Cleaning the DWR Way

Put on your apron. Your Fog apron that is.

I was about to recycle the large DWR catalog this afternoon, decided to look through it. Wow! There are all sorts of cool items for the home. Obviously with the economy going to hell in a hand basket, shopping is . . . perhaps ill-advised. Nevertheless, there are great ideas for the home and super ideas for gifts. The Fog Linen apron, by Japanese designer Yumiko Sekine is a good place to start. The complete collection, which can be seen on the DWR website, is made from linen from Lithuania is said to get softer and more absorbent over time.

I also found this useful little item. The table brush, part of the collection by Swedish designer Iris Hantwerk, is impressive in that it's almost, but not cute. It is so compact. I love things that are perfectly contained. Gotta love the business model too. According to DWR, "they hire and support visually impaired craftspeople" to make these wonderful everyday objects.
So Stop. Do not send this one out to recycle. Take another look.

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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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Try it For a CHANGE

I'm going to my first Tweet-up of CT-Rhode Island Twitter people tonight and thought I'd bring a prize for the organizer, Joe Cascio.

My friend Carol from Ashlawn Farm has created the Obama and the McCain Blends. The former fly out of the shop. You can order the latter from the website, but there aren't any on the shelves because it's not a big seller. The Obama blend is described as:

A sweet, balanced blend of dark and light roasted coffees from Kenya, Java and the Americas. Try it for a change.

The McCain blend as:

A light-roasted, highly caffeinated coffee. This edgy, strong, and reliable single origin, is grown in the hills of Vietnam.

I know that Carol tried to find beans from Panama because that's where McCain was born, but there was some snag.

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South African Architecture Firm Wins Curry Prize

MMA Architects was awarded the inaugural $100,000 Curry Stone Design Prize yesterday in Louisville for their 10 x 10 Design Indaba House or Sand Bag House.

The concept is so cool. Google it if you want to see more photographs. This will certainly have applications in other areas of the world. This year’s prize jurors – journalist John Hockenberry; architect David Adjaye; designer Renny Ramakers; prize founder Clifford Curry; and Michael Speaks, design scholar and dean of University of Kentucky ’s College of Design – praised the design as “absolutely brilliant” and “super-intelligent.” From the Curry Stone website:

The design forgoes traditional brick and mortar foundations in favor of a two-story frame of timber and sandbag infill construction, which is both energy efficient and requires little to no electricity or skilled labor to construct.

The Curry Stone Design Prize and the Curry Stone Chair in Design were founded by architect Clifford Curry and his wife, H. Delight Stone, as a gift from the Curry Stone Foundation to the University of Kentucky College of Design.
Principal architect on the project Luyanda Mpahlwa, Principal and Director, MMA Architects, Cape Town. All images copyright Wieland Gleich, ARCHIGRAPHY.com, 2007.

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Tiny Ottomans

I found these tiny ottoman boxes on Australian designer Anna Spiro's Absolutely Beautiful Things blog.

They are by artist Kimberly Applegate of Live a Plush Life. As one who favors the diminutive, I'm clearly smitten.

Here's the blue ottoman styled two ways.

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Tony's Tapas

I made these croquetas de jambon after days of preparation. Yumm.

Tony Tahhan, a wonderful young food blogger, recently posted this tasty recipe here. I love the way he presents the mis en place section. The recipe is not complicated, but it is a messy project. Worth it? You bet. In fact, I will make two batches next time because for all the mess it will be a long time before I subject my kitchen to such activity. Thank Tony!

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‘recollection’ New Works by Lori Warner

My friend Lori Warner has a show at the Soprafina Gallery in Boston. I am soory to have missed the opening, but will be sure to visit.

The exhibit, which runs through September 27th, is at the gallery's new address: 55 Thayer Street. Lori graduated from RISD (with highest honors I might add, but she will pshaw about). The show consists of monotypes (shown here) and several encaustics. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00 to 5:30 or by appointment.

This is one of the pieces in my collection. It is called 'Cranberry Fog'.

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