a tea set that I suspect my mother will disapprove of

What do you think? I just bought this set on Etsy. The best part about it? It's super baby pink. The second best thing about it? The seller said it's Haviland, Danish mid-century modern, but it looked art deco to me, so I did a bit of research and yup! it's marked Johann Haviland, Bavaria, which means that it can only have been produced between 1907-1924.

Now I have to tell my mother that I bought a pink tea set. She's going to wrinkle her nose gingerly and wish me well. She's a Norwegian from Montana stock, loves Sir Edmund Hillary, Martha Ballard, and other stoic heroes, and wears jeans and a bit of vintage Marimekko. She likes whites, and woods, and blues, and the occasional red. Not into Bauhaus pastels. And that's where she and I lovingly agree to differ.

fiiiigaro! figaro figaro figaro!

Spotted a beautiful vintage car in pristine condition on the street near Victoria station today, and just had to take a closer look.

Turned out to be a Nissan Figaro. Not currently available in the US, but oh! the possibilities!


.
Come to think of it, it's been a lucky 24 hours. Was out walking with my husband in Picadilly, yesterday evening, after work, and it was drizzling and cool and there were masses of crowds as usual but all was fairly calm because of the rain and the dusk. Suddenly I grabbed my husband's arm and whispered: LOOK! It's SOAMES! It was. He was out and about with his wife, looking just dashing. Went up to him, a bit starstruck. He didn't expect it, and was pleased. Mmm... So was I.

Violet is the name of a cake shop in London

Such a treat this past Friday: went with an American friend, her British husband, and their beautiful new daughter on a little jaunt to Violet, a teeny, tiny, little bakery near their home in Hackney, London's answer to Brooklyn. Violet is owned by Claire Ptak, a transplanted Californian who used to work at Chez Panisse, and now tempts the likes of Stella McCartney and Jamie Oliver with her cakes. I chose a clotted-cream cupcake with lashings of raspberry jam. Delight.

Pics from Violet, and from the rewarding blog, This is Naive.

wish you were here, from Cap Ferrat...

back now in London, after an absurdly beautiful weekend on the Côte d'Azur with a Catalan friend and three Italian friends of hers. We sunbathed on high, quiet rocks, ate trofie al pesto under umbrellas, and browsed in tiny shops smelling of incense and the sea.




Gràcies, Anna; grazie, Fede!

Holiday Shopping under $100: What about a Papered Photo Album from Venice?

Not very often do I come across artisanship that makes me catch my breath. Paolo Olbi's work is decorative and baroque without in any way pandering to sentimental stereotypes of what classical Italian design is. To me, this is modern design. It is fresh, crisp, interesting, wild and fierce. I am stunned. What gorgeous, agile work.

Photo Albums and Journals by the Venetian designer and paper artist, Paolo Olbi, available here.

summer over-brimming a pimm's cup

Pimm's Cup is my favorite summer cocktail.

It's not really a "thing" here, but in Britain, at summer garden parties or university parties down by the river for boating races, or in a thermos when you're going on a picnic, ideally by boat, and you've got a big hat and a couple of friends and a punnet or two of wild strawberries, it is most definitely a Thing.

yesterday, the New York Times published a recipe for "Pimm's Saigon," which has ginger in it & sounds super divine...


Pimm's Cup inspiration board (with classic recipe) by Polka Dot Bride; she has a good eye for color and her boards are lovely, great for weddings but also parties, and even rooms. check them out here..

film/reading inspiration:
- Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
- Iris (a memoir about Iris Murdoch written by her husband, John Bayley)
- Sylvia (about Plath, the best bits from which take place in Cambridge, UK..)
- and, far, far better than any of these is The Wind in the Willows, the ultimate tribute to "messing about in boats"

bare shoulders, white feathers, and french paste

best hat (excuse us: "fascinator") at ascot...

who needs sugar plums when you've got industrial steel credenzas dancing before your eyes

sometimes in the early evening, when the sun is setting, i start to dream of industrial shelving.... and I dream that I live in the Loire valley and have many many euro to spare.

scandinavian ceramics in black and white

Madly Gorgeous Catherina Kippel Work Exhibit A:

(from Blås & Knåda)


Madly Gorgeous Catherina Kippel Work Exhibit B:

(from Design House Stockholm)

why don't you.... paint your floors white with black stripes, a la cecconis in london?

{s w o o n}.


see here for another take on black and white design with emerald accents.

stunning & affordable: furniture by London firm, Unto This Last

I'm blown away by the design of Unto This Last, a UK company based in London, that I just discovered via The Style Files. Their computer-generated pieces come in a range of different neutrals, and can be altered to your specifications (color, size; & free standing or wall-mounted for the shelving units) because nearly every piece is made to order.

The best part is that none of it costs much more than a piece of Crate & Barrel furniture, which is unusual for such unique pieces.... and exciting especially if you live in the UK, considering that the firm currently does not ship abroad! If you're planning on taking a trip to London any time soon, I highly recommend a trip to this shop, as much of the furniture can come flat-packed and would be easy to carry back with you. Or wait until the exchange rate gets better (right now it's around $1.9, alas).

...I'm thinking that this honeycomb shelving might just be worth a trip to London, exchange rate be damned.

feeling like spring... : eva maisch

i'm really feeling the subversive spring vibe in the lovely porcelain work by german artist eva maisch...


and another (early sixties-inspired pink geometric) necklace here.

sartorialist... i must have been asleep

i. am. in. love.



love? yes. love.

peter bauhuis: softened, textured metallic jewelry

oh! peter bauhuis's ring is like a beautiful correlative to this vase....




loving the glow and texture of his work.

the marilyn monroe, perhaps, of light switches

these light switches are so deco and glitzy, but in this simple, utilitarian kind of way. love them.


&
very
Happy
Valentine's
Day!

let your Freudian imaginations run wild on these.... :)



(from holloways of ludlow)

carole fakiel's drum-shaped storage table

the thing that gets me about these tables is the bit of storage- so useful! (reminiscent of this table) I'd love a pair of the black ones as a set of coffee tables... a little bit masculine, and so timeless. they remind me (in a good way) of film canisters...

see here for more of carole fakiel's beautifully industrial storage designs....


& here for her superb kitchen!

"watercolor" pillow from habitat

designed by genevieve bennett for habitat. cotton sateen. (£25)

swoon!

dutch artist worth watching: beppe kessler

I feel so lucky to be able to share with you the work of beppe kessler, a dutch artist who is fluent in so many different mediums. Her burned balsa wood brooches astonish me-- they are leopard-like, seashell-like, and yet wholly inimitable. Her commissioned work "Home" (2005) picks up the burned balsa wood motif, and turns it into something completely different-- small houses, gilded with gold leaf and color.

I love also the delicate rug that she designed on commission, and finally, this spare, perfect brooch (click "artists" to find the work).

Beppe Kessler. Wow.

sculptural chairs: white on white

"White on white" has been a look I've always been cuckoo over, and have been exploring since silk felt soil began.... More and more I am loving whites when they are layered in different textures, and given crisp structural dimension. I can't get enough of the first photograph of legless chairs, via Marie Claire Maison. It requires a Diana Vreeland-type "Why Don't You... take the legs off your chairs and turn them into a banquette?" great space saver...

Images 2 and 3 courtesy of Côté Maison and Casamidy.

zara home: high-impact, contrast-rich neutrals with lots of texture

As someone who is totally enthralled by neutrals (chalk whites, camels, slate greys, hits of black and navy), I'm always psyched to see examples of interesting, punchy, modern neutrals in the home. So, question: if these Zara home interiors work for you, would you share with me what you like? What makes them work for you?

I think hit of silver here really works, and the warm wood and caramel tones, and the sculptural objects (the horse bust, the cactus-like forms, that geometric thang). For me what doesn't work is the throw and the print-- I love the texture that each piece brings, but the overall effect is a bit busy for my taste-- something feels slightly off-key.


Another example of a softer neutral look from Zara:

I love the chalky background color of the cubbies, the stone floor, and the hits of these beautiful deep pinks from the embroidery on the wall, and the straw hamper. Substitute a real bed for the crib and it could easily be turned into an adult bedroom.

--> if anyone has tips on where to find shots of neutral interiors, do share! I'm looking for ways to turn our entry into something a little more high-impact....



(& thanks to Imelda for the link to Zara home)