dream chasing

sorry for the light posting week. i've been quite distracted by tons of things beyond the internet blogiverse. i have much more deliciousness to share with you next week.

dance + architecture = dream come true

the philip johnson glass house, a national trust historic site, celebrated its public opening with an inaugural gala picnic on june 23, 2007, allowing guests an unprecedented opportunity to experience the visionary 47-acre site, located in new canaan, ct.

interior design magazine did a huge article on it in their august issue.

it's breath taking.

not just for the architecture but for the entertainment. merce cunningham's company performed throughout the day. what i wouldn't give to have been there!

as a second best, it's a thrill to have such gorgeous photos to experience from various attendees of the event & interior design magazine.

"when merce cunningham presented a series of dances outside philip johnson's glass house in june, it was a more than a reprise of a performance mounted in the same location 40 years earlier—it was a chance to contemplate the relationship between modernism's most fleeting and most permanent expressions. the 1967 event had benefited the merce cunningham dance company. this one raised money to extend the glass house property, now open to the public as part of the national trust for historic preservation, so that views would be protected from encroaching neighbors in new canaan, connecticut."

beauty & the biscuit

built in 1925, the historic biscuit company lofts building was originally home to the west coast headquarters of the national biscuit company (nabisco). to help transform downtown los angeles from a place for just business activity to a vibrant 24-hour residential area, the building was gutted and converted into 104 residential lofts. i really, really like kenneth brown's ecclectic and daring design choices in this apartment. the rich colors and textures are so inviting and invigorating. the mix of modern and vintage is so perfectly balanced. what i wouldn't give for those tufted red leather ottomans and the vintage motorcylce in the kitchen/dining nook ~ i love surprises in design like this!
photographs by the talented grey crawford

{t.e.r.i.}

true heart with just the right dose of realism
exceptional blend of intelligence, street smarts & wit
radiant smile evokes the utmost thoughtfulness & authenticity
incredible sense of style and design, subtlety & classiness perfected

happy (belated) birthday miss.90/10 ~ you are a continual source of inspiration and joy.

p.s. all the baked goodness in the photos above were made by this very talented woman in her small studio apartment's kitchen. her mad skills are undeniable!

an annual vino tradition continues

every year my dear friend ari & i go wine tasting together. usually we go to sonoma, once we've gone to the santa cruz mountains, and once we went to ontario's wine country (when she was living in buffalo we hopped the border and fell in love with ice wine). this year we decided to go to the russian river valley. and boy are we glad that we did! i think i could move there without giving a second glance. it is beautiful in every way. the people are very kind, the wine is wonderful, the atmosphere is light and festive and relaxed. i highly recommend it over the bustle & pretention of napa (even sonoma is starting to go that direction now too). come along & join our adventures with this wine tasting photo tour.......

one year, one love

my niece's 1st birthday was a few days ago, but i wasn't able to get online to announce it the day of.

so instead here's a little photo collage from the party & my favorite design shot from the day.

i bought a ton of asian-inspired decor items, party favors & treats in japan town before heading to oregon for the event. it was a joyous time, and words really can't express how grateful i am!

~ ~ ~

dearest ilia grace,

you've come a long way baby, and you've made such a huge difference in my life.

365 days of unconditional loving is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

love all ways, auntie anjie

hotel healdsburg ~ russian river valley gem

another wonderful adventure from this past extended weekend was discovering healdsburg california. and the russian river valley wine scene too. it's a calm, rustic, beautiful, delicious, away-from-it-all dreamland.

i fell in love with many architectural design beauties, and would like to highlight one in particular: the hotel healdsburg.

out front:

on the inside:

out back:

yarn garden

while in portland oregon this past weekend i re-found the yarn garden. my mom & i bought yarn here years & years ago so i was very happy to see it's not only still there, but thriving with an expanded cafe called the sipperie. now it not only offers yarn and knitting supplies in a garden-like setting but you can sip earl grey tea or a hazlenut latte while you brouse the skeins. absolutely enchanting.

(this is their latest window display ~ knitted hats for premies all in a row. adorable!)

calatrava crossing in venice

(artist's rendition of how the bridge will look)

access to three parts of venice will soon be much easier, thanks to a 308-foot-long bridge designed by spanish architect santiago calatrava. the last, center section of the quarto ponte sul canal grande (fourth bridge on the grand canal) will be connected this weekend.

the section was transported via boat along venice´s grand canal tuesday night, during low tide. located near the city´s major railway station, stazione santa lucia, the bridge includes a new passage between the piazzale roma and the mooring platforms for the a.c.t.v. water transport. the bridge is slated to open later this year.

santiago has conceived an arched, steel structure rising nearly eleven feet over the canal. steps and deck are tempered security glass and natural istria stone. handrails are glazed bronze and florescent bulbs will illuminate the bridge at night. "bridges in venice do more than join together different parts of the city," calatrava states. "they serve as landmarks, meeting places, points of definition within an urban fabric that is utterly unique." santiago was awarded the commission by the municipality of venice via a public selection process.

~taken from interior design.net

here's a quick video clip of the central section of the bridge making its way down the grand canal.

more info can be read on italy heaven.

introducing the ladies of o.d.a.

as you arrive on the 9th floor and step off the elevators you are brought into a dark grey world. the small ante-chamber painted entirely in charcoal grey, with dark grey stone floors and dim directional lights, also has two ladies standing guard to the main entrance of the o.d.a. office. i'd like to introduce you to them today, and hope you can help me find out more about them. i realize that without seeing them in person this may be a difficult task. and i also realize i could just ask orlando, but he's out of town, and difficult to reach even when he is in town. so please humor me. does anyone know the artist? the origin? the era? anything about the history of these ladies?

textiles to brighten your day

(fantastic, vibrant prints at atelier lzc are made into tea towels, pillows, table mats, stationery & more)

(aprons, tea towels & coasters in novelty nature-inspired prints at rock scissors paper)


(adorable prints in a variety of products by massey and rogers, out of the uk)


(entirely lovely wool applique pillows & beautifully useful canvas storage solutions at hable construction)

(and of course i couldn't resist the fig patterns at hable construction as well)