more sesame

quick quick...new cards from sesame letter press. super cute. i love the horseshoes. available here.

ahoy

my jewelry guru, rena tom, has a cool new design out- the "sunken treasure" necklace. sure to be a fav this summer. click here for more info.

super fun time

i just wanted to write something with a title that sounded like a japanese television show. these great new patterns from eiei-o studio are perfectly poppy and just right for the summer months that seem to finally be upon us. each one is pretty enough to frame or use for its actual purpose- wrapping paper (they also come as storage tubes). and as someone with a birthday coming up...all eyes are on wrapping paper. more info on the fabulousness that is eiei-o, click here!

urban mercantile

i always think it's funny when i find a store's online presence and realize i am either super close to their actual retail store, or have been there before. this week i discovered urban mercantile and then realized, i'm so stupid, it's in san francisco and i was just there! oh well...they have a great online presence so you can get all the goods via their website.

urban mercantile carries a great collection of pillows, ceramics, textiles and generally cool homewares. i'm a total pillow addict, so i was immediately drawn to their silkscreened pillow collection. lots of great patterns to choose from (and not too too expensive).

urban mercantile's ceramics and glass collection is elegant and modern, although the glass selection is a bit above my price range (ok, way above it).

if you don't have the time to skim, here's the cream of the crop: the entire pillow collection and whitney smith's pomegranate vases. enjoy!

west coast

i had the most wonderful weekend in california. i just wanted to share a few happy thoughts with everyone before the day's posting begins...

i was lucky enough to get to spend some more time with the fabulous card girls of san francisco: kate of saturate, stacy of pancake and franks and jean of eieio. thank you so, so much for taking the time to have lunch with me you guys- it was beyond wonderful to see you.

in addition to fun time with the girls, we attended the wedding of our friends chris and hilleary. the wedding was, to put it simply: perfect. every last detail was so them. it was just this perfect little moment and i was so honored to have been invited. highlights: ac performing the ceremony and getting to say, "by the power vested in me...by the internet" and the bride's brother playing "tangerine" by led zeppelin on the accordion as she walked down the sand "aisle" that was made with flowers placed in the sand. it was just beautiful. congratulations you guys, i wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness and joy.

other highlights? dinner in hayes valley [thanks, lara!], getting to rent a pt cruiser convertible [soo much fun], the view from our hotel window and getting burnt to a crisp and not even realizing it. it will be tan soon- YES!

hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

quick quick...

thinking wedding...cute, inexpensive wedding gift idea from pottery barn. for $30 you can get a monogrammed (new married initials) lumbar pillow that's classy, simple and modern. available in tangerine or lime. i love it.

3 hours earlier...

i'm off to stinson beach, california today. we're attending the wedding of our friends chris and hilleary [congratulations you guys]. ac is actually performing the ceremony. you can register online and everything. it's crazy. i'll be back on tuesday, i hope you all have a wonderful memorial day weekend. enjoy the extra long weekend! see you next week.

atlantico

this is going to be one of the longest posts i've done in awhile, because i'm really excited about this company. three quick notes before i launch in: one- the pictures have dots in them because, on the website, they denote little pop up info boxes about the furniture, two- i actually can't afford any of this furniture, but i wanted to share this because, for those of you who can, i think the pieces are worth investing in and three- i'd like to live in the apt featured in the product shots. gorgeous.

atlantico is a williamsburg brooklyn based furniture design studio run by super sweet korneel and husani. korneel and i have spoken via email a few times and i've really come to be intrigued by the launch of their company, so i was excited to finally get a look at the pieces.

atlantico was born from "thinking about what we would like our house to be: calm, pleasant and comfortable. a place where we could recharge and invite friends to, filled with items that would enhance our well-being and that would support us. items of high quality but without pretense. our home would be uncluttered but cozy, warm but minimal." i love this philosophy and embrace it whole-heartedly. atlantico's aesthetic is quality not quantity and their furniture blends nicely into most existing styles. what i love so much about their pieces is the attention to detail: each piece is seemingly simple, but has a quality of construction that belies its simplicity. there are no ugly screws or exposed metalwork- the furniture is pure, simple, beautiful wood.

atlantico's collection is divided into sleeping, living and dining, each collection comprised of three to five pieces of simple, beautiful furniture. i decided to start with sleeping because, well, it was the first on the drop down menu.

atlantico's sleeping collection is comprised of a super minimalist bed, night stand and tall and short chest of drawers. my favorites are the tall and low chest of drawers (my favorites of the entire collection as well). these pieces are elegant, unimposing and add a lovely sense of simple serenity to any decor. the bed and night tables are equally simple, minimalist and easy to blend in to your existing collection of furniture.

after bedding comes living, so let's dive in...atlantico's living collection consists of a coffee table, low side board and side table. i love the low side board, i'd put this in my top five favorite pieces of the collection. again, each piece embodies simple, high quality modernism. the coffee table and side table are about as simple as you can get, but sometimes that's all you need (again, i'd like to add that i'm sure a lot of people will balk at the pricing. i identify with the sense of confusion about such a high price for such a simple product, but i guess i've become so numb to pricing in this industry that i just don't get quite as upset as i used to).

the dining collection from atlantico is a bench, stool, two tables and a tall sideboard. this collection is no different from the previous in its commitment to detail, quality and simplicity. the table "003" has a nice added detail of setback support that makes it look as though the top is levitating above the rest of the table. it's simple, but adds a nice touch to a very basic table. the sideboard is a perfect starter piece (although not exactly a starter price...), as are the stools and benches. i've always loved the idea of benches at dining tables- they're so cozy and allow for intimate seating while enjoying heated discussion and hot food. (although i'd probably add a pad for more comfort).

atlantico is a great new player in the minimalist, modern furniture industry. while i have a problem with the pricing of the collection, i think that overall the pieces are beautiful, elegant and the perfect product of a mission to create a "calm, pleasant and comfortable" environment. you can find more information on atlantico at their website, or their "showroom" at 36 s4th street (my old hood) in williamsburg (by appt).

prep school linens

i love the new litchfield bedding from kate spade. inspired by the town in connecticut (come on, it's kate spade now), these lush, springy sheets, shams and duvets are ultra crisp and clean- very springtime in the country, very "i went to andover". you can find them online at kate spade. (fyi: very pricey for the duvet)

eva solo

josh's post on eva solo reminded me to check back in with the ultra modern danish company to see what was new...

eva solo introduced some great new (ultra slick, ultra modern) products this year, starting with a super cool "grill starter" that warms charcoal briquettes and allows you to dump them onto the fire, speeding the process and allowing you to eat your kabobs a little bit sooner.

to go along with the grilling theme, eva solo released some chic, minimalist grill skewers and a spatula. ultra cool and ultra modern as always.

and last but not least, eva solo produced a great little magnetic timer that you can stick to a steel surface to monitor your cooking. kinda clever little gadget (if you have some steel surfaces handy) if you ask me. they also put out a nice white bowl with a handle. not sure how hard it is to carry a bowl, but hey, it's a nice simple bowl- i'm not gonna argue.

you can find more info on eva solo right here. (and a sample of their earlier work below).

so fresh and so clean

claus porto makes the most beautifully packages soaps, bath salts and candles. i don't even like bar soap (hate the residue), but i love these. i'm such a sucker for great packaging.

you've probably seen these in a lot of design stores if they have a small "accessories" section, but heck, they're gorgeous enough to bring up even if they're not brand new. you can find them online at lafco ny or at most nice design or bath/body stores. enjoy!

color me wonderful

i'm a color freak. that's right, i said it, color FREAK. i'm always planning which colors to paint so-and-so and dropping in benjamin moore, just for fun. so, even though i don't have a new apt to paint yet, i've already planned out some potential colors. benny moore of course, since he's my fav.

i'm making this year all about dark, dark navy blue for me. the darker the better. inspired by a domino mag shoot, i've fallen for "soot" (2129-20). i'd love to pair it with fresh turquoise and some bright white for a fantastic POP. but if dark blue won't do, i've also found a gorgeous, where-have-you-been-all-my-life color called "tawny day lilly" (2012-10) that is guaranteed to wake you up this summer.

since you have to have something fresh and springy in the home, i've decided to go chartreuse crazy. ac isn't so nuts about it, but i am. to go with the bowls and platters below, i found "citron" (2021-30) and "chartreuse" (2024-10). bright, poppy, wonderful.

if none of these are your things, check out "summer basket green" (2040-40), a lovely, calming green that would blend nicely to any decor without standing out too too much. and if you're looking for a nice subtle gray, don't forget the tried and true "chelsea gray" (hc-168) that i had on my walls until i moved. it's the PERFECT gray.

so, pop on by your local paint store and grab yourself some summer color (or try benjamin moore's personal color viewer online). everything better in color.

jon jon

oh jonathan adler, i love when you make groovy little retro ceramics. especially your new apple tray. so sweet. all yours, d*s.

felissimo

cute "duo" series at felissimo design house in manhattan (but you can order via phone or internet). the duo cup and bowl series provides an intimate way for friends or more-than-friends to share a cup of coffee or a something more substantial at night (or maybe in the morning...?). both duos are $48 and are available right here.