Bovine Abduction Lamp -- I need another toy on my desk like a I need a hole in the head

I need one of these lamps -- I mean, I absolutely must have one. I am almost positively sure I will not survive without one. I have a place for it on my desk right next to my growing collection of desk toys which include an iDog, a Wifi Bunny and a fully detailed remote control model of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Girls' Spa Day on Fillmore Street, San Francisco

There are few things better in life than hanging out with girlfriends -- add in a little wine, a lot of shopping and a facial and it is probably as close to heaven on earth as you can get. Today I spent the day wandering around on Fillmore street with friends and in the process found quite a few things to blog about.

I have a fetish for make-up -- the colors, the glitter, but most of all the packaging. I was particularly struck by the beautiful packaging of the Hourglass line of cosmetics. My favorite is the palette case. At $75 dollars for the case with no make-up, it is hardly a bargain, but it is beautiful to look at.



I just love this patterned stationary from Snow & Graham. Snow & Graham is a Chicago-based letterpress that prints the most beautiful floral cards and candles.

I also love these bug drinking glasses (also from Papersource). I already have a set of drinking glasses that I got from the AIGA silent auction years ago, but I am thinking of adding these to my collection.













We stopped into the Gallery of Jewels on Fillmore which caries beautiful and inventive jewelry. My favorites were the laser-cut earrings and pendants from the Australian-based Polli.

Poltrona Frau Hydra: Italian Designer Furniture in Pink or Yellow

Despite the fact that I can't imagine this chair playing nice with any of the other furniture in my house and that I have an avowed hatred of stick legs (straight metal legs that often accompany modern furniture) I can't help but love the Poltrona Frau Hydra armchair. Whether it is in yellow or cotton candy pink, its graceful arms and back contrast nicely with the modern legs and seat. *swoon*

Design Angst: Interior Design Lessons for the Living Room

Despite the fact that I spend an inordinate (and probably unhealthy) amount of time coveting beautiful furniture, I have never really had a well decorated place. This is mostly due to the fact that I have moved across country 4 times which has made me very good at not getting attached to things (or accumulating things I might get attached to). Hence, I had a lovely collection of Sauder furniture and a mishmash of functional items (the most hideous of which was a bright (and I mean bright!) yellow pleather futon that doubled as a couch in the living room of my new york apartment.

I am not certain I am done moving, but I have decided that I am at a point in my life where I should probably think about nesting. The task seemed so daunting, however, that I have lived in a mostly unfurnished apartment for the greater part of two years.

I certainly spent plenty of time looking for furniture, but I found myself agonizing over the decisions. I asked a few interior designer friends and they told me to pick a piece and design around it, but no matter how hard I tried, I just seemed unable to decide on anything.

Finally five months ago, I decided to take the plunge. One day while flipping through a catalogue I saw the Henredon Cocktail Table {H} and fell in love. I really love its graceful legs -- it has an 18th century English aesthetic with a decidedly modern twist.

I already had one or two pieces in my living room including the porcelain Napali Vase {A} and the Miyoko {k} from Room and Board. I found it difficult to buy anything else, however, because I was unable to imagine how everything would look together once it was assembled in my living room.

To solve this problem, I found pictures of the things I liked (multiple side tables, chairs, pillows, rugs etc.) and I put all the pictures in Photoshop and created a mood board. I started with the things I knew would definitely be in my living room: the Henredon cocktail table and the Miyoko media center and I tried out several combinations until I came up with something I liked.

This approach enabled me to quickly tell what didn't work without having to go through the pain of ordering and returning it.

The mood board pictured above is the one I liked the most out of all the various combinations I created.

{A} Napali porcelain Vase
{B} Hubberton Forge floor lamp
{C} Magazine stand in oak
{D} Jasper Sofa in Desmond
{E} Pillows
{F} Room and Board picture frames
(I hung 8-9 different frames in various styles and sizes over my couch. The photos are all black and white and were mostly taken during my trip to India: Roll I , Roll II)
{G} Stones rug
{H} Henredon Aston Court cocktail table
{I} Bergman leather recliner in Sundance Vintage
{J} Moooi Cork Stool
{K} Miyoko Media stand
{L} Gigi chairs in Winslet Sunset

Color Unlike Any Other -- Pantone Products

I have been on the hunt for Pantone products recently and happened across a few cool items. My favorite was a small, pink snap coin purse that apparently is being manufactured and sold in Japan, but that I can't seem to find anywhere.

In the meantime, here are a few other beauties from the folks at Pantone Universe and Fishs Eddy in NYC.

{a} Pantone Universe Wallet (in Purple)
{b} Fishs Eddy Pantone Dinnerware Collection
{c} Pantone Wire Ring Notebook

Also check out these Pantone mugs

Design Within Reach -- Modern Airstream. Travelin' in style.

Okay, in truth I am not sure what to think about this. On one hand, it's cool -- I mean how can anything this shiny not be cool? On the other hand, it's also sort of weird, but perhaps that is just because the Airstream has some how gotten associated in my memory with Tom Robbins' book "Skinny Legs and All".

Anyway, the new DWR airstream is all about traveling in style -- modern-like. The good news? The price tag is hovering just shy of the $50,000 dollar mark, which makes it the most affordable housing option in the Bay Area.

This shiny Design Within Reach innovation-on-wheels is outfitted with modern iconic decor such as the Nelson Ball Clock. It also includes Matteo Linens and a Maharam pillow.

Karim Rashid Lickable, Blue (!!!) Portable Hard drive

There is probably waaaaay too much Karim Rashid in the design world, so I have absolutely no excuse for posting this other than it is blue (and I love blue) and generally all-around lickable. It is available on the Karim Rashid shop site for the oh-so-low bargain price of $210. Yum.

T-shirt illustration, stylish square typography, sexy phones and a bag to carry it in!

I started this blog with the idea that I would post one entry every day, but so far my track record is a little dismal. I was unusually busy last week at work but I have also been doing a fair amount of illustration for t-shirts.In between all that I managed to find a few things to blog about in the design world.

{a} Marimekko Handbag.
I really like the new spring line from Marimekko, particularly this one by designer Mika Piirainen.

{b} Typefaces by Mean Tangerine
These square typefaces are a gift to designers trying to put tiny type on small buttons. It's hip to be square, or so they tell me.

{c} Nokia 7380
This is by no means a new phone, but I have been drooling over it for so long I feel like it deserves a little page space. The interface of this phone is probably the pits, but I can't get over the way it looks.

Creative lighting for kids (and grown-up kids)

There are so many cute lighting options for kids these days (although I have to admit I can hardly resist the Carlos Night Light and the Thorsten Van Elten Pigeon Lamp)

{a.} OFFI MY Pet Siamese Lamp $59
{b.} Mibo Tall Table Lamp $160 (so beautiful)
{c.} Candeloo Portable Lights $47
{d.} Thorsten Van Elten Pigeon Lamp $105 (who doesn't want their very own pink pigeon??)
{e.} Carlos Night Light $180