welcome to living lab.

what are we doing?

breathing…

new life into an old market with color, indigenous materials, super smart and sensitive design, and of course that incredible Spanish chutzpah.

Mercat Santa Caterina, Barcelona

More here.

Design : Enric Miralles – Benedetta Tagliabue | EMBT

Ceramics : Ceramica Cumella

Source : Stylepark

looking…

forward to the January 2010 re-release of

Less and More – The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams

“Weniger, aber besser”/”Less but better”


Dieter Rams’ ten principles to “good design”:

  • Good design is innovative
  • Good design makes a product useful
  • Good design is aesthetic
  • Good design helps us to understand a product
  • Good design is unobtrusive
  • Good design is honest
  • Good design is long-lasting
  • Good design is consequent to the last detail
  • Good design is concerned with the environment
  • Good design is as little design as possible

Source : Gestalten

delighting…

in the excellent and weirdly provoking

My Parents Were Awesome.

You’ve probably seen it. Since receiving the link, I find myself going back again and again, looking into the faces of these people who knew nothing about us at the time. Its eerie and wonderful and so of course it got me thinking about the parents that belong to our little family.

Looking at these photos side-by-side does my head in.

Top : Dominck & Santa Pietrapenata Italy 1967

Bottom : Peter & Maryanna Frankfurt, Germany 1975

making…

a list!

(I know the last thing we need is more STUFF, but these are some appealing  little objects that I think we could get used to having around)

a bike bell that makes pedestrians smile.

a measuring cup/juicer because making a little cup of orange juice on a freezing Sunday morning is a necessity masquerading as a luxury

hoodie

fancy dustpan for the nerd herd.

a candle that conjures up wintertime cinders and I never get tired of sniffing.

a design book that is definately ubiquitous, but incredibly beautiful, and yet another example of how the Japanese are actually a more intelligent life form, just  pretending to be like us

the best teapot in the world.

a smart collator to encourage the art of anal retentiveness

a beautiful book about food because you can never have too many

a heavy jar of soft almond scented hydration (for obvious reasons)

and a new kitty bed, because they are already spoiled, what’s the harm?

oh yeah, and for delicious one-pot meals year after year…

the ultimate cast iron pot.

remembering…

winters in Minnesota,

while  renewing my admiration for the work of Scott Peterman.

Photos : Scott Peterman

gathering…

up some of the last bits of New York November as we barrel through this last month of the year.

Photos : RWM

admiring…

the beautiful cozy work of

Hortensia Handmade

at BonBon’s lovely open house on Sunday.

I also replenished my winter paper and candle supply with goodies from

Sesame Letterpress

and

the lovely Tamika Rivera.

All the while ogling the magical work and fine hospitality of Ms. Bonbon herself.

Sovereign Beck was also a delightful addition this year!

Thank you!

Images : Hortensia Handmade

pulling…

a few images of one of the best little design projects on the isle of Manhattan.

[East Village Penthouse]

Pulltab Design

Photos : Elizabeth Felicella

loving…

this breed of pure genius.

TV Show Posters : EXERGIAN

returning…

to Spring 2006 to bring a little inspiration to a new project!

“Waist Down” — skirts by Miuccia Prada

Carefully resisting the book that I still don’t own.

Images : Moco Loco

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