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!

wallpaper for a summer guest

So it's really properly summer, isn't it? I'm in London and it doesn't feel that way-- it's grey here today and cool, and the helicopters are circling overhead of Buckingham Palace because apparently Sarkozy is in town.

I'll be posting off and on this summer, and if you're willing and able to read an "occasional blog" as I now think of Silk Felt Soil, do join me from time to time...!

Here is a little treat:

Honestly, cannot tell you how much I adore this Lulu DK wallpaper that I spotted on interior designer Elizabeth Martin's website-- it's called "Sunshine" and it looks insanely gorgeous in red, shown here. Can't you just imagine a guest bedroom by the sea done up in it? Really strong, yes, but the hand-drawn feel of it softens it and makes it playful.

spiny lobsters and other textilic delicacies served up by anthropologie for spring

some stunning new textiles from anthropologie for spring... adore the soft blues and terra cotta pinks and corals of this needlepoint-esque lobster, made edgy and beautiful by its surprising scale, and slightly menacing, fibrous legs....

more favorites include another rug, inspired by a vera print, in scalloped-woven silk; a "freckled fish" pillow in hot pink linen, and anthropologie's take on dwellstudio's popular avian "Chinoiserie" bedding-- I think they got their watercolor parrots exactly right. beautiful, infused saffrons, and soft floral branches. really nice.

stenciled fish floor at prada spring/summer 2009

"Poor thing!" was my first reaction after seeing this model take a spill in Prada's Spring/Summer 2009 collection (on Huff Po). Must admit that my second was, "gorgeous floor!" Wouldn't it be so chic to stencil the black, matisse-like, fish design on the floor of a wooden or lino bathroom, a nursery, or even on a large piece of canvas?

Beautiful description of the show from Luciole Press, a blog named for the French word for firefly, which reported that the Prada catwalk "meandered like a river and was painted with fish similar to ancient cave drawings... the models’ skin [was] slicked with water as though they had just risen from the sea."

Image via Bryan Boy.

personifying the world around us is too easy when things look like this

Image of Sanno-Iwa ("three rocks"), taken by my brother James, who's currently living in Japan.

this octo-marvellous print by little rock artist paul michael dellostritto is available here for $7. via sfgirlbybay.

wanted? found...

on etsy! can't wait till it's delivered...

thanks to coco+ kelly, and to hoping for happy accidents for the link!

vicki simon's deep sea felt rugs

mad for these felt rugs by Vicki Simon that Shelterrific's Allison has found. Fantasic. What inspires me is the line these pieces walk between abstract and figurative (just like the Zen Sekizawa photograph, below). Plus, they're so messy and scrawl-y that they poke fun at the seriousness of design, and I love that.

p.s: they really remind me of this amazing drawing that was posted last june on lena's blog that for some reason i haven't been able to get out of my head!

unlikely fusion: porcelain and sea sponge make a startling vessel for flowers

oh, the possibilities offered by this oddly enchanting porcelain natural-sponge vase... how gorgeous would it be with soft, fluttery peonies, drooping over its rough sides?

According to Poaa's website, Marcel Wanders's design is made by sinking real sponges into fluid porcelain; in the kiln, the sponges burn away, leaving a perfect copy. Not crazy about the lip of the vase, but other than that, I am a fool in love for this design sponge. Would love to see a version made into a table lamp.

via the style files, a fun new blog i just discovered.

Ships and swans: constellation illustrations

"argo navis"
"lyra" (lyre) on the left, and "avis" (bird) on the right.

These dream-like illustrations of constellations are in fact details of a 16th century celestial globe (1551), called the Mercator globe, in honor of its maker, Gerard Mercator. I love the subdued colors and the anti-gravity feel of the images.

Images courtesy of the Harvard College map collection.

Here's an example of a 19th century celestial map that I wrote about this summer....so different, yet each so perfect in its own way.

sculpture: robert delves

Robert Delves is an aussie sculptor who works with found objects (here, remnants from old boats). I love the textures in this piece.
Via the Australian boutique, Pomme.

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.]