"FAVN is the Danish name for embrace. This piece is the result of a creative dialogue between Jaime Hayon and Fritz Hansen. 'I wanted the sofa to be based on a shell. A shell being hard on the outside, soft and welcoming on the inside. I wanted to create a form that embraces you, something really organic - that's why we named it FAVN' " - http://www.hayonstudio.com/

DRAMA QUEEN

Kelly Wearstler can be called many things, but one thing she's not is scurred. Love her or hate her interior designs...but you can't take away the fact that girlfriend is pretty ballsy. And just like any girl, she loves a good accessory — especially if it's vintage. She has absolutely no concept of less is more. Countless textures layer over patterns, which lay over other patterns. Gold is not an accent but a main player. The overall effect is regal, yet pop-py. Rich and certainly not stuffy.

Those last four images are of the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, which I've stayed at a couple of times. I wanted to touch everything....sit in every chair...marvel at all of the glistening gold ornaments......

All photos courtesy of http://kellywearstler.com/

 

LITTLE NEXT DOOR

I took a short trip down to LA this weekend, and picked up some food at Little Next Door, an adorable little French spot in Fairfax. Not only do they have the tastiest almond croissants and coffee cups the size of my head, but the interior is gorgeous yet quaint....luxurious yet comfy. It has a great outdoor patio too.

Electric blue paint coats the walls and ceiling and is paired with lots of gold accents, a wall of wine and French bistro chairs. And did I mention coffee cups the size of my head??

SO HERE'S THE THING...

Sometimes when I find stuff on the web that inspires me, I copy it to my desktop, and then somehow it ends up in some random folder. This is the story behind this gorgeous thing...and unfortunately I have no memory of where I saw this or who created it.

But rather than keep this beauty to myself, I'm deciding to share it with the world. It's so lovely, I want to cry!

If anyone out there knows where this came from, please leave a comment!

  Image courtesy of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (photo by Marion Brenner)

Image courtesy of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (photo by Marion Brenner)

Photo courtesy of The Architect's Newspaper Blog

 

Block cutting instructions. Original Thom Faulders image appears on dwell.com.

THOM FAULDERS / BAMscape

I don't know what it is, but I've been somewhat obsessed with orange lately. So naturally, I had to crack a smile when I came across this.

Faulders Studio, headed by architect Thom Faulders created this group of undulating orange waves to fit in with the new vision for Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive's central atrium gallery. Its purpose is to serve as a space to convene for lounging, watching live performances and film screenings. And it doesn't just look playful and light. The sculptures are 93% air, made of rigid foam structural substrate and laminated with painted plywood.

The result is a sea of orange happiness. Like Tang!

...just a few things I'm lusting over this morning...

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY

This dreamy little artist's studio was designed by A31 Architecture in one of my favorite places in the world, Greece.

Nestled between olive and cypress trees, it lies on the North-South axis with the wall openings reflecting the trajectory of the sun.

In other words, it's heavenly.

Check out more of the studio's work here.

COMING UP ROSES

...and lilies. And violets.

Swedish design firm, Front, created this 3-dimensional floral wallpaper...and I'm feeling like such a girl right now. Look how lovely!

I probably wouldn't want to have this in my own house, what with the incessant dusting sessions it might incur, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it.

See more of Front's work here.

LIGHT READING / LULA DOT

I can't help but cringe a little. This piece spawns the same feeling I get when I see people reading Kindles on the train.

Almost as a period to the general acceptance that BOOKS AS WE KNOW THEM are becoming extinct, Lula Dot (the design studio of Lucy Norman) has created Light Reading, a light fixture made from recycled books. However, as sad as it makes me that the art form of book design is fading (I'm as much of a book lover as I am an art lover), I simply can't deny the beauty of this piece.

Perhaps this is a way of putting THE BOOK on a pedastal...a way of honoring it. I can imagine the pages fluttering gently when a fan is placed nearby, or when a window is opened. Lovely.

What are your thoughts on Light Reading?

(P.S. Kindles save trees. I know, I know...)

SIDEWALK FINDINGS: CUSCO, AREQUIPA, LAKE TITICACA AND COLCA CANYON, PERU

I'm baa-aack. And with lots and lots to share.

It's impossible to sum up my journey to Peru in one concise blog post, but I'll try my darndest. I think this calls for list format: 

1. Arequipa, dubbed the "White City", is chock-full of buildings made of volcanic ash. What's volcanic ash architecture good for? It's ability to withstand earthquakes, for one. Two, for it's ability to be carved into. Arequipeños create wonderfully chiseled type and ornaments on building facades, much to my delight.

2. Cusco, with its narrow and hilly winding streets is a wonder at night. A photographer's heaven.

3. Colca Canyon...immense and picturesque! The incredible hues of blue and green left me salivating.

4. The people? Probably some of the most warm, selfless, humble, yet PROUD that I've come across in all of my travels. 

5. Color, color everywhere.

6. Pisco, pisco everywhere.

7. Little old me. In awe.