blue munday: Driftwood and Seaside cottages

Happy munday. Summer dayz... remember those? If you're a slave to the grind like I am, then you'll understand my longing for ocean breezes right about now. Even though I live fairly close to the beach, I am not there at this moment in time, and would rather be, than here in front of this computer procrastinating from work, hehe. The August 2007 issue of Better Homes & Gardens has a great feature on the home of Boston based photographers, Amy and Joe Keller. Their home is a casual but modern take on the whole seaside cottage feel. I LOVE the driftwood starburst mirror they made, as well as the other driftwood acccents. That big white cabinet is gorgeous with the painted blue backing that blends in to the wall color, and I love all the white pottery inside. I'm also loving that little blue bowl/basket thing on the side table. Anyone know what that is? Funny thing is, here's another house with a globe collection- are they the next Foo dog? It looks great though, and adds depth and texture and a little bit of soul. I also love all the little bits of sea glass throughout. I've been very tempted to get one of these vases from Z gallerie that I posted about last week on AT:LA, but I'm resisting because along with pillows, I have waaaay too many. But I'm an addict. And admitting I have a problem is the first step to recovery right? Baby steps...

Sunny Days

It's been so hot lately here in OC and So Cali, that I've got sun on the brain. Recently, as I browsed through Banana Republic, I spied their credit card application. I like the abstract sun that kind of reminds me of some sort of 50's vintage block print, but is really made up of silhouettes of clothing (so clever). This for some reason got me thinking about lemons. Do you enjoy iced beverages with lemon? My only pet peeve is when I suck up a seed while drinking with a straw. Grrr... hate that.
Anyways- Here's a couple fun sun-inspired things I've spotted recently:"radial pillow" from Hybrid Home

Utopia Sun ornament by Jonathan Adler"Starburst" (ok, not specifcally a sun, but the sun is a star right?)
mirror and bowl from Crate&Barrel
"Drawing the Sun" book by Bruno Munari

New shades of grey

As many of you recall, my great Grey obsession of Summer 06-(and which still continues today)... well, I thought I'd give you an update as to how that has affected me. Here are a few new grey things that have recently somehow... miraculously...(hehe) come into my life... First, is my new print from Patent Pending Industries. Oh joy did a post about them awhile back, and I couldn't resist this one. Next up are these awesome glasses I got at Maison Midi, which is connected to the American Rag store. I got these at the one in Fashion Island. This was another example of weakness, but c'mon- grey with fluorescent orange trim detail? Wrap it up! Maison Midi is a great place for unique dishes and glasses. I wish they had a website, but alas, I guess they're keepin' it old skool. Finally, I had been longing for the Jonathan Adler Money tree platter from his Utopia Collection ever since I saw it at the NYIGF. However, it was just too much for me to afford. Then, they had that big sale recently, and lo and behold, the platter was on sale too! I'm so happy I got it, and it was a great deal cuz now it's not on sale anymore! It's not really techinically grey, but it looks grey-ish due to the finish. Speaking of JA, I have always regretted never getting one of his aorta vases, which he doesn't make anymore. If anyone knows where I might still be able to find one, please let me know.... Have any of you added any grey things into your lives lately?

all about lighting...

It's funny how lighting can totally change your perception of something isn't it? I was watching this new video for "Makes me wonder" from Maroon 5. I actually enjoy the song, but the video itself is what really caught my attention. I will forever have a thing for airports. I find a certain inherent glamour about it, and have always been attracted to the whole "transport" aesthetic, as well as all things airline/stewardess-esque. This video has all that, (as it's set in an airport) but what I found interesting was the lighting they used. There's a pink/lavender hue that's cast in several of the scenes throughout the video, and I can't help but think that the video wouldn't be as interesting had it not been for the lighting. With the pink/lavender hue, you get this sexy glamorous futuristic vibe, but if you can imagine it without it, it probably would just look kinda... normal? See for yourself:

Colored lighting isn't anything new, but have you considered using it in your own home? My downstairs guest bathroom is kinda weird. The toilet is actually in a separate little room of its own. It's a small..."water closet" and I didn't really know what to do with it. The rest of the room that adjoins it, as many of you have seen before, has this sorta vintage-y tropical feel. I ended up getting the bright idea (pun intended) to simply place a hot pink light bulb inside. It was cheaper and easier than paint, and it quickly transformed the awkward space and gave it fun unexpected character. Have any of you used colored lighting in your home?

UPDATE: just for kicks, here's another favorite airport themed video I love. (NOTE: turn down your sound, for some reason this one is louder than usual)

Spring Green, Nordstrom, and a touch of black.

What I love about this time of the year is you can always count on fresh visuals. Every spring certain colors, like Kelly Green, or various shades of chartreuse always return. This year, this illustration from Ruben Toledo for Nordstrom perfectly sums up the season (above). I love the addition of black and white which gives a crisp contrast and makes everything pop. Speaking of black, look at how great this outside slat wall looks painted in black, juxtaposed against the natural beauty of the trees and surrounding nature. (image from Met Home March 2007)Decor8 has a great post all about the many shades of the color green right now, and Design*Sponge recently had a "mini trend" report on Kelly Green too.

And back to Nordstrom and Ruben Toledo- Has anyone checked out the Nordstrom website lately? They have this special interactive flash section for their "designer collections" (last tab on the right) that is set in this "designer avenue" and feature more of the illustrations. It's really great to look at. Check it out!

Tupperware: Transparent

Plastic is fantastic. I have always loved Tupperware. I think because as a kid, my mom would take me with her to those "Tupperware" parties, and I loved playing with all the fun plastic tupperware toys, and opening and closing the lids to the fun colors. Plus they always had good food and someone always made jello (yum!). Did you know that it was actually because of these "parties" that Tupperware because such a success? It truly is/was modern design at an affordable price. Anyway- there is now this great book out called Tupperware:Transparent. It comes inside in a custom fitted Tupperware case! Inside is a fantastic history of Tupperware with tons and tons of cool photos from their archives. There is also a pretty comprehensive photo list of all the Tupperware products from the 1960s- through 2005. It's so fun to go through all the pics and remember which ones your family had. A definite must for anyone that loves a little retro-cool nostalgia.

fabric wall inspiration

All I can say is this is fantastic and gorgeous. Embroidery hoops are cool. A great idea for anyone who has a fabric collection. Sorry, its a long image, you have to keep scrolling...
(Found via the Freepeople blog via Love Forever) Happy friday!

Blue Munday: Kylie

Those of you lucky enough to live here in SoCal were reminded of why we live here: the fantastic weather! It was the perfect weekend to be outside... go to the beach, the pool, or just walk around in the sunshine. Speaking of which, it looks like this photo could have been shot on a beautiful weekend like we had. I give you the little (in size) but amazing, popstar Kylie Minogue. She is going to be the new spokesmodel for H&M's summer swimwear line and this is one of the promo shots. I love how it perfectly conjures up all sorts of ocean-y, water-y, clear blue-sky inspirations... and here's a few more things I've found that continue the aqua blues I mentioned recently.Top image, clockwise from left: turquoise vases from Jayson home, Loolo Ocean pillow,sky servers at Crate&Barrel
Bottom image, clockwise from left: coral vase from Anthropologie, glass Jellyfish paperweight at Zgallerie, striped umbrella by Brellabar via Blueprint #3, Dodu bed by BluDot

And finally, here's a classic Kylie number to get your Munday movin'...

Blue Tuesday: "see" blue

It feels like ages since I've actually been able to post a blue monday on a monday! (sigh) But since today feels like a monday, (even though it's tuesday) I've put together a few of the blue things that I've been seeing a lot of lately. It seems like the trend this time around is for a light warmer blue. Inspired more by sea-glass tones, which includes every shade of soft blue greens, like turquoise, aqua, and add a touch of rich peacock/indian ocean blues...

First off is the cover of the latest Domino magazine, shown above. I love the side chair paired up against that light blue wall. The following are more items that flow with this scheme...

Clockwise from top left: Angela Adams rug, Loolo- molehill pillows, flocked pillow from Pier 1 Imports, "Elsa" vases from Crate & Barrelclockwise from left: Fold bar pillow, Target Global Bazaar silk pillow, Lauren Saunders Fusion pillow
clockwise from left: glass vases and "waves" duvet cover, both from West Elm, Arne Jacobson Swan chair from DWR, Silhouette Ocean collection by Dwell

Sunny Saturday

It's a gorgeous sunny Saturday today here in OC. Speaking of sunny, I love this fantastic piece of yellow objects by Michael Cooper, which I found via DearAda's blog- which also has other really great finds and eye candy to check out!

(not) seeing red

In honor of today's holiday, I thought I'd post some things that were red around me, only to find out that I really don't have anything red. Looking around, the only things that I had red were shopping bags. What does that say about me? (Don't answer that.) I did find a few other random things with red though... Do you have a lot of red in your home? Anyways, hope you have a happy Vday with someone you love.

Yucca Stuff...

...but NOT yucky stuff! No, sireee... I got these little beauties over the weekend, from a little side trip to Yucca Valley. I posted about this magical place on AT earlier this week- I took a tip from Tyke and Jon, who have the lovely place I posted about before, and did a little excursion from my weekend in Palm Springs- Total treasure trove out there. Reasonable prices too! The only splurge was really the ikebana vase, at $65. A little more than I would normally pay, but it was so cool I couldn't pass it up. The mushrooms are made of carved marble. And the owl is paper maché from Mexico. C'mon- you just can't pass up a paper maché owl now can you? and in blue? sold!!