Sweetness and Light

A stack of pretty dishes makes a charming kitchen still life.





(photo from broste copenhagen, via sanctuary by way of chest)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.



An Afternoon at Shakespeare and Co., Paris

I loved this recent post by lovely Tina of the English Muse, featuring Paris photographer and blogger Candice Lesage's images of the celebrated English language Paris bookstore Shakespeare and Co. Andrew and I visited there when we were in Paris a few years ago — this brings back very happy memories.



100 Years of East London Style in 100 Seconds

This is just awesome and you must watch it — a couple dances through 100 years of fashion — Sept 13th 1911 - Sept 13th 2011 — in 100 seconds. Via Anne over at rue magazine.



How Hard Is It To Get a Cartoon Into The New Yorker?

Quite hard, as James Sturm discovers, when he submits his ten best cartoons one Tuesday in July to Robert Mankoff, the magazine's cartoon editor.



The Post-It War

There's been a war raging in the offices of Paris this summer — a corporate collage contest known as La guerre des Post-it (the Post-it wars). Office workers compete by sticking thousands of pink, yellow, orange and green notes on their windows to recreate pixelated images. Follow the link to see some fun examples.



Moll: The Life and Times of Moll Flanders

Hannah Greig reviews a new book by Siân Rees — one that aims to rescue Defoe's Moll from her modern re-invention as a naughty Georgian pin-up, setting her fictional story against a background of the real life events of her time. Sounds like a fascinating read.



12 Delicious Vintage Menus

Co. Design samples some of the beautiful vintage menu illustrations from a gorgeous new book published by Taschen. Called Menu Design in America: 1850-1985, it explores the golden age of design and dining through 800 menus, beginning with the bills of fare for the very first restaurants to open during the late 1800's. This is going on the book list for sure.



English Seaside: The People's Coastline

Check out this slideshow of American photographer Sheila Rock's evocative black and white images of the English at the seaside.



Frankenstein (1910)

Shot in three days at the Edison Studios in the Bronx, New York City in 1910, this silent film was the first motion picture adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Follow the link to watch it in full — which won't take long, as this version clocks in at just under 13 minutes in length!



Roasted Cauliflower, Leek and Garlic Soup

This is the perfect sort of light supper for early autumn — when it's still mild, but cooling off a little more in the evening. The accompanying recipe for lemon fritters sounds amazing, too. Via the lovely Tartelette.





(lovely photo by graciela cattarossi)

Wooden Doormat

A classic doormat made of rope and pieces of wood - go here for the very simple project instructions.

Matsuzakaya

松坂屋

Matsuzakaya department stores can be found in Ueno and Ginza in Tokyo, Sakae in Nagoya and also in Toyota, Shizuoka and Takatsuki.

Established in 1611 as a kimono store by Yudo Ito, the company became known for the quality of its fabrics. In 1789 the successors of Ito bought a shop in Ueno called Matsuzakaya and this was adopted as the new company name.

Matsuzakaya had its HQ in Nagoya before being bought out by Daimaru following a period of decline in sales and the closing of the Osaka branch.

The stores stock a wide range of men's and women's fashion and contain a number of restaurants. The Matsuzakaya store pictured above in Nagoya also has an Art Museum which holds periodic exhibitions.


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Japan Shopping
Tokyo
Department Store
Matsuzakaya
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3D Paper Owl

Great for kids and paper craft fans, this free owl template creates a very effective result.

Impromptu

It's all in the planning at Impromptu: burgers, pasta & pizzas _ familiar-sounding fare infused with thoughtful twists that make a delicious difference.

Lamb burger, featuring a meaty, sink-your-teeth-into-it patty, perfectly partnered with a pleasurably sweet mango chutney sauce. Beware: the potato crisps on the side are addictive.

Hand-made fettuccine with soft-shell crab. OK, this photo proves that even after 30 months of food blogging, we still tend to take terrible pictures. But what looks unappealing above is pretty tasty in reality, thanks to plenty of silky pasta with curry-laced cream & crunchy crab.

Beef yakiniku "pizza," served on a teriyaki-base tortilla. Close your eyes, bite into this, and it could be mistaken for a well-marinated beef sandwich, not pizza. Would be a brilliant bar snack _ if only Impromptu had a liquor license.

So where did this sake come from? Fortunately, Impromptu is the sister outlet of Nagomi Shabu-Shabu, which is able to offer booze next door.

Nagomi's wine selection is sorely limited, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Impromptu,

Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

hometown style influences

It's always interesting to see homes and interiors around the world that are influenced by the geography and history of the area. Even within North America there are subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) differences in home and decorating styles according to the city or region. Everyone, of course, has their own favourite style - modern, traditional, rustic, retro, etc. - but within those styles it's nice to try to give a nod to the town in which you live.

My hometown at the moment is Calgary, Alberta, Canada, one of the most energetic and fastest-growing cities in North America.

Calgary is situated in the heart of the western prairies at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and it is also now one of the biggest oil and gas centers in the world. The history of ranchers, farmers and cowboys mixed with the new world of energy entrepreneurs makes for a really exciting and interesting city.

I love the fast-paced downtown with its trendy urban restaurants and shops, but also enjoy the relaxed weekend vibe, when everyone day-trips to hike or ski in the mountains or explore the wide-open spaces that surround the city on all sides. Despite its exponential growth over the last couple of decades, Calgary retains a warm, small-town feel that pays homage to its wild west roots.

Home and building design in Calgary reflects all of its history, old and new. There are modern skyscrapers with minimalist urban condos, as well as very large ranch-style homes set on acreages that overlook the fields and mountains. And there are also cozy ski lodges and homes in the mountains that reflect the beauty that sits at their doorsteps.

Calgarians lead a  "work hard, play hard" kind of lifestyle, and most homes in this area reflect that. Modern conveniences and simple, clean-lined styles are the norm, but always with a reflection of nature that adds a comfortable and welcoming vibe.

Wooden elements, including floors, exposed beams, doors and walls are a common design element.

Open-plan living is popular, reflecting the wide-open spaces of the prairies.

High ceilings and lots of windows let in natural light and views of the mountains.

Don't you love Calgary now? If you ever visit, give me a shout!

I hope you will also jump over to Centsational Girl, where you will find a bunch of other hometown stories like mine.

Lee Mi Hyeon and Kim In Ae – BMW 3 Series Convertible

Well a few days ago An1mA posted a new dynamic duo and it reminded me out our old dynamic duo of Lee Mi Hyeon and Kim In Ae. Well that duo recently released a new set of them posing in front of a BMW 3 Series convertible. Wish LMH wore a dress like KIA but both look pretty good (would be great if it weren’t for their hair). Enjoy~

Collections|Vena Cava FW 2011/2012

Vena Cava is in my personal top 10 of the more or less emerging brands.

Born in 2003 from the brilliant minds of Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, two californian girls graduated at Parsons School in New York, Vena Cava is one of the most appreciated and interesting brands of the contemporary fashion scene.

The legend tells that after the exclusion from the fashion show of the end of academic year, the two friends united their creativities in their living room to give life to the first collection of Vena Cava.

Delusion and necessity of revenge brought them to success.

Now their creations are worn by girls like Maggie Gyllenhall, Blake Lively and Natalie Portman.

Their ready to wear is made by urban touches in the perfect underground New York mood, spiced up with vintage notes.

Not pretentious, very fresh, definetely newyorker.

The items from FW 2011/2012 have the flavour of afternoons spent in Williamsburg, digging out old post-punk vinyls in some basement second-hand shop.

It’s hard to distinguish morning from the night, Vena Cava FW 2011/2012 creations are remixable in any way to be perfect from dawn till dusk, in tune with Big Apple girls’ necessities.

A pair of ankle boots at your feet and high heels on your bag, et voilà, Vena Cava’s little dress goes along with your day changing with extreme ability.

I leave you with the pictures from FW 2011/2012 lookbook and I recommend you to visit Vena Cava’s website: it’s full of interesting cues and there’s also a Garage Sale section in wich vintage findings selected by the designers are put up for sale.

http://www.venacava.com/

//

Vena Cava è nella mia personale top 10 dei brand più o meno emergenti.

Nato nel 2003 dalle menti geniali di Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, due signorine californiane diplomate alla Parsons School di New York, Vena Cava è tra i brand più apprezzati ed interessanti del panorama contemporaneo.

Leggenda narra che dopo l’esclusione alla sfilata finale della scuola, le due amiche abbiano unito le loro creatività nel salotto di casa per dare vita alla prima collezione Vena Cava.

La delusione e il desiderio di rivalsa le hanno portate lontano.

Ora i loro capi vestono i corpi di fanciulle come Maggie Gyllenhall, Blake Lively e Natalie Portman.

Il loro è un prêt-à-porter fatto di tocchi urban nel perfetto mood della New York underground, condito da frequenti spruzzate vintage.

Poco pretenzioso, molto fresco, decisamente newyorkese.

I capi della collezione AI 2011/2012 sanno di pomeriggi a Williamsburg passati a scovare vinili post-punk in qualche negozietto seminterrato.

Difficile distinguere mattina e sera, le creazioni Vena Cava AI 2011/2012 sono remixabili in qualsiasi modo per essere adatte dalle prime luci dell’alba alla notte più fonda, restando in perfetta sintonia con le esigenze delle abitanti della Big Apple.

Un paio di ankle boots ai piedi, un tacco 12 in borsetta et voilà, l’abitino Vena Cava accompagna la giornata trasformandosi con estrema abilità.

Vi lascio con le immagini del lookbook AI 2011/2012 e vi consiglio un passaggio dal sito web di Vena Cava, è pieno di spunti interessanti e c’è anche una sezione Garage Sale nella quale sono in vendita ritrovamenti vintage selezionati dalle due designer.

http://www.venacava.com/

{portfolio: christina murphy}

I love designer Christina Murphy's style, {think glamour, drama, and wonderful use of color!} and have blogged about her work here. Some of the rooms that inspire me the MOST have been designed by her. One of my fav things is to re-visit the site of my fav designers to find new projects and updates to their porfolio!! Here is some of the latest work from the talented Ms. Murphy:

Truly, she is the Queen of the entry way!

Of course we all saw this kitchen bench featured in Lonny, but in the magazine images, we didn't get to see those amazing herringbone floors!!

Delish! And there is more where that came from, check out Christina's portfolio here. Hope you are having a great week!

Moments of Beauty

Just love the quality of light in this photo shoot for WestEast magazine — so beautiful. See the rest of the shoot here, too. Via fashion gone rogue.





(photography by paul de luna featuring model rasa zukauskaite, with styling by mindi smith)

Seaside Inspiration

French photographer Jean-Marc Lederman's stunning South African house is located just minutes from Cape Town in the Bay of Llandudno. Here he revels in the extraordinary colours and the pure light illuminating his home, which, with the help of architect Gregory Nortje, he has designed to be both a living and work space. Made of wood and steel, the house, with its enormous windows that can be retracted thanks to an electrical system, lives inside out — only glass seems to separate the interior from the landscape. Inside, Jean-Marc has kept furnishings to a minimum, sticking to earthy tones and vintage finds from flea markets in Paris and Nice — with bright cushions and tables to add a punch of colour here and there. Freeing and inspiring, it's not surprising that he's here to stay. More here on Marie Claire Maison.