Another perfect chair.... this one by Angelo Mangiarotti.

Last weekend we went to Death Valley. And on our last night we found a cabin. Not exactly like last year's cabin, this one had electricity and water fed from a near by spring. It was incredible. I could have up there for days.

{forgive the poor quality of the images: unfortunately some setting on my camera changed without me realizing until we got home. I suppose that's a good reason to go back and and take betters one, right?}

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! Having grown up outside of America, Thanksgiving is not really part of my family's vocabulary. Usually we all do our own thing, go to our friends' houses, but we never really do anything as a family since... it's always just been an ordinary day for us. But this year is different because this year I actually have something to very thankful for and only want to be around my family. The fact their house survived the recent fire is something I'm still not really over yet. It'll take a while to settle in, and in the meantime a little pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce will help I'm sure.

I recently got this tile sample by Stone Impressions, and while it's not right for the project on which I'm working, I was quite taken by it. The detail is incredible! I wish I knew more about pattern design and tile fabrication. It's definitely not hand painted, but how do they get such fine detail?

My thing is that I just like the one tile.... as a field it's a little too much; you miss out on the tiny dots.

Or maybe not... see 4 tiles here.

Once again, fire has humbled us.

A terrible wild fire broke out in Santa Barbara on Thursday night. My parents house was spared, but only barely. Their next door neighbors were not so lucky and have lost everything. It's been incredibly sad watching the fire and reading about all the homes that have been lost. I cannot fathom losing everything by fire; it is such a helpless feeling one has watching things burn.

I am even more grateful for the things that I do have.

And also, in Los Angeles... I think there are three separate fires, over 1000 homes lost. Luckily R and I are not very close to these fires this time, a far cry from what we experienced this past April. But the air is so thick with smoke. It's the worst I have ever seen it. Air quality is poor and even in the heat, we're hesitant to open the windows. Visibilty is ridiculous. It feels like the whole city is fogged in.

So please excuse my (projected) absence this coming week, I think I'll be back and forth between LA and Santa Barbara and may not get back to blogging just yet... but then again, we'll see. I might welcome the distraction.

{image via ffffound}

My 2009 Calendar is done... finally and listed in my store.

This week has been a big one for me... not so much sleep and lots of work.

Except for the election, I pretty much tuned out of the world for last 2 weeks trying to meet this big deadline.

But I am back, ready to make stuff like there's no tomorrow.

I couldn't be happier. And I can't wait to see how we progress after this; can't wait to see what future elections will be like and can't wait to see what other barriers we can break. This is really big and so great.

What a relief! Glad we now just get on with it...

{image via ffffound}

I was originally drawn to these two polaroids because they are stunning, but upon closer inspection, the wall decals that they advertise are pretty great too!

{via ffffound; images from harmonie interieure}

I do believe that it's quite unfair that when things go 'on sale' that they are still ridiculously expensive. {via better living through design}

If I had more than just some extra extra cash to blow, I'd probably buy these chairs, the Paulistano and the Maun Windsor.

Or .... I could buy a few more of these... my favorite.

Or I'd go here for vacation for a week.

I could go on and on with my wish list...

We are lucky to have a little resting and sitting area in our studio with tatami mats and some zaisu, Japanese chairs that have backs but no legs. Ours are made from beautiful bent wood and have a circle cutout for a little butt friction, though they are even more comfortable with cushions.

My sister is moving to Australia next week! I'm so excited for her... though selfishly also excited for myself and all the Australian magazines I'm going to make her send to me :)

Artichoke is one of my favorites.

Seriously though, after having lived and studied in Melbourne for only a measly 6 months, I fell in love with the city and the continent. I tried to travel through the country as much as I could in the little time that I had, and I still talk about how much my travels (particularly to Western Australia) changed me.

It really is a fascinating continent, geologically and culturally. The one thing that continues to blow my mind is that the population of the State of California is approximately 36 million people. The entire country of Australia (which is roughly the same size of, though a little smaller than, the United States) has about 21 million inhabitants.

That's my kind of place. Fewer people... more empty space.

{hmm... got a little side tracked there from the nice magazines, didn't I? Oh well.... to continue what I started off trying to say: Australia has got some great design going on and some fabulous publications to match...}

If someone lovely out there just wants to buy me a present, just for the heck of it, look no futher.

Bowls and plates from the New York Botanical Garden shop.

Seriously.

Someone... anyone?

I love my friends.

And I love it when they make things that I want :)
Case in point: Jessica with her latest project, baby slippers... as seen on her (and co-author Mindy's) blog, 3 day weekend.

{... actually, it was their blog that inspired me to finally get off my butt and start one of my own.}

What is it about teeny shoes? I love these slippers. All of them. They're so simple and sweet.

This morning the colors were stunning.
I cooked my breakfast outside... a wonderful way to start the day.

Some colors from the studio... they all seem to fit into our unintended color scheme.

I've been so busy these last few weeks, it's crazy. Lack of sleep, lack of attention on too many things except work. I've hardly spent anytime in the studio at all, but soon, I will get a little break.

Things I am eargerly awaiting:
1. busting out the knitting needles and balls of yarn that have been taunting me and getting back to the beasts
2. fixing my grommet setter and finishing the calendar....
3. cooking a nice autumn meal
4. a trip to the desert

but for now, it's back to plans, elevations and furniture drawings...

The inspirations boards took over the {other} office a long time ago. And now we are so close to being finished with the house that I think I will miss these crazy boards. So many wonderful colors and images collected over the years.

The house, as a shell, has a very clear personality. Now I can't wait to see how each room comes together... how close (or far) they are the images in our heads and on boards.

With the days getting shorter I find myself driving to work in the morning in the dark. Normally I am not so keen on this, but this morning... the moon! I cannot describe how gorgeous it was. Low in the sky and pure gold because of all the smoke from the wildfires hanging in the air.

Of course I do not recommend trying to take photos while driving at 6:15 a.m. going 70 miles an hour. But I do love these images, even if you can't quite make out the moon :)

It certainly was not our intention, but we have a nice collection of red and yellow chairs for our studio.

Tomorrow is our big party. Our muscles and brains are sore from all the construction and debates over paint colors and finishes.

Tomorrow champagne will taste better than ever.

Earlier this year I sent some beasts off to England to be part of a new shop, radici.co.uk, and the webshop finally launched today! Fiona and Jenneth have spent months gathering beautiful handcrafted items from all over the world and my wee beasts have made the cut :) There are some really lovely pieces, I'm so happy that my work is amongst it all! And not only are the goods beautiful, but so is the site's design. Elegant and clean, but also fun and whimiscal.

Also check out their blog, where you'll see Roscoe the Giraffe ushering in the big day... and also, Owen, the blog's lucky mascot.

A big congratulations to Fiona and Jenneth!

What a lovely weekend so far... good company, good shopping finds and good food.

First KC and I went to look for some light fixtures for the house on which we're working. Instead we got completely sidetracked by the vintage maps and vintage kimono stencils. Not that I'm complaining...

And then this morning: breakfast with friends outside. It's something that we do not do often enough and we took our time today. Lazy eating and laughing. Also, it rained yesterday and so this morning the air was so fresh and the sky so clean.

And tonight R and I are going to see Horse Feathers play. What a weekend, indeed.

This little house by LASC studio is a breath of fresh air... via 2 or 3 things I know.
The same blue travels through the house... the bookshelf, the doors, the stairs, the bathroom tile... and there a nice strong yellow as well.

Yum.