DESIGNwatcher.com

>> hiatus

2011-08-10T13:10:00.001-07:00

I'm taking a brief vacation from DESIGNwatcher for the time being and directing my blogging focus toward Tomboy Style. Back soon I hope! —LGM

>> scenes from san francisco

2011-07-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

The General Store in The Sunset: me likes.

Mollusk Surf Shop rules.

Post-run grilled cheese at Outerlands and a quick pop into the Heath Ceramics factory in Sausalito.

>> dwell on design 2011

2011-06-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

I just got back from this year's Dwell on Design exhibition in downtown Los Angeles, which was a pretty good showing! The guy up there in the Sleeper get-up is spray painting the rhythm of random people's heart beats and then auctioning off the artwork for charity. Here are few pics of items and designs that caught my eye.

A+R's genius Hot-Pot BBQ by Black + Blum and great wireless portable speakers also at the A+R booth.

Rewired and re-purposed shoe lamps (?) and Heath's house number plates, which are to die for.

Minimalist loose-leaf tea strainer and ceramic speakers by Joey Roth.

Molo Design's lighting booth was pretty dreamy and loved this pendant cage lamp.

Public Bikes out in full-force!

LOVED these cast honey bears by Lesley Anton. So cute!

Nice lookin' hammocks. Nice lamp?

Charley Harper + Todd Oldham, so great.

>> lion pet

2011-06-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Photos via the LIFE archives.

Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?

More images from the series: here!

>> chippendales on craigslist

2011-06-17T12:06:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I drove down to a neighborhood near San Pedro (where the 405 and 110 meet) and bought two 1950s Chippendale chairs (see above left photo). The cushions were beat and the fabric covering them...was, how do I say, a total nightmare. But I knew these were a great deal and had real potential once the cushions were redone. Today I picked them up from the fabric guy and...tada, new living room chairs at a livable price!

>> the pink swan project

2011-06-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Larissa over at Suite NY turned me on to their Pink Swan project this morning. 19 designers, architects and fashion icons were given the iconic Fritz Hansen Swan Chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 to customize. The chairs will be auctioned on charitybuzz.com and proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Hot puppies.

>> father's day gift guide

2011-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Check out my Father's Day gift guide over at the L.A. Times, packed with gear, tech, and tools!

>> popular headwear

2011-05-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is so cute for a little kid's room (via Mary Caple).

>> mathematics by the yard

2011-05-20T14:40:00.001-07:00

I found this article in a 1954 issue of LIFE while looking for something else. One of the anonymous designers quoted in the article said, "Geometric prints are a reaction against flowers and fruit." Bold stuff.

>> eccleston cushion

2011-05-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

I love this pillow from Aubin & Wills! Get it here ($113).

>> 2011 Venice Garden + Home tour

2011-05-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

A few snaps from another great year of snooping around people's homes and gardens in Venice!

This is where "The Dude" lived in The Big Lebowski!

Bee keeping on the West Siiiide!

Nice Tom Dixon pendant lamp on the left.

Drool.

>> sky lanterns

2011-05-02T11:13:00.001-07:00

Matt and I just got back from The Bahamas for our dear friend Alex's birthday. After dinner one night, paper sky lanterns were set off over the harbor and we all watched as they slowly floated up into the dark sky—one of the most beautiful and poetic things I've ever seen at a dinner party. The airborne paper lanterns (also known as Kongming Lanterns) are a staple in some Asian cultures and are simply constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame, and contain a small candle or fuel cell composed of a waxy flammable material. When lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern, lifting the lantern into the air. So cool and so great for weddings and parties! Get a 5 pack right here for $18.

>> color exercizes

2011-04-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

I love how complete and composed a simple color exercise can look. Total eye candy. Images via The Basic Design Collection at The Visual Arts Data Service.

>> playing hooky, I mean golf

2011-04-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not saying that Matt and I took off work a little early to hit the links yesterday, and I'm not saying we didn't...

Travis Matthew Tee Time t-shirt (which of course would not be recommended for wearing on the actual course) ($39); Matt swears by this book and so does his grandfather who has had at least one hole-in-one post-shoulder replacement surgery (!): Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf ($17); vintage trophies (prices vary); Coors Light (the most watered-down beer around!); ribbon belt ($40); Matt has an old beat up pair of FootJoys that he wouldn't get rid of for $1000, there's a lot of ugly golf shoes out there, best to go with the classics, like: FootJoy Icon shoes ($140); I love Scotty Cameron putters, unless I miss the putt and then I hate them!

>> red, white and paddle

2011-04-04T20:38:00.001-07:00

I've become so obsessed with paddle tennis that on Sunday afternoon I made Matt play with me after he got off a six hour flight. Nice wife, right?

L.L. Bean custom tote ($39); Blue Crab Bay Bloody mix ($8); Wilson Slash paddle ($129); Bird-Electron portable speaker ($90); Bobble filtering water bottle ($10); Tennis needlepoint key fob ($25); Rod Lavers ($55); Boast polo ($68).

>> willing warmer weather

2011-03-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Photos of a man snow surfing in Aspen via the LIFE archive by Bill Eppridge.

>> Schumacher wallpaper

2011-03-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

My friend Anne recently reminded me how much I love Garden & Gun Magazine, and here's the perfect testament: I went to the website and there they were, gorgeous images of Schumacher's "Nest" collection wallpaper! It looks so luxurious and beautiful.

>> plumes

2011-03-27T19:12:00.001-07:00

Hermes Home has some spectacular new items, including two items I'm drooling over (both with feather motifs), the above porcelain ashtray ($630) and this 25" x 25" pillow cover ($680). Just kinda sorta pricey unfortunately.

>> caro's avocado smoothie

2011-03-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is officially the best thing I've made in less than 60 seconds. I caught the recipe on Caro's Concoctions on YouTube (via Facebook) a few days ago and haven't been able to get it out of my head! Carolina is an editor at Epicurious and she and I also went to the same high school. Click here for her video and in the mean time will someone please get this woman a TV show!? Here's the recipe:

Put an avocado in a blender.
Fill about half way with milk.
Add honey.
Blend.
Pour.
Sprinkle with granola.
Eat.

>> cool crest

2011-03-18T09:23:00.001-07:00

Spotted in downtown L.A.

>> cecil beaton + david hockney

2011-03-17T14:39:00.001-07:00

I have been so deeply entrenched in women's fashion lately over at Tomboy Style, that I've been sort of thirsty for men's duds...on men. Above are two images I scanned from my book David Hockney Photographs (1982), Cecil Beaton by David Hockney in 1971 and David Hockney by Mark Lancaster (Hockney thinks) in 1976.

>> st. patrick...

2011-03-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

...would have wanted me to have this 1963 911. I'm pretty certain.

Also, check out Steve McQueen's 1970 911S on ACL which is coming up for auction this August.

>> sugar's perspective

2011-03-14T10:27:00.001-07:00

I saw this on A Continuous Lean and have since watched it over half a dozen times. I grew up with Golden Retrievers, so, to me this is one of the best things EVER.

>> son of a gun

2011-03-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Photos by EaterLA.

Matt and I went to the newly opened (late Feb) Son of a Gun (8370 W. 3rd St, LA) last weekend, and despite the fact that most people had to wait 30 minutes or so to be seated (with a reservation!), we LOVED it. In fact, the shrimp toast sandwich with siracha mayo has been on my brain ever since. If your wildest foodie fantasy is combining carbs with seafood in multiple ways (mine), then definitely check it out. The interior design by Ruth De Jongis is East Coast-y and eclectic with a few hints of California—all their plates are Heath Ceramics—which I loved.

>> japan

2011-03-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Sending out love to all those effected by the quake in Japan. Matt and I incredulously watched the tsunami footage last night; absolutely gut-wrenching. Go to The Red Cross website or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

>> colorado yurt company

2011-03-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

The catalog from the Colorado Yurt Company just arrived in my mail slot. I am trying to keep it together.

>> quirk ethic

2011-03-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

Photos by Lawrence K. Ho / The Los Angeles Times.

On Saturday I had a piece run in the L.A. Times about the creative force behind This Is Not Ikea, a vintage resale shop on Fairfax. The photos and deep photo captions are up online, so check it out. And definitely check out the store if you live in L.A., there is, without exaggeration, something in there for almost everyone.

>> royal blue

2011-03-04T13:35:00.001-08:00

Loving this album and especially this song. Have a good wknd!

>> peachy-palm-beachy

2011-03-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Stubbs & Wootton "storm" slippers ($395 for ladies, $425 for gents—and there's a 30% off discount right now with the code: SPRING); Vintage Cocktails ($50); Current Elloitt trouser roll shorts ($189); Rod Stewart's Greatest Hits on vinyl ($6); Rodarte x Opening Ceremony "Roy Orbisons" ($218); Marcel Breuer's f41 Lounge on Wheels ($2,165); The Kennedys (Eunice, Bobby, Ted and Jean in 1941).

>> TRADhome party

2011-03-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Traditional Home Magazine is launching a digital edition of their monthly mag in April and had a little soiree to celebrate last night at Almont Yard, a cute little garden area in West Hollywood where everything for sale makes you DROOL.

>> zebras and arrows

2011-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

The Zebra wallpaper designed by Franco Scalamandre has been making its way around the internets lately. It was featured in Elle Decor in December and then again on Habitually Chic, as well as made a cameo in Margot Tenembaum's bathroom way back in 2001, but when I saw the above bar photo on Happenstance, I really fell in love. The wallpaper made its debut at Gino Circiello's Italian Restaurant at 780 Lexington Ave in New York and according to The New York Times, "Mr. Circiello was a hunter without the means to pay for an African safari, but he reasoned that he could at least afford zebras on his wallpaper." It comes in six colors and is available right here.

>> watts towers

2011-02-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

Heather and I went to South Central yesterday to check out the Watts Towers, a global architectural destination that is rarely visited by people that actually live in L.A., even though it serves as one of the best examples of indigenous Los Angeles art. The towers were built between 1921 and 1954 by Simon Rodia right in his backyard by affixing broken glass bottles, shells and (sometimes stolen) tiles to rebar-enforced mortar. From far away the towers emit an eerie straight-out-of-a-Sci-Fi-novel vibe, but up close they read as friendly folk art.

>> spring break

2011-02-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'm having a serious hankering to be poolside or oceanfront. It's freezing in L.A. and I don't like it!

Chance beach towel ($65); woven tote bag ($495); 1973 British Military Rolex (ummm...); Pellegrino; Zalo loafers ($165); Field Guide to Seashells, 1968 ($30); "Fear and Loathing" aviators ($120).

>> second chance

2011-02-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Loving the newish Peter, Bjorn and John single. Saw it on the super cool Chance Co. website.

>> long beach flea mrkt finds

2011-02-21T13:33:00.001-08:00

We were actually hoping for rain on Sunday—because that's when the real bargains happen at the flea markets, but alas, it was sunny. Still, we got up early, braved some puddles (I know, serious stuff) and came home with a 48-star American flag that had been on my radar for some time and and a poster print of an architectural rendering of MOCA's Grand Avenue location, which was completed in 1986 by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Pretty good flea-ing.

>> welcome home

2011-02-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

My friend Rebecca's newest book, Welcome Home: Make Your House a Healthy, Wealthy, and Happy Place to Live ($15) will hit the shelves next week. It's a cute little gift book full of tips covering everything from fertility to fever, hornets to headaches, peacock feathers to Palm Sunday. Buy a few.

>> wknd

2011-02-18T14:31:00.001-08:00

It's going to be a rainy L.A. weekend which means: comfort food dinner party, Bean Boots and listening to records.

>> portlandia

2011-02-16T12:13:00.001-08:00

The funniest show I've ever seen in my entire life.

>> black leather

2011-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

I love how French Vogue's new editor-in-chief, Emmanuelle Alt, uses a Charles Pollock Executive Chair ($1900) in her office. At first glance I thought it was an Eames Lounger, but at closer look, definitely a Pollock. And some guesses on the rest of the scene: Cartier Tank (approx $2000); Vince Paper Leather jacket ($945); Rag & Bone Newbury ankle boot ($495); Bose iPod dock ($300).

>> valentine's

2011-02-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

Undisputed coolest married couple of all time: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. I bet they stayed in and didn't do a single thing for Valentine's Day, because that's what cool people do...right?

>> sheryl crow has a tepee

2011-02-08T09:48:00.001-08:00

Scans of her Hollywood Hills home from the March issue of Architectural Digest. Landscape design by Johnny Appleseed, tepee by Earthworks.

>> have a boss wknd

2011-02-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

>> montgomery rag

2011-02-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

What in the world am I going to do without this feather-talon voodoo sculpture ($150)??????

>> allegra hicks: an eye for design

2011-02-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been buying books like they're going out of style. Oh. Wait. Well, anyway, I'm happy with my most recent purchase, Allegra Hicks: An Eye For Design ($26), its focus is textile patterns, but there are some great interiors shots, and not your run of the mill "Domino/Lonny" look. I also have to say the cover is really gorgeous.

>> digging out

2011-02-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

I was shocked to find out last night that it's not shorts weather everywhere in the country. Hang in there dudes!

Filson log carrier ($75); Patagonia special edition down sweater ($275); Potpies: Yumminess in a Dish ($19); Wings + Horns blanket ($156); Texting gloves ($24); Shearling-lined Bean Boots ($149); First Aid Kit ($89); Ergonmic shovel ($30).

>> postcards from penguin

2011-01-31T11:07:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister-in-law sent me this AWESOME set of 100 postcards of Penguin book covers ($25, it says they're out of stock on Amazon, but click the "17 new" link below). From classics to crime, this box contains seventy years of quintessentially British design in one box. It is hard to part with them, but too much fun to send them out. Thanks again M+B!

>> scenes from the city

2011-01-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

It was quite a week to be tromping around NYC with buckets of snow blanketing the city (accompanied at times with thunder and lightning!). Central Park was unreal; kids sledding on trays, dogs chasing snowballs, and the skeletal trees plumped up with a coating of white. I was in NYC because my other blog, Tomboy Style, is on its way to becoming a book (Spring 2012), so it was a dream to walk into the Rizzoli book store on 57th street and take it all in. But I have to say, the best part was seeing all my friends and meeting the newest member of our gang, the beautiful two-week old Mister Augustus Fitch.

>> nyc

2011-01-24T09:18:00.001-08:00

I'm off to New York for the week, I'll be back next Monday with frost bite. (Chocolate Egg Cream recipe from 2002 issue of Gourmet can also be found online here). Have a good week!

>> wknd

2011-01-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend we'll be watching the Bears, wearing Bears t-shirts ($28), eating football sammies and wearing Ditka mustaches ($9). The only thing wrong will be the sunny 78˚ forecast in L.A.*

*I think I'll get over it.

Go Bears!!!!!

current obsession: james blake

2011-01-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Likelikelikelikelike.

>> old blue eyes

2011-01-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Emotional eating: Every one does it sometimes.

>> Eliot Noyes

2011-01-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Just playing some accordion...

Architect Eliot Noyes' daughter, Derry Noyes, practicing her accordion in the living room of her home (designed by her father). Note the vase in foreground by Pablo Picasso. Photo by George Silk, 1963.

Just cleaning my rifle...

The Talbot Rantoul summer house designed by Noyes. Neil Rantoul cleaning his rifle on a pull-down bed in the boys' quarters which doubles as a painting studio. Photo by John Dominis, 1965

>> tablescapes

2011-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many hours (days?) of productivity I could waste just by rearranging tablescapes. Probably lots.

>> tighten up by the black keys

2011-01-12T16:20:00.001-08:00

Love the song, the video is pretty funny too.

>> current obsession: Todd Romano's Manhattan apartment

2011-01-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

(not so great) scans from February 2011 issue of Architectural Digest

>> tedde bears

2011-01-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of into these weirdo "tedde" bears by illustrator Daniel Birch, especially the city collection shown above (NY, LA, Chicago, Dallas, Vegas, DC). About a dozen of the L.A. bears were hanging out at the Paul Smith store on Melrose and they are really funny looking, but I seriously debated putting one on our couch (maybe it wouldn't go so well with our David Hicks pillows, but...). They run from $11 for the teeny versions to $60 for the couch/bed size which you can get here, or you can pay $75 at Paul Smith, up to you.

>> the foodinista's champagne caps

2011-01-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

above photo by The Foodinista

I can not really deal with how awesome this is: My friend Heather has been collecting her champagne caps for years and recently decided to use them for design purposes. Read her post here, and then, like me, you'll probably start your own collection. Obsessed!!!

>> current obsession: G.H. Bass Bucks

2011-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

I've already been tearing through the classic Elys ($59) and am now waiting with bated breath for the laceless canvas variety (on right) to come out (any day now?). They are available online for men ($79) and women ($59-$69) and at one of my most favorite stores in Silver Lake, Driftwood.

>> 2011

2011-01-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

We were in Sedona to ring in the New Year, and although we didn't have any mystical breakthroughs or participate in any healing chants, it was spectacular. Especially with the dusting of snow. Above is a shot of the mid-century Chapel of the Holy Cross which is built right into the side of a mesa. Happy New Year!

>> the twelve blogs of christmas

2010-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

These are the blogs I've really enjoyed this year. Just in case you get a little antsy this week and need something to read...

A Continuous Lean is such a joy to read. Its focus is menswear, but it's really an education in American style.

A Crush on Every Girl and Every Car tumbles cool cars, cool girls and often the combination. Love.

Abstract City is clever, genius and hilarious. Christopher Niemann is a Blog God.

Black Eiffel is always flawlessly chic.

Dead Fleurette is a lady's style blog I quite like.

Dixie Caviar always has the most delicious Southern recipes. After I made her football sandwiches in September it was all over. This is my kind of eating.

Even*Cleveland is smarts, women's style, great music, art, everything cool. If I had to recommend one blog this year, this would be it.

Happenstance is straight-up awesomeness from Long Beach. Love everything on here.

Heart in a Cage is a blogging beauty.

Her Ribbons and Her Bows speaks to me.

Garden & Gun's The Sporting South is just a fun new read from a great magazine, and makes me feel hard core.

Stylish Bird is a great design blog by interior designer Amanda Teal. Her aesthetic is perfect.

>> merry christmas baby

2010-12-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

>> white house christmas, 1983

2010-12-19T22:27:00.001-08:00

Nancy Reagan and Mr. T dressed as Santa—a photo op that really makes the whole Elvis meeting Nixon thing look like a Disney movie.

>> lights

2010-12-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Untitled (Placebo) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, 1990

They are the last romantics, these candles:
Upside-down hearts of light tipping wax fingers,
And the fingers, taken in by their own haloes,
Grown milky, almost clear, like the bodies of saints.
It is touching, the way they'll ignore

A whole family of prominent objects
Simply to plumb the deeps of an eye
In its hollow of shadows, its fringe of reeds,
And the owner past thirty, no beauty at all.
Daylight would be more judicious,

Giving everybody a fair hearing.
They should have gone out with the balloon flights and the stereopticon.
This is no time for the private point of view.
When I light them, my nostrils prickle.
Their pale, tentative yellows

an excerpt from Candles by Sylvia Plath, 1960

>> buffalo springfield

2010-12-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

What's actually in my head is these guys. Specifically: this, this and this.

>> winter tee-pee scenes

2010-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Scans from my new book Tipi: Home of the Nomadic Buffalo Hunters ($15). If the tune of Eddie Murphy's 1985 song "Party All The Time" is in your head, but "party" is replaced with "tipi", then my friend, this book is definitely a must-have.

>> 1943 map

2010-12-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

There's something about the simplicity of an old map. It makes the idea of taking over an entire continent look pretty doable, doesn't it?

>> eating and sleeping in a wigwam

2010-12-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Although some of us may still think that driving across the country is an American rite of passage where Keroac-esque drum beats guide your youthful adventure that will surely and profoundly change you, the reality is you're in a below-ground room at the Days Inn in Creep Fest, Utah eating Wendy's while searching basic cable with a plastic-covered remote control. Once you crack the window, mis-ratioed chlorine wafts in from the pool and seduces the stale yet sweet cigarette smell that has been blanketing the furniture since 1977. You take a few Tylenol PMs and try and forget.

But chlorine aside, at a certain point in our country's young history, maybe this wasn't the case. Because at a certain point, there were tee-pee motels. In fact, there were seven, all built between 1936 and the 1950s which spread from California to Florida. Two remain as hotels (one in San Bernadino, CA and one in Holbrook, AZ) and they both offer FREE in-teepee WiFi.

>> ricky + ralph lauren's colorado ranch

2010-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Heaven.

> 2011 wall calendar

2010-12-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

This silk screened calendar ($11 + $13 international shipping) is pretty cool!

>> matt's gift guide for guys!

2010-12-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Hi folks, it's Matt, Lizzie's husband, the guy who's personal life has been spewed all over the internet since 2006—without ever having been asked a single time if it was okay. (I love you too, Lizzie.) Year after year, holiday season after holiday season, I've been begged and pleaded by my crazy/stylish (yes, I meant crazy AND stylish) wife to put out a men's holiday gift guide; unlike prior years, currently I have bigger, more dangerous battles to fight rather than deny her request (Baja 500 here I come!), hence the first-ever possibly-annual men's gift guide has finally arrived. Alright, in the spirit of honesty and transparency, there was no begging or pestering, this is just the first time Lizzie has ever felt confident enough to allow me to grace the pages of DESIGNwatcher on my own accord. I guess after 8 years of unrelenting stylistic critique, she finally felt I wouldn't make a fool of myself. I have to preface this gift guide by saying that I'm neither a huge fan of video games nor gadgets. They certainly make great guy gifts, but I'm in no position to be giving any advice on either. Alright, with that out of the way, let's get going.

Bonobos candy cane cords ($125) are fun and only moderately flamboyant; Republic Bikes ($460) are custom fixies, 'nuff said; Fischer Space Pens ($20) are pure engineering genius, and I also like Steve McQueen's folding Persols ($310) for the exact same reason; Davidoff Special R cigars ($49 for three) great quality and a quick smoke; Wilson Surge Paddle ($99) best accessory for my new favorite winter sport; Hario coffee dripper ($25) isn't for everyday use, but ideal for a weekend morning when coffee is more about quality than necessity; Kershaw pocket knifes ($140) make great companions on trips to Chinatown; Kisses' Heart of the Nightlife LP ($25) just saw these guys live before they went to Japan, definitely worth a listen; Monster Beats In-Ear Headphones by Dr. Dre ($150) speaking of listening, I have no idea if these are good, but they travel light and look cool; Lizzie is obsessed with feathers and arrows, makes sense that I'm obsessed with Softsoled Moccasins ($38); King cube ice trays ($10) make giant ice cubes, just one is enough for any cocktail; Brooks Brother's custom dress shirts (Prices start at $130) make up the majority of my wardrobe; Burton ski/snowboard socks ($25) are perfect when neither workout nor dress socks fit the bill; Life by Keith Richards ($17) will make any dude feel cool for reading; Lizzie thinks Oban scotch ($75) tastes like gasoline, therefore I get the entire bottle to myself for once; Hartford long-sleeved shirts ($150) are comfortable and stylish, my weekend go-to; Quoddy Grizzly boots ($410) are made in Maine so they're real ass-kickers; Lizzie here: Matt has lost one of almost every pair of cuff links I've ever given to him, therefore he does not deserve these Airship cuff links ($295); Elevate tongs ($12) are good for keeping drops of "Matt's famous burgers" off the counter; when your wallet is too bulky and a rubber band doesn't cut it Leffot fold wallets ($95) are the perfect option.

>> xmas shopping in a 911

2010-12-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

To do: Acquire Porsche, move to Europe.

>> blue christmas

2010-12-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

December necessity.

>> 2010 gift guide for her

2010-11-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

Atlas of Remote Islands ($19); Swatch New Gent ($65); Red Camo by Trussardi 1911 iPad holder ($210); Swiss Plane key ring ($60); Loren Stewart gold stud earring (contact for price/availability); Campari 150th Anniversary limited edition bottle ($25); German colored marker pens ($34 for set of 20); Icon printed banker's envelope ($250); Sigerson Morrison flats ($495); Naviglo tape ($25 for three rolls); Aperture spice rack ($79); wool scarf ($175); Needlepoint coasters ($75); Virginia Johnson tote ($398); Black Diamond throw ($185); Tretorn rubber ankle boots ($72); Diana camera ($65); Liberty of London placemats ($38 each); Essie "Luxedo" from Winter 2010 collection ($8); Young belt ($85).

>> three wreaths

2010-11-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

Setaria and Purple Majesty wreath ($64); Golden Cedar and Birch wreath ($68); Mahogany wreath ($40), all from Terrain, all all-natural.

>> posteritati

2010-11-29T12:27:00.001-08:00

I think old movie posters are so great in an office, den, powder room, entryway, media room, and hey, they make a killer gift! Here are just a few great ones I picked out from Posteritati, but their collection is quite large, you can lose yourself browsing. Japanese Yellow Submarine ($900, other Beatles posters starting at $60); Contempt ($75); Japanese Dr. No ($900); Andy Warhol Festival ($250); Bandolero ($150); Annie Hall ($350).

>> helloooooo turkey

2010-11-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

Things to give thanks for: striped cabin crewneck sweater ($68); Plymouth mini bottles ($4); rosemary...mmmm; football; harvest table runner ($98); clementines; butcher's apron ($29); green and blue baker's twine ($18); Vince Guaraldi in the background.

>> thanksgiving day parade 1969

2010-11-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

>> banned in china!

2010-11-19T08:58:00.001-08:00

My friend Ashley texted me from China last night, "Your blog is blocked in China! They don't want any of their peeps getting good design ideas!" I'm fairly certain this isn't out of the ordinary, but still, it made me feel like a total rock star. In honor of China's DESIGNwatcher embargo:

Bamboo fruit basket ($150); Accordian dragon ($1); reusable plastic chopsticks ($48 for four pairs); Brushstroke plate ($145); Pagoda lantern ($125); Alpha water tumblers ($150 for two); Guang Sang Tea ($3).

>> beatles for sale

2010-11-17T18:41:00.001-08:00

The Beatles were added to iTunes a few days ago. Nothing really beyond the obvious to add there, but I was looking back on the video of their 1969 rooftop concert and thought if there is way to digitally edit the video to put George's pants, Ringo's jacket and Paul's hair/beard/general suaveness onto one single Beatle (use John's body I guess), that would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

>> total studs

2010-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have a class A obsession with Jennifer Meyer earrings, so it's only natural that I also am going gaga for the similar, but slightly edgier Loren Stewart, an L.A.-based design trio that turns out some pretty great gold studs. I met one of them, Rachel Loren, over a glass of Lambrusco at Barbrix in Silver Lake and walked home with one of the long gold rod studs for my right ear, oops! Loren Stewart can be found at RoseArk and other great jewelers in town (locations are on their website).

>> mark your calendar

2010-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

>> gamble house

2010-11-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

We checked out the historic Gamble House in Pasadena on Sunday (nerds). Conclusion: We need a sleeping porch.

>> paul + linda (obvi)

2010-11-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Obsessed.

>> in flight cocktails

2010-11-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

I guess I need to make it official: I'm currently in a relationship with Etsy.

>> wknd

2010-11-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Matt and I are going to hang out in the hood all weekend. Movies, hikes, meals. I can't wait! On that note, I find it both awesome and discomforting that the above photo taken in 1972 of Larry Walker, an auto worker at the Ford factory in Lorraine, Ohio, looks painfully identical to many of the gents in Beachwood. The glasses, the hair, the jacket, and he's even depressed.

>> awwwww

2010-11-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I come across something like this and I pause and think, "I'm going to stop browsing Etsy for a vintage school house pendant lamp in hunter green." Then thirty minutes go by and I'm back online looking.

>> i'm...batman

2010-11-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

Last night Matt and I watched the 1966 Batman movie. Why not? I had seen it approximately a hundred times before, but it was even better and more hilarious than I ever remembered, and the Bat Cave was just as incredible. Incidentally, I begged my mom for a Bat Cave-themed birthday when I was six based entirely on my love for the cave from the Batman movie. I ended up with a Space theme though; my mom (appropriately) worried that 1960's Bat Cave was a little "too niche" for the rest of the kids, and who knows, it could have been challenging to source Bat Cave decor in Switzerland in the late 1980s. I totally got over my Bat Cave obsession though, that's why it's a complete coincidence that I live just a few blocks from where the exterior of the Bat Cave was filmed in the movie. Complete coincidence.

I would typically post a photo of the cave, but no photo I found does it justice. Instead, Adam West taking a break from filming.

>> wall street

2010-11-08T09:35:00.001-08:00

Despite the fact that the sequel to Wall Street should have been way better and it came out well over a month ago, I felt like doing something banker-y. Maybe it's the fact that you almost never see men in suits in L.A., I don't know. And hey, the Dow is well over 11,000, that's something to be happy about, right?

Wall Street poster ($30); Bull + Bear cufflinks ($75); water pomade ($18); 1984 Rolex Oyster Date (prices vary); Thomas Paul twenty dollar pouch, because I guy would TOTALLY use one of these ($24); Blackberry Bold.

>> current obsession: lissie

2010-11-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Especially her cover of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". Radness.

Have a great weekend and please pick up a The L.A. Times this Saturday to see my story on one of Frank Gehry's most celebrated residences!

>> palihouse

2010-11-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

I am excited to check out Palihouse tonight, a bar/restaurant/hotel/urban lodge situation in West Hollywood that opened rather quietly in 2008. It's the site of the book launch party for Assouline's new book American Fashion Designers At Home ($65). Both the book and Palihouse look pretty great!

>> tiiiimber!

2010-11-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Jeep Grand Wagoneer; select edition Eames Hang-It-All ($249); five year diary ($25); George Nelson Polygon wall clock ($540); folding knife ($45); Donna Wilson pillow ($92); Rook table lamp ($159).

>> nesso lamp

2010-10-31T14:01:00.002-07:00

I watched Kramer vs. Kramer for the first time this weekend, and yes Hoffman and Streep were superb, but that apartment was per-fect-ion. How great is the Nesso Lamp ($380) designed by Giancarlo Mattioli in 1967? I want to get that exact lucite side table too, only then not leave my husband and 6 year old son. I also noticed the Nesso Lamp has a starring roll in Roger Sterling's new office on Mad Men, although that is supposedly 1965, two years before the lamp was designed...Mad Men mistake?

>> reaganing

2010-10-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Reaganing: the action of the verb "to Reagan"; being able to fix all problems flawlessly within a 24-hour span.

Vintage lacoste cardigan ($24); 2B radio ($350); life saver; regimental necktie ($60); vintage phone ($215); Stetson wool felt hat ($62); western utility shirt ($98); jelly beans.

>> very nauti

2010-10-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these plastic cocktail anchors ($20 for set of twenty) from the new brand Nauti & Co.. They also make a sterling silver version that I wouldn't mind spearing an olive with now and again ($175 for six). Inheritance is carrying the line in L.A., and I may just head over there tomorrow.

>> sister corita

2010-10-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Before I started heavily researching Sister Mary Corita (a.k.a Frances Elizabeth Kent), I knew just that she was a Catholic nun that worked at a school down the street from our apartment during the 60s and 70s and made serigraphs based on advertising images and visuals of the time—I basically thought of her as a lesser-known west coast Andy Warhol...that was also a nun.

There's so much more to the story, and I certainly don't have the authority or space to write about her here and now (but there's a great book on the subject if you're really interested), but I find her incredibly fascinating. From her rebellion against the Catholic church to the fact that she and Charles Eames were both friends and inspiration to each other, Sister Corita's story is a trip.

Several of her silkscreens are on sale to the public still, at the Immaculate Heart School on Western Ave and Los Feliz Blvd (basically where AFI is). MOCA has recently bought up a bunch of them along with some art collectors, but they are still extremely accessible. All it takes in an appointment. Are they cheap? That depends on who you're asking. No, they're not cheap in the sense that the price range is roughly between $800 and $3,000. Yes, they are very cheap in terms of art collector prices and how their projected value will hold up over time.

Matt and I are celebrating our first anniversary this weekend, which is traditionally celebrated with paper, so we picked out a 1966 Sister Corita serigraph yesterday! Buying art can be intimidating and scary (to me), but what was really great about this experience is that all of the profits from their art sales go to local charitable causes as they did when Sister Corita was there. Check out more here.

p.s. Happy 1st anniversary, husband. x

>> stripes over manhattan

2010-10-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

I found this map somewhere on the Internets (I think from Even Cleveland); how accidentally awesome is the jagged pattern made by the stripes!? Have a great weekend!!

>> road trip to santa cruz

2010-10-21T09:36:00.001-07:00

Matt and I like taking weekend road trips, especially in the Jan/Feb off-season. This year I kind of have a hankering to go to Santa Cruz. I remember it being pretty great when I was 18, back when getting into a jazz club underage was "the ultimate". Built by Wendy tee ($45); flea market beads; trail jacket ($261); neckerchief ($13); soft sole mocs ($38); California field notes ($10 for set of three); Stanley water bottle ($36); Ella Dish collar and lead ($68); L.L. Bean signature duffel ($135); Blackbird vintage shades ($353).

>> the spoils of etsy

2010-10-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

During the process of writing this post, I bought the first item, sorry. Blue blanc + rouge wooden flag ($30...but sold) circa the 1930s; 1960s Roly Poly cocktail glasses ($195 for six); lucite and wood magazine rack ($100); vintage aviators ($12).

>> commune chocolates

2010-10-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Has anyone started their holiday shopping yet? Because this is on my list, big time. The newly released Commune chocolates combine two L.A. powerhouses: Valerie Confections, who's cakes and sweets will live in your dreams after one bite (just ask The Foodinista who said "I do not exaggerate when I say it is now my favorite cake on offer in the entire city of Los Angeles.") and the design geniuses behind The Ace and The Standard Hotel, Commune Design. The result is a limited edition box of dark chocolates (49 pieces, $49). The design replicates classic Byzantine tiles and the chocolate replicates, nay, is what I want for my last meal. No joke.

>> tanya aguiñiga

2010-10-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving Tijuana-born/Los Angeles-based artist Tanya Aguiñiga. Gotta have that jersey knot bracelet ($40, currently sold out on her Big Cartel site), the seating trays and the Alaska chair. In L.A. you can find Tanya's goods at A+R in Venice, ReForm School in Silver Lake and at Reform Gallery on La Brea.