fashion photography: catherine keener

Catherine Keener, whom I have loved since I first saw her in the 1996 film Walking and Talking, looks superb here -- more alive than I have seen any actress look in a long time.

Gorgeous photo by Raymond Meier.

[courtesy of The New York Times Magazine, August 27, 2006.]

a little fun house for the house: convex mirrors

I love this playful and simple idea for a clock, from Kikkerland...


And yet in fact, the convex mirror had caught my attention a bit earlier in the week on the cover of Blueprint (what a gorgeous sapphire blue the cover is, with that yellow blouse-- although, the skirt, I could do without)
Blueprint's cover seems akin to the convex mirror image in Jan Van Eyck's iconic 15th-century painting, "The Arnolfini Marriage")
Convex mirrors: who would have thought, nearly six hundred years later, they'd still have such charm? I love the idea of one in an entrance hall that provides glimpses of a larger space. Try The Bombay Company, or (below), Neimans.

antique children's china sets: unexpectedly perfect for modern living

One doesn't often expect antique china to be funny. But children's transferware sets can be really quite amusing, off-setting the primness of the look (which even in its adult versions, I do love, from the familiar sight of Blue Willow to Spode pieces, to anonymous brown transferware, an especial favorite).

I can't get enough of the details on these French children's plates, oh so wry and sweet.



here they are in full:

Philatelic Feud - "Fish with Legs"?

How gorgeous are these contentious Hawaiian Missionary Stamps?

(According to today's NY Times, the London and the American Philatelic Societies are in conflict about whether these 19th c. Hawaiian missionary stamps are forgeries or the genuine article. Apparently they are something of a "missing link" in the stamp world, hence the "fish with legs" comment by a Mr. Sundman.)

[image courtesy of Vincent and Carol Arrigo, via The New York Times, August 18, 2006.]

mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all... but i get a kick out of [vintage hankies!]

(a dishtowel and handkerchief, respectively.)

Sharon's Antiques & Vintage Fabrics has a charming selection... check especially for those designed by Pat Prichard and Tammis Keefe if you like the 'fifties/early 'sixties cartoon style; she has some great Vera pieces too.

These are also from her site... the first is a Pat Prichard.

luxury: zee harmony of eet all

zees pouf -- she eez so sweet wiz her nubby slate hemp, appliqué doves her bamboo base.

and zees might be her male counterpart, een stone and smooth maple.

zey are le couple idéal, non?

patina green: mini pics

am loving the weathered, hot, tropical green color of these pieces from Nadeau Imports

faded glamour: wallpaper from timorous beasties

thanks to grace this morning for reminding me of the Glasgow-based company Timorous Beasties, which offers often understated and always stunning interpretations of traditional designs. Currently, my favorite prints are "fresco" (shown here in two different shades-- note the faint dot print underneath the flowers...) and the english pheasant wallpaper in a soft wheat color. I'd love these prints in a home office, conveying a bit of a languid, boudoir-feel in an otherwise email-centered, caffinated environment.

animal sculptures from hiandlomodern.com

for coffee tables, bookcases, bedside tables, office desks....
lion and cub.


herd of arabia zebras.



seibel fish bookends, below. (love these!)

danish stone chicken!






these and other wonderful, sweet, quirky pieces can be found at hiandlomodern's page of "fish and animal" objets.

fiat lux: pendants of all kinds

I.
for dining area:

(ikea "septim": industrial chic. cheap. simple.)

("cerebro": curvy, feminine, a little mod) ("asparagus": like a baby chick with its feathers ruffled)

~~> i would especially love to see either of these last two over a rough-and-tumble, distressed farm table...unexpected, decorative.

II.
for the bedroom, what about pendants instead of sconces or lamps? i am digging this tord boonjte "icarus" lamp:

wouldn't these look fantastic and surreal hanging on either side of a bed? mod, baroque, and soft at the same time.

III.
if lighting could be dessert....
(mod chandelier.)

cosy yet sleek textiles: bev hisey

one of the things i'm most excited about in terms of decorating the new place is in choosing the textiles-- carpets, pillows, blankets. I would love to have a Bev Hisey piece; her design has such strong, graphic simplicity. I am very into her new "moroccan" carpet:

her die-cut wool pieces (here, "rock" pillows) are also lovely.