I know. I go rather quiet for a few days as i travel far too much the last few months, still not sure what day or time zone i’m in most of the time, but one thing i’m sure of… it’s 5:30 am and i should be sleeping, but i’m staring at such an awesome bathroom here in the Lydmar Hotel, i just had to share it with you before i go sleep. The slate tiles floor to ceiling… the incredible lighting… the way the fixtures all seem to float… the contrast in textures… the hardcore thick grey blinds… I suppose the part that i’m smitten with most is the inset mirror that then doubles as a shelf, as well as a beautifully lit frame (only lit by two strips of light along the sides), and everything on the shelf looks so dramatic! So take a look at more details… including the packaging of their Byredo Parfums Tailor’s Cotton line of toiletries…

p.s.
you also have to see the room key… it looks like a car key… and they all have different keychains!

--> to more images

So since that top picture is what i am literally lying in bed staring at as i write this post (yes, i went to paris/versailles for barely 24 hours, and am now in stockholm)… and since it’s already 4:30am, and i’m kind of on a chandelier high (they are kind of mesmerizingly stunning, and at the moment, i just feel drawn to standing directly under them and looking up)… figured i’d show you the crazy contrast between chandeliers from Versailles and the various more modern chandeliers here at the Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm. More to come on the Lydmar soon, but it has definitely jumped up on my list of favorites quickly ~ there’s something so nice about their eclectic mix of modern and woody and i’m completely smitten by the bathroom, particularly the lighting! But first… go see the rest of the modern chandelier mandala pics on the next page!

--> to more images

There’s something so magical about being able to wander around the Chateau de Versailles after dark in black tie garb with only a handful of people around… and free flowing Dom Perignon. Actually, there’s something so magical about Versailles at any time, but this was particularly surreal… and while there, i think i’ve discovered a new obsession. Chandeliers. From directly below! Particularly with mesmerizingly mind bending shadows and/or ridiculously opulent and stunning ceilings… and yes, there was a point where i became that girl who handed off her glass of Dom to lay on the floor in the middle of an empty room in my dress, louboutins, and clutching my massive camera to see just how much ceiling my wide angle could ingest from directly below the center of the chandelier. It’s a bit dizzying at times shooting straight up and getting lost in the concentric circles ~ but it’s such a fun perspective… Ami from Cool Hunting is calling them our ‘chandelier mandalas’ (and huge thanks for Ami for resisting iphone-pic-ing me while i was laying there on the floor!)… so take a peek at *some* of the chandeliers (and a few bonuses!) from perhaps (but hopefully not!) the most magical night i will ever spend in Versailles…

--> to more images

Last night popped over to the Beverly Hills Anthropologie down the street to celebrate the launch of the new Sundance Channel Show Man Shops Globe ~ and some late night shopping, some Stella Artois and Ferrero Rocher too of course… While normally not so much a reality TV person, this one is pretty fun! I love Anthropologie, and global shopping, and in this show you get to explore the world with Keith Johnson, buyer-at-large for Anthropologie, as he scopes out everything from St. Ouen Flea Market in Paris, the Kapalicarsi Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and Piet Botha’s Craft Shop in Cape Town… it’s a shopaholics dream. Did you know they actually shop for all the one offs strewn across the stores… and absolutely anything you see in a store (furniture, displays, etc) are ALL for sale?!?!?! I had no idea… on that note, take a peek at a preview vid as well as some pics of the very cute (and huge!) beverly hills store ~ the succulent and bromeliad displays were my favorite of course…

--> to more images

On random sunday inspiration from the tons of photos from the last few weeks of travel, while wall stickers have been a bit overdone the last few years, and black on white vector motifs have been omnipresent more so than usual this design week. But what was surprisingly lovely was the juxtaposition of the gorgeous white house within The Dock, with beautiful ornate ceiling moldings and wrought iron staircases contrasted with these delicate 2D strands and clusters of black faux foliage and fauna draping on the bright white walls. A little cluttered, but nicely detailed and random ~ the concept has been stuck in my head and inspired so many ideas! Take a peek at more pics + close ups on the next page…

--> to more images

I love libraries, books, bookshelves, and since i was a little girl i’ve always wanted one of those massive libraries with a rolling ladder to climb and slide around on… maybe that’s part of the inevitable draw i have to leaning bookshelves. Combine that with a sleek, slim, modular swedish design in stunning blacks and whites and you’ve got me. When i came across the Swedese Libri shelving unit at Tom Dixon’s The Dock. Favorite aspects, they are slim, yet wide enough to stack my favorite bigger design books every which way interspersed with objects, and simple enough to fill a wall with half a dozen units and still have it look beautiful… or even attach them to each other for non-wall-leaning freestanding units. It’s always bad news when you see, fall for, and already envision exactly how something would fit into your space. Take a peek at more pics of it in context, in real life at The Dock, and product shots ~ on the next page!

--> to more images

On adorable discoveries in London Design Week, Matt Pugh’s wooden owls are adorably irresistible! Available in oak or walnut and a variety of colors, they certainly demonstrate the power of simplicity done right. Definitely worth adding to the potential gift list, although the hardest part really is how to pick the perfect color… or group of colors? (They are quite nice in little flocks!) See a few more gorgeous wood pieces from Matt Pugh on the next page as well!

--> to more images

I love bent plywood, and i love simple multipurpose pieces that are incredibly versatile… and when i spotted John Green’s Embrace shelf/table at Tent London out of the corner of my eye, i was smitten. And i wanted a few! Basically they are a pair of tables that can be interlocked to form a lovely floating shelf with room for magazines/etc to rest on the side. The first use case that popped into mind with this was - bedside table! And laptop resting in the shelf, such that when it got too hot on my lap in bed, i could grab the tray and flip it over my legs to lazily laptop in bed! With my current offi one i never know where to put it when not in use! It’s too shallow for a side table, to big to slide under the bed…. this would be perfect! And its so beautiful! No wonder why its been winning awards!

--> to more images

On exciting finds at London Design Week ~ my favorite discovery at Designersblock is definitely Masako Sugar and her Mushroom Hooks! I feel like i’ve been hunting for years for the perfect coat rack or hallway hooks ~ in fact i had a big post during my hunt back in 2007! Well i wish these had existed back then! Even though i’m not exactly sure where they will go when i get home, i couldn’t resist buying three of the red ones ~ made of silicon rubber, it is nice to your clothes, far softer aesthetically than many of the harsher powder coated steel options omnipresent these days, and they are all one of a kind mushrooms (slightly different in spots, etc) ~ not to mention they look absolutely adorable on the wall, and i love the packaging! Also brilliant is the simplicity of the metal mount, and you can simply slip the silicon shroom over… or perhaps someday she’ll expand the line to different hooks you can swap in? But for now. LOVE the mushroom hooks, take a peek at close ups on the next page!

--> to more images

The Bloomframe is a reality! Not that it wasn’t real before when i posted about it about 2.5 years ago, but now its in production!!! There is something so thrilling about watching these ideas grow and garner so much interest as concepts and make it into working production models! And don’t take my word for it… there’s even a VIDEO! See the video and more pics on the next page! If i had a second story, i’d definitely want one!

“The Bloomframe® balcony, designed by Hofman Dujardin Architects and developed and manufactured by Hurks geveltechniek, is the winner of the prestigious Wallpaper* Design Award 2009 in the category Most-life-enhancing-product.” Additionally it’s picked up - 1st prize Audi Design Award 2008, 1st prize Red Dot Design Award 2008 Germany, Nomination Index Design Award 2009 Denmark, Nomination Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2009, and Nomination MKB Innovation Top 100 2009. And there are various options/sizes/etc ~ take a peek at more pics (and the video!) on the next page!

--> to more images

My pens got envious as soon as i opened the latest email from the folks at Merchant 4 ~ their new Place For Trace ~ pen/pencil and tracing paper roll holder… so pretty, so simple… it makes me want to drill holes along the edge of my desk to line up all my pens/markers/pencils… i suppose it would end up like a colorful picket fence of writing instruments (and maybe x-actos too?) around my laptop and such? Anyhow, take a peek at this new desk accessory on the next page!

afterthought: i wonder if these holes fit sharpies?

--> to more images

On awesome 4th of July presents from afar ~ my sister just bought me and then installed to photograph ~ this awesome Beasties Lamp Shade from Habitat! (It’s waiting for me out in London, so the unbox will hold me over till i get there on my next trip!) If it looks familiar, i posted it as #22491… These Beasties are “Acid etched metal shade featuring animal-shaped silhouettes etched around the shade.” Take a peek at more shots of it, the cool shadows it makes, and the packaging on the next page!

--> to more images

I keep hearing about SciFi/Syfy’s Caprica recently ~ so got curious and checked out the DVD on directv tonight ~ and i love the designy details of this alternate reality. Particularly the tennis court!!! And the architecture of the main house, the bookshelves, and the computer sheets… take a peek at some screenshots on the next page!

p.s.
i must admit i haven’t really watched battlestar yet, but it has come up so many times in the last week alone, definitely need to do some catching up?

--> to more images

A floor literally tiled with thousands of copper pennies… it’s pretty surprising to look down and see them when you walk into The Standard Grill in the Standard Hotel New York, below the Highline. The design was selected by the restaurant’s designers,
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of New York-based design firm Roman
and Williams. See some more peeks of it on the next page!

--> to more images

If i had a pool, i’d love to have it surrounded by a few of these Inflatable Pool Lounger/Chairs by PAD Outdoor. Such a sleek simple idea ~ aluminum frame (see it exposed on the next page!) ~ and although its only a prototype, you can buy them over at Ford & Ching and they will even customize them in an array of colors…

--> to more images