Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Kitchen Wishes


I've been busy putting together my son's teacher's wish list for his second grade classroom. And that got my thinking, hmmmm, the holidays aren't too far away. How about a wish list for my home? So I will leave it at this for now: my list of 3. A few things to change the look of my home. First lets hit the kitchen. It doesn't take too much to give it a little face lift.

My kitchen has some open shelves so how about some gorgeous glassware from my favorite, Iittala. These are designed by Aleksi Perala for iittala, the ote/grip is this century’s design glass for multi-functional everyday use. Offered in the minimum amount of sizes, and in shapes that fit perfectly in the hand, the ote can serve every glass function. This is such a beautiful picture of all the colors, but for me, I'd go with the clear. That way I can judge the color of my cranberry lime and vodka ;-). http://www.unicahome.com


How about these Jonathon Adler tea towels. Darjeeling, English Breakfast, and Earl Grey $12 each. They come in 3 color combos, I think the names are very fun. Definitely mix and match a few.
http://www.jonathanadler.com

Then a kettle for the stove. Our kettle top actually broke almost a year ago and I haven't replaced it. So why not give it a little upgrade with the Bodum Osirus 2-liter water kettle $69.95. Nicey nice!
www.bodumusa.com

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Be square


Who would've thought--how about a bamboo sink. This moso bamboo sink 19 x 14" looks so very serene, in balance and best of all 100% organic. This design happens to be on sale for $289.95 from $599.95 at Modern Danish. Has me wondering whether to do this in our bathroom while it's still on sale!


And, in case you're not the square type they're also created in a beautiful handsome round bowl style. According to Totally Bamboo and Modern Danish, the sinks are guaranteed for 10 years. Not to shabby for a wood sink. After that time, you'd have to have it refinished with polyurethane waterproof seal again. It's 17" in diameter and 6" deep. This beauty is $499.99 at Totally Bamboo.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Start with a Vidalia Onion

I've been following Jonathan Adler since he first began his "Vidalia" vases that resembled shapes like my own ceramic work. Mine were somewhere between a snowman and a Mrs. Butterworth's vase. Anyway here are a few images taken from his website that I find inspiring.

Such a whimiscal one-of-a-kind tile design. Makes me smile.


I love looking at the crystal ship chandelier is such a great surprise. I also like the eclectic moroccan side table. Things I would not have thought to put together.

Don't you just want to roll all over this bed? And I love that orange lightin the corner. Put an email out to Jonathan's Design Group to find out where to get one of them. Can't seem to find that color on his website but the undulating shape is very appealing to me.


It's all about the knight on the side and the cascading ceiling fixture.



Now I'm ready to have a tete a tete with a dear friend and a glass of my favorite wine (it's the chocolate overtones that make it delish). Or so I wish...this is at the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs...

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Two for One


Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back on track again. This is the prototype Silla-Guarda Inside-Out Collection designed in Mexico City by Alberto Villarreal. Two chairs in one. The first chair is made of Corian, the second, or inner core, of Red Wood. Just think, you can have your everyday chairs and then have people over and double the seat power. Beautiful design and sooo elegant and graceful for those short in space!

Monday, June 8, 2009

More From BKLYN Designs

Here are a few more favs from the St. Ann's Warehouse show. The work was pretty inspiring to me. So glad to have to much talent in Brooklyn.

This was one of my "ooooo, nice" reactions to the Loop End Table by Carla Franciose. She's a Pratt student we'll have to keep an eye out for her. It's sooo, nice.



This melting chandelier was gorgeous. By Studio Vetro.



The Axonometric 2 Table was an exploration of an axonometric drawing of a cube. Made of 4 x 4 cedar wood it was a stunning combination of function and sculpture.




Didn't get the name of who made this, but I liked the sustainability idea.



These pieces are part of the Array Series by Jason Pfaeffle, another Pratt student. He uses a single cast component combined with wooden dowels to create this series.



This first piece is from young designers Levent & Romme. It's a cool weavescreen.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Not your Mama's wallpaper

Another great find at BKLYNDesigns was Flavor Paper formerly of New Orleans, but soon moving to Brooklyn! (in the beloved neighborhood of Cobble Hill.) The hand screened printing process will be on street level and serve as a public art display. They'll have a showroom upstairs. Think I'll have to check it all out. The designs and colors are very beautiful and yet they incorporate a great sense of humor. Look carefully and you'll see what I mean. This one's called Flower Pedal-ha.

Here's a detail in another color combination, called smores. Love it.


Design: Fruits of Design, Color: Sweet Potato



Design: Elysian Fields, Color: Antique Pink



This one's genius. Perfect for a Manhattan apartment!
Design: City Park, Color: Licorice



Design: Valencia, Color: Conch


Design: Power Plant, Color: Southweezy / Electric Company




Figure out which are your favorites. www.flavorleague.com

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Uhuru (pronounced oo-HOO-oo)






I spotted these tables and chairs at the BKLYNDesigns show in May. Really loved their simplicity. They're made by the sustainable furniture design company, Uhuru. Located in Red Hook, Brooklyn they focus on using local materials for produce their work from old buildings being taken down in NYC. The results are beautiful and satisfying to the soul.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Summer inspiration


These lovelies are from LBK Studios. The designs are thought provoking and inspired. If you're looking for pieces to spice up your table or home, there's is a wonderful balance between grace and function. These twisted tumblers are scrumptious, bright lollipop colors. They're about 3" high and there are also pitchers with the same twists! Got me thinking about iced tea lemonade combos. I think Martha Stewart must've been thinking the same thing (they're featured in her May issue). Am I inferring that she and I think along the same lines? Hmm, yeah, okay.

I love these vases too--they can fit the perfect occasion by writing your own message or by creating your design for the day. It's an ideal DIY look without too much of the doing yourself part!


Now these Genie vases are really cool. Almost looks like they'd float up in the air like a balloon. You can find all of these inspirations at LBK Studios website. Very reasonable too. http://www.lbkstudio.com/lbk/home.html

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

A great twist on antiques




The Chair Couture is great this season. Love, love, love these antique french chairs re-done with modern flair. Great pieces to perk up any room and give it that "je ne sais quoi". Especially the french rococo style settee. Or the white fluffy sette. I'm thinking that would go nicely in the bedroom. J'adore. chaircouture.com

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Whose line is it?

We're talking pictoral calligraphy.
I've always enjoyed it. I just never knew it had a name.



Taken from the nearly lost art of ornate pictorial calligraphy, or “flourishing”, Thomas Paul makes these dinner plates 11' diam (set of four $36) and coasters 4 1/2" diam. (set of four $14) http://www.velocityartanddesign.com



Okay even this rug's got modern geometry meeting organic shapes. It looks a bit like ornate challigraphy to me! Pretty nice in it's subtlety. Guess where it's from? Hint: one of my favorite stores. Target (pronounced tar-shjay). Zurich Rug - Twilight (10'9"x13'2") $1,139.99 Perhaps this "Lost Art" is not so lost anymore.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

For the space saver


A very cool idea-especially for us short-on-space. A chandelier made of wine glasses. So simple and practical, yet elegant. It's designed by two architects in Sweden view their site at www.nasielsky.se


Rather make one yourself? This one's from another blogger www.swiss-miss.com
3 bicycle braking cables
2 circles made out of plexiglass
1 efficiency bulb
+
Lots of wine glasses
=
Koope, a chandelier designed by Phillipe, a swiss architecture student.

Maybe try it with champagne flutes as well.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Look around and smell the roses




The Bayard-Condict Building built in 1897-1899 by Architect, Louis Sullivan. His only building in New York City. I had to do research on this-it's just gorgeous, restored in 2000. Sullivan coined the phrase "Form ever follows function" and Mies van der Rohe later said "form IS function". I love how the organic ornamentation is so integral to the building design. It was certainly not a decorative afterthought. Interestingly, Frank Lloyd Wright worked up to becoming Sullivan's chief draftsman. (And later, was asked to design Sullivan's home.)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Happenstance


This is a wood fired piece fresh out of the kiln. Wood firing is known as a high firing process the temperature gets up to cone 10. The kiln needs round the clock stoking of wood to reach the final temperature. The firing goes on for 3-5 days with a cooling down period of 5 days. This piece is made of white stoneware that was put in the kiln naked, no glaze. I'm pretty stoked about this piece. It measures about 6 inches high. It's retro seventies looking with the earthy colors and groovy design. The even cooler thing is, I didn't have much to do with it-it's all in the firing.

For my own education, I looked up artists working with wood firing and discovered John Benn and Colleen Gallagher. Of course, they're already discovered, but it's my first time with them. I was curious to see what others results are for wood firing.




According to their webpage, " John and Colleen fire in two wood burning kilns: a salt kiln with a Bourry-style firebox and a 25 foot long Noborigama/train kiln. John and Colleen have been professional studio potters for 27 years. John (MFA, Art Institute of Chicago) has been a Studio Potter in Washington since 1979. Colleen studied ceramics with Ka Kwong Hui at Rutgers University and studio art in the MFA Program at Pratt Institute in New York (MFA, University of Puget Sound). Their work has won awards in the United States and internationally and can be seen in private collections, museums and public art projects. Their commitment to woodfiring is obsessive."

Maybe when I'm in Seattle, I'll have to look them up. They also show work at the Island Gallery on Bainbridge Island, WA.
And that's the end of our lesson for today ;-).

Bird Day Collage


I made this for a dear friend turning 50--I mean 30. I had a lot of fun putting it together and coming up with materials. I used the New Yorker for sections of words. Her birthday was a dinner- thus "Dinner with Relatives" on the birds wing. There are also the words "birthday cake" and "I love you, man". It's been a long time since I've made one of these. I'll have to remember to do one more often!

In memory of Dave




Another inspiration, our cat, Dave who lived to a ripe old age of 14. He had a terrific demeanor, very chill, mellow and loved to be the cat rug in the middle of the kitchen. Particularly when you were in the midst of cooking dinner or trying to get breakfast and lunch together in the mornings.

At his heaviest he was 25 pounds-so we put him on a diet in 2004. Then he trimmed down to a svelte 18 lbs. My favorite (one day I'll find the photo) was when he'd go to sleep on his back with all four legs hanging in the air. He was Kaleo's best buddy, was great with kids. Just purred away. We will miss him.