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!

Kate Spade 2009 calendar

Ok, I know it's the middle of summer. It's waaaaay too early to be thinking about next year already, but I just noticed at Fred Flare, they have the new 2009 Kate Spade calendar!

 I've always loved the collages in them, and this year's looks to be is no exception.

 My favorite is the one with the feet at the bottom with a magazine, in front of a Palms Springs house... where I need to be right now... Order one here.

casa da abitare June 2008

Remember that colorstory I was obsessed with a few months back? Well, the colors on this gorgeous cover of the June 2008 Casa Da Abitare feel like a natural progression from them. I guess they could be the Summer version? I love the unexpected combination of the muted peachy-salmon with the yellow, tan, sawgrass green, and hunter green, but it's the muted turquoise that really seals the deal for me. Has a slight vintage 60's feel... love it.

bathroom ch-ch-ch-changes

It's Tuesday night and I just finished cleaning out all my bathrooms (I have 2 1/2). Why? Well, I have a confession. I've lived in my home for just about 5 years now (yikes- time flies). It was a brand new home when I got it. The only upgrades I did from the builder was hardwood laminate floors, adding in a stainless steel sink, and upgrading the carpet in the bedrooms. Wait- no tile? yes. I couldn't afford to do any bathroom upgrades. So... I chose the most unoffensive vinyl flooring pattern that could be considered "standard." It was fine for the most part... until now. One thing that sucks about vinyl flooring is that it's very temperamental in reacting with certain substances. I've learned first hand the joys of discovering the lovely yellow ring that won't go away, due to a chemical reaction with the rubber backing on a floor mat. Also, some bathroom cleaners don't like vinyl either (I guess it helps to read the labels) and can leave really attractive stains that resemble urine and won't go away either. Yeah. Nice. But the worst part- in two of my bathrooms, there's actually... brace yourselves- carpet! yeah, I didn't really get it either, but I didn't really have a choice and I always knew I would change it later. At least it wasn't where the toilet/tub area was (except for the downstairs guest bathroom, but that was rarely used.) Anyway- fast forward. 5 years have passed. Luckily, things have changed. I'm happy to say that I'm finally able to upgrade (which I've tried to hold as my theme for this year). So. I've chosen some tiles and bright and shiny Wednesday morning, the contractor is coming to change my bathroom world. Stay tuned!...

Tulip Torchere at PBTeen

For me, one of my pet decorating peeves are those halogen torch lamps. Big in the 80s and early 90s, they pretty much became a staple for all of my friend's family decor. I don't know an Asian family that doesn't have one in their house. But truth be told, they are quite practical- just a bit dated. I just spotted a version at PBteen that actually is quite cute and would not offend me. It's a bit girly, but if your decor skews on the feminine side, this could be perfect! It obviously could also work very well in a kids room. I love the scalloped edge and the mod-60's nod to a Saarinen tulip table. It's very Disney's Alice in Wonderland no?

Postfossil's Torre Pot

Functional, beautiful, and inspiring. "Individual earth filled units are attached to the base of the pot allowing seedlings to grow and flourish with freedom to stretch their roots." More info here. (via Inhabitat)

mundane aesthetic: Alaska airline carpet wall

Flying home today. I really like the tonal grey dimensional triangles (top border, not really the middle) on the wall of carpet that is in the Alaska Airlines cabin. Would make a great hanging art piece.. . or... i guess rug too...

on the road again and TGIF video Headlock

I'm in Seattle... again! Currently in Bellevue- my work has found me once more in the lovely state of Washington. I'm seriously becoming almost like a local... ok, not really, but whatever. The weather was actually really nice today, which was great because I had to go all over the place. Excuse my lack of photos as I totally forgot to bring my cable for my camera (grr....) I'll be back home tomorrow (Saturday) and will have lots more to post over the weekend. In the meantime, today's friday video break is by the UK artist Esser, who has this new single that has totally managed to get stuck in my head. Please enjoy some awkward dancing, weird haircuts and funky beats!

Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter

A few weekends ago, I did a quickie weekend trip down to San Diego. I stayed at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. Nice hotel, I liked the way they did this clustering of pendant lamps using normal table lampshades.

They also had this clustering of ottomans that was kind of fun.
I really loved their outside lounge-y area.

They had these raised beds of grass on large castors that could be a good DIY if you're patio doesn't have much planting area. I loved the weathered wood, mixed with frosted glass, industrial stainless steel and the gray faux-wicker with the yellow accents.

blue munday: Busy Forest Monogram plates

I saw these at Anthropologie over the weekend (sorry, blurry photo), and was really tempted to get some.

 

Couldn't decide what letters to get though, so ended up walking away (probably a good thing). The ones at the store I saw had fish on them, but online, they have birds, bees, and blossoms...

 

Very pretty...

Amadana

The latest issue of Monocle came with a 2008 Design Guide, and in it I was introduced to the beauty of Amadana. Retro styling, yet totally modern. and amazing. and I need all of it. Check out their desktop audio player!

Recently they did a some limited edition pieces collaborating with Dj Towa Tei (of Deee lite fame). It apparently includes a phone, some awesome earphones, and an all black or white version of the audio player.

Everything from their coffee maker, to calculator is incredibly designed. The art direction for the brand is done by another one of my favorites, Tycoon Graphics. The Japanese side of the site has more products, and EVERYTHING is hot. It's like Gucci meets Muji.

It's everything I want my "when I grow up" home to have and be. Check it out here.