bathroom ch-ch-changes: pt 4 update

Just a quick update on the recent bathroom redo. So the horse artwork is officially staying and is up and hung on the wall. I put together some pieces from other parts of the house, like a tray and a vase, and are using them in the middle between the sinks. I found a nice cush-y rug from Macys Hotel collection that brings in the tans from the bedroom. It's pretty basic but sooo soft and feels soo good on bare feet. I guess that's what luxury really is about, and why not in your bathroom right? I'm still working on finding a better bath mat, which is in a small room to the right which I havent shown yet, because, well, there's not much inside except the tub/shower and the toilet. (I'm actually standing in that room when I took the shot above.) Because the toilet is inside, it's sectioned off by a door. Since the tile was put in, the level of the floor increased a little. Consequently the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door has decreased significantly. Trying to find a thin enough bath mat that can clear the door opening has been difficult. Ikea had one, but they were out of stock in the color I wanted... the hunt continues...

TGIF video break: Peggy Moffit

Happy Friday! and Yippe for long weekends! Check out this way groovy baby video of Peggy Moffit. Super Fab. (via Vie en Rose)

Shells are beautiful

From Martha Stewart Living May 2008. See the list of all the shells here.

everything is OK

I love this. (more here, here and here.) (thanks Christopher for the tip!)

Over & Over by Mike Perry

About a year ago, I posted about Mike Perry's last book, Hand Job: A catalog of type. He recently came out with a new one called Over & Over, published by Princeton Architectural Press. This time, it's all about hand drawn patterns! Mike has compiled a bunch of great examples from a variety of artists. This is a great reference and packed with inspiration to have on hand if you're a designer, but also just full of fantastic eye candy even if you're not. Here's a little video of a quick (and, uh... kinda blurry) flip through so you can get an idea.

blue munday: ice orb

Omg. Genius-ness. The Ice Orb is "the first vertical ice tray that makes, chills, serves, and stores"!
You basically fill it up, place the inside container in, and freeze. If you want ice cubes, take out the inside container and 21 cubes call out from the side walls, then you can use the container to hold them.

You can also use the inside container to serve cold foods. Check out the site for a video. Only $16! (but sadly they're out of stock- hopefully they'll get more soon) (via productdose)

random font help

i know some of you HM readers are fellow graphic designers and font afficiandos- Does anyone recognize this font or know a name for it?

Andy Hughes

If you're in the OC next weekend (Saturday August 23, 2008), there's a show opening at the Surf Gallery, which will feature the work of Andy Hughes from the UK. Andy's work is absolutely stunning. He takes photographs of found beach trash! Definitely check out his site (and he also has a blog!) for more of his amazing eye. Click here for info of the Surf Gallery. (all images Andy Hughes)

Make it work!

I've been meaning to post this for awhile- Back in the July 2008 issue of Real Simple, they had this great piece called "Can these bathroom's be saved?" Basically, it's all about working with what you got. I really appreciate editorials like these. It just goes to show how it's possible to make something seemingly "horrible" into something beautiful through pairing it with the right color combinations and just looking at it with a fresh set of eyes. I love all of the outcomes. I especially love how they added the yellow into the pink bathroom- such an unexpected solution, yet completely transforms and updates it to such a happy place! Also love that wallpaper in the brown bathroom. (drool...) Check them out here.

TGIF video break: just dance!

Woo hoo! it's friday! just dance!

Lady GaGa - Just Dance
Uploaded by LadyGaga

mundane aesthetic: beautiful decay

One of my nasturtium plants is dying... :-(

Mainland Restaurant, Palazzo Las Vegas

While in Vegas, I checked out the recently opened Palazzo Hotel. The shopping center part is connected to the Venetian's Grand Canal Shops via a brand spankin' new Barney's New York store. The Barney's store there is huge, fabulous, and gorgeous. Of course all that walking and (window) shopping can make ya hungry, so I checked out Mainland, a fun restaurant that's all about noodles. Here's a link to an interview with the creator of it. The atmosphere is fun, I loved all the graphics. The food looked amazing. I had a kiwi soda, that you could tell was made fresh with real kiwi juice and soda water. My only gripe was everything I ordered was a teensy bit... bland? I ordered this green tea noodle salad, and my friend ordered the ginger beef. Both were nice- it wasn't bad, but we both felt it could use a little more... salt? soy sauce? The presentation was great, but even the kiwi soda, could have used a bit more sugar? Maybe I was having a bad taste sensory day. Service was fine, staff was nice. I dunno- I would definitely go back and try something else, maybe the soupy noodles, so... it's worth a try...

Caesar sings?

(bonus points if you know what movie the title of this post comes from) So my friends, I'm in Sin City this weekend for a friend's birthday. The last time I was in Vegas was about 2 years ago. I stayed at the MGM Grand's "West Wing", this time, I thought I'd try something different and ended up at Caesar's Palace in the Palace Tower. I stayed in a "Palace tower Deluxe room"- Click here for a virtual tour (it defaults to another room so you have to click on the map at the bottom left). Who knew it would be so posh? It was quite lovely. The rest of the hotel is kinda... eh. (By the way, if you're a fan of buffets (as I am), unfortunately, the one at Caesar's isn't very impressive. the one across the street at the Flamingo was better...) Anyway. Room really nice. Bathroom great. Pool eh. rest of Hotel, eh. 3.75/5.

a whole new world!

I walked outside and went- where am I? New York? Hong Kong? Miami? oh no my friends... I'm in Vegas, baby. It's becoming a whole new world... more reports coming...

corduroy magazine : florenece tetier

Totally love this editorial in the latest issue (#3) of Corduroy Magazine. Pink paper silhouettes inspired from runway shots and shoe collages. Created by the awesome Florence Tetier. There's another editorial in the issue, where she collaborated with Nicolas Coulomb and they used these animal silo cut outs. Definitely check out the issue on newstands now.

TGIF video break: on the beat

Happy friday! In case no one has told you today, "you're lookin' real hot sugar pop wind it up until you drop!"


On the Beat from electrocute on Vimeo.

bathroom ch-ch-changes: pt 3

More progress! I have one of these type of hotel towel rack things in my master bath (except mine has a glass shelf on top instead of just bars). Before the recent paint job, I had this sort of look going on above it. Bright, light, pop-y, fun... good times... But now that I'm changing things up, I've been looking for a new piece of art to set the tone. I think I may have found it. I actually was planning on using this vintage piece I got at one of my local thrift stores in my bedroom, but haven't found a good spot for it. I do now! Put it in the bathroom! It's carved wood set on top of a sort of burlap-y/fine wicker ground. I haven't mounted it yet, so I'm just setting it up there for a few days to see how it feels... So far so good... It definitely flows with the bedroom better... kinda swanky, no?

tiles at Barrio North by Anarchitect

Talk about appreciating something that rarely gets seen- Barrio North, a bar in London, uses not only the fronts, but also the back side of tiles to create a mosaic wall. They kind of remind me of chocolate wafers...

Created by London based Anarchitect. (via Dezeen)

"peace lanterns"

I wish this shot was about something more happy. I have to imagine though, this must have been quite a striking and moving image in real life. "Hundreds of paper lanterns float on the Motoyasu River, in front of the gutted Atomic Bomb Dome, for a memorial service honoring victims from Hiroshima..." Image by Katumi Kasahara for Associated Press. Another shot here.

dark and lovely

Just an update to the bathoom painting- The first brush strokes on the wall are always such a thrill. This was especially so this time because of the dramatically darker color I was going with. The only problem with painting a dark color is that everything shows up against any lighter surfaces. I only painted two of the walls in the bathroom, opting to keep the rest white. This meant that a lot of touch-up paint was required. It also required three coats to get it looking smooth. Anyway- the room is done. The color isn't showing up exactly right in the photo but it's a really deep dark blue-grey color. I went with "Silent Night" (D55-5) from Olympic Paints (from Lowes). Now that the walls are done. I feel like everything else has to change. The artwork, the towels, the bathmats... I'll keep you posted on the progress...

mundane aesthetic: Tom Van Sant

Every time I go to Fashion Island in Newport Beach, I always pass by the Irvine Financial Building and oogle at the pretty mural sculptures that are outside. They are so midcentury mod- marvelous. This past weekend, I took a few minutes to actually walk around and see them up close. The murals were made by local California artist, Tom Van Sant. These murals in particular were made in 1968. He's done quite a few pieces around town and in other locations, like Hawaii, that I've seen and always admired, but never knew who made them. Here's a list of his work and timeline. I wish I could find more documentation on his other work, anyone know any other links?

cut out birds in books

Happy Friday! it's 08.08.08! Do ya feel lucky? Hope everyone is having a good Friday. To start the weekend off, here's a gorgeous image from the Sept/October 2008 issue of Inside Out. There are so many things that I love going on in this image. The cut out birds from books are amazing. I'm sure some book purists might find the notion of cutting out a shape from a book horrifying, (so if you're one of them, you best skip to another post!) but I find them quite beautiful. These pieces were by Lizzie Buckmaster Dove, who has some incredible pieces using books and paper. Check some more out here and here. I also love the white silkscreened books on the cardboard boxes at the bottom. In the credits, it says the boxes are the stylist's (Vanessa Colyer Tay) own. If you're like me, I have a row of boxes at the top of one of my shelves in my library, and this could be nice inspiration to dress them up. Too bad they aren't for sale, as I'd snatch a few up right now! (photo by Sam McAdam)

black and white stripes

I'm feelin' some graphic black and white stripes today.
"Runaway" by Ladytron
Ladytron-Runaway (Myspace Exclusive)

mundane aesthetic: the fair

It's only (already?) Thursday, and soo ready for the weekend. Last weekend, I made it to the final days of the OC Fair. I've actually never been to this one before, and I actually can't even remember the last time I've even been to a Fair. Lots of soooo bad (everything you can think of deep fried)... but so good (everything you can think of deep fried!)... some granny smith apple fries covered in cinnamon sugar and dipped in whipped cream can't be THAT bad can it? hehe Enjoy the Fair!

bathroom ch-ch-changes: pt 2

The tiling is done in my bathrooms- yipee! It's not really anything very dramatic, but it's made a big change in the way I'm viewing my bathrooms now. I opted for larger 16x16 tiles and had them pushed together as tightly as possible so the grout lines are very small. Now everything feels ... like it needs to change as well. I've been thinking to change the wall color in my main master bath. Currently I've had it a very pale light blue, but now I want to try something darker and richer. I still want to keep in the blue family, but perhaps something that has a bit of grey to it. So many choices... oy. I'm hoping to repaint it this weekend. we'll see what happens....

Studio Klink and rabbits...

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, Amsterdam-based architectural firm Studio Klink, used the story as inspiration for this home called the Peet House. I love that photographer Lars van den Brink used real rabbits in the photoshoot. Bunnies!! More info here. (via Dwell)

Adondé dinnerware collection

Seriously, the last thing I need is more plates, dishes or cups, but how gorgeous is this Adondé collection? It's currently available at DWR, although AT featured them a few months ago from Mc &Co. I love the cup with the lid, but the whole collection is pretty genius and drool worthy. See all the pieces here.
(second image via AT)

New Jef Designs at Design Public

Keeping in the same oceanic theme/trend as the Dermond Peterson pillows and the Thomas Paul pillows, Jef Designs has some new goodies at Design Public that I love as well.

As to be expected, my favorite is the Octopus with the woodgrain. So genius.

I also love the abstract circle/floral one with woodgrain too... All of them are quite lovely though. great pop-y colors. Check them out here.

More Sprinkles

It was my friend's birthday Saturday, so I bought some Sprinkles Cupcakes to add to the festivities. As you may recall, I loves me some Sprinkles. here are a shot of the interior wall of the Sprinkles in OC, if you haven't been to one yet. I love how modern and clean it is. Love the pop colors against the wood and plain kraft colored cardboard. Here's a post with a link to the interivew Monocle magazine did last year with the designer and architect of Sprinkles. I would have shown you pics of the actual cupcakes I bought, but.. um... they didn't last long enough to be shot, hehe.

Fickett home in LA Times

Wow- love this amazing home in today's LA Times. I especially love the wall shelf thing in the living room. I could see DIY-ing a smaller scale version by clustering some of those wall shelf things you can find at most discount stores, like Target or something. I love how it's color blocked. Such a simple idea but such huge impact.

I also love the hits of yellow mixed with the warm neutrals. Check out the whole thing here and here.
(images by Jonn Coolidge) 

TGIS video break: Reading Rainbow

TGI(Saturday!) An ode to lazy saturday mornings...
Take a look... it's in a book...

mundane aesthetic: Kandinsky Square

"Colored paving stones display a replica of a work of art by Russian painter Vassily Kandinsky on the main square of the Bavarian town of Weilheim, southern Germany, Thursday, July 31, 2008. Kandinsky painted this square in 1909." Image by Diether Endlicher for AP. (via CBS news)

Wow- I think a stroll down the street would be so much happier if you could look at all these happy colors by your feet! Maybe this could be fun inspiration in a smaller way if you're looking to add some to your backyard patio floor or walkway...
Some more shots (via)(via)

Pizza Pro

This put a smile on my face this morning. Kind of silly, yet brilliant at the same time. I guess if you eat a lot of pizza, this could be a godsend. Behold. The Pizza Pro. Scissor and spatula in one! I'm strangely hungry now... (via Productdose via Outblush)

mundane aesthetic: Summer entertaining

Recently I had a few friends over for a little casual summer shin-dig. Nuthin' like a little BBQ! One of the highlights was this amazing grilled corn. I first had this corn when I went to a recent AT:LA get together at Sarah Kate's (from AT:theKitchn) parent's house. Her mother made this incredible grilled corn from a recipe she got from Mario Batali. Here is the complete recipe and back story. Basically you brush the corn with olive oil, grill it with the husk on, then top with parmesan cheese and chopped mint leaves and red pepper flakes, (I substituted with seasoned pepper)- no butter, no salt... you get the salty from the parmesan, and the mint adds such an interesting and unexpected kick. Plus you get a little heat from the red pepper flakes. Soooo good. Sooo easy. I also was able to use my little rattan "hats" that are great to keep the bugs off your drinks. They just add a lot of fun to the table top. I got mine at the Maison Midi in Fashion Island.
And of course, you can't forget the shaved ice!