If you remember awhile back I introduced you to the lovely General Store. Well, on that particularly typical San Francisco day (the air was very heavy, misty, and cool) I walked right by Outerlands and I've been dying to share it with you ever since. (So, please forgive me for the delay.) There is a particular warmth and loveliness to it that exists in a particular time and space. It reminds me of when I first moved to this city and everyday here was still magical to me. Outerlands could only exist where the sea becomes the air, holds you for awhile, and returns to the sea.
I asked Lana Porcello how it came to be, for I had a sneaking suspicion that it was pulled together of their own accord. I'm always interested in the process of how spaces are created since I know the process is anything but straight forward and requires the help of many. I'm also interested in the juxtaposition of spaces that are truly designed by their owner/creators or designers/architects. As an example of the former, I hope you enjoy their story as much as I did.
"My husband, David Muller, and I designed the space, and had assistance from many friends putting it together...here are some of the people who helped:
The wood concept on the walls, which was done with salvaged fence boards, was created by Keith Aderholdt.
The chairs were built by Hogan Kania, a 20 year old craftsman who used recycled barnwood from his hometown of Marin.
The rounded counter and benches were built by a family friend, Eric Roberts, who is also a master luthier and guitar player.
David and I collected materials and worked on construction slowly over the course of a year, during which we had time to collect bits of driftwood here and there at OB and along the coast from Monterey to Bodega Bay. When we finally had enough, David put it together in the patterns on the front counter and over the loft. It was all a wonderful adventure in finding materials and thinking about how we could incorporate them, and the result was an almost 100% salvaged interior! It was also, as I said, the work of many other helping hands who donated time, skills, and ideas to the process."
all photography by Eric Wolfinger
What is traveling without a little place to stop and share old stories, have a glass of wine and a little something to warm your belly. L'Express is the perfect place to do so. It reminds me of of those classic places we all fall in love with. The service was friendly and helpful, the food well presented and delightful. I adore the oh so simple and elegant light fixtures. Thank-you Viviana for a lovely afternoon. xo
By the way, I did take in your suggestions and really tried to make it to Au Pied au Cochon but it seems it is one of those places... you know the ones, the ones that you have to make a reservation way over a month in advance and maybe even two months to get in to. C'est le vie... sigh
After our lovely late lunch we wondered right in to this sweet little tea shop. I'm not much of a tea drinker but I wanted to buy nearly every canister off of every dear shelf. Has anyone had this lovely tea? Is it as delicious as its packaging?
And a couple steps away was a darling little shop, Couleurs, that might have been VERY dangerous for me if I didn't live so very far away. The prices were unbelievable (in a good way) and there were so many dreamy items. I did however snap up some glassware for the Mister's birthday upon my return. His Birthday falls nearly on the day of my half birthday!
Of course the very best part of the trip was meeting up and catching up with a dear dear friend. Love you Viv!
So of course, I couldn't miss Habitat 67 by Moshe Safdie. Here are a few photos from my trespassing expedition. A gentleman came up to me at one point... I thought for sure I was about to be kicked out but he told me about the upper deck and that if I carried my bike up there I could get a better view. Sometimes it is nice to look unassuming. I took many more photos of course but I thought these were interesting since they are of views you don't normally see of Habitat.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. We're going up to our friends ranch house. You remember right. It will be a nice change from our very cold and very present San Francisco summer.
Of course I had to venture into touristy locales... but hey they are architecturally significant touristy locales. So here we have the Biosphere, uh not the Biodome. Montréalers how did you end with two Bio's. I loved the story from my co-worker Martine who is from Montréal. She told me the Biosphere reminds her of high school days when it was still closed from the fire and everyone would climb into it and hang out illegally. Sounds like a very teenagery thing to do no? (yes I'm aware I'm making up many words here) But I love how a story or memory imbues a place with meaning.
The one thing I would have loved to have seen (since it is an environmental museum of sorts) is rooftop gardens on all of those overlapping steel platforms. Wouldn't you?
Just a few images from my ride along the water on my way to Habitat on Bixi in Montréal. Did I already tell you how great Bixi is?
Would anyone like to sponsor a trip to Paris for me? I'm in desperate need or else I'll miss this exhibit. Tears will be forming shortly so be in touch soon. While you're at it, if you'd like to throw in a short jaunt to Marseilles for this exhibition I'll throw in a kiss or two.
And for the final post on SIDIM we have A.J a duo who works in ceramics and glass to create quite a stunning contrast. I could surely see their offerings at Rare Device or perhaps the SFMOMA. Couldn't you?
Bleu Nature who you might be familiar with showcased some new stools/side tables of raw wood encased in resin.
Broullte light fixtures are constructed with Concrete bases and hand painted or handstiched shades. Nothing jawdroppingly new but beguiling and warm. It was also great to see them in a few shops around town.
And finally Couper Croiser. I was debating whether to include them mostly because the carpets are made with vinyl... a somewhat dirty word here in California. But their designs were playful and well thought out. They were also seemed very accommodating to any project you might throw at them and you can see evidence of this on their site.
Overall a delightful show, although word on the street was it was a bit thin this year. If that is so I look forward to seeing how following years compare. Have any of you been to SIDIM? What did you think? Were you a designer that exhibited? How did you do? And for those of you in the know would you say that SIDIM is a good measure of designers from Canada and Montreal?
I just adore Stephanie's (of even*cleveland) imaginary outfits. They are perfectly to the tee the wardrobe I wish existed in my closet! And wouldn't she be the very best friend to have over before you go on a trip. I am the worst packer... I fret through the whole process that I'll be missing that key piece, when what actually ends up happening is that I'm just carrying around way too much and I don't sleep the night before. It's the shoes that get me everytime. What about you? Do you carry your whole closet or are you very disciplined and methodical about your packing routine?
Good God that top ensemble is killing me...
One of my favorite parts of SIDIM was the section set apart for Québec Eco-design. A presentation from three Montréal universities, Concordia University, Université de Montréal, and Université du Québec a Montréal. The focus was to present the eco-conscienceness of today's graduates. I think it would be really lovely to see more exhibits like these in the coming years at SIDIM.Not only were the projects thoughtful so was the presentation of them.
The lovely Victoria of SFgirlbybay has arranged a massive collective of bloggers to participate in Pin it Forward. A little way to connect us all while sharing what Home Means to Me (or you or you or you) I think I'd rather think of it as daydream wishes of home. Above are some of the images I've collected but if you would like to see more just head right over here. Also in the spirit of the name there is a blogger behind me and one just in front have a look see at what Home means to them.
How about all of you? Are there inherent characteristics to Home? Is home where you are currently or where you grew up? Is it important to be surrounded by items that bring up memories and good thoughts? Or is it something more austere and ephemeral? Is it a structure that houses you or the people in your life that make it home to you? Or both? I find this an incredibly difficult question to answer for Home can be so many things. This was also one of the first assignments I had in architecture school.
For me it doesn't have to be large, just big enough for
A Kitchen that functions well so you can nourish your loved ones
A place where you can create, read and well...nourish your mind and your soul
A place where you keep your Mister close
A place to invite friends
A place to be surrounded by greenery, sunshine, and fresh air
A place to be reminded of those memories, yours, and those that came before you
A place to fill with pieces that speak to you, poetry, a chair you love to read in, a desk to write letters
A place filled with textures and color
I've also moved quite a bit in my life so home is where I am now.
Pinterest is an interesting tool to collect these images... and a much easier way to organize your thoughts and finds since it is a visual tool. I have just one minor complaint. I think its great to use with blogs but I often want to pin images directly from others portfolios and it seems Pininterest doesn't recognize all image types and while I understand that its difficult to grab images from flash sites what about the others?
p.s. Sorry, I dropped the ball on this one... I had in my mind that my Pin it Forward date was Tuesday the 7th... and as I've just realized as I wrote this it's Tuesday the 8th. Whoops ;0
Finally, I'm able to get you some highlights of SIDIM. These were some of my personal favorites. Molo, of course, is always a favorite. I'm sure most of you are familiar with their paper construction designs. What was so delightful about this years presentation was this show utilized their construction to set up quite a few of the presentation areas for the exhibitors, so there was Molo nearly everywhere you turned. And I also had a chance to meet the charming Stephanie Forsythe one of the designers behind Molo.
Below Molo is Toy Toy and ingenious idea utilizing cardboard to create furniture and accessories for little ones. I can't help but hope they develop some play houses and environments too like these kids already have.
The roof slate blackboards caught my eye and was pleasantly surprised that the slate was a reused material from the designer's own roof.
And the last photo was not so much a favorite, I actually didn't bother writing it down because their were so many at SIDIM... dare I say we might have reached saturation point on all this vertical garden business? Although if anyone needs a little indoor greenery I'm sure it would be those with a very cold winter a la Montréal.
The container units were fun to see as another way to hold exhibitors but I would have loved to see it be a presentation of modular housing instead. What do you think?
I really loved the inventive pieces by Porcelaines Bousquet. I could really see these in several of the restaurants in town. Thyme flavored Fritz in those cones with some aioli on the side. mmm
And Tati B's charming girls won my heart almost immediately. Couldn't you just see them at any of the little sweet shops popping up all over town? Especially Miette or maybe even the Candystore? Someone please throw a cupcake party I want to see Tati B's china populated with sweet treats!
So in the first of my Montréal posts, I had to mention how I got around Montréal. Bixi! What a great idea! A rental bike service located in most parts of the city which allow you to take out a bike and then return it at whatever station you like around town for $5 a day. I love this so much because, to be honest, I'm not such a fan of taxis (they are usually way too expensive and hard to find), buses and the metro can be a pain, and walking is sometimes just well... too slow. My only gripe, you have to check in every 30 minutes, Really? I'm sorry, but a bike ride out to Habitat 67 complete with trespassing and riding up upon its second level while snapping as many photos as possible takes a whole lot longer then 30 minutes Bixi.
Forgive me for this quick detour... since I don't normally include such items as skimpy things one might wear poolside or romping around sandy dunes but I had such a great experience with Malia Mills swimwear I had to share.
(warning expletive filled rant, so if your sensitive I warned you)
First lets expound on the indecencies of most swimwear in general. Why does everyone sell them in S,M,L? My measurements do not comprehend S,M,L? Why do the majority of outlets still sell the tops and bottoms together? How many women do you know who's ass measures the same as her bust?!! I read somewhere recently that only 8% of women fall into that hourglass shape, a whole whopping 8%! And if we all buy different bra sizes why in the hell can we not order different bathing suit sizes. And finally why does every shop carry their special sizes (anything that falls out of the range of s,m,l) only online??!!! (Also, J Crew why do your special sizes colors not match any of your bottoms except for black?) Don't you think that the special sizes need to try on their suits too? Probably more so than the very very lucky ladies that fall into the s,m,l range.
So to top off my bathing suit predicament I'm also a bit on the picky side. Who knew right? A designer who is picky and wants a suit that is stylish? I hadn't bought a new bathing suit in 8 years, but I was loving all the the retro suits coming out right now and knew I was going to have to dive in to all this madness. That meant that I was more than likely going to have to order a whole shit-ton of suits have them sent to my house and try them all on as they randomly arrive at different times and then pay to have them all sent back. Argh! As if this process wasn't hard enough I would basically have to pay to try the suits on. That is until I found out that Malia Mills was across the bay. Yea!
(Now back to the nice, cute and cuddly parts)
They are on the expensive side but how often do you buy a suit? If you don't have a shop near you they have a size specialist so you can order online. Sarah, of the Larkspur Landing Store, graciously assisted me with several styles, colors, and sizes and researched sizes they didn't have in the shop. It was by far the smoothest, easiest bathing suit shopping experience I have ever experienced. I walked out with a high-waisted two piece I will be proudly wearing for years to come. And perhaps if the economy continues to improve it won't be another 8 years until I purchase another suit. I doubt I'll be shopping anywhere else again. Just one itty bitty complaint, finding the shop was a bit difficult coming from the city.
*photos above are of the Larkspur Landing shop.
I have mixed feelings about these types of farewell posts... they seem so impersonal and disingenuous but since I had been planning to post this photo of Louise anyway (I was stalling b/c I had to scan it) I thought why not. It is the most amazing photo of her! Her person shines right through.
The copy on the bottom reads...
Louise Bourgeois in a Helmut Lang ad (1997) "Helmut Lang asked me to take a picture of Louise. I asked if it was important to show any objects or clothes, and he said, 'No, but I made a little crown for her and maybe she'll wear it, maybe she won't'"
I first came across Louise's work at the Louisiana (how apropos) in Denmark. I was dumbfounded, I just kept thinking... 'Why have I never heard of this woman before? By God she's in her 90's and I've never heard of her!!!'
I felt a bit angry about that.
I also felt her put into form and words similar pains I had carried. The pain of finding out your father was unfaithful to your mother. The pain of having to grow up before you were ready because of the unraveling of your family. The urgent need you feel to protect your mother even though she is a couple decades older than you. The anger you feel at being betrayed by it all. Perhaps she is one of the first artists that allowed me to make the connection of the ability to channel that inner chaos into a creative instead of a destructive outlet. I'm still learning how to do this. And in her words...
Art is a guaranty of sanity.
Some other things you might want to know
Unless otherwise noted, all work © Kelly Waters.
If you re-blog my photos or work, please do link back to me.
I try my best to always link back to designers, artists, photographers, chefs, architects, funny people, Misters, supermodels, textile dj industrialists or whomever catches my eye and I end up posting about here but if for some reason you aren't happy with the recognition please say so and I will banish you, um er, remove the post immediately.
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