Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

The Ultimate Country Home
Wallpaper magazine recently invited 20 up and coming architects to design their ideal rural retreat — follow the link to see the intriguing results.

Hella Jongerius and the Idea of a Perfect Misfit
Interview by Phaidon|Edit with Dutch product designer Hella Jongerius, who has an exhibition and book coming up — both entitled 'Misfit' — about her work and the idea of keeping the hand of the maker visible, even with industrially produced objects.

Marlon Brando: Renaissance Man
Here's something I didn't know about Marlon Brando — besides being an actor, he was an amateur drummer (in particular Afro-Cuban drumming) and an inventor, with four patents to his credit.

The Paperback Game
This is the perfect summer cottage game — all you need is a few friends and/or family, a pile of cheesy novels, pencils, paper and imagination.

Practicing Medicine Can Be Grimm Work
Thought provoking article by a new doctor about how she's realized that an earlier major in literature (specifically, English fairy tales) has been excellent preparation for her work in a hospital. Fascinating — and an excellent argument for a well rounded education.

Inside Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Production designer Stuart Craig gives Architectural Digest an exclusive look at the sets of the upcoming Harry Potter film. Possible spoiler alerts!

Cy Twombly
I was saddened to hear of the passing of the brilliant painter Cy Twombly this week — here's a quick outline of his career from the New York Times.

Summer Entertaining
Saveur has put together a great feature on dining in the great outdoors during the summer — picnics, barbeques, poolside and more are covered, with lots of great recipes too.


(photo by James Tse via chictip)

Smile

Outdoor Scrabble. I could totally get into this.

(sunset magazine via pinterest)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

Name That Snow!
Thanks to dictionary.com, you can now impress your friends with your ability to find the mot juste for the snowy weather outside. Is it graupel, rime — and say, is that a pogonip over there?

Aidan's Charity:Water Project
Bits of Beauty blogger Jenn's son Aidan decided that for his 8th birthday he'd rather give the gift of clean water instead of getting gifts. So far he’s raised over $1,000 for Charity:Water in 2 weeks — now he's officially going for $5,000 to build an entire well. Follow the link to donate $8 (I just did!) and help him reach his fantastic goal.

Match Nostalgia
Jude Stewart muses on the stories behind her grandmother's collection of match books, gathered on business trips from the 1940s to the 80s, while buying ladies’ dresswear for a department store in Louisville, Kentucky. Don't miss the fun slide show. Via Design Observer.

In Character, Starring ...
From Vanity Fair: "Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces." Hilarious — follow the link for a slide show of selections from the book.

What is Synesthesia Like?
Synesthesia — the ability to see sounds, hear colors and (though very rare) even experience taste sensations when certain words are spoken — is something that's mysterious for those of us with the standard set of senses. Now Israeli artist/musician Michal Levy, herself synesthetic, has created a series of short films that allow the rest of us to experience what she does. Fascinating and fun. Via Co.Design.

Oliver Twist's Workhouse Discovered
Ruth Richardson, author and historian of medicine, says she has identified the model for the workhouse in Oliver Twist – and that the building in central London is now facing demolition. A bittersweet story of history that Dickens himself would probably have been glad to see forgotten.

White Stripes Call It Quits
Fab band White Stripes have announced that they're splitting up — but for positive reasons. I think they're brilliant to go out on a high note — looking forward to seeing (and hearing) what they do in the future, too.

Ferris Bueller Board Game
This is awesome — artist Maxim Dalton made a fully playable board game version of Ferris Bueller's Day Off as part of a Gallery 1988 tribute show dedicated to John Hughes. Sadly it's not in mass production, but if you go to the show there's a little run of smaller copies available!

Dumpling World
Happy Chinese New Year! Saveur has rounded up a feast of 18 delicious dumpling recipes — not just from China, but from all over the world, too. Seems we all love a good dumpling!


(lovely photo by Joe Schmelzer via the Brick House)