hallows eve.

vacancy @ the bates motel. have a happy one...

tonfisk design.

general, simple, clean, wooden, ceremaic + cool goodies by finnish designers can be found @ tonfisk design. fear not, the stuff is sold in the states.

psycho.

sorta spooky, eh?

animal collective.

why not listen to the weird new music from animal collective, a group outta BK. there not as pretentious as you may think...more on the fun side of things.

the new way of wine.

all trends seem to be pointing to a new world of organic + biodynamic wines. pictured above: the fairly new appellation wine + sprits (156 tenth avenue). website here. seems like you are bound to see more cropping up, as with wine therapy and pure food and wine.

what does it all mean?

from the appellation site: biodynamic agriculture is based on the teachings of Rudolph Steiner (1863 – 1925) and specifically on his lectures given during the last year of his life. Demeter and other, grower-formed organizations provide guidelines for biodynamic production. However, the practice—adjusted by individual growers for their unique eco-system—is difficult to summarize because of all it encompasses as well as the individuality applied to each vineyard. For biodynamic wines, two related, prevalent ideas exist: life follows rhythms and the farm should be self-sustainable.

found style.

there's a pretty good book written by a husband wife duo (david + amy butler) called found style: vintage ideas for modern living. i like the mixing of the old pieces (i.e., an eames or bertoia chair) with a vintage map or piece of oak furniture). gander here. the photos and idea behind the book is comfortable and minimal without being too shabby chic and mixing the old + the new.

the good, the bad + the ugly.

the bowery boys (photos by kitty bawler).

new york magazine design issue.

sorry i'm late on this...if you don't subscribe to the revamped + lusciously glossy (often informative) new york magazine...by all means, order. these images were taken from the design issue + i love the linear simplicity of the photos (esp Halston's old pad...transformed).

ALL excepts taken from the new york magazine (oct 2005). photo credits: Nikolas Koenig

Halston.
-The master bedroom, which faces the street, features paintings by Peter Halley.


Halston duex.
-The entryway, lined with Studio 54–era photographs by Warhol. The stairs here provide a more direct route to the master bedroom and the house’s other private spaces.


Townhouse (non-Halston) livin'.

-The kitchen counter was poured in place from the same polished concrete as the floors and stairs. The cabinets below the counter are Boffi, the leather bar stools by Jim Zivic. (Child-welfare worriers, fret not: A railing was installed by the stairs after this photo was taken.) The clients wanted a kitchen area “where you don’t quite know whether you are in or out.” So just beyond the walnut dining table and chairs from BDDW are the teak dining table and benches designed by Baird to withstand the weather.

joan didion + Y.O.M.T.

"During those years I was traveling on what I knew to be a very shaky passport, forged papers: I knew that I was no legitimate resident in any world of ideas. I knew I couldn’t think. All I knew then was what I couldnÂ’t do. All I knew was what I wasn’t, and it took me some years to discover what I was.

Which was a writer.

By which I mean not a "good" writer or a "bad" writer but simply a writer, a person whose most absorbed and passionate hourse are spent arranging words on pieces of paper. Had my credentials been in order I would never have become a writer. Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear". -Joan Didion (excerpts from Why I Write, New York Times Dec-1976)


photo: john bryson/time + life pictures/getty image.

a MUST read; the year of magical thinking; chapter one excerpt:

friday's cool chic(k).

"Edward and I both agreed with the view of a Greek friend of ours, Jean Varda, who was fond of saying there were three perfect shapes in the world ... the hull of a boat, a violin and a woman's body". -Charis Wilson

in 1937, Edward Weston received the first Guggenheim fellowship awarded to a photographer. The fellowship allowed Weston and his assistant (model + muse + later wife), Charis Wilson, to spend a year traveling through Death Valley and the West to focus full-time on landscape photography. most importantly, together the couple wrote numerous essays on photography and the arts.

jack pierson

great, simple words worth thinking about...that's artist jack pierson (b:1960, plymouth-massachusetts).

*jack pierson: "My work demonstrates the disaster inherent in the search for glamour...it's tempting to emend this remark to read: "the disaster inherent in my search for glamour."

the artist lives and works in New York.

ona.

some good gifts+ general stuff (in the way of textiles + designware + furniture ) can be found at ona. colorful+ simple goods--something for everyone.

superhero stuff.

+important tip from markowitz: 826nyc has put together something of otherworldy mention @ symphony space on 20 october 2005 @ 8pm. all proceeds go to 826nyc; a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

*pertinent details lifted from 826nyc site:
It's a fashion show of new attire for superheroes and sidekicks designed by Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Taylor, Jack Spade, Built By Wendy, Kenneth Cole and many others, modeled by Samantha Bee, Rob Corddry, and Ed Helms (of The Daily Show) Amy Sedaris (of Strangers with Candy), and Kathleen Hanna (from Le Tigre). The event will be hosted by John Hodgman (author of The Areas of My Expertise) and will include fashion advice from The Incredibles' Edna Mode, a new short film from Patton Oswalt, some commentary from Sarah Vowell, and much more. There will also be a marching band. This will be a hilarious and extremely entertaining evening. Don't miss it. Tickets are $25 and $75.

hex em'

i was strolling past an old candy store (circa: 1921) + ran into voodoo phamlet + doll. while this it may not seem so nice...and appeal to all, i assure you, it's all pretty funny. you can just buy the book, however, i'm a fan of the gift set. and, not to worry, mark shulman is a children's author (hmmmm....how perverse). toast the october season + order your copy here.

one more...

this is the must of the bunch @ buy olympia; they have about everything a guy or gal could want in their midst (artists, products, music, bags, software...it's basically endless).

(more) fairytale matters...

while i'm on the subject, i might as well (expose!) if you don't already know about i'm smitten (b/c i do + i am) and you may be too. check out these dreamy-fairytale prints + dreamy animal references (just like alice!). see...it's okay to live in your own world. t-shirts, prints, buttons + paper goodies.

on the run...

with the stolen chicken. an array of hand-painted cards and paper goods. great website (mostly wholesale) but available @ rare device in (south) park, slope brooklyn.

kermit + the big apple.

i could not help but love this snap of kermit hanging out @ the empire state building. other good snaps here follow our favorite green muppet as he takes to the streets of nyc. as always the props go out to the gothamist for locating + posting this kind of comedy.

kate sutton.

love the work of kate sutton @ sleepycow. wonderful array of stuffed animals with quirky things going on + purses and other interesting designs.

the pulitzer + richard serra

if ever a reason to visit somewhere so linear + strong + light-worthy; a recent visit to the pulitzer; designed by japanese architect tadao ando(b: 1941) is the place to visit. Inside light and airy with large windows overlooking a perfect reflecting pool.

just outside to break up the peaceful linear structure is an awesome sculpture, entitled Joe, by richard serra (both serra + ellsworth kelly created a piece organic to the architecture). the day i visited was cloudless; adding a sharp + stark texture of the steel to the blue sky; a perfect frame allowing light to seep in various shapes and shadows. bent + curved steel lend and borrow to the simple, tranquil linear shape of tadao's design. the pulitzer has a great interactive video of this here. the single sculpture struck me as something more manageable and less-intimidating as his three installations @ at the dia. of course, i'm assuming this has to do with a light factor.

"What interests me is the opportunity for all of us to become something different from what we are, by constructing spaces that contribute something to the experience of who we are." *Richard Serra

pettibon.

Untitled (A very Columbus...), 2001.
from Regan Projects, Los Angeles, and David Zwirner, New York

the new york times did great justice to artist raymond pettibon in their recent magazine profile; read here. his art takes on a punk-rock feel with wild comic-like sketches + drawings + paintings with images of surfing, locomotives, baseball + gumby. it's all in the bio.

ART:21: Are any of the characters in your work ever heroes? Say the baseball players.

PETTIBON: I'm not in awe of what most people would consider heroes which would be someone of stature and power. In fact those would tend to be people who I don’t respect at all. The public has a kind of natural awe of them that tends to be a mixture of fear, control, and violence. You could say the loss of innocence in baseball began with the fixing of the games in 1919 with the Black Socks World Series Scandal.

fanatic.

ah, the simple white raised letters on the cover of a colorful 128- page book from this year's adidas fanatic tournament brought to you by the folks @ the blowup. only 1000 copies available in this limited edition lovely. locations here.

uber-pretentious + painfully chic.

i love the insanely pretentious tracks of english band black box recorder, comprised of a trio of musicians bent on slow, spooky and ironic music. it's hard to get much better than the soft-spoken lyrics of sarah nixey. at first you will hear, roll your eyes and laugh. then you will listen again, delving deeper and find yourself transfixed. almost obsessed. tres delight!

lyrics from child psychology:

the november when I came home the Christmas decorations were already up
spray on snow, coloured flashing lights
and an artificial tree that played Silent Night
over and over again
my parents welcomed me with loving arms
but within an hour were back at each others throats
normal, happy childhood back on course
batteries not included

this is good wholesome fun for everyone. rush out and buy your copy...

samurai fiction

dig on this 1988 film by nakano; a bit of old school + black and white + japanese style-mtv(ish) elements (great music).