Friday, February 27, 2009
An adorable home decor and accessories store with a good cause
"Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses."
I look forward to seeing what they have in the future as the companies grow! They also have a lot of cool, indie products by domestic designers.
Beautiful serving bowls from Mexico. The salsa bowls at the top were also featured in Domino.
Sweet little tea light holders
African baskets are always stunning
Pretty little tea towels.
Art for baby
I *LOVE* this bracelet. My sisters' pet name for me has always been Heart, so it's fitting. :)
A gorgeous cuff bracelet.
They also carry a lot of really pretty stationary
I always use handmade soaps - they are much nicer for your skin and last a really long time. Nest has a huge selection.
...Nothing But A Fig Leaf
I saw something that stirred a sweet childhood memory.
When I was little, I lived with my Grandmother ( I called her Bebe ) she was so beautiful and sweet. I was an only child, so needless to say, Bebe indulged me in many ways.
We had a huge wisteria hedge, and there was an opening in this hedge where I would hold court with my imaginary friends ( don't worry, there were only 2, and it was age appropriate for a 4 or 5 year old ).
When lunch time came around,
my Bebe would bring me little cucumber sandwiches with the crust cut off ( I hated crust ).
She would hand little sandwiches to my 'friends' as well.
And I remember , even at the time , how sweet she was.
Bebe would look right into the faces of these imaginary friends, and ask them questions and talk to them, while nodding and smiling.
Don't you love her ???
I did, and I always felt loved by her.
This woman was so kind and loving to me.
I loved her more than anything in the whole world.
Spoken just like a child , I know.
Anyway, this is the 'something' that stirred my memories. I found this an amazing piece of functioning ART !
The Brilliant Artist is Tord Boontje
The Fig Leaf by Tord Boontje for Meta
Nominated for the Brit Insurance Furniture Award 2009
How is this for a fabulous coat closet. I can see a few furs hanging right now....
I can also see myself hiding inside, while my Bebe brings me and my little friends tea and tiny sandwiches
The 616 hand-painted enamel leaves, varying across 10 basic shapes, and each with a unique colour-way, use no ‘transfers’ which are otherwise the mainstay of nearly all enamels done today, but instead rely solely on hand painting of both front and back – another exceptional undertaking as rarely do makers apply as much attention to both sides of an enamel work. The colours used are bespoke mixes and not otherwise available. The overall size of the larger leaves as well as the enormous surface area to be painted were originally thought impossible tasks, but with ingenuity and perseverance, this has been overcome. The delicacy of essentially 616 pieces of glass suspended individually from a complicated tangle of hand-formed supporting vines required development of a novel mapping and hanging system. The matching of colours across bronzes, silks, enamels and iron challenged the ateliers to develop new techniques for finishing and matching.The interior is dominated by a lifelike lost wax bronze cast of a hand-carved tree upon which to hang clothing. The interior back-drop and base are upholstered in a custom hand-dyed and woven silk with an earth-to-sky motif. Each wardrobe also includes a bespoke bronze hanger as well as a custom set of handmade tools for adjustments and maintenance. The exterior rear of the wardrobe is finished with a hand-stippled trompe l’oeil."
Tord Boontje
Tord Boontje has long cultivated a delicate marriage of design with emotion that is as broadly accessible as it is enticing. His work draws from a belief that modernism does not mean minimalism, that contemporary does not forsake tradition, and that technology does not abandon people and senses. Boontje’s designs often temper edges with softness, borrow inspiration from nature, and employ a décor of forms and layers to engage and entice an observer’s imagination and emotions.
Many of his seminal works are held in public collections throughout the world including multiple pieces in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Groninger Museum. Tord has received a number of public and private commissions and clients include Alexander McQueen, Murray Moss, Pearl Lam, Nadja Swarovski, and Ian Schrager.
Tord Boontje was born in Enschede, Netherlands in 1968. He first studied industrial design at the Design Academy in Eindhoven (1986 –1991). Following several internships, including Alessandro Mendini’s Studio in Milan, he returned to studying and completed a Masters at the Royal College of Art in London (1992 - 1994). He later taught at the same school on invitation from Ron Arad who was Professor of Design Products at the time, before eventually establishing his own studio in 1996. Tord Boontje lived and worked in London from 1995 to 2005 and currently lives and works in Saint Etienne, France with his wife and daughter. A biography of Tord’s work was published by Rizzoli New York in 2007.
dutch born
Meta's blue-sky philosophy allowed Tord Boontje's limitless imagination "a unique opportunity to design very special pieces in the knowledge that they are realized without any compromise but every time enriched by the most skilled hands".
One big tick
My China Hutch Gets a Face Lift
A few months ago, I painted it a pale blue (above, behind the chairs) which I liked, but felt the hutch needed a little more. I never really liked the fussy hardware, so I bought new bin pulls and a couple knobs from this eBay shop on the cheap (I think it was around $30 for everything). The new hardware instantly updated the hutch and helped brightened the room.
Then I bought a few sheets of pretty paper for a couple dollars each from Paper Source, cut the paper to size (being careful to line up the pattern) and double-stick taped the sheets to the backs and sides of the inside of the hutch.
My original plan was to spray glue or even mod podge the paper in place, but so far the double stick tape has served me well. Which I've decided will make my life really easy when I will inevitably want to change out the paper in six months or so. {Is there a medication for whatever it is that I have?}
Have a great weekend! My parents are in town and I'll be busy taking advantage of full-time sitters and my mom's unfailing eye for home decor. See you Monday.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Designer’s Portfolio, Hair, Magazines and Saladino!
I’d like to share a few finds with you that you might find pretty interesting, or at least new and exciting!
First of all…. HGTV has a feature called Designer's Portfolio, where they feature over 2,000 spaces from HGTV’s professional designers. It’s fun to look around and see how the pros do it. Here is a sampling…
This colors in this Master Bedroom are wonderful! The mossy green with the black is a big hit in my book because of it’s earthy and sharp at the same time. Love the striped wing chair. Designer Erin Valencich.
Candace Olson’s Master Bedroom make-over. Dreamy blues and beiges bring this room up to date. One of the things I love about this room are the side tables. I like different side tables, rather than matchy-matchy. That goes for lighting too on the side tables…. sometimes.
This modern kitchen remodel by Designer Aimee Kim pleases me because of the sparkle! The glass tiles, along with the stainless appliances gives this space a clean, professional feel. Love it!
I love all things Hawaiian… in fact I hope to one day own my own little bungalow on a beach someday in Wailea, Maui (if any of you out there know of a great deal… let me know!). So, it goes without saying that this room speaks to me… the art panel behind the bed, the wood tones used in the room, the Hawaiian prints used on the wall and in the fabrics, all make this room scream Aloha!
O.K…. onto the next great find. .. this one isn’t design related, but it’s such great news, I had to share it with you…
I have really, really curly hair… like Shirley Temple curly hair! All my life, I’ve fought these curls, but finally succumbed to living with them sometime about 10 years ago, when I realized I wasn’t going to change anything!
So, you can imagine my mission to find good hair products. I’ve been using a hair product called Wen from Chaz Dean for quite awhile now. I first saw it on one of those info-mercials and was hooked. Damn those actors! But, I have to say, that I was quite impressed with the product.
You see, I’m a bit of a proponent of organic products. Not a lot of people know that most shampoos have a product in it called sodium laureth sulfates (SLS), which is a detergent and surfactant found in most shampoos, soaps and toothpastes.
The problem is that these SLS’s have been known to cause canker sores, and if ingested into the body/skin/mouth in large amounts over a long period of time, may cause cancer. There are people who agree and disagree on this one… but why chance it?
Wen is free from these SLS’s. And, up until yesterday, I thought Wen was only available through their website. Additionally, you had to sign up for a service, which would require delivery of their products to you on a regular basis, whether you needed them or not. Thanks to my friend, Nora, I now know that Wen is available on Amazon.com! And you can buy the products separately!
I use Wen mainly as a conditioner, not a shampoo. It’s one of those all-in-one products and I LOVE IT!!!!
Next…I’ve just picked up my first copy of a great new shelter magazine called Loft Life Magazine. It’s been out for a few months, but it’s new to me. It’s a wonderful magazine, filled with an eclectic mix of articles, green design, and new design finds all with a funky urban feel. I really like the magazine and you might too!
Article: Viva La France Street
The photography is hip and edgy and even the paper that the magazine is printed on feels different from your typical magazine… a bit heavier.
The subscription is only $12.00 for 6 issues. Quite the bargain I think.
And for you John Saladino fans, he has a new design book coming out on March 1, called Saladino Villa, where he tells the story through word and picture of his revival of a stone ruin in Southern California that he fashioned into his dream home over 5 years of painstaking attention to detail.
Anyone familiar with John Saladino will know that this book will be fabulous. This is a man who knew what he wanted to do in life… even visiting Villa Rotunda when he was 19 to check out the architecture! His work is beautiful and I can’t wait to read his new book and take in what might become my newest design bible!
You can get the book at Amazon here.
John Saladino dining room. Montecito, California.
The master designer himself, John Saladino.
I’m off to Sonoma (wine country!) for the weekend. Hopefully I’ll have some lovely photos to share of the architecture and landscape of the area.
Have a great weekend!
Staying In...
A Dreamy Artist's Loft
Platforms replace walls to define the living space. To the right is the painting studio to the left the living area. Raw industrial surfaces provide the backdrop for art and sculpture. A large skylight lets in daylight to paint by.