keep calm and carry on

Come finals week, I tend to get very...anxious. We're talking too much worrying, too much tossing and turning, too much burning of the midnight oil, for two or so weeks at the end of every quarter. It's that time again, and really, this print, with a message popularized during the Blitz in WWII-era London, is just what I need:



Don't you feel better already? Bombs, class presentations, 15-page research papers...everything's just peachy.
I'm just going to work on my French composition now...

Found via poppy.

The poet's darling

I keep looking for signs of spring...and have to settle for these lovely creations from Nymphenburg, first created for the sumptuous table of a Bavarian monarch in 1765:





Not bad, right?
Get your little slice of spring from Moss. Just avert your eyes from the price.

Lemming Lladro...yes, really!

Ugh. As much as I love learning and school and all that, homework and studying just really kind of suck. Especially on the weekends. Luckily I have this blog to come back to - it's a lovely tool for distraction and procrastination.

You've heard of Lladro, right?
You know, here's a classic example:
Let's Make Up

Super-sappy "precious moments" figures for big spenders, "loved by collectors and loathed by the rest." So says the FT, who featured Lladro in Friday's article, Fired up for some china magic, amongst several very interesting avant-garde potters. Huh?
I mean, Lladro and avant garde in the same sentence...seems like an oxymoron, right?

The reason soon becomes apparent: Jaime Hayon
has been appointed creative director for the company. I guess they decided they wanted a fresh point of view...it's about time! I for one think they made a wonderful choice. Hayon's collection "Re-Deco" is all about a post-modern neoclassicism: "Underpinning this new initiative is the idea that any classical piece can evolve thanks to a new decoration, taking on a new meaning."

Exhibit A is this spectacular mirror...see, this is how to maintain a legacy and be classical without being staid!


Then there's this lamp, which I find cool, not kitsch. Well, maybe a little kitsch. I love its proportions and how the shade is angled to the side.


Hayon also continues the Lladro tradition of reissuing great works of art in porcelain form. I'm not even going to tell you what I think about this pre-Hayon Klimt...which retails for $1600.

Luckily for Hayon, he somehow makes it work. When I saw this piece, I thought it looked terribly familiar...but it took me a few minutes to place the reference.


It's Magritte's Carte Blanche (1965), a wonderful Surrealist painting.
The great thing about Hayon's piece is that the reference doesn't hit you over the head (well, maybe it's a little more obvious here - Velasquez, anyone?). It stands on its own as a beautiful and unique object.

Other things of interest I noticed on the Lladro Lladro> website include the Re-Cyclos collection by Bodo Sperlein.

These salt and pepper shakers are fun and witty but the matte black/white porcelain keeps them classic.

Ditto with this ram bottle stopper.


This vase is just gorgeous, don't you agree?


Also, the jewelery from this collection is not to be missed. Look at this ring - hello, it has a wee bird on it! I love the contrast of the differently textured gold and porcelain.


Many thanks to my uber-fabulous mom for the heads-up.

Transglass

I've been coveting Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden's Transglass set since we bought it for a wedding gift last year. And now the entire four-piece set is on sale for $80.50 (from $115) at the wonderful Rose and Radish. Each piece is unique and they are made from recycled glass. I think that they are awfully striking. Get it here while the sale lasts.

The Conran Shop Wants to Take My Money

How cool is this secretary desk from the Conran Shop?


I love postmodern pieces like this - I am reminded of Philippe Starck's iconic Louis Ghost chair which may have been my first real design crush.
Its knobbly styling (sorry, but I can't for the life of me think of the source - it's not Shaker, is it? Any ideas?) is rather old school but the clean linear form totally modernizes it. Plus the laptop helps.
All in all, a great piece...but the price? Not so much.

Blinded

Just saw a post at Apartment Therapy: Chicago on these fantastic window blinds from Love is Blind. I'm currently staring at my rather boring (and revealing) bamboo blinds...I've been thinking about a change-up for awhile now, and I absolutely adore these! They come in multiple patterns but this is my favorite. My bed faces the window, and I can imagine waking up every day with a smile on my face.

Click here for the link to the original post on Apartment Therapy: Chicago (where you can see photos of the other designs), and here for the UK shop which is carrying the product, called Bodie and Fou. The shop owner actually was kind enough to post in the comment section of the AT post and said that with VAT, shipping and exchange rate the blinds would cost about $120 for US buyers (the blinds are listed as £49.99 in the UK).
More fashion week posts coming later...I'm trying to mix it up a bit, see?

Om.

I've been pondering this Buddha head from CB2.

It would match the general color scheme of my room, and it's only $20. I've been telling myself that I need more funky "conversation pieces" scattered about - books don't count (and in any case, I have far too many of those, they are overflowing to the floor). What do you think? Ponderous, overdone - or irreverent?

Continuing the Yellow Trend

Perhaps you remember this post, in which I raved about the yellow 1970s "donut" phone. Very cool.

Looky here:

Don't you just love this vintage tea kettle? For $65 it's a bit steep for me (pun definitely not intended!). I already have a perfectly servicable red one from Bodum, anyways. Oh well - we can dream, right?

Silhouette Fever

Right now I'm loving silhouettes, of all sorts (not just of the head variety). There is something about their stark simplicity that I find really lovely and elegant. The silhouette look has a rather romantic, gothic quality that's very much in vogue right now. What started my obsession was Laura Yaggy's apartment featured in Domino in December 2005. I loved her whole apartment, really, it was totally my aesthetic. She has a huge collection of silhouettes of all sorts, displayed throughout her charming apartment.
See:

Speaking of gothic and romantic, I do hope you've been watching the BBC's stupendous rendition of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Part I aired last week and the penultimate bit will be on tomorrow night at 8:00, courtesy of Masterpiece Theatre. I felt that they really did justice to the book, which was one of my favorites as a young girl. I will admit to cheating - last Sunday eve I was so enthralled that I hopped on to YouTube and spent hours watching rather grainy clips of the second half! For example... [WARNING - spoiler alert!]

Anyhow, here are a few things I've been drooling over:

I love these Thomas Paul plates at ELSEWARES, I've been mooning over them since November. You can't beat the price ($28 for the set of four!).


Another Thomas Paul piece with a lighter feel at Bluefly.


Larchbed linens at CB2.
These are great. The teal shade adds an element of fun. I just wish they had them for twin beds as well. I have the dubious fortune of a doll-sized bedroom - if I had a queen or even full sized bed there wouldn't be any floor space to speak of.


Twig table runner, also from CB2. There is also a set of placemats for the ridiculously cheap price of $3.95 each. I like the clean, almost zen feel.


I'm in the market for a lampshade, and I love the texture of this flocked one. It also comes in a delightful sunny yellow! From Urban Outfitters.


Of course, you can't do a discussion of this style without a bit of John Derian. This one's a paperweight with a vintage silhouette.