r+d design studio is not only super hip and amazingly talented, but they’re from brooklyn too! hooray for local designers! (and within my zip code at that!). i fell hard for their pod plates and uber chic gotham sofa and i’m sure you will too. they make all sorts of super slick apartment goods that you can find on their website. so stop on by and support some local designers! enjoy…

rena tom is a girl after my own heart. she’s super cool and designs the most gorgeous baubles you’ll ever lay your eyes on. plus she’s got a super cute dog named mia. and everyone knows, pet-owners are, on the whole, awesome people. i’ve gushed madly about rena before, but now i have a legitimate excuse to do it again because…drumroll…she’s got new stuff out!

rena’s designs are classy and original- not to mention that they positively ooooze coolness. she works with absolutely stunning materials like ebony and chalcedony and is at her best when she’s mixing beautiful woods with simple, yet stunning gemstones. so, ladies, i do believe that valentine’s day is coming up…so, give ms. rena a call (or a click) and i’m sure she can help your special someone pick out something lovely. hooray for brooklyn design ladies!

the ribbon project is super hip group of japanese designers making things out of, well, ribbon. they’ve produced some gorgeously complex pieces that you should really check out. click here for more info.

yay!! my picture’s in the paper! woohoo!! hooray! and it’s a big picture too!

oh look- and there’s an article that goes with it! ooh lots of words! lots of blogs! ooh- more pictures! (so that’s what those guys look like! love that vase, maxwell!)

wait a minute…i’m getting the sneaking suspicion that i’ve been cast as the bad blogger. boooo! they didn’t tell me that when they said they wanted to do an article on me! man, maybe i shouldn’t have been so wasted during that interview. it’s no secret that the relationship between the print media and bloggers has been an uneasy one, you know, the usual complaints: we work fast, shoot from the hip, don’t check facts and have no journalistic integrity. and as it turns out, i’m the example of all of these! and after reading the article, i’m starting to believe it! i don’t want to read my own site!

so it turns out that being the assistant to someone who is paid to promote our clients is a serious conflict of interest for someone who runs a personal blog. with my big mouth, i would have been more than happy to talk about our clients and all the gossip i get at work, but my boss and i agree that i have a tendency to say things that she wouldn’t want associated with our clients (whoops!). i don’t know why, maybe it was all that bad-mouthing karim rashid.

so, to summarize….my picture’s in the ny times! woohoo!

i love that there are literally trillions of great designers hiding around every corner. i was browsing through d*s comments and the next thing you know- bam! my paper crane hit me over the head with a one two combination of cute and cool! she makes the sweetest most ridiculously cute little plush toys shaped like toast, toilet paper, sushi and even donuts. (i’m a sucker for anything food-based). it might be a bit on the cutesy side for some, but i’ve always thought that if something is fun and makes you smile- it’s great. and these my friends, are awesome. i mean, what girl wouldn’t want a toaster (with toast buddy!) purse? too cute for words. go check em all our here. hooray for my paper crane (thanks for posting a comment and helping me find you!)

i love silly little objects. especially the kind that you don’t know quite what to do with but you know you have to use somewhere. lindkvist, a swedish design studio, has made just that with their adorable little suspenders. designed to be used as keychains, magnets or just plain old “hang arounds” these little guys are too cute for words (the spicy toro is my favorite). i love how they’ve hung them on the walls and they’d be perfect in a little kids room (or maybe even a big kids room) or somewhere that needs a little bit more whimsy. check out lindkvist’s site for more information.

i’ve always loved people who turn their lives around midstream and decide to follow their dreams. you know, those people who listen to that gut feeling that says, “i don’t think i was meant to sit behind this desk all day.” courtney skott is one of those people. before she became a super-fabulous designer extraordinaire, she was a journalism major at ut austin and the co-founder of a software company. even though she founded it with her soon-to-be hubby, i’m oh-so-happy she ditched the computer gig for furniture. cause the girl is good. very good.

each one of courtney’s pieces ooze craftsmanship and command respect for the level of dedication and amount of care put into every inch. from small stools “clothed” in hand-dyed silk to a gorgeously ornate, hand-cut lacquered plywood chandelier, ms. skott has taken furniture design to a place most big-time designers don’t take the time to visit anymore. the manpower and sheer amount of labor that must have gone into her silk stools is mind-boggling. it’s this kind of craftsmanship combined with elegant design principles that makes courtney skott a star in my book.

stand out pieces: her “un-upholstered chair”, which has a pattern carved through a walnut veneer into the plywood beneath (creating a gorgeous contrast line), the breathtakingly beautiful tree trunk ottomans (made with handmade, coffee-dyed silk, which is quilted and embroidered), which come with removable wool “jackets”, and the craftstery, yet elegant, plywood chandelier (you know how i love chandeliers) which holds six votive candles and will soon be available in clear lacquered birch, red laquer and a bristol blue lacquer. you can find more information on ms. skott and her products here. (or shoot her an email at info@courtneyskott.com). support independant designers who follow their dreams!

ps: i found courtney via her friend and mine, the lovely ms. tom, but just fyi- the wonderful mr. sardar at the sf chronicle mentioned courtney here…

helsinki-based tonfisk design is one of the cutest little companies out there. not only do they have a ‘fun-facts about finland‘ page on their website, but they make super stylish and super fun tableware that you’ll be dying to pick up after you fin(n)ish reading this post. based on louis sullivan’s functionalist dictum, “form follows function doesn’t mean all objects have to look the same…”, tonfisk’s beautiful line of tableware is the perfect marriage between practicality and good looks. each piece is a creative take on a traditional serving item, but ensures that, despite its modern design, it will be completely functional and practical. (ie: it won’t fall apart on you). take a look for yourself and be sure to check out the fun facts about finland. enjoy!