My friends tell me, most of the music I listen to are from artists that they've haven't heard before. So let me corrupt your ears just a "little".
Starting with Little Dragon, an indie band from Gothenburg Sweden. From the moment I first heard the song "Twice", I fell in love with their unique sound and self titled album immediately. Maybe you will too.
If so, then be sure to check out Love Cartier's site. They're giving out a free download of their song infinite love (not on their album). On the international "love" playlist. There are also some nice free tracks by Thomas Dybdahl, Grand National, Hawksley Workman, Pheonix and others.
Pikaland: The land of bright, lovely, happy things.
9.20.2008
I stumbled upon Pikaland's website this morning and was instantly smitten. Written by illustrator Amy Ng, it's a collection of all of her inspirations as well as a collaboration of various artists selling their work (very affordably) through the Pika Package Project. Be sure to check it out!
Where do you even begin about Paris? It's the most enchanting place I've ever visited, yet also the most difficult. The pulse of the city was embedded in it's history, culture, and dignity. The people watching was amazing. Men with flipped up collars, wearing stylish glasses, with impeccibly trimmed sideburns. You wouldn't even flinch at the sight of a young beautiful man walking down the street smoking a pipe. Women walking their little dogs on leashes, while wearing heels on cobblestone paths. Scarves draped artistically around their necks. I could feel the sense of obligation to beauty & a higher sense of style from everyone living there. At times it felt like walking in a fine tailored dream.
We stayed on Rue Pont Neuf in a very old section of Paris, where the colors of every building bleed together, so every geranium, colored doorway, or awning gleamed in rebellion with their bright hues.
We heard every language imaginable, mused over all of the couples we saw enthralled by romance, and drank our cups of tiny espresso slowly at the corner cafe every morning as we watched the world go by.
I marveled over large gold gilt horse sculptures, and paintings by the masters in the Musée d'Orsay (the Louvre was closed when we tried to visit, never go on Tuesdays!), took note of all of the tiny cars and vespa lined streets, and met a very odd guy named Luke (pronounced Luuu--- ick!) who told us all about how he got kicked out of his exchange program in Bakersfield California. Which if you know anything there is to know about that area, there isn't much to say!
We saw every beautiful thing you could imagine in Paris and at the Maison Object show (a tradeshow so amazing it truly deserves it's own post). And I got very lucky. As one of the biggest highlights of this trip was that two of my friends who live in Europe came to meet me. On Sunday Yvonne took the train from Belgium to Paris. We took the day to sightsee, and got teary eyed as we rode the lift on the Eiffel tower and saw the city for the first time from above. It was so visually moving, I could feel my stomach float with butterflies as we rose up above the buildings. We took a water taxi on the Seine around all of the monuments and relaxed after a long day of walking with a glass of wine, on the deck of a boat cafe across from Notre Dame before we said our goodbyes at Les Halles station.
Later that week my fellow adventurer & PaPaYan Eli and I met up with my college roommate Pauline who now lives in Paris, for dinner and the following day took a trip to Sacre Coeur. As we were walking up the stairs of the monument one of the human statues sprang to life and pointed at her exclaiming "oh la la"! (Only in Paris!)
She guided us through the hilly streets of Montmarte (where Amelie was filmed). We had lunch at "Tire Bouchon" a crêperie where notes, drawings, clippings, photos, etc. are tacked on the walls from travellers passing through Paris. My favorite was the tiny passport photo that said "Don't worry, I'm still alive!!". So it goes without saying that, we were destined to leave our mark too.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for Paris, so I thought this book on New Paris Interiors from Taschen would be a fitting post. You can flip through the whole book online, there are some really amazing artistic spaces in there. I love the chalkboard mantle in one of the living rooms, and the house with the spiral staircase that leads to a loft library, surrounded by tall glass windows with views of the city... well you'll have to check it out.
I'll be back in a week, with lots of photos and stories from our trip.
indoors meets outdoors, a creative clutter swoon
9.01.2008
I came across this image on an older post from mati rose's blog tonight, who found it on another blog, who found it on another blog, who found it on garden rooms (umm, I think!)... and well... I just couldn't help passing it on again.
To me this is the epitome of perfect clutter, studio loungey space meets garden.
