uhuru.

in 2004, rhode island school of design graduates jason horvath and bill hilgendorf founded uhuru (ooh-HOO-roo). uhuru is a brooklyn new york based "multidisciplinary design studio merging avant-garde design with a commitment to environmental sustainability." that's in their words. plus they have the most amazing furniture. that's in my words...

i could go on to describe jason & bill's process, how they conceive of their designs and what uhuru means to them, but they say it better. have a listen...

enjoy!

quercus & co. painterly wallpaper.

these super soft-hued wallpapers offered up by quercus & co. are initially hand~drawn or hand~painted. they are lines and washes, inspired by the ocean, vintage european textiles and utilizes a dip~dyed at the bottom technique.
this particular line of wallpapers, the "caravan" line, the patterns "are drawn in a broad and light manner" offering a more spontaneous and natural dynamic to each pattern.

the effect these wallpapers add to any space, residential or commercial is sort of intoxicating. waves of tropical, of exotic and ethereal wash over you. these patterns and color palettes soften spaces, they slow them down. and the fact that they obviously stem from hand~drawn/hand~painted origins is even more appealing. enjoy!

hidden vases project. friday flowery.

i love this friday evening, the look of this hidden vases project by chris kabel. as if the flowers are growing directly from the plate below. super inventive, super interesting.

these babies would be pretty scattered along a sexy bar or little dimly lit bar tables? oh yeah, flowers can be sexy, or did you already know that? ;) enjoy...

feeling artistic. mid~day creativity

my son ethan loves music. he loves everything about it, from compiling a very eclectic mix on his ipod to having headphones become a new body part. once recently, i sat and asked him not to move for a while, to just listen to the music. i grabbed a pen and paper and just followed the contours of his face, and his new body part, his headphones, into a simple line drawing. this is the result.

what i really loved when i finished was that as i know my son, this nailed him. his personality, his look, his mood, just perfectly him, all the way around.

i hope this mid~day saturday finds you feeling positive and creative. i'm in the mood to get my camera out next. who knows what will happen ;) enjoy!

floating photographs. mid~day inspiration.

i'm completely inspired this mid~day monday by the photography of matthias schade. matthias simply, yet eloquently highlights individuals, individual objects, in their element and out of their element, such as these flowers, plucked straight from the earth, floating, in all of their perfect and imperfect beauty.


(found via)

another grouping of matthias's work is city stills, which you can see here. bringing into highlight everyday objects such as telephone booths and electrical units. compelling them into sculptural objects. giving them a new sort of life. really fabulous!

how is your mid~day (and hopefully your day off) treating you? we are back from a breakfast of french coffee and croissants at one of my favorite haunts. a long walk on a golf course near to me (which is situated along the ocean, just gorgeous) and now, as i dive into course work, my love will be making up a batch of home~made red sauce for tonight. a great day off ;) i hope you are enjoying too!

feld. simple but evolved typologies

i really like this company, feld. their product is not complicated, its easy on the eyes, blends well into any environment, residential or commercial yet it's sophisticated and pulls at those "hey, look at me, i'm doing things just a little bit differently" strings. i love that!










that cactus coat rack above? how fun is that? like i said, plunk any number or even one of feld's pieces in any space and you certainly have an element of intrigue, and as feld notes, you have functional yet emotional added value. if you can get emotional about design, then in my book, you are there my friends!

happy mid~week wednesday! how is your week going? mine has been busy, but really positive. i'm off today to open an 8 million dollar home for the realtor to show it to a prospective client. yeah, i said 8 million. fun for me, to pretend, even for a few short minutes as i turn on the lights and the heat and open all of the blinds to reveal amazing ocean views, that it is mine ;) enjoy!

gang design tube lights

i'm struck today by how interesting and creative these glass tube chandeliers offered up by gang design are and more interestingly, how creative they can be...either left empty or filled with anything, from flowering buds, to greens to colored water, you name it, this chandelier is different, it is unique, each and every time you change it up.






left empty, the cascading rows of glass tubes shimmer like icicles in the sun. filled, this chandelier becomes something else, it takes on another personality and glow, depending on how it's manipulated. i have to ask...what would you do here? would you leave the glass tubes alone? or would you have a little (or alot!) of fun with this gang design light? if you would add something to the tubes, what would you add?

me? my mind races with possibilities. i think i would have fun with it at times and at times leave it alone, to let the glass shine all on its own. but, as far as the fun part goes, my imagination leans toward colored sand, either different colors or all one color sand. or perhaps i'd dip the glass tubes in paint, like shown here on designlovefest's site & a really fabulous do it yourself project! for a party, maybe i'd fill them with confetti, or glitter. how fun would that be? so fun, that's what! enjoy....

make it yours.

i have to say, i've never been much of a monogrammed person. meaning, i don't own anything with a monogram on it nor have i ever really wanted anything with a monogram on it. but lately, i'm noticing some new takes, spins, objects, and looks incorporating monograms and they are starting to make a believer out of me.

let's start off with martha, stewart that is and this diy embroidered monogrammed pillows. i absolutely love the way these have been sewn, talk about a new take on the monogram. try your hand at it here.

these monogrammed stacked rings are just super sweet and what a great gift idea? find these beauties at tinahdee's etsy site.

another fab find on etsy are these wickedly cute monogrammed pins, hand made to order and another fun gift idea. stocking stuffers? these via rene kucharchuck.

of course anthropologie does just about everything in a fantastic way, but i really like how they've added these rather unassuming lowercase fonts to their monogramming of these mugs. and i prefer lowercase letters, they are somehow more soft. love these!

these napkins are fun, because of the pattern and incorporating a subtle monogram right into the mix. a very welcome and personal touch for your guests at the table, and to your family. via.

i really like the non-traditional look of these electronic cases and covers adorned with one single monogram. the monograms add a bit of warmth to otherwise cold contraptions. these offered up by west elm. oh, and they're very reasonably priced!

pillows. now you certainly don't need an entire couch covered in monogrammed pillows, that would look a bit strange, but one, even perhaps the largest one on your couch, adds a personal touch to that space. via.

so many great ideas here and as we (quickly) approach the christmas season, so many unusual ways of approaching the monogram.

are you into monograms? what do you own with your personal monogram on it? i'd love to hear...enjoy!

have a spooky day!

happy halloween!
how fun (and inventive, and amazing) are these sculpted shelves from artist james hopkins? not even funny how creative these are...skulls, skulls and more skulls.




happy halloween friends! what are you doing today or tonight? do you have little ones that you'll be trick or treating with? i'd love to hear your halloween plans! i was out this weekend for a glass of wine and it was fun watching people come in and out of the restaurant in costume. really great ones too ;)

have a spooky day and a fun night! enjoy...

untamed spaces.

ah, i'm not sure if i agree with this quote right about now. but the selection of untamed spaces below is how i'm feeling. like anything goes. i'm on inspiration and stimulation overload. i am, my head is, one busy space right now. my courses are amazing but i need to focus more. i'm a bit all over the place with new ideas. oh and let's add in my design inspiration to the mix. and this is the feel you get.
(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)



phew! i could not last long in some of these spaces. but there are elements that are fun, daring and sensational all at the same time. so that's where i'm at today. i need to pull out of the hectic spaces, focal points, concrete ideas and use them to my advantage. for course papers & for design.

i hope your almost friday starts out not quite as hectic as mine, or these spaces! enjoy...;)