mundane aesthetic: Hillcrest

Pretty in Pink aesthetic

Ok, totally going to date myself here... I'm a bit embarrassed that I'm actually posting about this- so don't tell anyone, hehe. but... I caught the movie Pretty in Pink on tv the other night. I don't know what's scarier- the fact that I suddenly realized this movie was from 1986, which is over 20 years ago, or the fact that the decor still felt fresh to me. I am not admitting anything, but I may or may not have been a little "Ducky" in my high school years... ok- swiftly moving on... I loved the asian graphic detail around the seafoam door behind Molly Ringwald's character when she has to goes back to Iona's apartment-

 Also, I really loved Iona's apartment. It was the perfect eclectic mix, which I guess now could be considered "bohemian chic."

I loved the juxtaposition of the Memphis 80's grey checkerboard pillowcases, with the vintage 60's thriftstore green blanket.

Also, Andie's room had a lot of fun elements in it that I could still see being relevant today. (sigh) good times...

color coded books

I love this. it's so brilliant. I was never a big fan of the whole arrange your books by color thing- I mean, it looks great on a shelf, but it would drive me up the wall trying to find a book only by the color of the spine. I always have to organize books by subject or theme, etc... This could be a great way to marry both worlds. Maybe just using colored paper- or design something on the computer and print it out? More info here. (via mocoloco)

More hanging pots at Ivy Hotel!

Another thing that caught my attention in the Vogue Living Australia May/June 08 issue was a piece on the Ivy Hotel in Sydney. So. Glamorous. But what I really loved was the outside terrace. They did it all black/white, with lots of lush green plants. Always a winning combination. I love their wall of staggared white hanging pots, similar to the concept that I did (although mine are more ghetto, hehe) Erin Lang Norris mentioned in the comments of that post that she was going to spray paint hers white to match (which is a fantastic idea)- Here's some more inspiration for ya Erin!

Carolyn Quartermaine's studio in Vogue Living

I always find myself attracted to white rooms with bright pops of color - especially if there's a little fluorescent hit mixed in! In the May/June 2008 Vogue Living Australia, they feature the studio/home of french designer Carolyn Quartermaine. Coincidently, the April/May 2008 issue of Maison Cote Sud, which I mentioned the other day, also features the same home. Both editorials were shot by Martin Morrell. I think the shoot was really to showcase her latest fabric collection, but that's fine by me, because her fabrics are gorgeous. So feast your eyes on some happy bright colors, perfect for a summer day...

  

 

Everyday Design

Apparently the AIGA had a show back in April called EveryDay Design and I totally missed it! However, there's a fantastic Global Gallery that has tons of amazing happymundane images from people all around the world. Definitely check this out! (via Core77)

light up the stairwell

I clipped this image from the April/May 2008 issue of Maisons Cote Sud magazine. With Summer in full swing, outdoor entertaining is on my mind (my first one of the season was over July 4th- more on that later...). My favorite time to entertain is right before sunset. The midday heat has passed but it's still light enough to see what you're doing. I love these bowls they've placed on the stairs. Black on the outside- gold on the inside. Makes me want to spray paint something gold inside too... maybe to the inside of some terra cotta pots? I'm sure the light from the candle reflected in the gold looks amazing. Anyone do this in their home?

I.D. magazine July/August 2008

I love the cover of the 2008 July/August issue of I.D. magazine (the design one, not the British i-D fashion/culture/music one). I know the whole "faceted" trend has been around for awhile, but it continues to feel fresh to me, especially the way they've done it with the wood and  yellow and white. I also love the compositions (i think they're called tangrams?)

  

 

TGIF video break: Bunny letter opener

I need one of these.

Framed up

I saw this simple idea in the June 2008 UK Homes & Gardens. I liked how they positioned the frames so that they form a clean and contained area. Kind of a "picture made of pictures", as opposed to having it more free form. I'm thinking it could be a fun alternative for a wall that you want to have some sort of large impact . It think it's especially effective that they kept all the frames the same finish and with  the same color toned imagery.

pot rings

As I mentioned in the last post, I spent part of last week catching up on a few house projects I'd been wanting to do. One of them was to do something to spruce up one of my fences in my patio. Originally, I had some creeping vines on it. However, awhile back, my HOA sent out notices that they were going to repaint all the metal fence work in our complex, so I had to cut my vines down a bit. Sadly, they never recovered, so it left a big empty spot. I had the idea to put up some pot rings. My first idea was to see if I could find something that would just hook on top, but couldn't find anything. I was going to use some of these pot holder things from IKEA, (i have one already on my upper porch) but then I found these pot rings at Home Depot (very similar to this one) and ended up simply attaching them with small black cable ties. For a little added grip, I double-stick taped a small piece of that grippy shelf liner stuff to the support bar. All in all, super easy, and now I can have some hanging plants to help block some of the view. Plus, it's totally removable as well.  Just clip the cable ties and you're good to go!

Here's a few more pics:

Green munday: Marie Claire Maison

I normally do a "blue munday"- but today I just had to post these beautiful images from the May/June 2008 Marie Claire Maison. This all green editorial spread is soo beautiful and fresh feeling, perfect inspiration if you're considering a casual and elegant summer soireé. My favorite is the table shot, but I also love the bird pillows on the bed. Photography by Mark Eden Schooley, Produced by Nelson Sepulveda, assisted by Marie Laure Baudet

 

M.I.A. Holiday

Apologies for the quietness here at HM the past few days. Having just completed a large project at work, I was pretty brain dead, but also I wanted to take advantage of the timing to take a few extra days off. Some friends came over on Friday for the Fourth of July, but it was really an excuse to motivate me to finish up some much needed domestic projects I've been putting off, namely cleaning and getting rid of a lot of things that have been accumulating since... Christmas? Anyway... The weekend is nearly over (sad) but I feel a little more refreshed and excited. Now that I've cleared the way (literally) of excess things that were cluttering my home (and mind), it leaves room for new things to come in- case in point, look at my Nasturtium! It's blooming! yipee!

blue munday: Turquoise rafters and TK Burger

This is a short week for us here in So Cal with the July 4th weekend happening. (Hopefully it will be an even shorter week for me, but we'll see how that goes...) anyway- it seems like everyone is missing today. It seems very quiet... Maybe everyone is already on vacation... One place that is usually crowded however, is our local burger joint/surf shack, TK Burger.

One of their trademarks is their lovely turquoise blue rafters. The decor is filled with vintage surf paraphernalia and mid century tchotchkes.

Always a good time, and their burgers are excellent. Definitely check one of their locations out if you're in town!

Palmetto Egg Chair

I already have a papasan, but... I so very much want this. I saw it in-store, and it's such the perfect size. Not too oversized (like the luxurious ones you see at boutique hotels) but rather just big enough to snuggle up in, and fit on (my) a patio (or even a decent balcony?). I could see it working both inside and outside... oh to dream of lazy summer days... (sigh) anyway, back to work!

mudane aesthetic: new nasturtium

For the longest time, I've been searching for Nasturtium to add to my garden. I don't know why it was so hard for me to find. They're pretty common out here, but for some reason, I just never came across them at the garden center. I finally found some over the weekend and planted some in a few new pots I picked up from my last IKEA trip. I love the circular leaves...

Shaved Ice

It's been sooooo hot here in So Cal the past few days. What's a guy to do? Aside from hiding in AC, a sure fire way to cool down is with the help of a tried and true tasty treat- shaved ice. When I was a kid, my family had a little manual pink plastic panda one, similar to this type, but last year, I got me an electric one from Marukai, that can use normal ice cubes. Total upgrade. And here it be:So, basically, throw in your ice, make some snow, add some fresh cut fruit (mangoes and kiwis were the fruit of choice this time) and a little (or a lot, hehe) of condensed milk (key ingredient), and voila. Sweet instant icy cool down... I'd say it's healthy, with the snow, and fresh fruit, but the sweet condensed milk kinda kills that theory. (um.. but milk is good for you right? ;-)) anyway- this isn't the same as the rainbow color sno-cone syrup version (that seems to only be delicious when I'm in Hawaii), but rather, I guess this would be the Taiwanese version- just as tasty, and always hits the spot.

blue munday: Kevin Haley's LA home

I'm so inspired by this image of designer Kevin Haley's home that was in the July 2008 British Elle Decoration. I love the aqua color of that light fixture and I'm also really drawn to the asian artwork that is in the alcove. It's kind of making re-think the use of some sort of decorative paper for my kitchen... perhaps as an accent for a backsplash... hm... I posted some more images over at AT:LA. (images from Elle Decoration UK)

Laquer docking station

There are a lot of docking stations out there on the market. I don't listen to my ipod everyday, so I don't really need one, but if I did, I think I would seriously consider this one from West Elm. I love how clean and minimal it is. Would make a great "landing strip". I also love that it's laquered. I don't really have much high-gloss in my home, but I can totally appreciate it.

TGIF video break: circle squared by todd st. john

(via NYT)

Blue Friday? Dermond Peterson: Ray

I missed this week's blue munday, so I give you a blue Friday! It's been pretty hot here in So Cal, so my thoughts have been going to seaside escapes and visions of underwater fantasy. I'm a huge fan of the work of Dermond Peterson. There's just so much artistry that goes into their textile prints. I love all the subtleties from the block printing process. For example, this gorgeous "Ray" pillow (above) or the "Octopus" (below) are some of their recent pieces. The Octopus design also comes in a kitchen towel version ($25) Kind of goes along with my current Sea Life obsession. Anyway- although the price tag is on the higher end, each of these are hand made and screened and really should be considered as individual pieces of art. As their tagline says, they are "art you live with." See their entire collections here. You can purchase them here.

Incidently: I spotted this very Dermond Peterson-like pillow at Z Gallerie the other day. It kinda looked like someone just traced over the original handmade Dory design and made a crude copy. Now, I'm all for getting "the look" for less, but seeing this so blatantly knocked-off was a bit disturbing...

persian rug with duct tape

I am so fascinated by this rug spotted on a post on AT:NY- i LOVE the concept of the fluorescent and multi color strips juxtaposed with the ornate pattern. They apparently were melted onto the rug! By Studio Bertjan.

Takashi Iwasaki

I spotted saw this fantastic embroidered illustration in the July 2008 issue of British Elle Decoration. It's by Takashi Iwasaki. Check out his website for the rest of his seriously amazing work.

Design*Sponge!

As you might know, in addition to Happy Mundane, I also edit It's (k)not Wood with my friend Em. We're thrilled to be guest blogging over at Design*Sponge this week! Check us out here. (thanks Grace!)