Harry and Sal's Design Blog: November 2007

Eco-marketplace Evo launched today as a one-stop shop for environmentally sustainable shopping. They do a good job of bringing together a range of merchants according to their proscribed "Evo-criteria". Every merchant is rated and editorially selected, the result being there is a sensibility to the products they choose, not just from an environmental perspective, but also from a stylistic one. Categories include, clothes, toys, body, autos, solar, travel and money. Go on, have yourself some guilt-free fun.

Labels: Gifts, Green

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/29/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I do love breakfast in bed. So I am always in search of the perfect tray I stumbled on the one (below) at Room and Board. We've got Stelton's classic round tray (above) which is elegant but not really big enough. The only problem with the R&B one is the handles look like they would be uncomfortable. Has anyone tried one?

Labels: 94, Harry, Kitchen

posted by cerentha harris at 11/28/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: More from the wonderful world of Binth! I bought this notepad yesterday at one of my favorite local stores here in Venice - Urbaninc - a treasure trove of stationery goodies on Abbot Kinney. Today I found the same notepad online at another of my faves A + R - who are now also opening up a bricks and mortar on Abbot Kinney here in Venice! What serendipity! Anyway - I love this notepad - it's large and square - and very pretty. Form and function working together. Nice.

Labels: Sal, Stationery

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/28/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I am loving all things Thomas Paul at the moment. Velocity has a bunch of his stuff. The tray (below) is made from melamine and it's only $18. I also think the lacy gothic plates are fantastic. It jumps on the lace trend without being too girly.

Labels: Ceramics, Dining, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/27/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: There's a lot of hooplah in the press right now about having a green Christmas - see the NYT article Jolly Green Christmas about the green evangelists set to sabotage the joy of giving for all and sundry. I'm thinking green this Christmas for sure, but I'm also not going to be dogmatic about it - show by example rather than by tirade is my motto. So with that in mind I've been saving all my Anthropologie tissue to use as wrapping paper, I'm avoiding vacuum-packed toys, and I'm on the lookout for gifts that are green and cool. Vivavi is run by the Josh Dorfman who many of you may know as the author of The Lazy Environmentalist. They have a lovely range of eco-friendly furniture that's really beautiful. Perhaps a bit pricey for Christmas gifts, but there are some home accessories that are reasonable - such as these hemp Birch Accent Pillows for $100 from Loop Organic.

Labels: Gifts, Green, Sal, Textiles

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/26/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: This is a quickie...gonna be flat out tomorrow with kids and work. That joyful work/life balance in action. So wanted to get this off tonight. IKEA has a new line of oak storage pieces called Estetisk. It includes a very nice magazine holder...although not sure how practical it is. Might be better for storing toys. I also like this shelf system from Umbra (below). It's a little chaotic, imperfect, less neat, easier to see your mags. Probably more me. I don't love the dark brown. It would look much better in oak.

Labels: Harry, Storage

posted by cerentha harris at 11/26/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: There seems to be a bit of silver and gold coming together in jewelry right now. I found some lovely necklaces...perfect Christmas presents. Plus a rather wonderful pair of black rose earrings (am I influenced by Kate Moss' new perfume campaign? No idea what the stuff smells like but I do like that black rose). Click on the images to find out where the pieces are from...

Labels: Christmas, Gifts, Harry, Jewelry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/25/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I've just finished reading a draft of a lighting story we're going to run in Vogue Living's Before and After issue. I went online to try and find some interesting bulbs for a sidebar...The more I look into lighting the more I am disappointed with what is out there. Those compact fluorescents (CF) might be good for the planet but they are ugly and you can't use a dimmer switches with them (how irritating). They seem to begging for a redesign...and then came the clever guys from Hulger with the Plumen Project. They've taken the boring CF and turned it into a work of art. Congrats. And now we just need to mainstream it!

posted by cerentha harris at 11/23/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: My friend Liane sent me a link to ecorazzi. It's a fantastic blog...kind of like Who Weekly for people interested in all things green. I love it. They posted these cool bags from Gooc made from recycled canvas tarps. Clever. Stylish. Good Christmas gift...

Labels: Bags, Christmas, Gifts, Green, Harry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 11/22/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm so flat out right now with writing jobs that I keep avoiding posting. So must break the drought. Sorry it's with something so unsexy. But a good chair is hard to find and I love these Herman Miller ones They were designed by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf in 1994. I know my friend David, who is a writer and spends a lot of time in his chair, sent his Aeron back. There was some problems with the arms. I still want one. I was in the Vogue Living offices yesterday and the editor has one. I had a test ride. They are so comfortable...and for you northerners, they are on sale at Room and Board. Nice one.

Labels: Chair, Harry, Office

posted by cerentha harris at 11/21/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I'm not quite sure to start with Binth, but I think Harry may quite possibly lose her mind when she checks them out. Binth stands for "beautiful, intriguing, new, timeless and haunting" and I can't think of a better description for their work. From simple games for children, to gorgeous notepads and pillows, as well as limited edition prints; their designs are just really lovely. And of course, all the inks they use are water-based, mixed by hand and their paper stock is recycled.

Labels: Art, Gifts, Kids, Sal, Stationery

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/19/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm getting right into games. I've started playing Uno with my 5 year old son (what a cool card game that is) and I'm looking for simple games I can play with my 2 year old daughter. DWR has a lovely memory game using Maharam fabric designs (above) and MOMA has a cool chair stacking game (below) that I think they would both like.

Labels: Christmas, Gifts, Harry, Kids

posted by cerentha harris at 11/17/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I've always loved globes. My son has one that talks to him - you touch it with a special pen and it tells you about the place you've just touched. Nice toy but not a particulalry elegant design. This globe on the other hand is all elegance. Love the black. And in case you were worried the boundary lines and places have been officially approved by the U.S. government. Thank goodness for that!

Labels: Art, Gifts, Harry, Kids

posted by cerentha harris at 11/17/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Tis the season and all that, so with the holidays approaching, now is a good time to take a look at some of these picks from the wonderful world of Etsy. Hopefully you'll find some cool gift ideas here for your nearest and dearest. Along the lines of Harry's theme of gifting art, there are some great finds to be had. Above is a signed limited edition print from Minnesota-based Studio Mela. She has a whole range of whimsical prints I really like. There's some great photography to be found on Etsy too. I really like Tina Teaspoon's sepia and black and white photography, her Tableau Deliquesce (below) is stunning. Ashley Robin's work is also great - retro-looking color prints of nature - very cool (see below again).

Etsy also has some great stuff for kids - a lot of felt and knitted toys, but some very cool pieces too. Check out the finger puppets from Cheryl Smith and I love these dolls (below) from Le Peitit Boutique - with those large heads and tiny bodies they're a little freaky looking, but they have the best outfits!

For those of you after something more decorative, take a look at Etsy's pendant selection - a tad cheaper than those available at Anthropologie this season. I really like this yellow porcelain pendant below, and the Evergreen pendant with a green and white paisley design is also lovely. Happy holidays!

Labels: Gifts, Holidays, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/16/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Small Paul (from veteran Paul Frank) has partnered with 10 Grain to produce a new range of great furniture and toys coming out in December (above and below) - just in time for Christmas. The designs are witty and the materials are perfectly child friendly. I especially love the Julius house below. It's a really cool take on the doll's house. But the stuff is pricey. The stool is $158 and the house is $199. I know IKEA has a stool a bit like the one above for $29. Not sure about the doll's house. Maybe you just bite the bullet and this is there one big gift for Chrissie? Or, if anyone knows of a less expensive alternative please let us know!

Labels: Christmas, Furniture, Gifts, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/14/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Wokits have a great selection of lovely composition books based on the art of Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo in Slumberland" which is a wonderful book I got for my kids a year or so ago. There are a variety of styles of books, both spiral and cloth bound, perfect for a journal or for keeping notes. Another cool gift idea for the holidays.

Labels: Gifts, Kids, Sal, Stationery

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/14/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: If you're in Sydney over the weekend (Nov 17 & 18) make sure you get to Signature Prints for their sale (Showroom Sale, Unit 2, 3 Hayes Road Rosebery). Florence Broadhurst wallpaper & fabric remnants, lampshades, ottomans, cushions, fashion & accessories will be reduced by 50 - 70%. They've also got stuff on sale by Shona Joy and Eclettica - two fashion labels. I've never heard of either of them but fashion isn't really my thing!
From the email they sent me it looks pretty cool.

Labels: Furniture, Harry, Textiles

posted by cerentha harris at 11/13/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: And if the Wired House Sal just posted is a bit out of your price range check out these images. You can't buy the houses but you can buy the photos. Julius Shulman's iconic images helped define a generation of buildings. They are $4000...so they aren't cheap. Still a bargain when you compare them buying a house. I do love how spending on art can be justified.
Enjoy!

Labels: Architecture, Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/13/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: If you're in LA this week and you're interested in architecture, I strongly suggest you take advantage and go on a tour of the Ray Kappe designed Wired Home, currently on the market for a cool $4 million. It's open to the public until Sunday - you can buy tickets online at Wired's website.

Some of you may already be familiar with Kappe through his work with the Living Homes prefab folks. I like his style - modernism with warmth. In this house, fly ash concrete floors combined with cedar ceilings, bring a rich inviting feel, despite being very contemporary.

Wired mag have done a great job of the website, you can browse by category or room, and find out where to buy many of the products from the home. The kid's bedroom (below) I loved. Great wallpaper - although of course I can't find that listed!!

Labels: 711, Architecture, Green, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/13/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I've posted before on re-used ceramics. Such a clever idea to reinvent all that old china we see on the shelves of op shops. I was looking at the NYT's style section and they had a wonderful black tea set by UK designer Christine Misiak. She was part of 100% Futures at London's 100% Design this year. I love her work. She takes modern and vintage pieces and reworks them. Very chic. And nicely green at the same time.

Labels: Ceramics, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/12/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: And here we have, just a beautiful thing from Science & Sons. According to the website "These unique pieces instantly transform any personal music player + earbuds into a sculptural audio console." No wires or batteries required, just the beauty of good acoustics.

Labels: Sal, Tech

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/12/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Wow. I was shocked to read that House & Garden in the US had folded...and so suddenly. December is their last issue. According to the editor's letter they had already finished January and it was guest edited by Murray Moss. It would be very interesting to hear the real story there. One of my favourite bloggers, Grace at design*sponge was part of the H&G team so she is now without that gig. From her blog it sounds like they had no idea the end was near. My industry contacts here say the magazine was getting very thin. But my taste of it was through their website which I thought was excellent - it had a great depth of content and was smartly edited and designed. Not too busy, not too spare. It's a shame to see it go. I wonder what will happen to their vintage photo sweepstakes giveaway (see the pic above)?

Labels: Harry, Magazines

posted by cerentha harris at 11/10/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Holiday season seems well and truly here...I'm starting to think about christmas cards. I like the idea of a very simple card with no message that I can put a photo of the kids in. I've never seen one with a photo on the front that wasn't a bit tacky! I also like the idea of the kids making something. So may try that too. But I found this mix of cards around the web - click on each card for its link. Enjoy!

Labels: 94, Christmas, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/09/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: My friend Karen McCartney, who edits Inside Out magazine, has just launched her book: Iconic Australian Houses: Three Decades of Domestic Architecture. The book launch was held last week in leafy Castlecrag. We all piled into the extraordinary home of Hugh Buhrich (pics of the house below by Martin Van Der Wal). The home graces the book's cover. There was a great feel to the whole evening. A mix of young architects and designers (Liane Rossler and Sam Marshall were there along with Phil Moore and Caroline Quaine and Andrew Stanic and Andy Harding) plus a good group of architectural luminaries whose work was in the book including Russell Jack (whose houses I have always admired). Karen gave a funny speech, we all drank champange and ate delicious food and wandered through that brilliant house (you'll have to buy the book to learn more about it). I don't think anyone wanted to leave. And if you are stuck for a Christmas present - this book is perfect. It's insightfully written - Karen visited the 15 houses and interviewed clients and architects - and beautifully designed. She offers a rare peek inside what are some of Australia's most important homes - which all sounds rather worthy. But there's also a wealth of inspiration for anyone thinking about building or renovating (I love the cherry red carpet and charcoal wall in Robin Boyd's home...)

Labels: Architecture, Gifts, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/09/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: This time last year, my son's favorite toy was a cardboard box. It was the box his new funky Oeuf changing table came in, so it was a decent size and it sat in our living room for a good few weeks. We cut holes in it for windows, we decorated it with marker; sometimes it was a train, sometimes a house. Fun it was, but attractive, sadly, it wasn't. So it was with a certain amount of gleeful nostalgia, that I fell upon the Make it a Playhouse from Modernseed. It's just a plain white cardboard playhouse that your kids can decorate themselves. For $49 I am sorely sorely tempted, that is unless I just go find myself another plain old cardboard box :)

Labels: Gifts, Kids, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/08/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life, put together by Todd Oldham, has garnered a fair amount of attention. And fair enough. Charley Harper's illustrations offer an exquisite sharpness and naiveté that I love. His work certainly deserves this monograph. Barney's is selling the book along with limited edition Harper prints (the Greenjay is above, Bluebird below). At $400 they aren't cheap but they would make a very nice Christmas present for some lucky person. The book normally sells for $200 (without the print).

Labels: Art, Books, Gifts, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/06/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I love wallpaper and I love to do what I can to be responsible about the resources I use. It hasn't always been the case, but now, I reuse and recycle where I can, I think about what goes in the trash and I think about the origins of what I buy. So I was pleased to see when reading one of my favorite blogs Jetson Green, that wallpaper company Graham & Brown now pride themselves, not only in making fabulous wallpaper, but also in making about 50% of their product from renewable resources - all their papers carry the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) logo to show that the paper comes from sustainably managed forests. Graham & Brown have a detailed Environmental Policy that you can download from their website which details more of their efforts, such as using recycled rainwater, special drainage systems to reduce runoff, and use non-acidic inks and coatings, which are more eco-friendly than conventional methods.

Labels: 711, Green, Sal, Walls

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/06/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Just a quick one dear readers as I muddle through the final throes of stomach flu - ick! But here is something to inspire us all. Rose & Radish has to be one of the cutest sites out there with a delightful selection of homewares. Here is a lovely pillow from ShowPony, simple and elegant. Showpony have a store on Etsy also that has a good range of their lovely prints. Each pillow is unique, and handmade from organic, fair-trade cotton. Thanks Meredith for the tip!

Labels: Sal, Textiles

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 11/06/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I do not recommend dining table as desk. As much as I love my Eames dining table it is a crap desk. Far too deep and long. I keep losing things. In fact the whole office situation is not good. I need lighting (see the Jac Jacobsen iconic lamps from DWR above) and somewhere to store all the papers and magazines and stuff that accumulates. I did come across Will Self's office, shot by Phil Grey and felt a whole lot better about mine (the link came via a Yahoo group I am part of called UPOD. It's a great community of freelance writers - mostly in America). Any links to inspiring home offices would be greatly appreciated!

Labels: Harry, Lighting, Office

posted by cerentha harris at 11/04/2007 1 Comments