morning miso

Every now and again, I enjoy a traditional japanese breakfast (even though I'm not Japanese) of miso soup and rice. There's just something very soothing and calming (not to mention delicious!) about miso in the morning to start your day. Anyways, I also love eating miso in a big bowl, using those big soup spoons. Sadly, I find my soup spoons always slip into the soup. During my last Marukai 99¢ Super Store run, I spied these cool spoons that had ridges on the back. They rest onto the sides of the bowl and prevent it from going in. Genius! Now back to my soup... yum....

yellow and tan towels

I guess it's a natural progression (or diversion) from the grays, but I've been feeling another neutral combo: yellow and sand(or light taupe/tan- in addition to touches of gray)... Bowiestyle mentioned it and has some nice examples, and the image below from Marimekko is also another great example.During my last visit to Walmart, I was excited to see these great "bath sheets". They are part of their Back to School "Get it together" group and are so modern. Sand/light taupe/tan solid on the front, with muted yellow accent trim- and the back is reversible with the yellow as the solid. The best part is they are only about $9 each. (unfortunately not online, but they are in-store)

weekend stroll

Over the weekend, I made a quick grocery run to the japanese store, and it is right next to the Kinokuniya bookstore, so of course I had to check in. Lo, and behold, they had a pleasant surprise for me! A book by the incredible Japanese illustrator, Rica Takada! I first found out about Rica's work from a post at Imedagoze, introducing us to the fabulous japanese store, BG-shop. From there I found Rica's site, and also found out her prints have been used on other home furnishings as well! Someone needs to carry these here in the states so I can snatch them up! For now, I am just... smitten with the book, and did another little video clip so you can see what's inside. By the way, the ISBN number is ISBN4-86020-034-9

Blue Monday- wallet

Poppytalk posted this amazing wallet she found on etsy! I'm such a sucker for anything "plain wrap" and writing in simple helvetica- plus its in cyan- I want!!

time after time

I don't remember how I came across this video on Atom films, but I am just fascinated by it. Artist Ahree Lee took a snapshot of herself every day and three years later compiled it into a short film. I wonder how much or little I've changed within just a span of a year, let alone 3 years....

Elle Decor: September 2006

Happy Friday! It's a sad notion that Summer is almost over. However, I'm holding on as long as I can, because frankly, I haven't had my "summer vacation" yet! By the looks of September's Elle Decor (US), they're doing the same. I love love the cover shot with the summery combo of green and yellow. I normally wouldn't be attracted to such a combo, but the way they did it looks fresh, warm, and modern. The inside images are amazing as well. In a nutshell, this house rocks! They definitely have touches of the whole "hollywood glam/regency"- but they didn't go overboard, which could have easily happened and then have become too "theme-y". Instead, they always threw in a suprise element that keeps it balanced and cool. Of course the owners happen to be style makers themselves, (one is an interior decorator, and the other the executive creative director for Coach) but that doesn't mean we can't be inspired by their bright, bold, and beautiful choices. Although, what makes this a wee bit depressing is this is just their "beach house in Southhampton...." oh well... you may not have a complete house as a getaway, but you could maybe transform one room... (that's what I tired to do...) Enjoy your weekend!

mundane aesthetic: traffic sights

Interesting what you can see when you are sitting in your bubble of a car...
in the daily joy that is known as traffic...
(Disclaimer: I do not recommend taking photos while driving. Safety first kids...)
What have you seen while sitting in traffic?

Virginia Johnson

One of the many artists I saw at the NYIGF was Virginia Johnson. She had these great home-textile designs and I just fell in love with her artwork. She also has a clothing line (but since this was a home show, it wasn't really an emphasis.) There's a pureness to her designs that I really appreciated, most of which was inspired by nature. Aside from textiles, she's also an illustrator, doing illustrations for the likes of another favorite of mine, Kate Spade. There's a really interesting audio/slideshow here, that gives you a fun inside look into her creative process. Her latest linesheet had amazing photographs and illustrations that were intermixed with the catalog of pieces, such as these: They're very happy mundane, no? Find out more info here.

paper + Stefana McClure

I was doing a little shredding with my electronic paper shredder (is it just me, or isn't the act of shredding just sooo satisfying?) I started to think about what to do with all that shredded paper... unfortunately, I opted for the model that shreds stuff into confetti (it's a party! hooray!) but if you have the kind that just makes it into strips, well, you might consider doing what Stefana McClure does, and make amazing 3D sculptures out of thin strips of paper. Mocoloco did a little write up on her and I am so fascinated by the map one. Its so brilliant how a flat map of the world, all sliced up, can suddenly become a globe! The map piece is actually 22 inches in diameter! It can be seen here.

Blue Monday: Colgate 360

Its Monday. Yah. Monday. This month's GQ features an interesting side note about the Colgate 360 toothbrush. I actually have been using it for the past few months, and quite enjoy it. Its really hi-tech spacey cool- and I love the gel handle bits. And the blue colorway is purrty... Did you know that it took 4 years to design this toothbrush? Another interesting mundane tidbit: Most people change their grip several times during a typical brushing session.

Martha's gray

This month's Martha Stewart Living is the "decorating issue" and features her amazing kitchen. Just as I was starting to ween myself of my gray obsession, Martha comes and pulls me back in. I love the images of her gray toned kitchen. It feels so fresh and warm with all the textures they put in. The stainless steel, the interesting patterns on the cabinet drawers, the organic glazes of the pottery, the veins in the marble sink... and I love the pops of white. She calls the paint she used on all the wood "Bedford Grey" and apparently this color goes throughout her farm. I also love how the fruit (although just props) totally comes out as an accent. A kitchen is all about food, and with this palette, any food visible really becomes the star. Actually, in retrospect, Martha was the first person that started my gray kick. Back during her Martha Stewart Apprentice show, I became fixated on the dark gray paint that was in her "conference room" set. Currently, I have a few pops of gray in my house, but I think I may need to figure out a few more ways to incorporate it more... hm...

Max Huber

Happy Friday! I recently picked up this incredible book that documents the expansive work of design GOD, Max Huber. The book, published by Phaidon Press, chronicles his variety of designs that were avant garde then, and still hold up today. I love his use of bold shapes and overlapping colors. In art school, he was a frequent source of inspiration and has been highly influential in the design world. This book features some 450 illustrations, many of which have never been published before. Even if you're not graphically inclined, this would make an amazing coffee table book. I've attempted a second try at my "flip through" video, via Youtube. It's still really blurry (because of the compression), but at least it's less shaky.

Hopefully it will inspire you enough to get it, cuz this baby is jam packed with visual goodies!!

(un)friendly skies? there's no place like home...

Well I've finally returned from NY, back into good ol' Irvine, CA. And let me tell ya, my mundane suburban home never looked so good... Now, don't get me wrong. I had a great time in the Big Apple, as I always do. Like the t-shirt says, "I (heart) NY", but yesterday's random chain of events was a great reminder to really appreciate your everyday.On the way to the airport, my colleague and I decided to take the "Airtrain", which we actually took on our last trip, and it was great- $7 ($2 subway fare from Midtown, $5 to actually jump onto the Airtrain monorail thing) as opposed to say a $65+ dollar cab. We found it took about an hour, with all the stops- but that was no big deal. Although, next time, I may seriously reconsider, hehe...We finally arrived at the Howard Beach Station, waiting to board the Airtrain, when a crazy guy started screaming weird things. Stuff like he had a "plastic in his bag".. he knew how to fly a plane...etc... I think most people thought he was just... crazy, but harmless. We thought they would have had security out in seconds to stop him, but instead, it took awhile for the cops to arrive, and everyone was just sorta quiet and staring at the guy. Finally cops came, but then they told everyone to evacuate the area. We all were a little confused, but left the building. About 20 minutes later, they still didn't let us back in, apparently they were trying to make sure the area was secure. No trains were coming in, and we heard that all the stations were stopped. On the one hand, it was great that they were taking no chances, for safety and all. On the other hand, it became clear I was going to miss my flight. We were in the very residential Howards Beach area, with no taxis nearby. Luckily there was one cab service in the area and several of us stranded folks called in. We were able to snag a cab and jet back over to the airport, barely in time to make the second and last Jet Blue flight back to Long Beach.

Then five and a half hours later, we're back in lovely Southern California. Just as we were about to de-board, the captain comes over the loud speaker and goes "Please remain in your seats, we have a passenger that needs some assistance off the plane, and we'd appreciate your patience and cooperation..." I assumed it was some elderly person or perhaps someone disabled, but then suddenly several very large cops came on board. They very calmly took a middle eastern looking man off the plane in cuffs. Yikes! During the flight, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary, but apparently someone must have. No one around me knew what was going on or what the situation was. It was all very hush hush... (sigh) It's definitely a different world out there. So, if you're travelling, be careful kids... and make sure you leave extra time... No matter where you go, there's no place like home...

Well, enough of the travel talk, I will be back tomorrow with lots of fun things to look at... hope everyone else is doing swell!

So many things...

There were sooo many things to look at during the NYIGF. I will need to compile everything as soon as I return, but I will be posting a few things on Apartmenttherapy (los angeles) so check over there today (at around 11:00am PST) to see the neat curtain panel from Umbra and some new and amazing pillows from Lauren Saunders, who I have mentioned before... I will be back home on thursday so stay tuned! Oh- one last geeky note. Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa was there promoting some of her products. She's releasing this brownie mix that I had a sample of- and three words: to. die. for. It has just a kick of espresso in it and I'm snatching up a few boxes of it as soon as I can find some! But, I did get her autograph- because I love Food Network... and I'm a geek. (this was taken with my camera phone because I was too shy -and lame- to ask for a picture with her.)Oh! and speaking of Food Network, thanks to HM reader Riley for recommending the Chelsea Market, which also happens to be the home of Food Network. I had a chocolate croissant this morning there. That place is HUGE!

Blue Tuesday? F&B Güdt Food

So this post should really be for my Blue Monday, but it's Tuesday...anyway, super thanks for all the suggestions everyone gave me for good eats in NYC. Yesterday, I ended up getting a little snack at F&B Good Food, on 23rd street between 7th and 8th. The food was fun and they had a huge selection of interesting items. I guess they are known for their gourmet "haute" dogs, but I opted for their "viking roll." This consisted of battered fish with tomato and horseradhish sauce. I also got some fried green beans with garlic herb butter (yum!) However, of course, being the happy mundane guy that I am, what really got me was the little wood skewer/forks that came with the beans! They were so simple and cute, and actually look like a fun DIY project if you have some popsicle sticks. So, if you're in Manhattan, check out F&B if you need a quick bite.

Monday

Yikes!- Sorry for the lack of a post today- Hopefully I'll be up to speed tomorrow- Currently in NYC covering the gift show, so I've got lots of happymundane things (and some un-mundane, but total eyecandy) to share... stay tuned!

NY good eats?

So next week I'll be in NY again to cover the NYIGF. My hotel is located in Chelsea, on West 25th- Any of you NY readers have any good food places nearby to recommend? I'm pretty open to anything, but ideally not toooooo expensive... Also, I'll have at least one day to trapse around town, so any other recommendations of any new stores/hotspots/etc...would be appreciated!...

Post its

"I invented Post-its"... Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion

Actually, did you know that Art Fry and Spencer Silver actually invented Post-its back in 1977? Yup, you can now impress your friends at parties with this knowledge... But anyways, I love Post-its. Even though there are all sorts of electronic gadgets to help you stay organized or remind you of things, there's still something I find endearing about those little square paper tabs. It's even become art! Über coolness Giant Robot (@ GR2) is having an exhibition in Los Angeles called "Post Deux" The show will have nearly 2000 works by 32 noted contributors for only $20! They are all the standard 3"x3" Post-it notes (although there are a few 4"x4" and 6"x6" that cost a bit more)
I love the flyer's accompanying visual, just a wall of Post-its. It reminds me of that brilliant ad campaign that Banana Republic had a few years back, where they used hot pink Post-It notes to coincide with a "work" theme, and also used them for their window displays. Someone actually did a wall in their house using the same concept, that was seen via the last Smallest Coolest contest on Apartment Therapy. There's even people doing Post-it mosaics! Every office I've worked at, I've also created some sort of Post-it collage of phone numbers, notes, etc.. that would continually grow. Kinda like a mini gallery... Do any of you do this too?