this year’s bklyn designs was the best it has been in years. i was fortunate to be on the judging panel this year and i really felt like the show as a whole listened to those of us calling for newer, edgier and more innovative design. this year’s show was smaller than previous years but i spent a good two days walking around, takingpictures, and filming video clips with my favorites from the show.
so today, in addition to sharing images from the show, i’m kicking things off with two videos of my favorite pieces. and just to save everyone some typing, i’ve included links below to the designers featured in the video above. want to watch things full sized? click here to watch the bklyn designs part 1 video on youtube.
thank you to the clear tigers for lending one of my favorite songs, igloo, to this video. click here and here to check out the clear tigers online (you can buy clear tigers music at itunes as well)
last week, after my mom-hair cut (which was later fixed), i stopped by housingworks’ design on a dime event. i have a bit of a phobia about large spaces tightly packed with people, so i thought it would be fun to stop by and meet everyone as they set up and hear a bit about each space. i’m a few days late, but i wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from the event- which asks designers to create rooms, from which people buy items. 100% of the profits go to housingworks, which provides lifesaving services to homeless and low-income new yorkers living with HIV and AIDS. the rooms i loved the most were created by the visual display teams from housingworks (below), who decorated using items that had been donated to housingworks shops across the city. i hope you’ll enjoy this little tour through this year’s design on a dime, be sure to click “read more” below to see additional, full-sized images after the jump!
*unfortunately my map of the show has escaped me- i’ll add designer names to all of these as soon as i can find it. hunting now…
[images above: booths designed by the housingworks team]
[hable construction]
CLICK HERE to see additional, full-sized images after the jump!
good morning! today is going to be a busy on- jam packed with great design and some beautiful interiors. there are two bklyn designs videos coming up today (as well as slideshows to go with each), but first i wanted to kick things off with a preview from yellow owl workshop, who will be showing at the national stationery show next week. evan sent over a huge selection of christine’s new work and i cannot wait to see them all in person. this season christine’s added ceramics, cards, a custom pencil, stamp sets and, my favorite, a ‘camp correspondence’ set. i’ll be covering the show as always this year, but if you have a chance to visit yourself, stop by booth #1558 and see all of these great new yellow owl workshop pieces in person. thanks, evan!
i’m heading out for the first day of bklyn designs now (i love design season!) but i wanted to close the day with a few images from the dwell brooklyn homes tour, taking place tomorrow from 11-5. the details are right here. i always love getting to see inside houses i ride past in cabs sometimes, so this will definitely be one to check out. in the meantime, check the d*s twitter account for live bklyn designs update, with the full report to come on monday (including a video interview with my pick for “best of the show”). until then, have a wonderful weekend and i’ll see you on monday!
*i’m running a little late so rather than a full summary of this week’s content, here’s an edited list of my personal favorites:
Usually I write up a little intro to the In the Kitchen With recipes each Friday, but stylist/photographer Pia Jane Bijkerk was so eloquent, she rendered me useless, so I will let her introduce herself and her recipe for Pea, Mint, and Feta Risotto, with but a tiny observation of my own.
If you haven’t had a chance to search for Pia’s book at your nearest bookstore, online or otherwise, take a moment, if only to remind you of all the beautiful things there are out there to be admired. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy! (Click here to read an interview with Pia about her latest book) Happy Friday! -Kristina
I’ve noticed that some people are put off by the stirring needed for a risotto but I find it absolutely therapeutic – a well enjoyed break from my busy life, a time where I can have a cup of tea or glass of wine and just unwind, stirring my busy-ness away. I also love watching the water birds frolic in the canal outside my kitchen window, and you won’t believe the fantastic water loving creatures I had visit me while I made this one especially for you! You’ll soon see in the photos to follow.
Also just for fun, I’ve included some of the wonderful ceramic pieces I bought in the handmade boutiques of Paris that I featured in my book! So without further ado, here is my recipe for pea, mint and feta risotto, with a cup of jasmine tea to finish, I do hope you enjoy…
today we’re traveling to madrid to the home of the talented illustrator blanca gomez of cosas minimas (which translates to “tiny things”). her work is often described as colorful, playful and whimsical, so it’s so fun seeing those bits of fun work their way into her home (which doubles as her studio). we’re so glad to have her for a sneak peek today, and she made us laugh with her own realization, upon reflecting on the pictures, that the majority of objects in her home were “stolen” from her family, found in the streets, and then topped off with work by her friends. no matter the source, we love her place! don’t miss her latest work right here, and check out the rest of the peek after the jump, along with additional images. [thanks, blanca!] -anne
[image above: Workspace detail. Poster by Studio Violet and old typewriter found in my street.]
the red bedroom. It’s time already to change that poster, but I really love it. I bought it in London so many years ago. I love too the little rufus, a present from a friend, the stuffed creature is made of cherry pits.
Some friends and mine art on the wall.
I found this plant in the street too (it was a little branch). Behind the plant, one of my collages.
CLICK HERE for the rest of Blanca’s sneak peek after the jump!
i love looking at weddings that have unique design elements to them, so i thought i’d share a few fun decorating ideas from this beautiful wedding today. photographer ashley garmon sent over these photos of sarah senter’s wedding and i loved the ways sarah and her husband used a simple flower display rack filled with roses as the focal point for their aisle. it’s such a simple idea, but it looks so striking behind them, and then as guests left, they were free to take roses with them as favors. i’d love to try this with huge flowering cherry blossom branches, or some other leggy stems, but these roses are perfect for a wedding. i hope you’ll like the rest of sarah’s wedding details (including wedding invitations by alyson fox, a good friend of sarah’s) below. thank you to ashley garmon for sharing these photos with us.
[if you're looking for more floral ideas for your wedding or home, check out sarah's how-to video for weeder's digest this week]
today kicks off what will be several weeks of design-fever here in nyc. i’m heading over to the first day of bklyn designs this afternoon (i’ll be posting live photos from the show here) and am incredibly excited to visit icff, the national stationery show, surtex and all of the off-site shows in the coming weeks (after week we leave for our honeymoon- woohoo!). so today i thought i’d share some furniture from great local designers, some of which have already shown in milan this year, and some of which will be showing in up coming shows.
first up is brooklyn’s paul loebach. i first met paul at bklyn designs two years ago and have been loving his work ever since. he recently debuted a series of lighting in milan called “himmeli” and i love his angular take on chandeliers, pendant and floor lighting. (click here for more of paul’s work online)
next up is the design team of levent & romme- who i’m hoping to meet at bklyn designs today. i love these lamps from their ‘pattern’ series. each one is made from laser-cut paper and casts such lovely shadows. (click here for more of their work online)
last but not least is designer piet houtenbos of long island city. piet designed these incredible sleek ‘propeller’ shelves and i’m already trying to dream up ways to not only afford them, but find a way in my home strong enough to hold them (i’m convinced our walls are made of paper and bits of cardboard). these beautiful wooden shelves were piet’s effort to, “make something that was completely boiled down and streamlined that would hopefully be something that could be used anywhere in the house….as a ‘universal architectural detail’.” (click here to see more of piet’s work online)
yesterday’s up-cycling before & after was a huge hit, so i thought it would be fun to keep the theme going with these fun seed markers from designer esther coombs.
itching to start gardening and unhappy with the existing options for seed markers, esther decided to reuse old china plates she had and found wood to create these playful ceramic seed markers. if you’re looking for a unique and playful way to decorate your spring garden, esther will happily create an order just for you-just specify which vegetables or herbs, etc. you would like drawn on the marker. click here for more information and to shop online.
this week, i thought it would be fun to watch sarah ryhanen of weeder’s digest arrange flowers- rather than just write about them (even though i’d give my right arm to be able to write like her). so today sarah is sharing her how-to tips for creating two beautiful floral arrangements: a sweet, hand held bouquet and a simpler, ikebana-inspired arrangement. in addition to sharing her floral design tips throughout the video she also shares tips for creating a tape lattice- a trick i’ve often relied on to create more sculptural arrangements. i hope you’ll enjoy getting to spend some time with sarah in her beautiful brooklyn shop, saipua. and i also hope you’ll excuse my first-time filming and editing skills. i obviously have a lot to learn. (if you’d like to watch this video in larger form, click here to watch it on youtube)
the music from today’s video belongs to one of my favorite bands (our wedding band!)- the corduroy road of athens, ga. click here and here to check out their music. you can also pick up their cds at itunes.
