Melancholia

I'm dying to see this film. Have any of you seen it yet? Lars von Trier said something to the effect that Justine, Kirsten Dunst's character,  suffers from a melancholy and it's very much a tribute to his own depression. I find this infinitely interesting as I've suffered from it myself on and off through the years (My Grandmother always asks me if "I'm happy" and I find this such an inane question. There seems to be more to life than happiness. No?) and I somehow can find comfort in something like disappearing into the sea on a moonlit night. Don't worry, I'm not going to walk down to the ocean on the next full moon but I do understand her solace at the end of the world in some very strange way. 

By the way the website for the film is really beautifully put together. Have a look.

Studio Mama

 
So I've known about Studio Mama for awhile but when a dear friend recently sent me her way to check out her trustle tables I was stunned by how much her portfolio has grown over the past few years. To be be perfectly honest if my portfolio kept heading in this direction I would be beyond ecstatic. A little this and a little that makes a gal happy... Or at least makes this gal happy.


I've included some of my favorite pieces from her portfolio...


The Beach Chalet above.
The Branch Out trustles
And her genius 1x1 Range


I also discovered something else. Nina Tolstrup is responsible for some of my favorite city guides. Guides I found while walking down some itty bitty side street in Copenhagen and into some itty bitty publisher on a rainy cold day. I had no idea! What a fun find. 

Thanks Silvia for reacquainting me with Nina's work. And as a p.s. Silvia was in Copenhagen the year before I was from the same school and the only person from that school that year too. Funny, no?

p.p.s. This week seems to have a Danish theme already. So completely not planned. Just like last week's Los Angeles theme.

photo credits: 
Beach Chalet - Nina Tolstrup 
Branch Out - Hector Serrano
1x1 - Richard Davies

A Danish Winter

Incredible styling no? I have to admit that most stylists I've come across I've yet to understand their contribution to a shoot. I just feel that shooting an individual's home (which is the only kind of shoot in all fairness I've been involved with) is much more interesting when it's left the way the individuals live in it...granted a cleaned up version of such but also not too cleaned up. I prefer the Selby's version of doing such things. Or any of the many other individuals that have braved the interior shooting world as of late. 


Of course this is different when say shooting a fantasy like fashion shoot or a catalogue like above then styling certainly has it's place and this is where it really shines. I came across Gubi's catalogue while doing some furniture research about a month ago. I love how moody the shots are and they reminded me of that true Danish winter. Just different shades of gray...different shades of moody gray.

Some old things...

 
Remember awhile back when I was working on a little side project. Well darling Liana of Apartment Therapy and Amourette took a gawk and said hey would you like to do a little DIY on Apartment Therapy? Well, how could I say no? Thanks Liana! If you want to see the step by step click on through.

 

The Bronx

 
Charged with coming up with the Holiday Cocktail this year the Mister and I (well mostly the Mister, I just taste-tested and gave my opinion, good job I have no?) took inspiration from this old booklet we found at Belle Mere's house. Aren't those illustrations gorgeous? We had to tweak the recipe a bit more to our liking though. Here's what we did. 

-2oz. Old Tom Gin (or whatever gin you prefer) 
-1oz Sweet Vermouth (we like Antica) 
-1/2 oz Dry Vermouth -1/2 squeezed Orange (we use Organic Valencia) 
Shake it up (or stir) and serve in chilled glass and garnish with an orange peel and cherry (we use Luxardo Maraschino cherries and not that fluorescent variety)

Sunday...

So sorry, the fun post didn't happen today... not my fault but it got delayed until Friday. So instead I send you rainbows from yesterday looking out from the rear deck. Apparently the pot of gold is either inside that church (which recently painted it's steeple blue! What is the matter with them?) or right smack in the middle of downtown. Who found it? And do you want to take me out to dinner?


What are all you lovelies doing for Thanksgiving? I'm thinking of posting a Holiday cocktail tomorrow. It usually falls to us to come up with one and I think the Mister has perfected it. Stand by.

Heath & Geoff

 
So I surely missed the opening but I'm hoping to make it there before it closes. Just love me some Geoff McFetridge. (gaah will you check out that painting at the end of the table.) And what a genius collaboration no? And I'm going to wonder out loud a little bit here... Heath, you are a bay area company with deep roots so why do you keep having all the awesome shows in LA?! Just sayin, I'm an LA lover and all but I'm starting to feel like the forgotten ex-wife up here. That is if I were speaking for the Bay Area, which I'm not;) 

p.s. I have a fun post planned for Monday! 

photos via Heath, Poketo and Geoff.

Salon of Beauty

 
I fully realize that this will be all over the blogosphere before I know it but I couldn't help but re-post as it was love at first sight with Ana Serrano's installation Salon of Beauty as soon as I read about it via the ever talented Alissa Walker. Head on over to read all about it and WATCH that video! Hmmm, I've got a bit of Los Angeles theme this week. What can I say a piece of my heart will always reside there.

all photos via Ana Serrano

Reyner Banham

 
Reyner Banham and his book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies got me through my thesis when I returned home to Los Angeles from Denmark. He was my only remaining support. I kid but well... not so much but that's a longer story than I'd like to tell here. 

All I can say is if you are an Angeleno it's a must read and if you aren't and you are one of the many that sneer at or dismiss Los Angeles, it's a must read. 

I had no idea there was footage relating to the book. What a great find! 
via modcinema*

A little green Monday

A few new plantings around the house. The sugar mold and cacti aren't new but it took me awhile to figure that a cactus and not a succulent worked best. 

I'm not sure what that leafed cactus is (anyone?) but they are growing like weeds! 4 to 5 inches since I got them. I hope I don't have to re-plant any time soon. 

And then there is the terrarium, I just got tired of not being able to see anything in there so I switched from a rainforest type planting to a bog type planting. We'll see how it goes. It's always an experiment.

Wha?!

 
Alright, alright. No need to yell. Heee, Happy Friday everyone. 

(perhaps a funny holiday gift for the boss?) 

via Steady Print Shop

Bitter Sweet

 
This post is a little bitter sweet as this was one of the walks I would take Buddy on. He left us last Sunday to move on to a real trainer. I loved to take him to the enclosed dog park and then the little boat launch where he was scared but intrigued by the seaweed, carried around the empty mussel shells like a prize left by the seagulls especially for him, and overall complexed and confused by the water but again so curious about it. He was so adorable to watch as he obviously loved this spot. I loved that the little beast got me outside on walks.


The walk was around one of the enclosed dog parks and moved around the water inlet at 3rd street. A loop of contrasts modern and new and on land on the on one side and original, a bit hippie and on water on the other. I've always romanticized living on a houseboat like Anais Nin in Paris or like sweet  Pia Jane Pijkerk in Amsterdam but I'm not sure my imaginings would add up to reality (part of that is they are right by the sewer treatment plant and well... it stinks! I hope they are fixing that.) here in San Francisco But I love their originality and personality and I wish their were more. I'm pretty sure these are the only houseboats in San Francisco.

 
The antlers kill me.  And do you see the sweet bird in the second photo? 
   
I can't help but love the freeways as a little reminder of Los Angeles. 
   
One of the apartment buildings seems to have free, what are those things? canoes? Oh whatever, just unlock the gate take it to the boat launch and get in the water!
   
I thought that green was oh so perfect and I love the mural/tilework on the back side of the sewage treatment plant. (Now if they could only get rid of the smell) The flora in the area is incredible too and with the added benefit of restoring Mission Creek to it's original pristine beginnings. 
 

Zero One

 
Came across Zero 01 the other day....umm they are on their 7th issue? How am I missing these things? Just busy I guess. Incredible interviews, incredible photographs, oh so lovely to see Mondo-blogo's place.... ah hem Patrick Parrish and Patrick we want to know more about Jessica! 

all photos via 01

A contemporary interior in Rio: Guest Post Jorge Soares

 
A contemporary interior in Rio

Since I moved back to Rio I've been complaining about how I miss being around brand new design displayed in contemporary spaces. Kelly heard a lot about that - our friendship been born and nurtured inside LIMN in all its glory. And there I was again bitching about that with my friends at 021, where I go to see what's new from time to time. Then Ricardo just pointed to Luiza by his side and asked if I wanted to take photos of her home, and she smiled agreeing. Now that's another reason why I visit the shop: they are the nicest people. And so I found myself a couple of days later on my way to Barra Da Tijuca, a neighborhood on the western part of Rio a bit bigger than the city of San Francisco, along the coast of a 28 miles long beach. It began being developed in the 1970's and is the place of tall spaced buildings, luxurious shopping centers and car-driven lifestile. A far cry from my usual walkabouts. That's just what I wanted this time. Fresh views. 

Luiza Bottino lives there with her husband Leonardo Conrado, just a block away from the beach and with a wide slice of blue water view. She is a lawyer who fell in love with design, left her job to go to design school and found herself nestled at 021 in a very short time. She favors clean lines, lots of light and lack of clutter. Her home has some excellent Brazilian contemporary design, and I will mention some examples. The two armchairs at the veranda ( by Pedro Mendes), the yellow table nearby (by Marcelo Ligieri), the two wooden armchairs at this table (by Paulo Alves). Inside the room, the dining table is by Studio Schuster, the white bench is by Flavio Borsato and Mauricio Lamosa, the two yellow side tables by Jader de Almeida. I spent a glorious morning there - thanks, Luiza. 
   
All photos and content by Jorge Soares

Thank you for seeing me

 
Well, hello again.... well last week was kind of a pathetic return wasn't it. I promise I have good reasons for being absent for which I'll share soon. I'm a little superstitious and would hate to jinx the good luck of a certain offer.


But during my incredibly busy week last week I was catching up on my podcasts as I worked away. One of them being DnA (Design and Architecture) a radio show out of Los Angeles. (It's fantastic you should seriously check it out, seriously! Frances Anderton is it.) Well, while listening I heard Kat Fowler speak about her project "thank you for seeing me" on kickstarter. A project I was too late to donate towards but one I was instantly attracted to for a few reasons. One, I've always thought Los Angeles (yes that hunking big city with a massive car culture) would be a great city to ride your bike in. In fact I did ride to work for a whole year. But to tell you the truth that car culture makes it pretty scary. It's not much better in San Francisco and we have a few more hills. But with all the tension between drivers and riders I always thought it was too polarized and wondered how could we create a fun smart campaign that makes you laugh a little and brings people together instead of further apart.


"Thank you for seeing me" does just that. It says HEY, that big car you drive could really hurt me so thanks for being aware that I'm here. Instead of the opposite which is soooo easy to fall into.... which goes a little something like this. "Hey Mother*&^%*** you almost f*#@%ing killed me you piece of sh*$! You know something you want to say to that bus driver that almost ran you over (seriously I was pinned between the bus and the curb) and then the guy that gets off the bus says "you know you should really be more careful" You know, if something like that happened to you, you might be a little hostile. But on the other end I've gotten pretty angry at other bicyclists that don't have lights on at night or run red lights. Because where would I be if I ran over you and it was YOUR fault and I was thrown in jail or you were killed or or or... you see where this all goes. So a little courtesy on the road would be oh soooo nice. Don't you think? Head on over and check it out.


In other bicycle news Mikael of Copenhagen Cycle Chic has gone and created an index of the top 20 most bike-friendly cities. Pretty smart no? What a great way to get cities to strive for a place on the list and improve their cities standing. To be honest I'm actually surprised San Francisco made the list.


logo via TYFSM
Photos via Copenhagen Cycle Chic (p.s. I have NOT tried that umbrella move, I mean coffee in one hand yes but an umbrella?! That thing catches wind. Wow!)

p.s. Get ready for a super super guest post from Jorge tomorrow.