james taylor + carly simon = ben

jenni is my music connection diva. and she has come through BIG . . . . introducing me to ben taylor. and it was love at first sound.
you can find tons of great music and performances of his on youtube, imeem, et al. but here is a really great sample to get you started:

Time of the Season - Ben Taylor Band

spoonflower power

my friend, tom, sent over a link to a wonderful concept company that's still in its beta form ~ spoonflower. thanks to a group of inspired folks in chapel hill, north carolina, spoonflower is an answer to a huge void in the crafter-designer-artist market: giving us all the ability to design and make our very own fabric. yes! for a reasonable price you can have your very own designs printed onto fabric. how wonderful is that?!? all you have to do is create a design, make it into a tif file, and send it off to spoonflower to print onto 44" 100% kona® cotton fabric {a 2nd choice of fabric will be available soon}.

from their website: "spoonflower exists to give crafters a powerful tool for expressing their creative visions using fabric. it gives individuals the power to print their own designs on fabric that they can then use to make quilts, clothes, pillows, blankets, framed textile art and many, many other things that might surprise you."
they have a nice little blog and a great flickr group.

i snagged some of my favorite projects from their flickr group to share with & inspire you here:

fascinating photography: eugenio recuenco

welcome to the magnificent photography & styling of the captivating spanish photographer eugenio recuenco.

each image takes you on a great escape to a different world. each one tells an intricate story. some shocking, some surreal, some elegant, some gritty. but every one has the unmistakable mark of genius on it.

it was difficult to narrow down which photographs to showcase here, so please venture to his website for many, many more incredible images.

{first seen on the ever gorgeous designer's block}

produce design

a brooklyn based design firm is rocking my world with their sleek and innovative design solutions ~ produce design is the result of 3 brilliant designers coming together for a common purpose: smart & functional interior architecture and custom furniture.

{one of the best pot racks i've seen ~ a reclaimed timber beam with pot hangers, a ledge for the lids and knife slots ~ i wouldn't be surprised if this became a mass-produced item someday soon, it's just that darn good}

{removable, adjustable, no-frills storage bins ~ perfect for crafters, collectors, chefs & kids}

{urban hip closet storage concept}

{this entry solution in a nyc penthouse is particularly wonderful}

{first saw it on apartment therapy}

weightless incredibleness

swedish designer & artist extraordinaire, erika janunger has become an instant idol of mine. she has created a short film showing her myriad of talents ~ she choreographed it, created all the lighting & interior design elements for it, and she wrote & sings the song that is the soundtrack for it. talk about multi-talented!
a combo of dance and interior design, this short film was janunger’s masters project and is her exploration of the intersection of architecture, choreography, and music. this film goes beyond the bounds of any tilting set eye-trickery you've seen before ~ this weightlessness is part of these girls’ reality. counter to any of the usual fantasies of the freedom of flight, the dancers seem paradoxically weighted down by their weightlessness. when brilliant dancers, malin stattin and tuva lundkvist, gaze into your eyes it becomes clear this isn’t a state of being they’ve chosen for themselves.



but, wait! there's more ~ in fact the more you explore erika's work, the more it seems there’s nothing she can’t do. holding a masters in interior architecture and furniture design from the college of art, craft, and design in stockholm, janunger clearly is a very multi-talented lady. her drive to explore the art of how people interact with her creations really sets her apart ~ as her statement on her website makes quite obvious:
“creating architecture and design, is like making music. By using three dimensions - three notes, you make a chord. by using many chords, shapes and spaces - you can create an entire world… i want to understand how all that works, i want to create surroundings and objects based upon peoples lives and feelings. i want to create worlds, i want to play god.”

{“workshop in the woods” where erika lit up a forest near gothtenburg, sweden}

kohler's new articulating motion

kohler's new karbon articulating faucet demanded attention at this year's kitchen and bath industry show {kbis} not only with its unique styling and functionality but also with the entertainment hired to enhance the hype: every hour a dance troupe performed with themes relating to water, innovation and fluid movement. so you knwo i jumped all over posting about this ~ anything that combines dance with design is perfect for studio wellspring!


with its clean, crisp lines, the karbon articulating faucet introduces a new geometry of versatile functionality to the kitchen. intelligently engineered to hold any pose for hands-free operation, karbon allows you to streamline your work surfaces and workflow. you can extend the faucet fully to fill large pots, lower it into the sink for food preparation and cleanup, fold it compactly out of the way when not in use, or position it anywhere in between.

{info and photos found on apartment therapy & kohler websites}

brelli love

brelli ~ the world's 1st bio-umbrella. made of bamboo & a biodegradeable plastic called bioplastic. only $28. i would cover my entire bedroom ceiling with these if i could! :o)



found on shopmodi

a.i.s. {all inclusive sink}

i've been looking for something like this in a bathtub for a client, but i'm pretty impressed with the sink i found instead. it's sold by moab 80, an italian plumbing fixtures design & manufacturing power house. this is a sink without a faucet. that's right ~ no faucet. instead it has water flow channels molded directly into the sink. i really like the sleekness of this, but i wish they had put the control cube at the back or on the side panel instead ~ making it less conspicuous. the standard version comes in white corian but you can custom order it in any corian color.

less is more

my sister has a small cottage, and she loves it that way. the problem is, it's very old and could use some updating. she & her husband are thinking about ways to rennovate it and make it even more functional. and they are also thinking about potentially building a new small house someday soon. so of course she asked her big sis for some ideas and some help on the subject. in my gathering of reserouces for her i realized my blogging friends might really enjoy this information all in one place too. this is by no means a complete list, so please leave comments with additions.

would you like to explore small space living ideas online? here are several useful blogs and websites:

for homes that are 500 sq.ft. or smaller this is the blog for you: littlediggs

a fun & informative blog all about making living in small spaces more functional: small space living

who knew tiny could be so wonderful? the folks at tiny houses have it all figured out!

it's very well known by now, but still quite useful: the not so big house

extremely dedicated & jam-packed with helpful info: small house society

would you like to buy or build a small dwelling? check out these fantastic options:

tumbleweed tiny house company

tightlines, small house design

little green buildings

or are you just wanting to add to your home library? there are a plethora of great reads on the subject:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
i'll be out of town friday-monday so i'll wish y'all a great weekend now! happy trails ~ even if it's just in your backyard.