I've moved.

gypsy caravan

Jane over at Ill Seen, Ill Said shared this lovely post about shepard's huts eariler this week. Such a nice solution for a small peripheral space, and a romantic idea. It reminds me of the gypsy caravan in Roald Dahl's Danny The Champion of the World.

table grill

Now that summer has finally arrived in the Northeast after seemingly endless spring cold and rain, it seems fair to think about summery things like grilling. I've always liked this table grill by Eva Solo, which I re-discovered on Remodelista's (one of my favorite blogs) new beta site. I wish I had a deck or fire escape to put it on.

yum

Pancakes with mixed berry compote and smoked salmon and eggs with roasted tomatoes from Jewels of New York. via saipua

blogroll: merry mishap

Okay, I officially have a blog crush on A Merry Mishap by ::{J}:: from Boise, Idaho. She keeps busy with handmade, DIY projects and has been blogging her favorite finds since March 2008. Since then, I don't think there's a single post that I haven't loved. Miss ::{J}::, you have excellent taste! Here are some of my favs from A Merry Mishap:

Images from Claire Wayman's portfolio

Graham & Brown enchanted forest wallpaper

Photo by Adrian Briscoe

Cabin + Cub Etsy shop

Camera from Domstikate

Spring designs by Marimekko

P.S. It was nearly impossible to choose, as I had about 100 favs.

happy birthday!

One year ago today, I started this blog with a picture of a cute handmade purse from Sassi Designs at Etsy. They are still making lovely purses, as you can see above, one of their current designs. Here is Particular Aesthetic's very first post:

blogroll: hi + low

Former Senior Art Director at Kate Spade, Abby Clawson Low is currently a designer/art director, a faculty member in the Communications Arts department at FIT, and the author of hi + low. She has also worked for such interesting clients as Chronicle Books, West Elm, and Takashimaya NY, and lists her interests as "stamps, ebay, used books, found objects, music, lists, and a good burger."

Abby finds inspiration in found objects, many of them dating to the 1960's, such as the French cookbook above, La cuisine est un jeu d'enfants, or in a grouping of old record sleeves:

She also posts more modern work, such as the 2007 Royal College of Art catalog by Filip Tydén (below, left)... 

...and her own work, like the monthly newspaper she creates for Madewell (above, right) and the 2008 Kate Spade agenda she designed (below).

I find hi + low reminds me to look closer at objects that I wouldn't normally turn to for inspiration, and I eagerly await Abby's new posts each week!

blogroll:

I read a lot of blogs and sometimes I am reluctant to add another to my feed because – less face it – there are only so many hours in the day and you can't procrastinate for all of them. Design for Less, however, is one new blog that I didn't hesitate to add to my list. Sisters Julka and Kristin Almquist, finding themselves both trying to live on a strict budget, set out last August to write a blog on good design at affordable (and sometimes free!) prices.

The Almquist sisters have an excellent eye for style, posting clothes, shoes, and accessories at reasonable prices. Clutch purse from Payless ($25) and Seychelles shoes ($85) from Zappos.

I also like their taste in low cost housewears, such as this TEKLA towel from IKEA (49 cents), and this tray from CB2 ($34.95).

Best of all, Julka and Kristin have some great ideas about how to repurpose what you've already got. With countless design blogs out there tempting you to empty your wallet, their "working with what you've got" series, including this post about the different ways you can wear a scarf or this post about exchanging paperbacks through the website Paperback Swap, is the most sound design advice I've read in a while.

DfL has some good tips on where to find great artwork. They also recently started a series of interview posts, like this one with novelist Colleen Miloni to glean others' ideas about stylish and affordable ideas for living. I highly recommend! (Tiger from Berkley Illustration and bird from 20x200)

blogroll:

My androgynous streak awaits its daily dose of cool from the informative and fun A Continuous Lean. Partner at the PR and marketing firm Paul + Williams, Michael Williams, does a bang up job making up for a "lack of interesting coverage of men's style, fashion, design, media and technology" on his blog.

ACL is heavy on style, posting advice such as how to care for your denim, and montages of clean, modern, classic, and utilitarian looks in international fashion:

An autumn look

Canvas totes from Utility Coop, Japan

He also has updates on local retailers, such as DWR Tools for Living:

 

ACL's Maps and Intel section features shopping, dining and drinking places of note in NYC, with mini reviews of each spot – a useful quick reference for the visitor or even seasoned New Yorker looking for hip recommendations:

Finally, ACL has a keen eye for design, including great flickr finds and local art and photography exhibits:

Typewriter ribbon tins from Flickr

Photo exhibit on disappearing mom and pop stores

Even if you aren't in the market for menswear, ACL is a great spot for the latest news and inspiring ideas from the front lines of cool.

blogroll: inchmark

Hello friends! At the suggestion of my husband, I'm starting a new series of posts on Tuesdays called 'blogroll' to review new and interesting blogs. I thought I'd get started with inchmark, a new blog (that I found via cup of jo) by fellow Brooklyn resident [correction:] Southern California resident, Brooke Reynolds. 

Brooke is, among other things, a book designer, a mother of two, and the former senior art director of Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids. Her blog is a lovely combination of interesting graphic media, photographs of her projects, and sweet anecdotes about her family, with a masthead reminiscent of the margins of now-defunct Blueprint magazine (sniff).

Brooke is also the designer of Lena Corwin's inspiring new book, Printing By Hand!

Check inchmark every other day or so for a aesthetically pleasing/inspiring/delightful post to sweeten your day.

i heart heartfish

... for her lovely post that includes particular aesthetic. Thanks, Hijiri! :) Click here for her post on Free Texture.

suzy hoodless

I could not agree more with Domino's and Bedlam of Beefy's taste in wallpaper (and interior design) when it comes to Suzy Hoodless... Hello, what?! How incredibly fabulous are these designs?

chantilly ai lamponi

Raspberry chantilly with apricots from Il pranzo de Babette. via tastespotting

sweet paul

I recently discovered sweet paul, by a Norwegian in NY about design, craft and food. I thought today would be a good day to post this lovely blog and also say Happy Birthday to Norway (it's Norway's Constitution Day)! 

nestmaker

I just discovered Sheila Bridges' nestmaker via a guestblog post on designsponge by housemartin. What a lovely site! Her latest newsletter confirms my suspicion that suzani is the next ikat.

a fav at the SCOOP

Horray! particular aesthetic is a favorite over at one of my favorite blogs, the SCOOP.