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...

Blue tuesday: Bold bright color

Hello! Nothing like a big jolt of bright bold color to awaken your senses. Behold the July 2007 cover of House&Garden magazine. As much as I love color, (and obviously blue) I'm not sure I could have my whole house this vivid. I'm also not so sure about the photo real artwork above the couch- but otherwise, the colors do make me happy. And apparently, it also makes the homeowners happy- and that's all that really matters right? I do also enjoy the little details that designers William Diamond and Anthony Baratta used throughout the house, such as the alligator pillow and the argyle carpet. Also love the fabric selections spread that the magazine showed right after that story. What do you think?

blue munday: paper vacuum in Real Simple

Happy Munday. I continue to be impressed with Real Simple's paper sculpture art they've been using for their division pages. April 2007's issue had a cleaning supply theme, which always holds a special affection with me. The fact that it was all in blue tones too didn't hurt either. The sculptures were created by Matthew Sporzynski (click on his name to more of his amazing pieces) and photographed by Monica Buck. My favorite is the vacuum cleaner. The April issue had some great ideas for organizing as well as some interesting facts I did not know about. I am planning on trying some of the tips for organizing my laundry area, which I'll update later (after I actually do it) and here is a link to their fascinating article about "how safe is your kitchen?"

I REALLY found it!

One of the columns I love about Domino is the "found it" where they try to find something they've seen and come up with either the actual thing, or a really close alternative. Well, this month's "found it" was a little dissappointing. The writer saw this leaf "garland" at a friend's house, and ended up finding this other garland, but honestly, the two are sooooo not the same.However, I am proud to say, that I actually "found it!"- Well, at least found something that looks very very similar to the original photo. Turns out it's not "garland" at all, but rather a metal sculpture. It's actually a little heavy, and I'm suprised that whoever owns the original was able to secure it to the mirror, but I guess it's totally possible. Anyways- I found this metal sculpture at a recent estate sale. It was a bit expensive, but I kinda just went for it. I don't think I'm going to have it in my house.. but I may use it in another project, or re-sell it... but anyways- what do you think? Did I "find it"?

MORE blue munday: Chloe+work in Progress

I have a love/hate thing with actress Chloe Sevigny. But love her or hate her, you gotta love these limited edition posters. They were designed by Work in Progress, and are part of Self Service magazine's issue that pays tribute to her. They are available at Colette's eshop. My favorite is are the two shots with the blue type. So graphic and bold!

blue munday: turquoise fireplace

Happy munday. How was your weekend? It was another fantastic So Cal weather weekend here. I checked out the CA Boom 4 show, which I'll be posting highlights from on AT:LA. CA Boom featured tons of resources and vendors, and was the perfect place to outfit your home if you were planning a renovation. If I could build my own home, I'd definitely want to find a place for a cool turquoise fireplace, like this one from Sunset Magazine. I love how they juxtaposed it with the grey-ish tiles. The rest of the cottage this fireplace is from is pretty amazing too. Check it out here.

Out of the Ordinary

The April 2007 Elle Decoration (UK) has an incredible photospread called "Out of the Ordinary." The photographs are by Andrea Garuti, with styling by Chiara Di Pinto and Arianna Lelli Mami. The images were inspired by the still lifes of Italian artist Giorgio Morandi. I love the quietness and monochrome palette. Strangely I'm more interested in the props than the actual products they're showcasing. Anyway, there's a lot of goodies in this issue (as with basicallly every issue!) so definitely check it out!

ID Jan/Feb 2007

I love the cover of the Jan/Feb 2007 ID magazine (the design one, not the British one). The collage featured is by ID Magazine's art director, Kobi Benezri. I love all the random elements laid out together- Especially the orange floppy disk. I can't remember the last time I used one of those...wow... sign of the times... Would make a great DIY art piece...

Bird branch on a table

I thought this was a really nice DIY idea for a table, featured in the latest Rachael Ray Magazine. They asked designer Angela Adams for a table centerpiece idea, and she painted a branch and put little birds on it. I like how everything is pretty white, making the branch really striking and then they just added simple red accents to coordinate. You could probably glue on other things besides birds too.. buttons, silk flowers, butterflies... lego action figures? (I'd probably paint mine blue though.. hehe)

Blue Tuesday: mason jars

Whenever I go on a plane, that's generally the only time I get to read In-Style magazine. (by the way, did you know Instyle has a home design blog? by Martha McCully, who was a judge in the DesignStar show on HGTV). In the February issue, they had a section about different areas to set up an office, and I was immediately attracted to these vintage blue mason jars (apparently from Paula Rubenstein for $55-70 each?). I know many people use jars to hold things, but the blue ones looked so fresh and happy. Now I am on a mission to find some on my next thrift store/estate sale excursion... aren't they nice though?

Met home: Todd Oldham

I posted this on AT:LA today. I love the feature on Todd Oldham's house in the February 07 Metropolitan Home. I especially love the wall of Charley Harper bird prints. I also love the fact that he put his flat screen tv on the picture rail/shelf thing, and it totally blends in with the other paintings he put on there. Such a clever way of disguising the normally obtrusive television. His colors are so fun, and I love that he has paintings from Megan Whitmarsh, and a Gamma-Go club/log pillow! I'm really looking forward to the Charley Harper book coming out later in May. It will be edited by Todd. You can pre-order now!

Mag watch January 2007

I'm loving so may of the new magazine covers this month. First off is the fantastic cover of the February 2007 Dwell. Love the multi colors going on in the shelf. I wish my bookshelf could be so colorfully organized. The whole issue is actually a great read, centered around "the Craft of design" and has a neat article about the people behind Etsy. Next is Real Simple. It really should have been one of my "blue monday/tuesday" posts. I love the aqua color, and it totally caught my eye on the newstand. Also, love the cover of the December 06 World of Interiors. Hm... can you can guess why?. Unfortunately, as much as I love just about everything Jack and Kate Spade, the rest of the photos of their home didn't make a big impact for me. I just really love the cover shot. Modern, but with character... and those colors!! I love the yellow details especially on the artwork, and the two tones of grey for the wall vs. the ceiling are genius. Oh and speaking of which, did you see the last page of the British Elle Decoration? Just as I've started to wean myself of my grey obsession from last summer, "...they keep bringing me back!" Finally, if you subscribe to Wallpaper, you would have received the limited edition cover by design guru Dieter Rams, who is most famous for his work for Braun. Designboom has a great post on him. I just love how simple it is, and it's such a throwback to those classic covers circa late 50's early 60's. Lots to look out for on your newstand! Have you guys seen anything else you're loving?