December 15, 2012

Christopher Farr drawings

Hey all. I went by Christopher Farr’s lovely shop on La Cienega today to see a group of drawings recently completed by the man himself. I was completely entranced by the intricate patterns and rhythms of each piece. Mr. Farr uses inexpensive paper he sourced after seeing wrapped around a purchase at Crate & Barrel (love that!) so he can work freely and experiment without hesitation. Arte Povera in action! He begins with black ink (in most cases) and an object (sometimes a broken paintbrush or a rubber stamp) and works his way across and around the paper, feeling his way through, allowing the designs to take shape without a preconceived plan. Some of the paintings are done in a “single breath” – the object is dipping into the ink and the drawing begins. Once the ink is gone, the drawing is complete. These pieces invite you into the process and entice you to stay a while and explore. I suggest you do! The drawings will be up at his gallery until they are sold out so I would go soon (because at prices starting at $750, I plan on snagging a few for gifts or maybe, just for me). Take a look and enjoy!

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November 17, 2011

Lladro

When I asked Kate what thoughts came to mind when I mentioned the Spanish porcelain purveyor, Lladro, she responded, “a Harlequin romance met a Hummel figurine and had a very expensive, pastel baby.” That sounded about right to me, too, but it saddened me because I love porcelain and wish it wasn’t relegated to the world of melodramatic “collectibles”. So I was super psyched to come across an ad for Lladro’s new line, Naturofantastic. I immediately went to their site and while I was seraching, came across these jaunty fellows (part of the Parrot Party Collection):

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November 15, 2011

Darkroom

Yesterday I posted about the Stolen from De Stijl collection from Darkroom. Afterwards, I took a little stroll through their website and all I can say is WHOA! These folks have got it going on and I am thrilled to find someone with such a simpatico vibe. I really dig their directive:

At Darkroom you will always find a large selection of one-off, hand-made and unusual accessories, designed by us or other people who’s work we admire. We also like to work and curate within seasonal themes — this creates an inspiring environment for us and our pool of designers to respond to and work within.

We hope these collections will also be inspiring for yourself and your home…

Why yes, people of Darkroom, they are very inspiring, indeed. Please enjoy their current seasonal themes starting with Aztec Camera:

Ex-squeeze me? The bright colors and graphic patterns are so Stephen Sprouse goes to Central America in 1981. Sock it to me!

(Naturally, Scholten & Baijings pillows and throws are part of this collection. Naturally.)

November 14, 2011

Stolen From De Stijl

De Stijl me, baby!  I have always had a penchant for the Dutch art movement from the 1920s that went by that name (the style in Dutch) but it is looking particularly fresh to me at present.  The most recognizable artists associated with the movement are Theo van Dosenburg, Piet Mondrian and Gerrit Reitveld.  Their guiding principle was to use simplicity and abstraction to bring to life utopian ideas about harmony and order.  The design afficiandos among you will be familiar with Reitveld’s iconic Red and Blue Chair from 1917.
It is crisp, clean and direct and that trifecta is really striking the right chord for me right now.  Apparently, I am not alone.  I recently discovered a fabulous collection of objects from the super fly British shop, Darkroom, called Stolen From De Stijl.  I am smitten:
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December 17, 2010

One Last Gift

I found these Stop Talking cards last year and laughed until I cried. There is always an occasion to slip one of these lovlies across the table or into someone’s pocket as the most polite way to tell someone that they’ve gone on just too damn long. Buy boxes of them as a gift for like-minded friends but make sure to keep a set for your own. You never know when they will come in handy. Enjoy!
December 9, 2010

Gift Guide – Part 2

The best gifts (in my humble opinion) are the things you would never buy for yourself (and might not even know about). Ideally, these items are both stylish AND functional in some way so they continue to add value and interest to the receiver’s home long beyond the holiday. I love to look at museum gift stores for these kinds of items because the quality and thoughtfulness of the design is always top notch. The mac daddy of of the museum gift store is the MoMA store. A few of my favorite items are below:

This sleek air purifier by Mathieu Lehanneur offers a chic way to filter the air all of us urban dwellers have to deal with. There are 8 LED bulbs to help you keep the plant alive so this is a great gift for people with even the blackest of thumbs. The plant is not included so make sure you grab one at a local nursery that will fit. Unless you think your friend is going to return the gift (in which case, why are you giving it???), take the purifier out of the box, put the plant in and tie a bow around it. Read the rest of this post »
December 8, 2010

Gift Guide – Part 1

Hey people! I have gotten many requests for a gift suggestions this holiday season. I love nothing more than giving gifts so am thrilled to share some ideas with you. The main thing to consider when giving a gift is the person you are giving it to. No one needs more clutter or junk so think about what this person really enjoys (reading, traveling, cooking, eating, exercising etc, etc) and use that as your guide as you consider a gift for him or her. Today, I am going to focus on gifts to give someone with a modern design sensibility who enjoys cooking, eating and entertaining. Here goes…

I love to give a few gifts that work together. For instance, these coasters are great:

But even better when paired with these glasses:
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November 18, 2010

Creativity Explored

As I was wading through the 3 pounds of catalogues that arrived yesterday (despite my constant efforts to remove myself from every catalogue mailing list out there), I came across this terrific rug from CB2:

And then I saw this one:
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