Harry and Sal's Design Blog

HARRY There's a Jorn Utzon house for sale. The architect behind the Sydney Opera House built this concrete and glass 6-bedroom home in the UK (West Common Way, Harpenden Herts to be exact). It's selling through The Modern House for a whopping 2.5 million pounds. Do check it out online - there are lots more pics and some really great interiors.

Labels: Architecture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 2/03/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: One of my favourite sites is Treehugger. Their design and architecture coverage always has something of interest. Check out this cool kitchen island - everything you need in one smart spot. The Compacta is by Artificio - a Spanish design company.

Labels: Harry, Kitchen

posted by cerentha harris at 2/01/2008 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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HARRY: Having returned from two years in LA and settled back into Sydney I feel slightly jealous of any fellow Aussie living OS. Vicki Archer's book, My French Life was certainly fuel for that fire. My friend Helen is a great fan of Vicki's and showed me the book over the weekend. Vicki left Sydney a few years ago for France and renovated a beautiful old home in the country. Julie Gibbs at Penguin/Lantern published Archer's book - Gibbs' has got a great eye for beauty. Photographer Carla Coulson shot the pics for the book (I worked with Carla when I was deputy of the Sydney Magazine and she does do great work). The book's definitely worth looking at...life overseas is worth thinking about. Although Tokyo interests me much more that France....

Labels: Books, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/21/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: Here's a good 'reuse' object. Liz Grotyohann, is a New Jersey-based graphic designer uses old magazines to create these classic vases. She lines them with resin so they are watertight. I also came across Chilean designer Rodrigo Alonso Schramm's N+ew stool on treehugger He has taken electronic waste and created a stool. I'm not sure I like the look of it but I love the idea.

Labels: Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/20/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm getting into knots. I wrote a story recently for Belle magazine about a house in Queens Park - it was the home of Liane Rossler and architect Sam Marshall. A great house but the thing I keep thinking about was the pine cladding. It's a sustainable timber but very knotty - and they relished the knots. Instead of hiding them they made a feature of them. There's a sense of wabi sabi - beauty in imperfection. I love it. I was checking out Dwell's site when I came across this kitchen in a Thomas Robertson house in LA. It's got that same feel. Modern with a twist. Long live the knot.

Labels: Architecture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/17/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: I am always forgetting to bring my various bags to the supermarket. But Envirosax can fix that. They've bundled five bags together and folded them up into a handy pouch that fits in the glove compartment of the car (or a large-ish handbag). I figure buy 2 packs - one will always be in the car. And they come in great colours and patterns including a new organic cotton, hemp and linen range.

Labels: Green, Harry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 1/10/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm looking for a desk lamp and although this one is deeply impractical I would love it. Artecnica has taken the delicate Garland by Tord Boontje and turned it into a table lamp with the launch of their first interchangeable stand (the stand comes in silver or brass and you choose from their range of shades).

Labels: Harry, Lighting

posted by cerentha harris at 1/09/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: I posted a while back on the silver/gold trend. Barney's has this great monocle pendant - 18k gold disc suspended from a blackened silver chain. Sadly, my birthday isn't til June! I also stumbled across my friend Vanessa's website. She's a graphic designer and jeweller. I used to work with her at the Sydney Morning Herald. I've got a ring and a necklace of hers and I love her new stuff. Check out the bracelet and rings below.

Labels: Harry, Jewelry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/07/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: Well I am still on holidays...yep this is a long one (it will be my last in a while - I start a new job in Feb and the kids start school). We've had such a great break doing next to nothing (I can say though that the Bee Movie is far far better than the dreadful Chipmunk film - I refuse to even include a link to the appalling movie. My excuse for such childish fare? A five year old and a two year old...at least I am reading Elizabeth Farrelly's Blubberland so I'm not completely brain dead). We head back to Sydney next week, but couldn't resist checking out Urban Outfitters' new stuff. I LOVE this chair with its midcentury echo. I wish they shipped to Australia. So annoying. And my latest obsession is butterflies...not a particulalry new one, I know. But I do like this clean-lined shower curtain. Must go now - we're watching Great Gatsby on DVD!

Labels: BedBath, Chair, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 1/05/2008 1 Comments

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HARRY: Well, with Christmas around the corner Sal and I will soon be taking a well earned break. I'll be heading to the beach for a few weeks with the family. Sal is taking some time off to enjoy Los Angeles and be with her lovely family. We'll still blog over the next week or so - just not as often.

Expect a newly rejuvenated Harry and Sal in the new year. More great finds. Lots of cool stuff. Amazing houses. And perhaps some interesting job news to announce!

Creating harryandsal has been such a pleasure. And watching our audience grow has been an absolute bonus. We wish you all a wonderful holiday and a spectacular 2008.

Harry and Sal
ps: found this bird card on etsy...

Labels: Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 12/21/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Wow - Christmas really is demanding this year. So I'm back after a few days of...wrapping? Goodness knows. Anyway here are more calendars, as promised. Nava has some very cool paper products. Sal and I spotted them at the new A+R store on Abbot Kinney. I love the twelve little notebooks (above) with a punched hole for each month. Very nice. They also do calendars (below). At Unica there's the classic Massimo Vignelli calendar he designed in 1966 (below). And if you're in need of a bit of stylish colour check out the desk calendar (top). They are designed by Angela Capria - who also does custom work (oddly, not the most beautiful website but good strong clean designs).

Labels: 2008, Harry

posted by cerentha harris 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: OK, I am now officially a bad mother - kid's are being neglected so I can write about lighting! I have to make this quick. Velocity has some great new light shades. Check out the lovely Norm O3 by Britt Mornum (above). It reminds me of crinolines. Lush. And I just came across Tord Boontje's amazing Second Shadow lamp (below)...has this been around for a while? I know Sal loves these kinds of lights. This I would like for Christmas! Speaking of which I found some very cool LED christmas lights - much kinder on the environment - at NECO.

Labels: Christmas, Harry, Lighting

posted by cerentha harris at 12/10/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: This year my extended family has decided not to give presents to each other. Instead we have pooled the money and are donating it. The process of choosing a charity was interesting (we finally went with St Jude's in Tanzania run by Gemma Rice, an amazing Australian woman. It met our helping-kids-criteria and had an Aussie link which was important to us). While we were doing this I was reading Dave Eggers' What is the What - an amazing fictionalized account of a Sudanese man's plight. (And an excellent Christmas present for anyone trying to understand Africa). In the book Save the Children crops up as a powerful and positive force in the refugee camps. They've got the usual online shop (see the sweet baby's hat above). They also have a very smart Christmas gift program. You can buy a mozzie net, or a goat, or fresh water and are making that donation in a friend or family member's name. Last year our dear friends Ruth and David 'gave' us a beehive. This year maybe it will be a goat!

Labels: Christmas, Gifts, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 12/10/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I recently got an email about Tonic - a website that is devoted to selling cool design t-shirts and sending the proceeds to Africa. I've always been a bit cynical about fashion forays into saving the world. These people look like they've got it right. Check out the Net Tee. A shirt covered in butterflies in the shape of Africa. The sale of each Tee buys 3 mosquito nets. It's worth having a look at the website, which is cleverly designed, even if you don't buy a shirt. I think they'd make great Christmas presents.

Labels: Christmas, Gifts, Harry, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 12/09/2007 1 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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HARRY: I'm on a terrible hotel connection so this will be brief. Just got back from a very inspiring tour of Venice's architectural gems with architect David Thompson of Assemblage. Yes, I'm in Los Angeles. Just for the week. Slipped away from Sydney with the husband. A very pleasurable work trip! David, who is designing Sal and Stephen's house, was kind enough to take me around Venice for a piece I'm working on. We saw some great houses...including one of my favourites - Steven Ehrlich's own home with its luscious steel cladding (above). I'll blog more about it when I can get online more easily. Also found some cool new design stores...more to come very soon!

Labels: Architecture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 12/04/2007 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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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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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: 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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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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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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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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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 sect