on my summer radar...

happy easter friends! today, easter can be about alot of things but it can also be about color. with summer coming, i like color. bliss blog turned me onto these really pretty pouches for summer, in bold colors and this wingtip design. they're offered up by tracey tanner and in collaboration with coral & tusk, another one of my favorites when it comes to embroidery.

i would love these pouches, one in every color, to accompany my ever changing summer color palette moods. they also have longer pouches and shorter ones, so you could really load up! enjoy...

white all the way.

this post about transforming a victorian home has me seriously entertaining the idea of white all the way. ceiling, walls, floors. i used to consider white to be a bit too dominent when incorporating so much of it into spaces, residentially or commercially. but once you let all of that white envelope you, it's down right pleasing...

so, in my design mind, i've grown, from looking at white in a sterile, cold way, to seeing it as cleansing, & super relaxing and really a key tool sometimes to letting spaces breathe. and of course to letting the people who inhabit those spaces breathe too. enjoy!

swans & snow.

how gorgeous is this image of a man feeding swans in the snow?

marcin ryczek is the photographer/artist. you can find him on his facebook page here. beautiful! enjoy.

have a great weekend friends!

i love this photo. martin usborne's series, "the silence of dogs in cars" is fascinating and familiar. you know when you walk by a particular dog in a particular car, and they catch your attention, they look like they know things? martin usborne nails that feeling.

check out more images from martins usborne's show at the london's the little black gallery, here.

what are you up to this weekend. i'm in the home stretch of my last graduate course and will be planted at the library, either at home or in boston, researching and writing my last paper. i hope that you enjoy the heck out of yourself, wherever you are, whatever you do...happy weekend! enjoy...

friday food/2

this is the second friday food feature which i've just started on avant garde design. fridays i'll feature recipes/photos of things i'd like to make, things i've made & things that other people make.

the mouth~watering food blog what katie ate featured the fact that march, in australia, is/has been in the middle of a meat~free week. the point isn't to turn everyone into vegetarians either. it's all to support free range farms and end factory farming of animals.

since i am a vegetarian, among some of the meat~free dishes katie featured, i'd love to try this...a slow roasted tomato & goat's cheese pesto tart. i like all of those things, tomatoes, goat cheese, pesto and tarts. so...

(image via what katie ate)
here's how katie does it:

ingredients,

for the pesto,

2 large handfuls of fresh basil, leaves, stalks removed
1/4 pine nuts, lightly toasted (5-10 mins in a medium heat oven)
1/4 cup olive oil (note: do not use EVOO for this as flavour will be too strong)
100 g soft goat’s cheese
pinch chili flakes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

for the topping,

3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
extra parmesan cheese for serving
fresh oregano leaves
fresh basil leaves
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 sheet pre-rolled all butter puff pastry
1 egg yolk and a dash of milk mixed together to make egg wash.

the method,

1.preheat oven to 120˚C (250˚F) place all cherry tomatoes (and or any other varieties of tomatoes which you may like to include, halved or quartered) onto a baking tray, cut side up and slow roast for 2 hours. to make the pesto:

2.meanwhile into the jug of a blender or food processor add the two handful’s worth of fresh basil leaves, the lightly toasted pine nuts, grated 1/4 parmesan cheese, goat’s cheese, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes and 1/4 cup olive oil and whizz to form a thick, smooth pesto paste, season to taste with salt and black pepper and set aside. using a standard dinner plate, cut a circle out from the sheet of pre-rolled pastry, then using a smaller plate (1/2”/1.5cm smaller than original) centre it evenly on top of the pastry circle and gently press down to form a grooved smaller circle border within the larger pastry circle.

prick inside the border – aka the middle of the pastry shape with a fork a good few times and brush the exterior pastry border with egg wash. spread the pre-made pesto paste thinly within the inner circle – avoiding getting any on the border then place the roasted tomatoes in the centre. season with a pinch of sea salt and a generous sprinkling of black pepper and roast in the oven at 180˚C (350˚F) until the pastry is cooked on the bottom and golden brown around the edges. Serve warm with shavings of fresh parmesan and a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar.

oh yeah...and eat ;) enjoy this friday food/2 recipe!

pink & blue.

this afternoon, i want to dive into any of these 2 pink & blue spaces/places.

(1, 2)
just saying...enjoy!

painting placement.

the one thing i really want to work on is collecting more original artwork, and in particular paintings. i used to paint alot and would also love to have the time to work on more of my own work too.

as i collect the works of others, the dilemma next is where to hang each piece. i'm always intrigued by where people choose to place the paintings they collect. here are some recent favorite views and vantage points with regard to painting placement.

(via)
what about you? have you been collecting artwork as of late? and if so, what are you drawn to? landscapes, still-lifes, abstract or realistic? i'd really like to hear! i'm on a mission to collect oceanic landscapes. a whole wall of paintings of the ocean would make me happy. i'm getting going on that soon...enjoy!

the edgar table.

this afternoon i'm loving these "edgar" tables offered up by nurus. i love that their white, i love that their low and i love that you can order these with a number of edges and shapes.

reminiscent of the 1960's in it's design, this edgar table is perfectly suited singularly in a residential setting or by clumping them in a commercial setting. the white color palette allows it to be there without intruding on the spaces they're placed.

and with that white palette, anything placed on or around the table, greens, flowers, a bright candle holder or interesting books, are going to be highlighted and take center stage. after you stop looking at how fabulous the table is. that is. ;) enjoy!

debi treloar's photos.

good (late) morning! i'm floating along this morning after getting home late from class last night. and i have alot to do today so another cup of coffee is probably in order ;)

i wanted to share the photography work of debi treloar with you today. sfgirlbybay's blog featured her here, and her official website is here. what draws me to teloar's work is the way in which she captures spaces as they sit. as they are. the quietness of them. the quiet life of them.

originally from zimbabwe, treloar states that she is constantly inspired, by people, spaces & places. that she's never bored. for me, viewing her work is as if i've been left as the only person on the planet for just a little while. and i can roam around and peek into any interior that i want. and enjoy it however i want. whenever i want. i love that!

i hope your mid~week wednesday is starting out a little more productive than mine so far! i'm off to get more coffee...enjoy.

on my radar...charlotte perriand chairs.

the really fabulous blog, modern findings, has turned my attention to these mid~century modern charlotte perriand leather chairs this afternoon. they are unique, timeless, and definitely on my radar...

modern findings highlights these chairs in their updated dining room. complete designer chair eye~candy i'm telling ya. charlotte perriand (for those of you that might want to know) was a french architect/designer who lived and designed from 1903-1999. you can read a little more about her here.

this quote by perriand sums up well her inspiration, attitude and basis for design: "the extension of the art of dwelling is the art of living- living in harmony with man’s deepest drives and with his adopted or fabricated environment."

i love that. and i love these chairs! enjoy!

the rose li lights in copper.

influenced by tai chi, of your head in the clouds and your feet planted firmly in the earth, these evocative copper lights, designed by albi for aqua creations are interesting and offer a soft industrial tone and texture to spaces they are placed.

if you're not familiar with aqua creations you should get acquainted. if i literally had to select one line of lighting that is my favorite, if asked, i would answer aqua creations.

it's because of the materials used, the shapes & styles that they design the soft hued silks into. they are very organically recognized shapes. they are easy to interpret, to enjoy.

this line of copper lighting is different than the rest of the aqua creations line. but that's what's so fun. enjoy!

you know what's pretty today?

this castle ring in the lightest blue chalcedony by dean davidson, and this neon pink clare vivier clutch in super soft leather. that's what!

you can find the ring on shopbop, here. the clutch is from a fabulous new~to~me find, & other stories, which you can find here. both this ring and finding this new site come courtesy of miss moss. who always finds great goodies. enjoy!

monday & the silo lamp.

happy monday friends! i hope your weekend was fantastic. i've been hanging out with my son while we are both on our spring breaks from courses. i've been eating way too much. picking his eclectic musical brain for new listens & likes and laughing alot in between. i think it was all much needed for both of us...so yeah, a great week and weekend happened ;)

i wanted to share with you today these silo pendants lamps. i love them for spring. but really i love them for all year long...

note design studio is who has 'em. these are curious little lights in that they are simplistic in design but certainly hold their own unique character outwardly.

isn't it amazing how many takes of shapes you can come up with. just when you think you you've exhausted all of the possibilities? enjoy!

a sunday studio.

this sunday, i wanted to share a sensational new italian studio, manolito & manolita. a new lighting and furniture brand emerging out of barcelona in 2011. it was hard to select a favorite piece by this design duo, but today, this version of a coffee table won me over...

architects/designers faidra matziaraki & victor gonzalez marti
take to barcelona's city streets, reclaiming and transforming discarded materials creating "sophisticated components and (with) the industrial detail."

matziaraki and gonzalez marti assign themselves "furniture makers, material experts and pleasure providers." not a bad way to describe yourself or to be described. enjoy...

i'd like to wake up here this morning...

i would love this saturday to be walking into this room, with hot coffee in my hand. sitting in that buttery leather chair and enjoying the light. and this view.

(via)
this warm wooden interior comes by way of a 2 bedroom home in austria. you can see more images here. oh, and the architect is sven matt. you can see more of his work here.

i'll tell ya what. i'm all kinds of into simplifying these days. my life. my spaces. everything and anything. spaces like this are my pull these days. i hope you are in a warm space today, enjoying some sort of fabulous view too. even if it's your own back yard ;) enjoy!

fun faces for friday...

these baggu pouches (and especially the sad and happy faces) are a super fun pick~up for a friday. don't you think?

they're made from super soft leather and hand~printed in brooklyn. baggu makes a number of other really great bags. but today, these are on my wish list. enjoy!

*p.s. new music under my likes & listens tab from rhye. grab a glass of wine and dance around slowly. have a fun friday night friends!

friday food/1

happy friday friends! i thought i'd start a new series on the blog for fridays. let's call it friday food. i don't pretend to be a chef or an amazing baker or cook. but there are people who are. and so we'll talk about them. we'll share recipes. and through them, perhaps we'll attempt to be better chefs/bakers and cooks.

i first noticed these bowls on designlovefest's pinterest site. then came the recipe. i had to share. after all it's friday. and after all it's chocolate. enough said right?

so the recipe is for chocolate/orange pots de creme. ah, yeah. pots of chocolate and cream? yes please.

the recipe is from a fabulous blog amelia, here.
and here it is for ya:

chocolate organge pots de creme
4-6 servings
250 ml heavy cream
75 ml milk
75 grams dark chocolate, chopped (70%)
3 large egg yolks
50 ml sugar
zest from 1 orange

heat oven to 150°C (325F).
pour cream and milk in a sauce pan and heat until steaming hot. add chocolate and stir until melted. put aside.

meanwhile, lightly whip yolks and sugar. add yolk mixture to chocolate mixture in a thin stream whilst whisking. add finely grated orange zest. place 4-6 ramekins in a large baking pan. divide batter among the ramekins. add enough very hot water to pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
bake until set, but centers move slightly – about 35-55 minutes (depending on how many you make).
remove ramekins from water and let cool. cover and put in fridge for a least 3 hours. serve with chopped nuts or whipped cream.

next on my list from this blog to make, this lemon poppy seed cake. i'm not sure i've seen a prettier cake in quite some time...poppy seeds on the outside of the frosting? brilliant. enjoy!

pecan workshop. etsy love.

we all love etsy. especially when you know you've found something simply beautiful. these handmade wooden stools in soft, light, natural wood, topped with dreamy white lacquer are one of those finds...

pecan workshop takes the discarded pieces of bathroom counter~top cut~outs and re~imagines them as these. these simply beautiful stools. just plain cool. enjoy!

charcoal & gold.

happy almost friday friends! these are a neat find for me today. and now for you too! these schwarzes gold pendant lamps are formed by and with a strong connection between 2 elements, 2 materials baked and bound together creating a "cradle to grave" environmentally sustainable process and product but also creating one heck of a gorgeous lamp...

in constructing these shades, flour is used alongside charcoal as a binding agent. copper is then added and forms with the flour/charcoal mixture during the baking process creating this strong yet elegant combination and connection. lovely in fact.

if you, as you design, whether for residential or commercial spaces, are in the market or have the need for impact lighting, strong and dominant, these schwarzes gold lamps would be one of my first choices. indeed. enjoy!

plumo planters.

for a sweet spring balcony or a favorite windowsill, these plumo planters are pretty. and fun!

with the lion's feet attached, these planters offer your favorite plants a bit of character, of quirk, of downright "let's not take life (nevermind our plants) so seriously" styling. enjoy!