Bibliotheque - Now and Then

I still love the original "Bibliotheque" wallpaper designed by Richard Neas (read more about him here) for Brunschwig & Fils,

"Bibliotheque" in Nina Campbell's home.

and I just discovered this new version by French design company homology...

I've also seen this version, in Gary Spain's portfolio, but I'm not sure who it's by:

I still prefer the old-school versions like this and the Brunschwig one at top, where it looks hand-drawn rather than photo-realistic, but I still thought the new one was worth sharing.  

Also, I discovered homology because of this other trompe l'oeil wallpaper they are doing:

I'd never seen anything like it! You can wallpaper your walls so that they look button tufted!

  My friend Rayna's apartment in LA has the facade of the kitchen island that faces the living room, underneath the bar top, upholstered and button tufted in a cream just like this and it looks so pimp. 

Pretty.

I just love this little mudroom/entry hall by Gary Spain.  It's a pretty unusual color story, but it works! 

Dolly Parton >> Hyperbole of a Woman

I know I've already posted this song once, but this is a different video of it, and well, I find myself weirdly fascinated by her..  The song itself is awesome, but Dolly Parton is just unbelievable. 

LOOK at what she is wearing!!  And her wig!  She is like a drag queen but actually a woman!

Fave Blogs >> Smitten Kitchen

I adore the food blog Smitten Kitchen.  It always puts me in the mood to cook. 

I just came across this recipe for Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin in a hunt for what to do with Swiss Chard, and I just think Deb is the funniest, most likeable person.  ...Or, well, at least it seems that way from her writing... I feel like I know her, but I guess I really don't.  Ohh the deceptiveness of the internet.

Here's how she introduces the recipe:

"Surely I’m not alone in this: When I’m eating starchy foods, I think I should be eating more greens. When I’m eating my greens, I wish I had heavier foods to balance them. And pretty much all of the time, I wonder why it has been so long since I made macaroni and cheese."

 Click here for the recipe, or here for her blog.  I'm also presently craving the radicchio, apple, and pear salad she just talked about.

If I Were Going to the Derby, I Would Stay Here:

The 21C Museum Hotel is a 90-room boutique hotel + legit contemporary art museum + an award-winning restaurant.

All on Louisville's historic downtown Museum Row.

  

Pretty cool concept!

  

 

Small Space Kitchens

For Stirlgirl...

A while back, Stirling said her new kitchen in Charlotte is tiny and she needed some suggestions.  So here, a round-up of small kitchen ideas.  Other than these first three images, these aren't necessarily pretty images, but they give good practical ideas that you could execute more attractively.

Above-- this adorable small kitchen makes good use of the Ikea grundtal kitchen accessories-- the stainless steel wall-mounted racks and hooks.  

Another key to this kitchen, which stores almost everything in plain sight, is the unified color scheme.  The green/white/stainless combo looks clean and sleek here, whereas if there were all different metals and color dishes, it would look cluttered.

So as you build your kitchen, aim to keep all your dishes and cookware in the same palette. 

Hanging hooks under shelves is a great way to store mugs, as in the above photo.

Next, five ideas from Apartment Therapy's the Kitchn blog on extending counter space.  

First, undermounted cutting boards.  These actually used to be very common in 1920s homes and they're a great idea! 

Click through for a bunch more ideas...

Fresh Pulp >> Antler Magazine

While I think the name is a mistake (seriously, enough with antlers people, they've had their moment), the new digital Antler Magazine does have some cool photography.

Like Lonny Mag and other publications by Issuu, layout looks like the above and can be viewed in full screen, with pages that appear to actually "turn."  This will be so cool on the iPad!!

Antler Magazine here.

Cute Overload >> Sharon Montrose

Animal photographer Sharon Montrose's work still gets me.  How does she manage to make these totally cute-overload images without them just being totally cheesy? 

I don't know, but she walks that line well, and I like it. 

Above - Baby Pig, Baby Deer, and Baby Porcupine

Here's more of her work, beyond the Baby Animals series.  Also, in addition to the prints she sells, she works with tons of corporate clients for ads.  What a fun job!

I'm experiencing cute overload just working on this post.  This is too much.

Seriously.

No seriously, stop it.

Isn't she amazing at capturing their personalities??

And finally, a shot of the artist at work.  Seriously, tell me that must not be the must fun job ever. 

It's even better than the ones you think up as a kid like working at a zoo or being a veterinarian.

Sharon Montrose prints available on etsy here.

I Love Maps >> Google Maps + Envelopes = Snail Mail meets Maps

Ahh I love maps, and I love snail mail, and the intersection of the two is almost too much.

Right now it's just a concept, but if it happens, you could print these envelopes from Google Maps showing where you are and where your recipient is, and the route between you two.  Pretty cute.

via SwissMiss

Old Favorites >> David Hilliard

I love photographer David Hilliard's tryptichs documenting his personal life and the world around him.  

Above, his father and himself.

They often capture positively mundane-seeming moments, but through his composition and format, they take on much greater meaning about relationships and familial dynamics, capturing small significances fluctuating between loneliness and intimacy.

The shifting focal planes between the photos manipulate the panorama into a much different image than if the scene were contained within one shot, and for the viewer, the physical distance and perspective translates into an emotional distance and perspective. 

The tryptich format also suggests more of a story-telling element than would a single shot, as he directs the viewers eye from frame to frame, creating a narrative. 

This, combined with the almost fish-eye lens-like quality created by the changing focal planes and vivid colors, leaves these photos floating between fiction and memory and leaves the viewer wondering if they were simple records of moments, or constructed tableaus.

David Hilliard website here.

Must See >> Herb & Dorothy

"The incredible true story of a postal worker and a librarian who built a world-class art collection."

I love them.  And I love that they are so different from the rest of the "art world" and made no attempt to become part of that world.  They just loved art, and it seems they were respected for it.  Can't wait to see it.

And apparently you can watch it on Amazon instant!  I didn't know there was such a thing, but Decorno says there is.. pretty cool.

Postcarden

I do so love snailmail (who doesn't?), and this idea is so clever... It would be so fun to get this in the mail!

The "postcarden" is actually a shallow box, and it comes with a packet of seeds.  You water the seeds for two weeks, and you get a small crop of cress, which is also edible! 

It's currently only available in the EU, but Aimee, the creator, plans to expand production soon.

The Postcarden by Aimée of A Studio for Design
via The Benevolent Postcard Society

Trends I'm Loving >> Blazers, Brogues, and Button Ups...

Images from The Sartorialist, Garance Dore, Jak and Jil, Zara, and collage from Nubby Twiglet.