I need to change the bi-line of this site to “a blog about seeing,” since clearly my interests have shifted from pure design to something more about how we take it the world around us. Which is not to say that I don’t still experience that visceral joy when confronted with something I love. Most bloggers call it “covet,” but I think it goes deeper. And so, back to design…

Recently I found my heart leaping at this table from Object and Light. I absolutely love the juxtaposition of the exquisitely delicate metal legs with the chunky, warm, wooden top. Love the sense of history.. But also the reasons this table speaks to me are personal. a) Family lore: growing up we enjoying epic meals, lively conversation, and heated card games around similar tables at Stephanie’s and the cabin in Maine. b) Professional education: my aunt Sheila, an architect, has been advocating for long, lean tables for years because they are not only architecturally dramatic, but also they seat many people while keeping the experience intimate. She had one made as a wedding present that measured a generous 8 feet by a mere 30 inches. c) my own experience: while photographing Fiona’s cottage in Maine, I admired the lithe proportions of her antique vintners table from France.

Object and Light happens to sell many other one-of-a-kind pieces that speak to me. I would love to own some of their vintage, industrial lamps, but right now I’m just grateful for the similar light that I bought for a mere $40 from Marnie.

above: raffia bustier by John Rocha (Though this looks totally uncomfortable, it’s so fabulous I might just grin and bare it. I’m picturing this layered with an open, sheer, linen top in crisp white for the ultimate summer look.); rattan basket from the Japanese design firm F/Style; crib from l’Atelier du Petit Parc (Be sure to check out their entire site for similar retro rattan furniture of all kinds.)

You know that when blogs and magazines start  to feature rattan, raffia, and sea grass, it’s officially time to bust out the shades and sun screen. Ahhhh summer.

clockwise from the top: banda chaise from Anthropologie; summer setting by Anouk B featuring a pendant much like Landscape Product’s rattan “cage” lamp, rattan bracelet at Choice is Yours

above: sea grass is woven into playful footprints in Martin Azua’s Tread Carpet; rattan pouf designed by Johannes Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorenzen via Archiproducts; Jan Jensen’s rattan shoe via Virtual Shoe Museum

above: rattan bench at Atelier du Petit Parc; rattan swing from Sarena and Lilly; rattan hammock from the Philippines via Natural Modern Interiors

Spanish designer Martin Azua’s “Get Up” collection is a line designed for resting, riding or relaxing. 

Hot off the presses (via this morning’s email) comes the latest from Bakery Design. Conceived by Gilli Kuchik and Ran Amitai, Woodini is an innovative stool featuring a sleek plywood frame and jolly polymer seat. Just the latest in clever concepts to be cooked up be this talented Israeli firm.

hand blown glasses at Riija

Another fab find from Kickcan and Conkers, Riija is a Latvian design store right in the heart of Riga. This “lifestyle barn,” as their website puts it, showcases an eclectic mix of beautiful furniture and home goods, all from local designers. Merging “traditional Latvian craftsmanship with a contemporary world view,” all the designs are a wonderful mix of modern and rustic. Both sleek and sensual, they look like they would be as satisfying to hold as they are to behold.

linen bedding

furniture at lamps by the Latvian design firm Rajada

hand blown stemware

table linens

linen loungewear

accessories. for more see all their products

I’m not the first blogger to feature SlowWood. In fact the sleek forms of this Dutch company have caught so many an eye, that I almost shelved this post in favor of something more original. But SlowWood’s tables are so fresh and lovely that they kept popping back into mind. Plus the styling of the images is inspiration in and of itself. Last night I discovered that when paired with these upside down photos from the company’s own site, SlowWood tables were perfect for spring. So “Uncle, uncle,” I’m featuring them. Who knows, maybe for some of you this is the first time you’ve seen them!

Hand made in Fryslân, SlowWood tables are low impact on the environment, but high in style. Local craftsman use only solid wood and natural finishes to create these serenely elegant forms. Then for a little pop of color, the legs can be customized with a variety of richly hued mineral paints. Simple, playful, and contemporary, SlowWood tables have all the makings of a modern classic.

The Tatami room of the traditional Japanese shop that FIVE FROM THE GROUND proprietors Miwa and Yosuke Narizuka renovated themselves. It took them four years to find the beautiful, antique, Japanese doors.

When Miwa and Yosuke Narizuka travel, they do so with an empty trunk. This is so they can fill it with vintage treasures for at their exquisite shop: FIVE FROM THE GROUND.

With nothing more than their “instincts” acting as a curator’s guide, Miwa and Yosuke troll the flea markets of Europe in search of rare items with a story. Things that someone, sometime had loved, that are looking for a new somewhere to be treasured.

Once back in Japan, the new adventures of these objects are not hard to conceive. For Miwa and Yosuke’s gift not only extends to discovering precious goods, but also to styling and photographing them. Arranged in storied vignettes and sumptuously shot in sepia tones, their items appear like central characters in a play awaiting the opening curtain. And so a pair of old glasses resting on a vintage book, or an antique watering can left by the door, appear ready to take up where they left off. Ready to begin again, in a new place, at a new time.

All photos copyright FIVE FROM THE GROUND and Miwa and Yosuke Narizuka. Used with their permission.

Above: antique goods at the FIVE FROM THE GROUND shop share a table with lovely and delicate Wire Works by Masao Seki.

Found via Daryl McMahon.

“bird” via browndresswithwhitedots; Pilmlico Bedroom Chair from Canvas Home; Aldin tea towels from Classico Life

When I was little, the Tom Boy in me rebelled against pink. Quite the wee feminist, I would chastise my poor pink-loving friends about the pitfalls of being constrained by girly stereotypes. Fortunately, I’ve lighten up a bit since my radical elementary school days. (Yes, this was the same time that I was enjoying making the hearts that I wrote about yesterday. I didn’t say I was consistent.)

Having made peace with my feminine side, the older me has now come to appreciate the subtleties of pink. Recognizing its complexities, the wiser me has come to understand why pink may be the perfect color for women.

First of all, the best pinks really are among the most beautiful of shades. And then there’s the range of pink, the opportunities for expression. Neither pure white nor scarlet, pink is everything in between. It can be soft and sweet, or loud and shocking, playful or smart, flirty or sophisticated.

In fact, I’ve changed my tune about pink so much that, in looking to decorate my daughter’s room, I now fully embrace her seemingly natural affinity for the hue. (Which may be a long way of saying, “If you can’t beat em, join em.”)

And isn’t it interesting how striking pink looks when combined with what could be considered its masculine equivalent: gray. Neither black nor white, gray too is more nuanced, especially in warmer tones. Paired with pink, it’s dark but somehow comforting. At the same time both grounding and highlighting its rosy companion.

Ok, Ok. Maybe I’m getting a bit carried away. Suffice to say, that I’m a fan of pink and gray. In my book these two hues were made for each other.

Editorial for Elle Decor styled by Krakvik & D’Orazio. Photo by Siren Lauvdal; my daughter Solvi as a baby in a pink dress, climbing Sheila’s gray stairs; Nuppi – hand painted knobs from RK Shop

sparkle, pink, polka dot, kid’s umbrella via mango-watermelon-love; Isis Sturtewagen’s kitchen; Wood and Wool Stool

handmade scarf by Moa; tie necklaces by Untold Imprint; bedroom by Le Dans La

Apparently I’ve had my head in the sand, because I only just discovered Factory 20 (via Daryl McHahon). In case you’ve likewise been distracted by work, family, life, et. al., I thought I’d share.

Based out of Abingdon, VA, Factory 20 is a multi-disciplinary art and design collective dedicated to preservation and promotion of iconic, salvaged goods. Their eye for items of intrinsic beauty is un-erring. But what is perhaps even more special about this shop, is their ability to translate their vision through inspired styling and photography.

Factory 20 is particularly adept at helping one see how to use vintage goods to modern effect. With focussed lighting, a textured setting, and minimal accessories, they create sense of drama around each item, as if it were a character in a play. These storied vignettes serve to bring the objects to life. So instead of appearing dead and dated, they give the impression of being timeless.

My husband and I have a problem with chairs. It’s not that he’s a heavy guy, but true to his Scandinavian heritage, Chad is built like a Viking… a broad Viking. I’m a bit more petite. Our taste in chairs seems to run along the same lines as our body types. I favor what my mother (another Viking) calls “spindly” seating. (I prefer the term “lithe.”) My husband favors chairs that “don’t break under him.” Fair enough.

Thus it was that I recently admired the Mattiazzi Branca Chair on Storie blog. It’s so airy and graceful, but it also looks sturdy. Designed by Sam Hecht of Industrial Facility, Branca harkens back to a time when chairs were simple and well built. But its sinuous form also gives it a decidedly modern feel. The seamless construction is designed to mimic the effect of tree branches (hence the name). With all those generous curves it also looks comfortable, which is a plus in chairs.

detail branca chair and table

she said chair

Mattiazzi also designed this similar She Said chair, which is part of a He Said/She Said pair by Studio Nitzan Cohen. Both are great, but perhaps not surprisingly, I prefer She Said.

trak stool with reproduction tractor seat

Today I’m enjoying the sleek forms of Plodes Studio. Plodes is a Texas-based, multidisciplinary firm that specializes in everything from product to furniture and architectural design. Representing a unique fusion of organic and modern, their concepts have an intriguing, futuristic vibe. Fluid, nature-inspired silhouettes are both archetypally pleasing and witty. (I can almost picture this chair scampering away like an overblown arachnid.) But their exaggerated size also makes them every-so-slightly monstrous. (Are the mega-barnacles going to siphon me?) In fact these biotic forms, realized in cool, machine age materials, could be a little too “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” were it not for an overriding aesthetic principle. Any bestiality in these sophisticated designs is deftly tempered by pure white finishes which lend an angelic grace. Thus, it is an intricate combination of imagination, beauty, nature, and industry that makes Plodes’ products as much art as functional object.

capsule, a 10″ powder coated, stainless steel vessel

space saver and art all in one – barnacle storage vessels