homebody

a few shots from around my cozy apartment. since I don’t venture out much during the winter.

back to the future

Well, my brain certainly is a lot more wrinkly after this weekend (that means I learned a lot.)

The Miller House symposium at the IMA whetted my appetite. I was inspired by architects, designers, and mod-lovers. My eyes feasted on vivid Girard prints and retro airline commercials.

The next day was spent in Columbus, getting up close and personal. Here are a few shots from this weekend’s tour. I was already pretty happy with the photos I took last year, so I didn’t end up taking many new ones.

After a long day of touring, walking, thrifting, and making new friends, we all ended up at Bistro 310 (local! sustainable!). All in all, a heaping slice of Columbus in a fairly short amount of time. I’m still waiting to see the CBS Sunday Morning design episode featuring Columbus, IN (I don’t have a TV) that aired yesterday. If anyone spies it on YouTube, let me know.

mod again

A little over a year ago, I toured modernist mecca Columbus, IN for the first time. This past weekend, I was back: reliving my first real brush with mod-ness on a grand scale.

In honor of my return to Columbus this past weekend, please enjoy a few images and blog posts from last year’s pilgrimage. Ever sentimental, I can’t help myself but to relive my torrid love affair with Dan Kiley, the landscape architect for Miller House (which I visited yesterday for the fourth time.) I was so moved at the time, I wrote a blog post about it:

I was moved by I.M. Pei‘s sleek lines. Seduced by Eames‘ furniture design. Amazed by Harry Weese‘s understanding of light. But in all this courtship, something unexpected happened. An unmistakable tug at my heart strings and a tummy full of butterflies. I fell madly in love with landscape architect Dan Kiley. Well, to be exact, I fell in love with his landscape architecting skills.

Kiley knew the landscape a structure sits on is just as important as the structure itself. It’s a balanced, complementing relationship. A gentle dance across a crowded floor. Swoon.

I wandered through Kiley’s shaded clean grid patterns, well-trimmed shrubs and meticulously placed trees. All were in linear harmony with the horizontal and vertical lines of the structures at their center.

Read A Modern Romance in full here.

Here are some of my favorite images from last year. Gosh, I’m spoiled. Enjoy.

vivez la langue

These fantastic video clips for the EF Live the Language campaign have been making the blog rounds. The typography, cinematography, message is perfection. See more clips for other countries here. Have you packed your bags yet?

(via blackeiffel)

there is a light that never goes out

These might be my favorite song lyrics of all time.

(via BT)

Don’t look back

I do believe this music video has Paige Turner written aaaaaall over it. Zooey… mid-century modern eye candy… choreographed dancing…

P.S. Speaking of eye candy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a ‘Him’ button? M. Ward in my living room?

Yes, please.

i can haz votes?

My darling fur-baby is a finalist in Modernica’s Pets on Furniture Contest. Please take a moment to vote for him so his mommy can win an expensive piece of furniture for him to shed all over.

Just look at this face. Won’t you give him your vote?

apartment therapy

I started a new job in the new year. So in the down time I had during the holidays, before the chaos started, I went to town on my apartment. I dusted. I mopped. I polished. I rifled, pitched and purged.

Here are a few pics of my pretty-well-finished abode. I kinda like it. More to come.

Those marks on the floor are mostly paint splatters. The tenant before me was an artist, and I asked the landlord to leave the floor as-is.

Most of my furniture came to me free, or for very little $$ from local thrift stores over the last few years.

This set is a new addition, sent to me for xmas by my grandfather. The note included said he bought them in Europe in the ’60s. They fit right in, don’t you think?

logo

everyone should have a logo or two

thanks to my bestie Dan at i gotta POV for this one. Look familiar?

Patrick Hruby + Charley Harper

Patrick Hruby has been cooking up some exciting new products for Ammo Books.

I also love Ammo’s new Charley Harper Nesting Blocks.

(via blackeiffel)

for the not-so-desperate housewife

The Vitra Design Museum just launched a collection of trays with designs by George Nelson, Alexander Girard and Charles & Ray Eames (The two Girards are hands down my favorite. Can you pick them out?)

Practical as they may be, I’d probably mount them on the wall. Wouldn’t you?

(via set via vitra)

somewhere over the rainbow

This post from WHORANGE is giving me some major inspiration for my new apartment. I love decorating with stacks of books.

And perhaps something like this on my shelves?

(via weburbanist)

aruba, jamaica, ooooh I wanna take ya

So while on the epic MCM house tour in Columbus, IN last weekend, I burst through the door of the first home to find this:

Oh yeah, I gotta make that mine.

Just a few days later, I was perusing Craigslist (my new best friend) and found a pretty good version of the same table and chairs. Four chairs instead of six and a little wear ‘n tear.

I had to drive all the way to Kokomo to get it. And as you can see, almost everything fit* into my little green Honda. Almost.

Everything but the table top. That’s kinda important. Oh well. I’ll be heading back up to get the top this week and then another piece of awesome will be added to my collection. Hmm. What next?

*Have to say thanks to the incredibly nice couple that sold me the table. Could not have jammed all that into my car without their help.