Harry and Sal's Design Blog

I've been working on our new office, for my other company Intent - monitoring the paint job, negotiating the look that we're going for and so on. It's a shared space, so I can't run riot, but I'm very much enjoying the process. We're also working on a very tight budget - so thank goodness for Ikea!

So far, our space is all white with one vibrant orange wall where the window is - which gives it a very happy feeling. Friday we took a trip to Ikea and got some Mikael desks as well as some Morker desk lamps - a steal at $3.99 until you realize the bulbs are $10 or so! And now to finish it off, I just purchased a couple of Alicia Block's divine prints. We're getting there. I'll post a picture when it's more together!

Labels: Art, Office

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 4/12/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: This is a quickie - I've got to get ready for work and feed the kids! My friend Liane just sent me a link to Chris Jordan's extraordinary work. Chris is a photographer and his latest works depict America's mass consumption. The series is called Intolerable Beauty. Above are mobile phones and cigarette butts. (I don't smoke but I do have a bunch of old mobiles I'm not sure what to do with.) Such intolerable beauty.

Labels: Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/31/2008 0 Comments

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SAL: Since I've been working on my own, consulting and what not, stationery has started to play a more important role in my life. Let's be frank, Staples for my office supplies just now ain't cutting it, especially when I have notebooks like these to drool over! Studio Matador is a wonderful collaboration between artists and designers in Melbourne, Australia and they have developed an exquisite selection of limited edition notebooks. I've highlighted a couple of my personal favorites here. Above Kat McCleod, below Pandarosa and Mark Kayler-Thomson.

http://www.studiomatador.com/macleod.htm

Labels: Art, Sal, Stationery

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 1/18/2008 0 Comments

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SAL: I love those calendars from Harry - I just snapped up that desk calendar by Angela Capria on Etsy. So pretty. Anyway, in other news, I'm back from New York, having just evaded the big snowstorm. Sentimentalist that I am, I'm much looking forward to the holidays and one item definitely on my wishlist is this photograph from the sublime portfolio of Alicia Block. There's something about her series of beach scenes that reminds me of childhood vacations in France, although I have no idea where they were shot.

Labels: Art, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 12/17/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: First, I am seriously jealous that Sal is in NY. And then I realised - I'm over Christmas. Spent the morning dragging bulging bags through the local shopping centre. They've added a new floor and I kept getting lost. BAD signage. So I need a break from even thinking about the you know what. I'm into 2008 now. I've trawled for calendars and found some very cool ones. I love Cindy Jasawal's work. Check out her website...and the calendar above you can buy through etsy. Got to go deal with kids right now. More calendars to come!

Labels: 2008, Art, Calendar, Harry

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

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HARRY: I'm heading over to West Hollywood soon to check out Jonathan Adler's store. He's got a cool new candelabra and some rather lovely inky black vases. He's also just paired up with the C. Jere studio to reproduce their spiky brass sea urchin sculptures (above). They literally pop off the wall. I'd never heard of C. Jere and can't find much on him (her?)...does anyone know about this clearly talented sculptor? Artisan House has a lot of C. Jere's work...and it's quite a bit cheaper than the urchin at Adler's! I love the piece below. It's called Flight. There's a lot to look at on the site. Just the C. Jere collection has 25 pages. You can also find some C. Jere pieces on the very cool Wrightnow site - an online gallery.

Labels: Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 12/05/2007 1 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'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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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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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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HARRY: I am so excited. We just 'won' a painting on ebay. I mentioned awhile ago that I was obsessing over the indigenous art on ebay. Well, the obsession paid off. I know I shouldn't think about it as winning - but we did win. We got it! It's the piece above by Louise Numina. Her aunts are Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre - two indigenous artists I really admire but cannot afford. They are Utopia region artists, about 270 kms from Alice Springs in central Australia. Numina's work is graphic, dynamic and powerful and I am so thrilled to have one in my house. It's the kind of thing you imagine passing on to your kids. The gallery that sells them has a great rating so I am feeling good about it all. I'll let you know if it never arrives!

Labels: 94, Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/03/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Inspired by Harry's recent post on buying art for your spouse - yes I can't get it out of my head! I was inspired to write about a local gallery here. I drive past the Applegate Gallery in Santa Monica almost every day and they always have really interesting work to see. Right now they have a great exhibition on Mexican pulp art featuring top novella artists from the 1950s and 1960s, together with gallery artists Mattia Biagi and Robert Palacios. Check out some of their other artists below, I particularly like Mark Hobley and Anne Faith Nicholls.

Labels: 711, Art, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/30/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Ahhhh...Christmas. My husband and I used to give each other art as gifts. And then we had kids and somehow we fell into the background and Thomas the Tank Engine and buckets of dinosaurs took over. Well, the kids are getting older and we are slowly getting back our focus. I want art again! I have always loved the work of Narelle Autio. She was (and still is) a photographer at the Sydney Morning Herald where I used to work. In her spare time she has perfected the art of underwater photography. You can see one of her pics above (to see more - and buy - go to Stills Gallery). She is also included in a beautiful new book (and exhibition at the Museum of Sydney) called 'Sydney Now: New Australian Photojournalism' (it'll be out in December). I interviewed the book's editor for Monument magazine - it really is an extraordinary snapshot of life in Sydney right now.

Labels: 94, Art, Gifts, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/30/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Got back from Melbourne feeling very inspired about city living. They really do it so well down south - great cafes, shops and exciting architecture. I was particularly impressed by Federation Square. I'd heard a lot of criticism about the Lab Architecture Studio design - but the scale of the space, the activity it attracts and the building's dynamic forms (see atrium above) all make for a really interesting public arena. So good to see brave public work. We spent quite a bit of time at the Ian Potter Centre which is a branch of the National Gallery and houses a permanent indigenous collection...such beautiful work (see pic below. I forgot to write down the artists name! Hard when you're trying to keep kids from touching the dots). The National Design Centre has a store in the building and are selling great posters from their design competition (see Waiting for a Rainbow by Marie Schultz at bottom). They asked designers to create a poster around the idea of climate change. Timely. And beautiful. They are very graphic and strong. All in all a great trip. Just way too short.

Labels: Architecture, Art, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/29/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: You may remember the excitement over Blue Art Studio's Alphabet of Design Classics poster (see below) - a must-have for precocious nurturing of our dear offspring's nascent design sensibilities. Well, now you will be pleased to know that Blue Art have released a new poster series featuring icons of Mid Century Modern furniture. Really very very beautiful work. The posters feature the work of famous designers like Prouve, The Eames', Saarinen, Bertoia, Nelson, Panton and come in a range of brilliant colors. They are extremely reasonable as well, at $35 for the first one and $30 for anything after that. Via Materialicio.us

Labels: 711, Art, Gifts, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/26/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: A friend (thanks Meredith!) put me on to the wonderfully eclectic collection of homewares and oddities available from Silverlake-based Reform School. The site is wonderfully designed (by the same folks that gave Design*Sponge it's fabulous new look) and just a joy to browse through. These dolls/art pieces are made by Shelly & Mary Klein of Kstudio. The mother/daughter team has put together a wonderful selection of pillows and home accessories that use only sustainable materials. LOVE that. I also really like Shelley's paintings. More Reform School goodies below.

Labels: Art, Kids, Sal, Textiles

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/24/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I bought my husband a rather selfish present for father's day last month (one of those gifts that was as much for me as him!) It was the new beautifully illustrated and researched book on Australian aboriginal art, One Sun, One Moon. We've been interested in these beautiful paintings for a long time but never known enough about them to feel confident buying one. Armed with lots of knowledge from the 'One Sun' I've now started doing my own research. I'm collecting info on reputable galleries - like Cooee, Annandale, The Artery and Flinders Lane in Melbourne (who ship to the US). But I've also discovered art on ebay. My brother's lovely girlfriend just bought two wonderful graphic aboriginal paintings on ebay so I checked it out and am now bidding on 6! I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless with this kind of stuff. But they all seem like such bargains - (and, best of all, most ship to the US). Of course, there are good dealers and not so good dealers but it's easy to check all that stuff out on ebay and with Google. Right now I'm loving the work of Mitjili Napurrurla (above) and the amazing Gloria Petyarre (below) and Ngoia Pollard Napaltjarri (bottom). I'll let you know if any of my ebay finds work out!

Labels: 94, Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/20/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I also found these lovely prints on etsy. They are made by a Sydney-based artist who calls herself Yellow Monday (the name of a local cicada). I like the simple shapes, pure graphics and knocked back palette. There's something very peaceful about them.

Labels: Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/17/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Is this scary? Or wonderful? Tonky Wall Stickers do these cool wall decals. The one above is inspired by tree roots. I love the colours it comes in. Although I'm done with the kid's room I keep looking at these. Maybe for our room? I will post pics of the kid's bedroom as soon as I have the energy to tidy it up properly. No sooner is it neat than one of them has dumped something out to play with. And as it's their space I don't like to be too strict about it being impeccable.

Labels: Art, Harry, Walls

posted by cerentha harris at 10/01/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Perhaps it's Fall approaching and all the delicious colors emerging as the season changes around us, that is bringing on this lust for color. Although for Harry in Sydney, they are now (thankfully I'm sure) heading in to Spring. Whatever it is, I too am finding myself drawn to the bold and the bright these days. I was checking in on how the folks over at Grassroots Modern were going with their house project, when I spotted their post about the work of Avalisa and her wonderful prints for children. See a selection below. Luckily for us, Avalisa is now branching in to rugs - and has a sneak preview on her website - enjoy!

Labels: Art, Kids, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/26/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Julie Patterson of cloth has been around for a while. I remember her from my days editing Domain (a scary 8 years ago...my, how old we get). She was starting out and I thought her stuff interesting but rather rough. Her work is now so refined. I loved the new line of native birds (below). I've been looking for pillows for our couch. I was thinking of something from Florence Broadhurst but I think she's reached saturation point. I already have a few cushions in her fabric. These cloth prints seem fresher and less obvious.

Labels: Art, Fabric, Harry

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/26/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Thank God Sal threw some colour in there. We were getting rather beige for a second! I have now truly shaken off the flu and am in need of some colour to cheer me up. Spring is slowly creeping in. Warm days in Sydney. Lovely. I thought these prints by Yellena James were perfect. There is a joy to them that's infectious... in a good way, not a flu way!

Labels: Art, Harry

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/25/2007 1 Comments

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SAL: Via Print & Pattern, I discovered the gorgeous work of Suling Wang. You can contact Suling through Kolea Baker who is an Artists Representative with an impressive collection of artists she represents. Kolea has great taste! Have a look through the artist portfolios for inspiration! I also really liked Tom Collicott's photography below.

Labels: Art, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/14/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Well I have to say after ten days in Maine I have returned a different person, well perhaps not that different, but one who is now spending all her time thinking how she can get back there. So forgive me readers (and Harry!) for my time away, but it was a rest long-overdue. We stayed, as we always do on Deer Ilse, where my husband's family are from. Deer Isle is also home to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. the center has a stellar reputation, with workshops on blacksmithing, clay, weaving, woodworking, photography and more. This, together with the stunning scenery, must be one of the reasons for the abundance in artists in the area. Holly Meade's woodcuts, pictured above are just gorgeous. Holly also works as an illustrator for children's books - most notably for Caldecott winner: Hush, A Thai Lullaby. I'll be writing about the other gems I found in my next posts - stay tuned!

Labels: Art, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 8/28/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY I got an email from the people at e-glue about their wall decals. They sell some very cool designs of their own. But they also take your designs - or your kids' - and turn them into decals. I really like the idea of creating your own wall art. And it could be for anywhere in the house...especially since they do waterproof decals as well. E-glue is a French company - but they ship all over the world.

Labels: Art, Harry, Kids

posted by cerentha harris at 8/27/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY This week I interviewed Emmanuelle Flahault, a wonderful French designer, for an interiors magazine. She has a very cool homewares and fashion range under the label Nell (she's also makes a lush chocolate cake...check out the recipe on her website.) Her apartment is very like her homewares range - but I wont give too much away before the magazine hits the newsstand. One thing I can tell you about is the cool National Geographic world map Emmanuelle had pinned up on her landing. It's HUGE and glorious. And I want one bad! (Sorry about this pic...you're going to have to look past the girl in the naf green t-shirt...) I also found this online map shop that sells cool map murals.

Labels: 94, Art, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 8/17/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Trawling through etsy I cam across this gem. I love this particular colour orange and also the graphic quality of the illustration. Plus it's $28. What's not to love. If you don't like orange it comes in lots of other colours (the dark red is pretty amazing). It's designed by a San Francisco artist called Joom. I've been looking for pillows for the kids rooms, our bed and the couch. Not sure where this would go...Of course, etsy.com has an overwhelming collection of pillows. Ruth's Crafts has a strong selection of retro pillows and Modern Art Everyday has some cool cushions covered in a simple branch pattern.

Labels: Art, Bags, Harry, Seating

posted by cerentha harris at 8/13/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I'm always on the look out for something a bit different to hang on my walls and these stretched fabric prints from Hable are just the ticket! They are currently available in 14 different designs, in sizes from 10x10, to 20x20 or 30x30 - $45 for the smallest size to $105 for the largest. Pretty reasonable really. They also have a very cute range of pillows.

Labels: 711, Art, Floral, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 8/12/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Moss, New York's best design store, has opened in LA...finally. Unfortunately, we left a few days before the 3500 sq foot Melrose Avenue store opened. But Sal, I am sure, will be beating a path to their door. Murray Moss was recently the subject of a very interesting Vanity Fair piece. And the LA store opening certainly got a lot of press. What I love about moss that it holds design up as art. Murray Moss and his partner Franklin Getchell value good design. Plus they've got a cool blog. And - yeah yeah yeah - I know the stuff is expensive and the shop is intimidating (at least it will be if it's anything like the NY version) but I don't care. LA, here is your chance to wander among the best the globe has to offer in way of design. Relish it. Now if only I could convince Mr Moss that Sydney would support such a store...

Labels: Art, Furniture, Harry, Jewelry, Lighting, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 8/12/2007 0 Comments

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