I'm co-hosting a dinner party for six of my favorite people this Saturday. And we're throwing a bene magazine soiree on Wednesday. So this week will be all about parties...and the debauchery that ensues.
Check out these pedal-powered rollercoasters in Japan. Don't they give you goose bumps?!
New at design public are the staggeringly expensive but beautiful modern bamboo chairs. I love how they look almost human.
This weekend, I plan to catch up on some reading. What will you be doing? Have fun and enjoy the warm weather!
I have no problem finding art that I love. But once I get it, I'm stumped on how and exactly where to hang it. I end up arranging everything symmetrically. So boring! Seeking help, I downloaded inspiring shots from various blogs, including Design Sponge, SF Girl by Bay and Domino. I love these offbeat arrangements -- they show that it's okay to mix it up a little. Get out the hammer and nails!
I don't drink coffee. But if I did, I'd make it in this gorgeous coffee plunger.
Chandeliers are wonderful. Earrings are wonderful. And so, as it happens, are chandelier earrings.
My dad and brother were obsessed with cars when I was growing up--my dad worked for Chrysler and Porsche, my brother drove a toy Morgan around our basement, I had to tape the Grand Prix whenever they were out of town. Now cars have seeped their way into my design taste (exhibit A, exhibit B)...yes, I have pretty much accepted that they will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Ahhh, I am hearting this ensemble from Tucker by Gaby Basora.
At a dinner party a few weeks ago, I couldn't stop admiring the clock on the wall across from me. It was totally basic, but its simplicity complemented the room's artsy surroundings. (You can kind of see it in the top pic here.) The next day, I couldn't find any similar versions on the expensive design sites, so I ended up at Crate and Barrel, where, lo and behold, they had just what I was looking for! Nothing self-conscious or overly "designy"--just a nice, normal, good old clock. (Bonus: It's less than $20.)
I recently discovered the (brilliantly named) blog I Always Wanted to Be a Tenenbaum. It's written by Jack Mudd and Ian Smith, who are college freshman in Colorado. Don't you love Ian's illustrations (below)? His quirky drawings have a great sense of humor, much like the Tenenbaums themselves. When he gets super famous, this post will be proof that I discovered him.
Cool tees brought to you by the French company Six Pack.
Everyone seemed to love the South African hotel from last week, so here's another one to add to the mix. Aside from top-notch cooking and comfortable accommodations, The Giraffe Manor is known for, you guessed it, a friendly herd of giraffe. Bizarre! (As one reader sweetly put it, "I so want to wake up to a giraffe batting her eyelashes at me. Adorable.")
I'm a huge fan of typographic prints, and I'm a hopeless romantic. Put them together and what have you got? This amazing poster. (Look how cool it looks in a house.) I would buy one immediately, but alas they're sold out. Anyone think they could make one??
Exciting news: The fourth issue of Bene Magazine just came out! I hope you enjoy our articles on the shakeup with Barolo wines, two grandmas taste-testing pasta, swimsuits in Capri (on a chartered yacht!), high-school friends in the season's freshest dresses, a designer's whimsical house, and the truth behind Italian mama's boys. Subscribe here....
The question of the day: Can straight guys get away with using clear umbrellas? My brother Nick loves them, but he's worried that they seem too girly or gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). I told him that he is tall and cute and can pull anything off, but what do you think, readers?
Living etc. magazine (British!) recently launched an online photo gallery. Their rooms are simple yet creative, with a nice use of color. Click here to take a look...
Head's up: Yossi Milo Gallery is having an opening tonight of Kelli Connell's photography exhibition Double Life.
We interrupt our programming to present the most beautiful dress of the season. Love. Lurve.
Yesterday morning, I stumbled upon this incredible open-air hotel in South Africa. It's called the Outpost and it's smack in the middle of Kruger National Park. Well, don't mind if I do.....
Pretty! Handblown vases would add a nice pop of color to a sidetable or mantlepiece.
Such lovely letterpress cards--and they're printed on Italian paper! From Ella Studio.
What would you buy if money were no object? That was the question I had to answer, when Lauren Cerand asked me to contribute to the fantasy-shopping section of her blog this week. Check out my answer here, and leave your answers in the comment section below...
A debatable dialogue I had with my psychiatrist last week:
I was already into these colorful mobiles, but then I realized that they're made from magazine pages! Now I'm in love. Luce, what do you think?
Remember those painfully cheesy motivational posters that were always sold in malls? Well, Right Brain Terrain has designed cool versions, which actually do inspire. I LOVE this focus poster. And it works well, because now that I've filled my apartment with artwork, I'm moving on to my office...
After a very rainy Nor'easter weekend, cheer up with these bright and pretty glasses, which kick off a color-themed week. Full set for $32.
I'm taking a break from posting this weekend, but if you're in the blog mood, I warmly invite you to check out the archives. Perhaps you will like this, this, this or this, or you can read through January, February, March or the really old stuff. Thank you, as always, for visiting! Have a great weekend, and see you soon.
Here's one for the boys, who have been suffering bravely through this very girly week. Every morning, on the way to work, I walk by an enormous billboard with the top photo below. (You may recognize Natalia from Alice in Wonderland fame. God, talk about a girl crush.) Anyway, the billboard inspired me to check out Calvin Klein's new collection of underthings, and I was very taken by them. Any woman would feel really sexy in these. Enjoy...
