Working on upcoming gift guides, i was checking out what was new at Best Made Co. with the axes and axe slings and it seems they have expanded their store quite a bit! And in it - i was smitten by the Best Made All Purpose First Aid Kit, the image of all the contents laid out especially. And the case itself is quite lovely in that minimalist designer way… As they say “OSHA certified. Approved by the US Forest Service. Made in the USA. An all-purpose first aid kit specifically designed for woodsmen, loggers,and Best Made customers. Comes securely packed in a sturdy metal dust and moisture resistant box with hanging brackets. Not only makes for a indispensable life saving tool,but will also look great hanging on your wall.”

The first question of course that came to mind when i saw this was… why did the Axe company need to suddenly go into the First Aid business? I wonder if there were any incidents? Then again, i guess it is a pretty awesome looking accessory to have around the studio/house. See a close up of the box on the next page.

--> to more images

Dyson DC-26 Multi floor It’s the tiny vacuum… the one you’ve seen the ads for that fits on an A4 piece of paper! All the sucking power of a full sized… in a mini! Well, the rolling part that you drag along the floor anyhow. First impressions? AWESOME! and SO CUTE! It really does feel a bit like the chihuahua of vacuums though ~ especially as i pull it along while vacuuming… it’s just that tiny! And half the time while using it, i found myself just picking it up in one hand, while i was vacuuming and holding the extension/handle with my other! At those moments, i wish it had backpack straps, so i could just vacuum like a Ghostbuster. (Really, it’s that awesome and i’m that tempted to just put some straps on it!) There are also amazing faces that pop out of this vacuum while i was taking pics… doesn’t it look slightly evil up there? Very Marvin the Martian or Clamps from Futurama… On fun details to note ~ it has anti-static carbon fiber brushes! And like the other Dyson vacs, it has fully articulating heads, so you can easily slip it under the bed, desk, etc when cleaning, but it weighs in at a mere 12 pounds. Take a peek on the next page for a full unboxing ~ as well as a comparison of it to the dustbusting handheld DC-31!

--> to more images

I have Hookmakers all over my house ~ someday, maybe i’ll even have a wall of them like the Design Glut ladies… or a living wall of them filled with succulents and air plants? But i digress, how exciting is it that the Hookmakers have now been joined by Jar Tiles!!! So take a peek at their latest on the next page…

p.s. also worth taking a look at ~ their new jewelry line that needs some kickstarting!

--> to more images

I always swoon over the Litill Ltd. terrariums when i’m at A+R ~ and i’ve been giddy staring at these pictures that amazing photographer, Lauren Coleman, from Litill Ltd. sent over which she shot of their latest installation in collaboration with Annie Larson’s knit work at E.R Butler & Co. in NYC which are absolutely fabulous window displays! There’s something magical about both the succulent/air plant/mossy mini worlds, as well as the amorphous and organic bulbous glass structures they live within. Absolutely stunning ~ you have to see the way these are installed in the windows… mind blowing pics on the next page! (Thank you, Lauren!)

p.s. the little brick wall in the picture above is amazing.

--> to more images

I love the way porcelain and wood come together… this is Pour Celain by gregorysung for CRISTINA GRAJALES GALLERIES, new york, at london’s MOET HENNESSY pavilion of art and design in berkley square in london. The seats are produced by Korean ceramic masters ~ and the legs by Italian artisans… fused together they are this beautiful stool! See more images on the next page! The underside is just stunning!

--> to more images

On such a dreary rainy LA day ~ a surprise package of cozy throw pillows and tea cups came from the kind folks at ClickforArt! Perfect to curl up with on the couch while sipping a cup of tea. Mmmm… curled up and posting, their new pillows and tea cups from Kozyndan are beautifully made ~ the pillows are printed on luscious super soft faux suede, and the tea cups somehow make a cup of tea even more uplifting (especially with the little bunny splash inside the bottom of the cup!) ~ both are even more impressive in person than in pictures ~ but here are a few close ups on the next page none the less!

--> to more images

Being a food focused kind of day with Tasteologie launch ~ seemed only appropriate to share some fun food related inspiration! And as far as inspiring kitchen design goes, The Museum of Modern Art’s Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen exhibition ~ is incredible! It “examines the kitchen and its continual redesign as a barometer of changing aesthetics, technologies, and ideologies… exploring the twentieth-century transformation of the kitchen and highlights MoMA’s recent acquisition of an unusually complete example of the iconic “Frankfurt Kitchen,” designed in 1926-27 by the architect Grete Schütte-Lihotzky. Featured alongside the Frankfurt Kitchen is a 1968 mobile fold-out unit manufactured by the Italian company Snaidero. These two complete kitchens are complemented by a wide variety of design objects, architectural plans, posters, archival photographs, and selected artworks, all drawn from MoMA’s collection.” They are truly stunning, and the design objects to be found within them can’t be missed! See previews of the exhibition on the next page!

--> to more images

Alessi released their new Fall-Winter 2010 product collection. Our favorites in the collection are “Tea Matter” tea strainer and tea caddy by Alan Chan and “Scoiattolo” nutcracker by Andrea Branzi. Lately, been working a lot staring out the kitchen window ~ laptop open, with a background of dozens of birds happily chirping away and squirrels racing in and out of the yard barking at each other… so when the new Alessi press kit came across the table, perhaps its not so surprising that the birds and squirrels ended up being the designs that grabbed me first! Take a peek at close ups of both on the next page!

--> to more images

With a house full of people working on photoshoots this week and still unpacking and organizing the new place… here’s another post of random inspiration… popped by fred segal’s one plus minus today and ran into one of the seed bomb machines by Common Studio’s Green Aid project i wrote about over at h2o visions! Now the real question is… do they work? Ran into a slight hiccup where inserting the two quarters and spinning, nothing came out… then the store clerk put in a few more, and 2.5 bombs popped out! But they do seem to fear the mess on the carpet, and ran over with a paper bag to catch the clay remnants before they hit the ground. So, here are a few pics of the seed bombs up close and watered… now to wait and see if they sprout!

--> to more images

In light of tonight’s official Weeds season 6 premiere on Showtime, ended up wandering the Showtime site… and store… and was delighted to see so many of the playfully, minimalist designs/prints on pillows, candles, mugs, and more… and then it all made sense, upon seeing a trend in picking products from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD!) collaborations from the 2009 which were showcased in the 2009 Metropolitan Home Showtime House in Tribeca… apparently there are more than 40 products! My favorite ~ and most tempting to add to the pillows in the kitchen… is the Pill-Oh! Pillow, designed by Brittany May (B.F.A., advertising design, 2009)… followed by the Weeds “Subherban Dream” Pillow… see some of my favorites on the next page from shows like Weeds, the Tudors, Californication, Dexter, Nurse Jackie, and more…

--> to more images

It’s moving time! And taking a moment to slow down, pop up north for my college friend’s wedding, organize/clean through all of my stuff to get sorted for the move! BUT, no worries, amongst the much needed breather… inevitably, still finding all kinds of unexpected inspiration to share (while sitting here waiting for the DIRECTV guy to show up)!

…. like BLINDS! I had no idea how much the world of blinds, etc have evolved over the years, and i’m now sitting here in my nearly finished kitchen (waiting for kitchen table to show up tomorrow!) playing with my new silhouette blinds! With a far softer fabric like texture, but still having a horizontal mini blinds look… it softens up the space, and allows for three amazing options. Closed, i still get great ambient lighting… open but down, i get a mesh like look where i can pretty much see everything going on in the yard, but you can barely see in, and the usually fully opened! Then i discovered these other metal reveal blinds with “magnaview” for the office, where the WAY they open is mesmerizing… two to one!!! When you open them, the blinds nest into pairs instead of just angling open… so much larger viewing gaps in between! Honestly, these are hard to describe… the little videos and pics on the next page will have it make more sense! And last but not least for today… PAPER BLINDS! I wish i knew about these earlier, i had no idea that while you wait for your real blinds, they give you fake paper blinds… folded paper stacks that mimic real blinds from afar… you simply cut them to the width you need, pell back the sticky top strip, and stick it to your window! As for the bottoms, or holding it up? Clips! So simple. So genius. And tempting to leave up when you’re just not sure what you want yet… So take a peek at the blinds that have been installed so far on the next page! Hope the vids help them make more sense!

p.s. The guys at Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer, Home: Carpet & Window Treatments, near Santa Monica are super nice, incredibly patient, and will totally let you wander and play with the MANY displays to your heart’s content…. and then wander around staring at different swatches in different lighting… Ask for Ron or George!

--> to more images

Fascinating structures! Designer Patricia Urquiola and Italian inlay, marble and stone company Budri collaboration produced amazing patterns, shapes, textures and an extraordinary modern approach to marble processing. After the Marbleous Garden, the garden of stone, presented by Interni Design Energies and Marmomacc Verona Fiere, Patricia Urquiola leads us through a digital-biological microcosm, a fascinating environment inhabited by natural forms that are usually invisible, those of vegetable micro organisms (the micrasterias). The result of these awesome collaborations have been ‘Marbleus Garden’ in 2009 and ‘Macrosterias’, ‘Algae’ Bench and ‘Curly’ screen in 2010. See more pics on the next page!

--> to more images

I love multipurpose pieces. There’s just something so smart and flexible about them! The new Case Study Day Bed Convertible Table Ottoman also doubles as a handled table when you remove the simply velcro’d on cushion! And as usual ~ over at Modernica you can pick your choice of woods, legs, and fabric colours! See more pictures on the next page…

--> to more images

Oooh ~ Artek goes BLACK GLOSS! … with their appropriately names Glossy Black collection, these classic pieces get even sleeker, simpler, and shinier! Also the photoshoot they did for this line was inspired (are they looking thoughtful? lonely? cold? they almost call for a caption contest). Beautiful beachy sunsets. Sleek glossy black seating. See it all on the next page!

--> to more images

On tile lust ~ this new collaboration between Dwell and Heath Ceramics Dwell Patterns Tiles is gorgeous! The geometric mind bending optical illusion possibilities depending on the colors chosen are nearly endless! Take a peek at more of my favorite pattern examples on the next page!

--> to more images