the best bumblebee ever

so, after waiting a bit to do my fancy schmancy super gushy post on my new favorite site....here it is! the site i now spend all of my free time reading and clicking through, constantly oohing and ahhing over is....one good bumblebee! not only is the site banner painfully cute, but its host, the lovely miss katey, is super cool to boot! home to the musings of the talented ms. k, one good bumblebee is literally the biggest time suck i've ever found. and i mean that in the absolute best way EVER. and that's a lot. cause i never use CAPITALS. she has tipped me off to the greatest graphic designers. I LOVE IT! man, look at me using the caps, here i go AGAIN! so, clearly, as seen by my use of caps, i thoroughly enjoy ms. katey's site. and you should too. click here and discover the world of awesomeness that is one good bumblebee.

other amazing people i've discovered through katey: nate williams, small things, little paper planes and kate sutton, the sleepy cow.

fun outdoor things....weee!

sometimes you need something modern to spruce up your garden and these concrete stools are just the thing. so, if angel fountains aren't exactly your bag, look no further than the shed studios. they make super cool outdoor stools that are perfect for modern backyard lounging. available in black, white and grey, these guys may be heavy....but they're great.

the jewelry man

i like pretty jewelry. therefore, i like ryan kundrat's work. a risd grad with an eye for hoops, ryan creates designs that are simple, urban and chic. can't get enough of em. check out ryan's stuff here. enjoy.

my favorite sleepy cow

have you ever discovered an artist whose style is just so, well, YOU, that you instantly fall in love? well, i have. and that artist is kate sutton. tragically cool (and young- hooray for young (girl) designers!) and amazingly talented, kate is a uk based, led zeppelin-loving artist who has a super cute sketching style i can't get enough of. kate says her drawings and funny creations come from, "a love of cows, led zeppelin, the colour brown, goats, kids books, [my] badge maker, sewing, nice jumpers, trees, car boot sales, mountains, fancy fabrics, buttons, whiskey, mushrooms, fairy tales and home made things, just to name a few." and well, you can't beat a girl who gets inspiration from nice jumpers.

kate's style is girly, cute and fun but entirely cool and edgy enough to suit a number of purposes. her drawings are witty and certainly know how to get away with mixing irony, humor and great design. sleepycow.com is a showcase for some of her scribbles, pirate pigeons, monsters, cows, and more, so you should go check it out. i'm gonna buy one of her sketches asap. cause i like em. a lot. not to be missed: her hysterical plushtastrophe dolls. too. funny.

xoxo, lama

i'm in deep like with lama. ever since i saw their gorgeous cell carpet that won the best of award at 100% design rotterdam 2004 [via reluct], i've kept my eye on them. they have designed some tragically chic homewares that you just have to check out. cell is still my favorite, as it embodies lama's philosophy of "industrial with a human touch", but the rest of the collection is pretty slick as well. their textiles are so gorgeous you'll want to reach through the screen to touch them- 'furore' is a decadent blanket so full of furry goodness that i'm dying to just roll around around it. in addition to textiles, 'cube you' is a simple but elegant storage and table system that consists of black or white block components with colored interiors- perfect for building your own entertainment center slash bookshelf. also not to be missed: the uber cool 'loft lamp' and 'sinus' children's furniture. both are super cute and chic enough for the most modern of apartments. you can find more information on lama here.

go west, young sponge....

ahhhh...safe and sound and back in our little brooklyn apartment, i find myself overwhelmed by the wonderful responses i've received post ny times article. thanks to everyone who stopped by- i really appreciate it and hope that you continue to send notes and let me know what you think about everything....i love to hear from everyone. almost as much as i love having this blog.

ac and i had the most amazing time in san francisco and im going to post a few choice pictures tomorrow (basking in the sausalito sun above...) i'm still blown away from the sheer beauty of the golden gate bridge. really, it's breathtaking.

so, hope you guys like the new posts- it's wonderful to be back and it was so great to hear from all of you (thanks to those who pointed out that i've never "hidden" who i work for or what i do. much appreciated!). hope you all had wonderful weekends and have even better weeks! back to the real world...

xoxo,

d*s

editor's note: btw, the part of the ny times article that was false wasn't lockhart's fault. it is due to a rather over-zealous and non fact-checking photo editor. so, please don't send him any hate mail. he's a good guy.

love letters

thanks, metropolis for this great reminder: ettore sottsass' valentine typewriter for olivetti (1969) is such a beautiful object. simple, bold, colorful and perfect for sending mushy love notes to you special someone during the month of valentines. click here for more info. and then go kiss someone- it's almost valentine's day....

steal this chicken

i've always loved cards and all of the accessories that come with traditional correspondence, so it's no surprise that i spend so much of my free time scouring the internet for great new card designers. this week it's stolen chicken cards. there's something beautifully haunting about these cards- besides being made from wonderful block prints (hooray for my major!), they take on themes that evoke the supernatural and, if nothing else, a somewhat eerie feeling. my favorite series is based one the most peculiar (but wonderful) children's books, alice in wonderland, while another, "above outside", depicts lonely powerlines with crows and unearthly trees. but don't think that because the cards can be a bit spooky that they're any less beautiful than other, more cheerful, designs. stolen chicken also has a series called confection that is positively up beat and perfect for any occasion. check out stolenchicken.com for some gorgeous new cards to send to all your friends and loved ones.

r + d = cool

r+d design studio is not only super hip and amazingly talented, but they're from brooklyn too! hooray for local designers! (and within my zip code at that!). i fell hard for their pod plates and uber chic gotham sofa and i'm sure you will too. they make all sorts of super slick apartment goods that you can find on their website. so stop on by and support some local designers! enjoy...

rena rena bobena

rena tom is a girl after my own heart. she's super cool and designs the most gorgeous baubles you'll ever lay your eyes on. plus she's got a super cute dog named mia. and everyone knows, pet-owners are, on the whole, awesome people. i've gushed madly about rena before, but now i have a legitimate excuse to do it again because...drumroll...she's got new stuff out!

rena's designs are classy and original- not to mention that they positively ooooze coolness. she works with absolutely stunning materials like ebony and chalcedony and is at her best when she's mixing beautiful woods with simple, yet stunning gemstones. so, ladies, i do believe that valentine's day is coming up...so, give ms. rena a call (or a click) and i'm sure she can help your special someone pick out something lovely. hooray for brooklyn design ladies!

tie it up...

the ribbon project is super hip group of japanese designers making things out of, well, ribbon. they've produced some gorgeously complex pieces that you should really check out. click here for more info.

well, at least they spelled my name right...

yay!! my picture's in the paper! woohoo!! hooray! and it's a big picture too!

oh look- and there's an article that goes with it! ooh lots of words! lots of blogs! ooh- more pictures! (so that's what those guys look like! love that vase, maxwell!)

wait a minute...i'm getting the sneaking suspicion that i've been cast as the bad blogger. boooo! they didn't tell me that when they said they wanted to do an article on me! man, maybe i shouldn't have been so wasted during that interview. it's no secret that the relationship between the print media and bloggers has been an uneasy one, you know, the usual complaints: we work fast, shoot from the hip, don't check facts and have no journalistic integrity. and as it turns out, i'm the example of all of these! and after reading the article, i'm starting to believe it! i don't want to read my own site!

so it turns out that being the assistant to someone who is paid to promote our clients is a serious conflict of interest for someone who runs a personal blog. with my big mouth, i would have been more than happy to talk about our clients and all the gossip i get at work, but my boss and i agree that i have a tendency to say things that she wouldn't want associated with our clients (whoops!). i don't know why, maybe it was all that bad-mouthing karim rashid.

so, to summarize....my picture's in the ny times! woohoo!

paper crane lady

i love that there are literally trillions of great designers hiding around every corner. i was browsing through d*s comments and the next thing you know- bam! my paper crane hit me over the head with a one two combination of cute and cool! she makes the sweetest most ridiculously cute little plush toys shaped like toast, toilet paper, sushi and even donuts. (i'm a sucker for anything food-based). it might be a bit on the cutesy side for some, but i've always thought that if something is fun and makes you smile- it's great. and these my friends, are awesome. i mean, what girl wouldn't want a toaster (with toast buddy!) purse? too cute for words. go check em all our here. hooray for my paper crane (thanks for posting a comment and helping me find you!)

loopy for lindkvist

i love silly little objects. especially the kind that you don't know quite what to do with but you know you have to use somewhere. lindkvist, a swedish design studio, has made just that with their adorable little suspenders. designed to be used as keychains, magnets or just plain old "hang arounds" these little guys are too cute for words (the spicy toro is my favorite). i love how they've hung them on the walls and they'd be perfect in a little kids room (or maybe even a big kids room) or somewhere that needs a little bit more whimsy. check out lindkvist's site for more information.

great skott!

i've always loved people who turn their lives around midstream and decide to follow their dreams. you know, those people who listen to that gut feeling that says, "i don't think i was meant to sit behind this desk all day." courtney skott is one of those people. before she became a super-fabulous designer extraordinaire, she was a journalism major at ut austin and the co-founder of a software company. even though she founded it with her soon-to-be hubby, i'm oh-so-happy she ditched the computer gig for furniture. cause the girl is good. very good.

each one of courtney's pieces ooze craftsmanship and command respect for the level of dedication and amount of care put into every inch. from small stools "clothed" in hand-dyed silk to a gorgeously ornate, hand-cut lacquered plywood chandelier, ms. skott has taken furniture design to a place most big-time designers don't take the time to visit anymore. the manpower and sheer amount of labor that must have gone into her silk stools is mind-boggling. it's this kind of craftsmanship combined with elegant design principles that makes courtney skott a star in my book.

stand out pieces: her "un-upholstered chair", which has a pattern carved through a walnut veneer into the plywood beneath (creating a gorgeous contrast line), the breathtakingly beautiful tree trunk ottomans (made with handmade, coffee-dyed silk, which is quilted and embroidered), which come with removable wool "jackets", and the craftstery, yet elegant, plywood chandelier (you know how i love chandeliers) which holds six votive candles and will soon be available in clear lacquered birch, red laquer and a bristol blue lacquer. you can find more information on ms. skott and her products here. (or shoot her an email at info@courtneyskott.com). support independant designers who follow their dreams!

ps: i found courtney via her friend and mine, the lovely ms. tom, but just fyi- the wonderful mr. sardar at the sf chronicle mentioned courtney here...

from the land of 188,000 lakes....

helsinki-based tonfisk design is one of the cutest little companies out there. not only do they have a 'fun-facts about finland' page on their website, but they make super stylish and super fun tableware that you'll be dying to pick up after you fin(n)ish reading this post. based on louis sullivan's functionalist dictum, "form follows function doesn't mean all objects have to look the same...", tonfisk's beautiful line of tableware is the perfect marriage between practicality and good looks. each piece is a creative take on a traditional serving item, but ensures that, despite its modern design, it will be completely functional and practical. (ie: it won't fall apart on you). take a look for yourself and be sure to check out the fun facts about finland. enjoy!

because cats deserve good design too

our cats are as finicky as they come but gosh darn it if they aren't the cutest things in the world. the illustrious ms. jackson and turk demand only the best and i think i've found it. in a world where people only design fun things for dogs, ryan rutherford has designed the cutest little play toys for cats! yes, cats! take that dog owners! (well, i love dogs, but the cute toy count does seem to always tip in their favor)

i found ryan on coroflot and fell in love with his cute, cartoonish style that he has so wonderfully translated into tiny plush "creeps" toys for cats. it really doesn't get any cuter than this. i know for a fact that turk and ms. j would be more than happy to rip these suckers to shreds, or at least hide them under the oven for safe keeping. great work, ryan! check out ryan's portfolio here. adopt a great cat or dog here (best.shelter.ever)

are you going to san-fran-cisco....

well, like the song says, yes i'll be going, but no, i won't be wearing flowers in my hair. although i'll probably be wearing my favorite knit hat that has a pink flower on it, so maybe i will be wearing flowers in my hair. either way, ac and i head to california tomorrow morning for a weekend full of family and friends (all his) and of course, shopping. can't wait to see all the great places i've been told i have to see (thanks rena and amie and evan for the tips!). i'll be sure to take millions of pictures and post the best. i'll try to post from the hotel, so be sure to check out the latest goods! i'm soooo excited about my upcoming posts, i've saved my favorites for the ny times article week (it's a good bet it's going in tomorrow!) so, get ready for design*sponge extreme- i'm going to be on coolness overload! yay!