{design inspiration: wooden laptop cases}

. . . quite smitten with these streamlined and beautifully elegant wooden laptop cases with leather lining -- a wonderful combination of natural elements and technology, and a perfect mix of rustic and modern . . .

{p.s.} & speaking of wood: decals

{images: rainer spehl via laissezfaire}

{give-away: herman miller eames chair}

. . . can hardly contain the excitement for this week's glamorous give-away: the award winning, iconic, and always classic herman miller eames chair from boston-based csn stores, a wonderful resource of over 200 online stores with over 1 million products, carrying everything from champagne flutes and four-poster beds to weekend carryalls {prefer this filson duffle}, and, of course, a perfect selection of herman miller eames pieces . . .

". . . designers charles and ray eames established their long and legendary relationship with herman miller in 1946 with their boldly original molded plywood chairs; the aesthetic integrity, enduring charm, and comfort of the chairs earned them recognition from time magazine as the best design of the 20th century; time called the design 'something elegant, light and comfortable. much copied but never bettered.'"

. . . and for the impossibly exciting news: one very charmed reader will win a choice between:

the stunningly elegant Herman Miller ® Eames ® DCW - Molded Plywood Dining Chair with Wood Legs - DCW {$629.00 USD}


or the iconic Herman Miller ® Eames ® LCW - Molded Plywood Lounge Chair with Wood Legs - LCW {$679.00 USD} available in light ash, walnut, or natural cherry

*********************

to enter, {click here} to visit the csn stores website, or {here} to browse csn's 200+ online stores, then leave a comment below listing one other item from the site that you like . . .

{bonne chance!/good luck!}

* one winner will be randomly selected and contacted by e-mail after wednesday, july 14, 2010; if you do not have a blog or contact e-mail on your blog, please include it with your comment for notification; unfortunately, this give-away is open to u.s. & canadian readers only - apologies!; images: domino magazine, and a previous post; quote via hermanmiller.com}

{design inspiration: gracefully gilded}

. . . a little obsessed with the walter lamb armchair -- the original 1940s collection came about as a result of experimentation with bronze and copper tubing salvaged from sunken naval ships, and while the modern version is made of waterproof bronze, it's much too lovely to keep outside . . . and no shelf could possibly be complete without a set of stunning pink quartz and gold bookends -- hardly a more beautiful colour combination and so luxuriously elegant . . .

{also:} more gold -- pretty dishes & a coffee table

{p.s.} weekend wishes + links to follow, and still catching up on comments -- thanks so much for the lovely thoughts here xo

{images: design within reach & eduardo garza, discovered via lonny; layout via nicole}

{eco chic: decanterlights}

. . . p's mother has a beautiful cut crystal decanter collection displayed in their formal living room and have always loved the way they glimmer and add such elegance, and so was much delighted to discover another use for them -- decanterlights, by british designer lee broom, are pendant light fixtures created from vintage crystal decanters sourced from antique markets and vintage shops and available in a natural clear crystal or polished gold -- aren't they lovely?

{p.s.} more stylish eco chic inspiration:

cushions | cork | wine bottle centrepieces

{images: lee broom via moco loco}

{spring things: bicycles}

. . . must confess am not much of a bicycle girl {petrified of the traffic and would most likely try to ride in heels}, but after coming across this pretty city bicycle in the most spectacular shade of smokey violet, suddenly dreaming of careening down side-streets with reckless abandon . . .

{bicycle design by note + abici, discovered via design*sponge}

{design: wine decanter + water carafe}

. . . shall never fall out of love with antique cut crystal decanters, but have become quite smitten with a beautifully modern design series of kitchen tools that includes a water carafe and wine decanter with turned oak stoppers -- the series, a collaboration between stokkeaustad and frost produkt, is also a wallpaper design awards 2010 winner

{stokkeaustad and frost produkt via design shimmer}

{two lovely things: paper + lace}

{two lovely things:} a stylishly eco-friendly weekend bag made of completely recyclable water- and tear-proof paper, and a delicately beautiful dolce & gabbana white lace top perfect for sunny spring mornings . . .

{images: 1 - travel bag design by saskia & stefan diez via design shimmer; 2 - rosie tupper via a glamorous little side project}

{happy weekend + monogrammed linens}

Hope you find some time to relax and lie about this weekend . . . it's getting colder and after all the Christmas shopping is complete, cozy and indoors by candlelight or the fire, or wrapped up with your favourite person in monogrammed linens is the best place to be . . .

Have a beautiful, beautiful weekend, everyone!

xo

{lots of lovely things at the side project:}
* an incredible dress made entirely of the pages of telephone books

* vintage paolo roversi
* more carla
* beautiful photography by jacques dequeker
* black lace & pink ruffles

{images: 1 - layfayette house via domino december/january 2009; 2 - nate berkus}

{vintage + chic}

Came across a beautiful post about Poul Henningsen 's Artichoke Lamp by Leticia Blanco in Spain, on her Spanish/English blog, Vintage & Chic.

{images from vintage & chic: top - photography by Richard Powers, original image has been cropped; bottom - Tampa Airport via xvm on flickr}

{travel: contemporary lodge, scotland}

. . . quite taken with interior designer Suzy Hoodless' Contemporary Lodge in Scotland, a perfect combination of modern and rustic, and then there's the view . . .

After last summer's trip to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and a haunting {and terribly romantic} boat ride on the loch in Inverness, have been drawn to the compelling beauty of Scotland as if under a spell . . .

{all images www.suzyhoodless.com}

See also this post at A Merry Mishap.

{emptiness is easy}

Perusing studio ilse's impressive portfolio recently, in a search for what Vogue magazine has named 'the most glamorous place in London to drink cocktails' {above}, and was reminded of the many other lovely, lovely places the studio has created.

Ilse Crawford, Creative Director & Designer, explains a part of her method as, ". . . there is the kind of arranging which is from using things a lot. Somehow then they always find their place. Things (and people) look best if they are touched regularly!"

studio ilse creates environments that "resonate emotionally, subliminally, and sensorially. expressive design that communicates to us on a primal level and addresses our human needs."

"Any amateur can be a minimalist: emptiness is easy. Clutter is hard. There's a fine line between an "artful jumble" and "my life is a mess."






You may also remember some of the studio's wonderful {and still cool} furniture designs, {below}, from 2005.

{See also the beautiful Aesop store}

{all images from studioilse.com; quotes from The New York Times}

{tableaux cloths}

My inbox is often filled with of all sorts of great blog-related e-mails, including one from interior designer Mark Cutler, whose latest design includes the cheekily named Tableaux Cloths, which he designed “to fill a need I had for a low cost, yet stylish solution for a covered table.”

The Tableaux Cloths come in beige printed with a black image, but can be custom colored. They are currently available at Colburn Sassaman, which ships worldwide.

According to Mark, “I love the whimsical blend of antique and modern . . .”

{ridiculously beautiful furniture}

{Mesa gerencia Paralelas}

Recently came across the Tresserra Collection, a line of astonishingly beautiful and incredibly well-crafted furniture by designer Jaume Tresserra, whose commitment to hand craftsmanship and the use of high quality materials has resulted in pieces that are not only extremely functional, but also lovely to look at--a combination that is becoming increasingly rare these days.

{Credencia Nobel, above and below}

{Mueble bar Elíptic, above}

{Mesa centro Escarabajo, above and below}

{Christian Louboutin's countryside château}

“Black soles are for widows, beige soles are for the Milanese, but red soles are for those who want to flirt and still have time to dance.”

The be-ribboned Louboutins that grace my sidebar and starred in a recent Christmas post caused a stir, not unlike the shoes' designer, Christian Louboutin, who has been causing a sensation in the fashion and design worlds since he opened his first boutique in 1992.

Born and raised in Paris, Christian Louboutin was a landscape gardener before opening his Right Bank, Paris boutique. The story of how Louboutin came to be a shoe designer has reached near mythic proportions, beginning with one fateful day as he passed by the Museum of Oceanic Art in Paris, where he noticed a sign that would forever change his life: an image of a stiletto heel crossed out by two thick lines reminding women who were visiting the museum not to scratch the wooden floors with their high heels. Not believing that something so beautiful could have such negative connotations, it is said that from this moment on, his fascination with shoes would grow into an obsession of sketching them in the hopes of one day bringing his sketches to life.

He once famously stated in an interview {style.com} that he created shoes for pure pleasure--"a shoe you can not run, you can not even walk--if you want to run in a shoe, buy a sneaker." Anyone who has ever teetered in a pair of his four-inch heels will concur that running is not an option! Louboutin has also been quoted as saying, "It is better to be graceful in flats, than not be able to walk in heels."

This remarkable designer has a trapeze installed in his office, considers Caroline of Monaco and Catherine Deneuve his friends, and Roger Vivier a mentor. He divides his time between his Left Bank, Paris apartment, a château in the French countryside, and an Egyptian retreat.

Here is a glimpse of Louboutin's stunning countryside château . . .

{Christian Louboutin}

{all images from the official Christian Louboutin website; images 1-7 from German AD February 2007}