Is It Me?

My home office is in my living/dining room which is not very pretty to look at. I'm trying to find a partition that lets in sunlight and is made from sustainable material, so I found this Nomad Modular System. It is made from recycled double-wall cardboard that lets you adjust the configuration however you like to fit your space, Each set comes with 24 modules, enough to make a 4.5 square ft. wall. I like how once it's disassembled it is flattened and is 100% recyclable, the same way you would recycle cardboard boxes. However, I am not sold on the look, maybe it's because the samples shown on the website are not my favorite, but I do see the potential and it might work in my apartment.
photos: mioculture.com

Green and Hot

Amy Hunting's patchwork furniture series not only is interesting to look at, it is also very environmentally friendly. The collection is made of wood waste and off-cutes were collected from factories in Denmark, the pieces were put together to form a wood patchwork before they were made into furniture. My favorite is the lampshade featured in November's Monocle magazine that first caught my attention.
sources: Monocle, Amy Hunting

My Fall Favorites

I'm into the "outdoors-woman" style this fall, instead of splurging hundreds of dollars for the designer's interpretation of the look, why not go to the original sources for a fraction of the price? I love Pendleton wool fabrics, especially their classic Glacier Park blanket with the four color stripes. But as a throw for our living room, I would go for this blue and brown plaid number. I'm also CRAZY about their line of bags, some of the patterns are a little too Southwestern but the red and olive one is subtle and looks so cozy for fall. The leather tote bag looks super cool, it's got all the details of a high-end designer tote bag but with a reasonable price tag. I dig the basket purse look, but not as extreme as Jane Birkin in the 60's, maybe these Nantucket basket purses would do, and the French market basket is a perfect alternative to a canvas tote bag! And can you believe these high-top espadrille sneakers? I MUST have them! I don't care that they are not winter shoes because they are just so perfect!
sources: vintimage.com, indiantraders.com, pendleton, simplynantucketbaskets.com, quelobjet.com

Husam el Odeh

I am crazy about this German-born, London-based jewelry designer. I love the surrealist humor and utilitarian quality in his work, like the clear bangle in the silhouette of a watch simply adorned by a couple of sprockets in gold, and how original is the hair comb necklace?! I WANT the ear cuff, it's just a simple pearl and you hook it over your ear, but these days I could really use the magnifying glass necklace! photos: husam el odeh, klimt02.net

Lucy McKenzie

We went to MoMA over the weekend and as usual the blockbuster show (Van Gogh) was jam-packed, but this little show by Lucy McKenzie really stole my heart. For her debut exhibition at MoMA, McKenzie, with the help of textile/fashion artist Beca Lipscombe and illustrator Bernie Reid, transforms gallery space into a turn-of-the-century setting for the display of her own paintings and prints, which were recently acquired by MoMA. Lucy wanted to create a room-environment because her paintings are intended to be displayed in a decorated room, she went back to school to study trompe l'oeil painting for this installation. It is not hard to be upstaged by the beautifully decorated faux-room, but Lucy's wit in her works made this installation so enjoyable, I had fun looking at her paintings as well as the stenciled carpet and curtains. Check out the conversation with Lucy, Beca, and Bernie on YouTube.images: MoMA, YouTube

Ever been to Staten Island?

I've been there recently, I actually got off the ferry (most tourists stay on the ferry for the scenic ride, it's free!) and went to see the 911 Memorial sculptures. These 2 thin sculptures designed by Masayuki Sono represent postcards sent to the 9/11 victims, but I think they resemble wings that are about to take off and reach the sky. The walls of the sculptures feature plaques that bear each Staten Island victim's name and a profile in silhouette which is a really beautiful way to commemorate a loved one. The Staten Island 9/11 Memorial is located along the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

Nigel Peake

A few weeks ago I posted about my dream of curating a Gocco group show and a reader from Scotland wrote me about this super talented gentleman named Nigel Peake. He is very good at drawing buildings and maps with very fine details, and I really like the way he adds little splashes of watercolor to his Gocco prints (below). Go to his website and his blog to see more of his work now!images: nigel peake

Craft Design Technology

Over the weekend I went to DWR's Tools for Living store in Soho and I saw the coolest stationery products by Craft Design Technology from Japan in an unusual seafoam green (bold move!) and a great logo. So I went home to check out their website and thought the pictures looked far too familiar, then I went to their corporate site and ah-ha! Tyler Brulé is a co-creator of the brand. I love almost everything that Tyler Brule does (see evidence here), so I guess that makes me a fan. Their website is also top-notch, I love its industrial look and the line drawing of the products!photos: craft design technology

MMCo. MMGood!

Went to MarMarCo in Shoreditch London and instantly fell in love with these lovely ceramic biscuit-shaped boxes, at the store they used them to hold salt, how cute! As a bad blogger I didn't take any pictures of the store but found these in-store shots from Wee Birdy, great blog, btw!photos: weebirdy.com, marmarco.com

Sneak Preview Number Two

Here's a sneak preview of a poster that I did for Mascott, Kendall the lovely lead singer commissioned me to do some illustrations for the video her song "Dream Another Day". I did a poster that narrates the entire song (it's only 1 minute long and soooo catchy!) and we also did an animated version of it for the video. The posters are still in production, they will be screen printed and will be available at the shop, so watch out for them!