50 years ago, David Latimer planted a seed in a glass bottle out of pure curiosity. He had no idea that it would flourish into a mass of greenery that would thrive untouched for several decades to become a wonder of lush plant life. Depending on the bottle you choose, bottle gardens can look like living sculptures.
Read MoreHanna Eshel’s Dream Loft with Sculpture
Artist Hanna Eshel’s inspiring Noho New York loft is full of windows, light, and her elemental sculptures. What a vibe and look, from the patched floor to the 70’s style tracklights, plinths with artworks, ongoing projects, plants, sculptural plywood stools, white everywhere, even the simple elevated loft bed, which here manages not to be a cliche.
Read MoreHow Vivian Maier Defied the Norm and Made Her Secret Art
Anthony Lane asks a compelling question in his review of Finding Vivian Maier, a documentary about the nanny who, during the 50′s and 60′s, secretly photographed the street-life of Chicago during her time off.
Read Moreel Bulli’s Bullipedia: Mapping the Genome of Cuisine
Since th legendary restaurant elBulli’s closure three years ago, über-chef Ferran Adrià and his team at el Bulli Foundation have been working to convert the restaurant to a creativity think tank, with a online resource to helps you understand the inner-workings of food.
Read MoreWhy Not Stripe Your Coffee Table?
This charming striped, oddly-shaped coffee table from the 70’s made us consider what we take for granted in the realm of coffee tables. WHY NOT stripe them?
Read MoreJagged or Unfinished as a Design Element
We’ve long been fans of “broken geometries”, the purposeful leaving of design elements unfinished, uneven, or even broken, to create a visual surprise. Recently Remodelista did a roundup of some fine examples.
Read MoreIt’s NEVER Too Late to Start
Funders and Founders infographics provide inspiration for entrepeneurs of any age.
Read MoreA Drawing Pad You Carry with Your Everywhere: Your Hand
Our friend Isabel Rower can’t NOT draw on things, and her favorite seems to be her hand. We’ve seen (and posted) all sorts of drawings Issy’s made on her hands. She treats them like an instant pad, always available for drawings or taking notes.
Read MoreQuick 4 —The 4 Minute Workout for Lazy Dogs
We downloaded Quick 4 to our iphone and find that a 4-minute workout (based on high intensity interval training) allows for no excuses and won’t let us off the hook, despite the fact that we are naturally lazy dogs (exercise-wise).
Read MoreStorage Cage Closets Then and Now
Was visionary designer Paul D’Urso’s 1980’s cyclone fence clothes closet the roots of Ikea’s recent iteration?
Read MoreThe Unexpected Histories and Care of Kilims
Kilim rugs so popular in modern homes have their roots in nomadic tribal cultures. Here’s a bit of their story, and the strategy for their care.
Read MoreFinding or Creating a Clear Space, Virtual or Otherwise
Everyone we know needs a “clear space” they can retreat to to STOP, take a break from busy life, a breath or a shift of view, even just for a few moments. Although we LOVE having a clear space right in our Laboratory —the bedroom with the pink wall is just that, no media, just…
Read MoreLOOK UP to See Tonight’s Total Eclipse Blood Moon!!
For the first time since 2011, people in the United States will be able to see a total eclipse of the moon, starting at about 2 a.m. Eastern time this evening (a civilized 11 pm for those on the West Coast). Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is totally safe to watch without eye protection, and lasts for a few hours. It can be a spectacular thing to see.
Read MoreGIF of the Week
Our blogging platform won’t allow gifs to be posted on the homepage or thumbnails without messing up the code SO CLICK TO VIEW THIS WEEK’S GIF.
Read MoreA Silo Becomes a Cool 2-Story Camp
When Brothers Rehan and Josh Nana wanted a “camp” to stay in when they went hunting on their family’s three-hundred acre farmland in Missouri the decided to convert an old grain silo that was already on the property into a novel, and charming, shelter.
Read MoreCool Glass Side Table for Unkempt Books
Just about everyone we know has on-going piles of books they are in the process of reading somewhere in their house, whether it be along side the sofa (us), the bathroom (us), or on the bed table (MANY people). The New York Times Book Reviews’ weekly column By the Book asks writers what is currently…
Read MoreBeing Okay with Not Knowing Where You’re Going
We know a lot of people who are in big changes in their lives. Susan Dworski recently reminded us of a poem that contains simple wisdom about the very complex subject of becoming.
Read MoreThe Delishness and Connection of Collective Meals
Outerlands, a restaurant in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood, is known for its menu of seasonal food, rustic dishes and the strong sense of community created by the space. There, meals are a way for people to gather together, relax, and enjoy a shared experience. Recently Williams-Sonoma Taste featured one of Outerland’s collective meals in which staff, family…
Read MoreDept of Impermanence: Finding the Possibility in Broken
Maria Robledo sent us this portrait of a pitcher she made recently in her new explorations working with clay. When we asked her about it, her email read like a poem:
Read MoreDIY? 70’s Striped Brick Bookshelves
We generally viewed bookshelves using bricks as uprights as simple college student decor UNTIL we saw these fab shelves designed by Gionatan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino and Lomazzi for Longato in 1971. Of course the designers used just the right bricks for their striped shelving and a great deal of thought and vision, i.e. the width…
Read More