Marthe Armitage Hand Printed Wallpapers

A recent article in the BBC's Gardens Illustrated featured the work of Marthe Armitage.

A British treasure, Armitage began making wallpaper after WWII and to this day, cuts the lino blocks and does the printing herself. Her papers are now carried by Hamilton Weston Wallpapers & Design. They render me -- nearly -- speechless. Apparently, if you place an order, you can ask for a color of your choice, but the artist is in charge of the final color she uses. I can imagine some of my pickier friends who love to control all decorating details freaking out at this.

The design above is Tansy. The two below are Hops. Both are courtesy of Hamilton Weston. There are 24 designs in all. The Hops on Gold, is something I never thought I would like, but it is lovely.

My daughter suggested that I go and apprentice with her. I would love to. Marthe is also a member of the Bloomsbury group Art Workers Guild.

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Categorizing PIECES -- Atlanta

I was admiring a very cool chandelier in the "what's hot" section of Elle Decor recently.

The store's url was listed and so I visited the Atlanta store Pieces. (Note: it is also a 1stdibs shop) Yes, the store has lots of cool stuff, but what I like about it is that it categorizes it's wares not just by function, but by color -- which is FUN! Am I obsessed? I'm rather like that with my collections, although I do shapes too. Time to get back to work!
Wonderful hand blown etched glass.
And a raincoat for my imaginary whippet Hermes.

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Whimsical Textile Design -- Coral and Tusk

A friend told me about the wonderful textile designer Stephanie Housley of Coral and Tusk.

Brooklyn-based Housley mostly confines herself to tee shirts and onesies for babies and little children, but she has a couple of pillows that are really fun. She is a RISD grad who spends part of the year in India; in fact she is there right now, so I had to lift images from her Etsy store. She uses organic cotton almost exclusively. Check out this humorous Hungry Whale pillow. $120.00.

The Baby Goat shirt, below, best exemplifies her talent with thread. Amazing. Cute kid. $46.00.


The whimsical detail in this shirt called Crab Claw Crusher is a story in itself. Note the jellyfish and the charming little crabs. $70.00.


A Circus Tent onesie would be a fabulous baby gift. A cool summer outfit for any wiggley baby. $46.00

Pinchy Whale. Great name. I think I love her sensibility as much as her designs. $46.00.

Finally -- and I would love to have this one in an adult size shirt -- my favorite design (if pressed) is called Leaf Cutter Ants. $46.00.

Prices are a little high for every day, but perfect for a special gift. Coral and Tusk products can also be found at Acorn Toy Shop and Sweet William in Brooklyn as well as John Derian in Manhattan.

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Socket (deer) to You!

Short post. I'm surrounded by deer. But this takes the cake.

They eat everything in the garden. So why not start the year with a minimalist post in a post-consumptive world on these very cool deer electrical outlet covers. The idea is that you put your mobile phone on the wall for charging. Antlers for all three types of deer are the perfect shape to hold things, so it is simplicity itself. Made of durable urethane rubber they are unbreakable. You could also use them on light switch covers for keys. The company, nendo, is based in Tokyo and Milano. Sweet.

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MiX Design Store -- Guilford CT

I did a ton of Christmas shopping last week at MiX Design Store on the Guilford Green.

I wrote a little about MiX in a very early post on Middle Kingdom porcelain, which I love and will never have enough of. I know, bad grammar, but who's watching? I also like these placemats. The ultimate recycle (!) using old NY and LA Times newspapers that are covered with plastic or wax or something so that they can be easily cleaned. The company also makes bags that can be used as hampers or for shopping. There is a collection of reclaimed road signs that are artfully done. Not sure if I really want to be reminded of I-95 (EVER) but it's a fun photo.
These Pantone mugs come in fabulous colors with fun names. The blue one second from the left lists: Aquarium, Sea Glass, King Tut, and Duck. Duck? I bought some of these for my artsy friends. It was impossible to choose colors. I loved them all.
The women who own MiX -- it isn't even a year old -- are wise to a fault. They are so smart (and maybe a little bit lucky considering the economy), becacause they have amazingly affordable pricepoints. I think I bought at least 7 really nice presents, maybe more and spent only $105.

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Whimsical Bench Ad Designs -- Good way to start the week

I found a wonderful post on bench ads from Toxel. I have only posted a few.

Nestle's Kit Kat. The "hot cup" Erasco bench from Young & Rubicam, Germany.

From the Calgary Zoo a special stroller. Look closely.
This Czech liquor company, Becherovka, has a slogan "Get closer".

And finally a bench sponsored by Slim Fast. I didn't even know they still made that stuff.

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Ann Lightfoot Jewelry at New York Mag's Best Bets for the Whole Family

Ann Lightfoot, who I recently posted about here, will be one of many wonderful vendors featured at New York Magazine's Best Bets for the Whole Family sale in NYC on Saturday Dec 6th. I'm offering $10.00 of admission. Read on. . . .

The sale is located at the Altman Building, 135 W 18th St. from 11am - 7pm. There will be more than 40 exhibitors and STUFF up to 60% off, with activities and free admission for kids! I looked at the vendors and there are some great companies. LOTS of kid stuff. They are partnering with a really great sounding charity called Room to Grow, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development. I'm excited to see the people from Greenwich Press; I love the concept of letterpress. Admission is $20.00. If you'd like a $10.oo off coupon for admission, send me a note in the comments section.

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SONG -- Not Your Everyday Calendar

Actually SONG is precisely an every day calendar. What was I thinking.

.I was having lunch in a very crowded RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT yesterday when a woman sat down and pulled out her calendar. Its distinct shape reminded me that it was time to give Jan a nudge and get some images for my blog. My friends Jan & Peter have come out with their 16th (?) annual Calendar in a Can(nister). This year the theme is SONG. They are the talent behind Cummings & Good a graphic design firm. Each month of this limited edition calendar has art, often by Jan or Peter, that is thematically related to SONG. There are quotes -- on topic of course. A full sized image from the month of April can be seen here, but I'm not willing to anger the blogspot demons by trying to post it. The unusual format of the calendar takes a bit of getting used to (more on that later), but its distinct shape means it's really easy to find a place to hang it. Back to the format. The weekends are always a different color than the weekdays, so once you get accustomed to that little tidbit, you'll be much closer to knowing where to look. I pass this on, because it took me years to figure that out. It's available on the C&G website, at the aforementioned RJ Julia and at Landis Gifts and Stationery in Los Angeles. Note: The introduction to the calendar, is a charming poem by their son Justin, and quite the departure from past years.

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Log Bowls from Canada

I was poking around in the gallery at Made this weekend and found these beautiful log bowls from Loyal Loot design collective.

Made for local reclaimed logs, they are then aged before applying the paint. I like the tension between the known natural aspect of the wood against the glossy, well matched paint. And what colors! Designed by Doha Chebib, they can be found at Matter in NYC and Brooklyn and Rose & Radish, San Francisco and Kit Interiors, Calgary and Made, Toronto. They are not intented to come in contact with food. Prices range in price from $55 to $245.

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Ann Lightfoot Jewelry -- Just in Time

My friend Ann Lightfoot creates wonderful jewelry that seems more timely now than ever.

I've admired Ann's work for years. Her designs are simple yet elegant. There is sense of nature without being granola-ish. Having worked Thailand and having traveled extensively in Asia, many of her designs employ Asian, South American and African beads and pendants. Her work has appeared in Lucky and Bon Appetite. I love these small blue beads. Wearing it I felt like someone in Mad Men. Ann'e website is under construction, but can be found here. Glee, a small chain of boutiques in CT and MA carry her designs in addition to the Florence Griswold Museum.

While I don't wear much jewelery, this necklace reminds me of something I saw on Michell Obama earlier this year. It's also reminiscent of another famous O -- Jackie O. So classic. So in the spirit of "change we can believe in", I'll be sporting my new Ann Lightfoot loot.

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Grill pan with a secret

Saw this in Gourmet recently and again today on Cooking.com.

Not only is this Fagor cast aluminum grill pan attractive to look at, but its even heat distribution ensures lower energy consumption and faster cooking. The pan also has a secret that makes it ideal for those of you with tiny kitchens. The handle is detachable for easier storage.

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Winter is coming and the steam room at my gym is broken

Saw this impeccably designed humidifier on Swiss Miss.

There are few household items uglier than the modern humidifier. I simply refuse to have one in my little 18 century home. But this one, by the Japanese firm Middle Colors is timeless and lovely. Designed by Takashi Hiroshi Tsuboi, it is capable of producing steam for up to ten hours and if you read Japanese, you can buy it here. These colors are luscious.

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Table or Tray?

My friend John Simoudis pointed out the German contemporary furniture firm e15.

Sure I like contemporary, but often find it difficult to incorporate it in my tiny18th century house. More about that another time. . . . So I was quite delighted to find this dynamite coffee table, the Habibi, that doubles as a tray. Or is it vice versa?
Handmade, it is available in polished brass and stainless steel and each tray is spun and polished. Designed by Philipp Mainzer, they come untreated by chemicals (another plus) and will age accordingly, but of course you could polish it and keep it as is. I'll update on the price and availability.

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Patterns: Paisley

For the past few weeks, I've been musing on paisley. It's a classic. One week, I couldn't find anything worth mentioning. The next I was inundated with images.

The perforated lanterns, above are from River, the wonderful shop in Essex CT belonging to my friends John and Joe. No one has better taste than they do. No 1. They opened in a new location there and it has changed the balance of the town. The following three images are Etro products. A tray, a throw that no Iphone can do justice to and a gorgeous tablecloth. I have successfully edited out Joe's leg. Cute as it might be. A word on Etro. The website is darling; not too great as a functioning site, but darling. Check it out.




Crate & Barrel sports this pillow along with some paisley linens.





Target has an understated paisley shower curtain reminiscent of Les Indiennes









And three good examples from the Bergdorf Goodman website. Check out the Stephen Dweck engraved paisley (silver?) earrings.





Love the Loro Piana cashmere scarf here.



Stella McCartney has the asymmetrical paisley print dress. Might have to see this in person.

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