode is your source for stylish pieces from Martha’s Vineyard Furniture Co., including this cocktail table from the line’s Destination collection. (Note the MV zip code.)

Photo courtesy of Bespoke Abode

For a splash of seaside flair, we also love the store’s Lord Bogner triptych from Natural Curiosities.

Photo courtesy of Natural Curiosities

Last stop: Vineyard Haven’s Midnight Farm, where there’s certainly no shortage of fresh home furnishings, from cozy seating to seahorse lamps.

Four-seat folding bench with distressed finish. Photos courtesy of Midnight Farm

Comfy couch by Cisco Brothers

Reclaimed wood bed by Four Hands

Fiberglass Buddha with handmade candles and glasses from Mexico

Look for more great finds from these stores and others in our Cape & Islands issue, coming in June!

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Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
Do you ever check out the books that adorn various horizontal surfaces in interiors magazines? I do, and am often curious what they say about the owners of the space—or the folks who styled the photographs. Over the past few weeks, I’ve made several sightings of books by Dutch designer Piet Boon. Not necessarily a household name among most homeowners, I suspect. But Boon’s work does appeal greatly to architects and interior designers of a certain calm, spare cast of mind, and that cast of mind seems to be increasingly popular in New England these days.

Vacation house on a golf course in South Africa. Photo courtesy of Piet Boon.

Villa on the south coast of Portugal. Photo courtesy of Piet Boon.

Can you find the relevant book in this interior by Hacin + Associates, soon to appear in our May/June 2012 issue? Photo by Trent Bell for New England Home.

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
Michael Aram’s Skeleton chair, crafted of polished aluminum and steel, is from the artist’s Flights of Fancy collection. “The shape of the human body is a great source of inspiration,” Aram says. “Stripped of its skin it becomes an arresting and unexpected natural form.” Indeed, it is unexpected and dramatic, and it just makes me smile every time I look at it. Find it at Shor, in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Skeleton Chair, by Michael Aram

Karin Lidbeck Brent, Contributing Editor
One can never have enough blankets for wrapping, snuggling, getting cozy or taking naps. Even in the summer months, blankets are an indulgent necessity. Being draped in a luxurious soft, organic cotton or linen on a cool, breezy summer night or after a cool shower seems like a perfect summer indulgence to me.

I fell in love with Brahms Mount blankets while shopping at J. Seitz & Company in New Preston, Connecticut. These soft, natural blankets are hand-loomed with a weighty texture that shouts quality and longevity.

Of course Joanne’s sense of layering and styling is equally intoxicating. I love the luxurious mix of textures with the Brahms Mount blankets and the Bella Notte bedding on this superb reproduction bed.

Photo courtesy of J. Seitz & Company

Photo courtesy of J. Seitz & Company

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By Kyle Hoepner

Westport, Connecticut, photographer Stacy Bass has a new book coming out in May, with essays by style journalist Suzanne Gannon, called In The Garden. I thought a brief preview would be the perfect thing to share this week, as we move farther and farther into legitimate spring (as opposed to the very welcome, but oddly premature spring that started hanging around back in February).

Let Stacy lead you on a casual ramble through the greenery (and pinkery and blue-ery and…) of eighteen very individual New England landscapes, and experience the returns nature will make on a dedicated gardener’s love and care.

A pair of garden stools tucked beneath pines in New Canaan. All photos courtesy of Stacy Bass and Melcher Media.

Musk roses adorn a picket fence.

A stone wall encloses architect Dinyar Wadia’s hidden garden (click to see our own 2010 story on the house to which it’s attached).

Red-speckled foxglove.

Foxglove in another form.

How can you resist a blue globe thistle?

A tiny, secluded dell in Old Greenwich, complete with fountain, waterfall, and koi.

And for the more formally minded, a different kind of fountain…

…and a boxwood parterre.

In The Garden is available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and at bookstores across New England.

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By Paula M. Bodah

To the casual observer, the three gardens below might seem quite similar. They all incorporate long swaths of grass, green rooms, if you will, bounded by stone elements, trees and perennials. But Douglas Jones and Keith LeBlanc of Keith LeBlanc Landscape Architecture speak eloquently about the differences. “In our mind,” says Jones, “they’re very distinct in terms of the objective of each design, what we’re trying to feature, and how each design is driven by its context.”

What’s common to all three, say the landscape architects (whose work is featured in our March/April issue) is a level of richness and detail in the plantings and stonework combined with an overall simplicity. “We’re very careful in striking the right balance,” Jones says, “Things are pared away and simplified so that the thing that wants to rises to the top.”

In the case of this garden in the Boston suburbs, the thing that “rises to the top” is the Japanese maple tree on its carpet of ground cover. The goal here was to introduce a contemporary landscape plan to a space populated with wonderful old trees. “The low wall, with its rough granite façade and capping was a detail we had observed in a historic Boston burial ground,” LeBlanc explains. While the wall functions as a retaining wall and to define a grade change in the property, it also stands as a frame that relates to the classical architecture of the house and sets off the Japanese maple. “A tree that might have gotten lost in the woods is turned into a star,” says Jones.

Dedham, Massachusetts. Photos by Keith LeBlanc

For a Nantucket home in town and surrounded by other houses, the landscape is “really more about being inwardly focused,” Jones says. The property consists of several buildings that pinwheel around the open space. “We wanted to amplify the scale of the space, keeping it open but animating it so that it’s not just an empty piece of lawn,” he adds. A series of garden “rooms” stand around the central, main lawn, which offers a sort of pause, a moment of serenity, while also making itself available for a lively game of croquet or soccer. A walkway of paving stones softened by fluffy hydrangeas borders the lawn on two sides. “We used a common bluestone for paving, but played with the pattern, using random lengths to keep the space simple but animated,” Jones notes.

Nantucket, Massachusetts

Nantucket, Massachusetts

Another Nantucket home, this one with ocean views, called for a different treatment of the same theme. Here, the long panel of lawn is one in a series of linear elements that lead to the water. A thin paved walkway provides a sense of enclosure and delineation, but, as LeBlanc notes, “Beyond the thin border it has a much looser organization of perennials, native grasses and native woods.” This garden, says Jones, “is a little more porous in terms of how it connects to the house.”

In all the gardens, LeBlanc says, open space is a bit of a luxury. While you wouldn’t want an empty room in your house, the landscape equivalent—an expanse of grass—is a restful, peaceful element.

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With warmer weather approaching, my mind starts drifting to Cape Cod. I always look forward to a new season of shows in the Provincetown galleries. While most of the shops and galleries line up along the water on Commercial Street, some of the best galleries require a little detour off the main drag. These are a few of my favorites.

The Berta Walker Gallery, at 208 Bradford Street, represents the honor society of Provincetown artists, several of whom studied with Hans Hofmann. Although the space feels more like a museum than a gallery, there’s no need to feel intimidated. The gallery loves visitors and welcomes questions.

Artist Sky Powers describes Interior of a Landscape as a dreamscape, an inner reflection of her experiences and love of nature. Even at face value, it’s an exciting abstracted landscape in a daring neon palette that the artist frequently uses.

Sky Powers, Interior of a Landscape. Photo courtesy of Berta Walker Gallery

I love it when an artist takes materials that have already lived a life and gives them new life. No one does this more masterfully than Varujan Boghosian. His collages and constructions are filled with elements we associate with the past, even our own childhoods, and often with a sense of humor.

Varujan Boghosian, Childhood Dreams (The Archer). Photo courtesy of Berta Walker Gallery

Just around the corner from Berta Walker is artSTRAND in the old schoolhouse at 494 Commercial Street, but be careful not to miss the side entrance on Howland Street. ArtSTRAND is owned and operated by its nine-member artists. Their sculptors always present the most beautifully executed work.

Breon Dunigan creates sculptures incorporating vintage household items such as pitchers, teapots and furniture parts. Dunigan is probably best-known for her bronze and plaster sculptures, but her ongoing series of upholstered trophy heads such as Torchbearer, utilizing furniture parts for antlers, should satisfy any hunter and gatherer.

Breon Dunigan, Torchbearer. Photo courtesy of artSTRAND

Although the gallery has several sculptors whose work is superb, their painters and photographers are also first-rate. Francis Olschafskie’s Diptych juxtaposes the textures of the Thames and a Louis Braille page from Coupvray, France.

Francis Olshafskie, Diptych. Photo courtesy of artSTRAND

Gallery Ehva, at 74 Shank Painter Road, provides a venue for the emerging and established artists who live and work in Provincetown. The gallery also shows early Provincetown work from local art collections. I’m always intrigued by the sculptures of Didier Corallo whose #2 (Landscape after Casper David Frederich) is a construction of layered glass boxes and oil paint that evokes the feeling of a misty sea fog hanging low over the landscape.

Didier Corallo, #2. Courtesy of Gallery Ehva

Although the medium and style are totally different, Rob DuToit’s oil on canvas, titled Fall Wharf II, relays that same kind of feeling.

Rob DuToit, Fall Wharf II. Image courtesy of Gallery Ehva

Finally, the Julie Heller Gallery, at 2 Gosnold Street, is a hidden treasure tucked down an alleyway just two streets west of the center of town. Her gallery represents over 100 years of Provincetown art. Paintings hang salon-style, floor to ceiling, and in stacks down the center of the space through which visitors are encouraged to browse.

Karl Knaths (1919-1971) is one of my favorite painters and this gallery always has several fine examples of his work, such as his Vista Del Mar, dated 1958. Knaths is undoubtedly one of Provincetown’s masters with a distinctive style that retained his early cubist influences throughout his career.

Karl Knaths, Vista Del Mar. Courtesy of Julie Heller Gallery

We can’t leave town without also including a white-line print, a process that was actually invented in Provincetown. Although there have been generations of artists that have practiced this technique, there is no finer work than that of Ferol Warthen. She learned the process from white-line master Blanche Lazzell and produced some of the most beautiful prints made using this method. Her Provincetown Harbor scene is, in my opinion, her masterpiece.

Ferol Warthen, Provincetown Harbor. Photo courtesy of Julie Heller Gallery.

Steve Fuller

Steve Fuller is a Cambridge resident and author of An Urban Cottage blog about restoring his 1842 Greek Revival cottage, art, cooking and life in New England.

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By Karin Lidbeck Brent

My scouting trips to search out houses to feature on our pages are a behind-the-scenes portion of my job with New England Home that I enjoy because it gives me an exciting opportunity to explore all that is happening all over the New England region.

On these scouting trips, I can discover exciting design projects and meet with the architects and designers who conceived them. Seeking new and superior projects to fill our pages is a never-ending quest and one that I thoroughly enjoy, especially when, as on a recent expedition, it means traveling the breathtaking coast of Maine.

Photo courtesy of Karin Lidbeck Brent

During three fast-paced days viewing homes between Falmouth and Deer Island, I found many fabulous projects of diverse style that hint at the incredible range of visual choices offered by Maine’s architects.

Bernhard & Priestley Architecture. Photo by Norman McGrath

Bernhard & Priestley Architecture. Photo by Norman McGrath

Elliott + Elliott Architecture. Photo by Brian Vanden Brink

Elliot & Elliot Architecture. Photo by Brian Vanden Brink

Architect John Edward Gillespie

Interior designer Linda Banks. Photo by Francois Gagne

Interior designer Linda Banks. Photo by Francois Gagne

On this scouting trip, I was able to search out and discover some fabulous design shops, like Simply Home owned by interiors and architectural designer Linda Banks. Her stylish and unique vision for home decor is evident all over her shop in Falmouth. Simply Home offers a highly distinctive selection of furniture, accessories and home decor.

Simply Home

One of my favorite discoveries while touring through Maine was the Camden Harbour Inn. This historic 1874, eighteen-room inn was renovated by architects Bernhard & Priestley of Rockport, Maine.

Camden Harbour Inn, renovated by Bernhard and Priestley. Photo by Norman McGrath

Richard Bernhard and  John Priestley worked with owners Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest to renovate the inn to create an award-winning boutique hotel. The exterior renovation of the inn oozes with quintessential storybook charm.

Camden Harbour Inn. Photo by Norman McGrath

Once inside, the vibe changes as the historical integrity mixes with a chic cosmopolitan sensibility and high global styling. The sophisticated, hip decor of Natalie’s, the inn’s gorgeous restaurant and bar, sets the scene as you enter. The award-winning cuisine is indicative of the extraordinary quality you will find in every aspect of the inn.

Natalie's. Photo by Norman McGrath

Natalie's. Photo by Norman McGrath

Maine is a magical place, filled with stunning homes and beautiful views at every turn. After a very enjoyable and successful three days of scouting, it’s no wonder I am already planning return trips to shoot exciting projects to grace our pages and, of course, to scout and scout and scout….

Photo courtesy of Karin Lidbeck Brent

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Jared Ainscough, Assistant Art Director
What seems like a million years ago, my wife (girlfriend at the time) lived on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston. I always drove by the Wolfers showroom with a sense of amazement and wonder. The giant glass-front building glows like a candle day and night. Through the windows you see what looks like miles of chandeliers, lamps and lights burning away.

A little non-traditional maybe, this white, contemporary pendant is one of my favorites. The design is artfully modern, clean and simple but a bit off balance here and there. I like the pendant even better when it’s paired with a twin.

Photo courtesy of Wolfers

Debbie Hagan, Managing Editor
Artist’s colonies bring to mind enchanted getaways, places where you’ll communicate with your muse and rub shoulders with artists and poets. For many years, such a place existed about two hours north of Boston, and this new book, published by David R. Godine, Monadnock Summer: The Architectural Legacy of Dublin, New Hampshire, gives a panoramic view of this mountain village. While the town may have only 1,500 residents, it’s known for its lovely homes, encyclopedic in style, ranging from Cape Cod cottages to Italian villas to Shingle-style beauties.

Late nineteenth-century Boston Brahmins headed there for the summer and hired the best architectural firms in Boston and New York to construct their summer “cottages.” The short list of architects includes Charles A. Platt, Peabody & Stearns, Rotch and Tilden, Henry Vaughan and Lois Lilley Howe.

Photos courtesy of David R. Godine, publisher

Out of the 100 or so photographs in this book, I chose three to show a slightly more modern side to Dublin. Built in 1980, this “envelope house” was environmentally progressive for its time, using passive technology to create an envelope of air in the home’s core. Hot air from the greenhouse, moved by convection currents, heated the entire house. It was built for Carolyn Demorest, a modern architecture maven who worked at House Beautiful.

Envelope House

The grandest and most imposing Shingle-style house in Dublin was built in 1888 by Peabody & Stearns for Eliot Leighton, a railroad magnate. In 1979, Loring Catlin, a great-grandnephew of Leighton’s, decided to remove the servants’ wing and hired Robert A.M. Stern, then a Columbia University professor, to finish the end wall. Morgan writes, “Dublin is doubly blessed by having both a restored Shingle style landmark and an attractive example of Stern’s work.”

Renovated Leighton House

Maybe the most innovative house belongs to Daniel V. Scully, a Yale student of Charles Moore. His home is not just a tribute to Shingle style, but also reflects America’s love of automobiles. The kitchen looks like the hood of a 1940s Pontiac. Morgan writes, “It faces a smaller Greek temple, wherein is a dragster, the engine of which has been replaced by a woodstove; the route connecting the two buildings is outlined by a gasoline station sign and flanking rows of ornamental gazing balls.” Certainly it’s a one-of-a-kind.

Scully House

This 158-page book is impressive in its research, done by William Morgan, and beautifully published by David R. Godine. It offers a wonderful mix of history, architecture and down-to-earth narrative.

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By Jared Ainscough

This past weekend I spent Greek Easter (different from regular Easter) with my wife’s grandmother. Yia Yia was celebrating her ninety-third Easter, and the more I speak with her, the more it amazes me that she has seen so much—and so much change. Imagine the world nearly 100 years ago and think about how much has changed since.

The year after Yia Yia was born, John Grillo was born. In the ninety-two years since then, Grillo has made a name for himself as one of the prominent abstract painters in New England. What is amazing about Grillo is that, though his career spans decades, his work and style have remained largely the same. The pillars of abstract expressionism—simplicity, color, surface, emotion—have only come into a sharper focus. Grillo’s work has the dignity and resolve of an older generation of painters. Instead of varying along with fads and trends, his voice has only become clearer over time.

Look for his story next month, in the 2012 issue of New England Home’s Cape and Islands.

John Grillo, 1955, watercolor and gouache on paper, 40 x 55"

John Grillo, 1955, woodcut on paper, 16 x 22"

John Grillo, 1956, oil on canvas, 84 x 22"

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