haberdashery

On Teaching

2011-11-29T09:50:00.002-05:00

HO: Do you frequently learn from your students?

TF: Directly no, but I learn from teaching. I have learnt to think very rapidly and see different points of view, which is valuable when you are in the office; it makes me receptive to different ideas. Students of architecture are young, they are learning architecture. My duty is to educate them. Occasionally I see work by a student that I like very much, and even more occasionally something that is brilliant. The last brilliant idea that I witnessed was, by the way, from a Portuguese student in Delft. Generally you like it because it’s made by your students. In order to teach you have to have sympathy for your students.

Interview: Tony Fretton, by Hugo Oliveira

Bear Hill Update

2011-11-22T12:31:00.006-05:00

Autumnal Equinox

2011-09-23T21:12:00.001-04:00

Common Boston

2011-06-26T17:58:00.010-04:00

Come let us watch the sun go down / and walk in twilight through the orchard's green... / wandering under these harvest-laden trees... / seeking new hopes, remembering half-forgotten joys...

We spent our weekend laboring for the good of a nearby neighborhood — participating in the annual design/build for Common Boston. Our team of 7 conceived of and executed a fence, bench and canopy which defined an unused clearing in the "urban wilds" of Mission Hill as a quiet space for reflection and appreciation of the surrounding views. Excerpts from the poem "The Apple Orchard" were painted across the individual boards, drawing the viewer into the captivating outdoor space.

Looking Up

2011-06-10T15:35:00.019-04:00

Ceilings and skies of Paris, Florence, around Tuscany and Venice.

Born During Breakfast

2011-03-31T17:31:00.008-04:00

Took a break from pancakes to see this big guy be born.

The twins next door.

The onlookers whose time is coming.

The dogs trying to play frisbee inside since its still snow-covered outside.

Bear Hill Update

2011-03-17T17:08:00.004-04:00

Graphic Tiles

2011-03-17T16:55:00.005-04:00

I'm back at ceramics — investigating type, surface, color... More to come.

Take Heart!

2011-02-14T18:22:00.005-05:00

Bit of a slow week allowed me time to make some Valentines...

To all you fellow frozen folks this February, take heart! Spring always comes.

Click

2011-02-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

Details

2011-02-12T11:04:00.001-05:00

It Just Keeps Coming

2011-01-27T14:17:00.009-05:00

Another foot descended overnight, on top of several feet of snow already on the ground. We're out of places to put it! Bacon doesn't seem to mind, though. The park is like a little slice of New Hampshire right here at home.

Happy New Desktops

2011-01-03T13:09:00.008-05:00

Click, save, and set as your desktop wallpaper. Happy New Year!

Happy / Southern Arrangement

New / Modern Windows

Year / Weathered Shed

Two / Target Practice

Thousand / Nephews' Hands

Eleven / Winter Sheep

Gingertecture 2010

2010-12-31T21:48:00.001-05:00

We won for best construction!

Caleb Does Boston

2010-10-26T17:44:00.011-04:00

And so do his mom, dad, aunt and uncle! I saved the MIT Museum for last when planning the trip because I had a feeling he'd need a serious gust of inspiration to get him back home happy that night. He was a trooper so I'm really happy he loved the big finale: Gestural Engineering: The Sculpture of Arthur Ganson.

I think everyone really enjoyed it

How could you not? I may bring my students here next semester.

Caleb also drove a Duck Boat in the Charles — like a pro.

And he lived the life of a Pilgrim at Plimouth Plantation.

He also drew us a portrait of Bacon eating breakfast while he waited for the cinnamon rolls to bake. Thanks for visiting us!

Turning 27, Married 2 Years

2010-10-08T11:47:00.014-04:00

*boy sculpted this before meeting me out to eat for our 2nd Anniversary. The chef from our favorite place opened his own place and serves deviled eggs, making it my new favorite place.

It hangs perfectly on vacant nails between the Bowls and the Whale, which we bought last year on our anniversary in Nantucket.

3 days later, I bought new pillows for the new bed on my way home before heading to the park with Bacon. Acorns have been falling for weeks but my birthday was the first perfect fall day.

Got my new Buddha Bowls (lower right corner; gift from my sister) settled in. They add much needed personality to the bottom shelf of our open cabinet — a whimsical complement to the sentinel army of espresso cups in the upper left.

From *boy: Incredible Fold Booties by United Nude; Scribblish, Squint and Bananagrams, our first family boardgames.

Devil's Food Cake

Very rich, especially on top of Eggplant Fries, Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes.

Here's to 27 and year 3...

On Cape

2010-09-01T10:43:00.013-04:00

Snug Harbor

Bacon's First Sunset Sail

GTI's First Accident (not our fault)

Our Bedroom View at Sunrise

Ferry to Martha's Vineyard

Top Deck, Front Row

Summer Gear

The Obamas Were On the Vineyard, Too.

Windows Down

The Outdoor Shower Everyone Needs

Thank you to our gracious hosts for an amazing, relaxing week.

Last Day of Stasis

2010-07-30T11:39:00.007-04:00

Two and a half years ago I covered this bulletin board with inspiration — pieces of design, photography, odds and ends that made me happy to have over my shoulder. I never took anything off. On a few occasions I added on to it, but mostly it remained static.

I cleaned the bulletin board off this morning — neatly filing away my inspiration into the same orange envelope from which I extracted it; the same envelope I filled up on the last day at my previous job. The envelope is going home this time, to an office in our dining room.

I am voluntarily disrupting the equilibrium of our lives. God bless my husband for holding steady as I move into the unknown. Teaching — new, uncharted stuff — should consume most of the fall. Hopefully some freelance will augment it. I have a deep rooted peace about the rest. I am finished wrestling with going or staying. The time for stillness is over. I am exploding with inspiration, this time from within. It is an extraordinary feeling. I can't wait to see what I do.

Stay tuned.

Oh, Bacon's last day at the office was Wednesday. He worked himself into a nap.

Advertising Geometries and The Narrow Path of Totality

2010-07-21T16:13:00.018-04:00

Standing below the obtrusive structures, gorgeous geometries are revealed. Stunning photographs of Billboards by Branislav Kropilak. Thanks to my friend, Sarah, who found his Loading Docks.

As we move between the Sun and the Moon, she glows red in our dominating shadow of bent indirect light.

But as she slips between us and the Sun — into the narrow Path of Totality — she disappears, revealing the elusive gossemer halo of the Sun's corona.

There is wonder everywhere, even on a Wednesday. Lunar and Solar Eclipses for Beginners.

Baconball

2010-07-18T20:48:00.011-04:00

First he was all about the squeaky tennis ball. Then the frisbee rocked his world. Now basketball has revolutionized Bacon's comprehension of what it means to play...hard. Click to see the action larger.

Next time we'll take video.

OFFSHORE OIL STRIKE

2010-07-15T14:46:00.003-04:00

This is not a joke...

via BLDGBLOG

Belated Birthday Recap

2010-07-07T21:01:00.007-04:00

*boy asked for a Boston Cream Pie

It turned out really well

Excellent standing custard

Between 3 people, half the pie was gone

Then there was whiskey in new, proper glasses with Vermont soapstone whiskey rocks (keeps it cold without watering it down)

New Nudes

2010-06-28T14:16:00.013-04:00

I'll take them all, thank you. Spring/Summer 2010 from United Nude.

Atmospheric Tie Dye

2010-06-18T09:49:00.009-04:00

shop shabd

Boston Tea Party

2010-04-24T18:12:00.003-04:00

A collage from last week's "Tea Party" on the Boston Common, which I visited during my class break. I took the camera to capture the spirit of all the hand rendered type. Whole lotta passion, not much message... (click to enlarge)

My favorite...

Surprisingly Geek

2010-04-22T16:52:00.011-04:00

From one of my new favorite blogs: Geek-Art. There's some gloriously bad stuff on the site — for example — but it is also full of surprisingly refined, graphic oriented studies from a wide variety of artists. (Click to enlarge)

X-ray Control

Back to Diagramming

Close Up Characters

Lovely Merchant

2010-04-22T12:22:00.014-04:00

I hate advertising — it is notoriously brash, often vulgar, and almost always annoying. But while approving a song on my Pandora stream (fyi: "Phoenix" will yield a fantastic radio station in need of little moderation) I was shocked by the lovely concept, color, texture and overall execution of this Natalie Merchant ad for her new album "Leave Your Sleep." (click to enlarge)

I listened to an interview with Natalie on NPR the week the album was released and the story behind it is amazing. The album, her first in 7 years, is a compilation of 26 poems set to music via collaboration with over 100 other musicians. Many of the poems are Victoria-era stories, even nursery rhymes and lullabies. The concept of advertising her album like a collection of beautiful vintage books is, well, beautiful. Her website isn't bad either: (click to enlarge or just go there)

Whatever You Do, Don't Smile

2010-04-09T16:27:00.009-04:00

As if the furled eyebrows and lip weren't enough, the hand says,

"Back it up, Bunny Man, your freakishly large ear is on my head."

Can't you feel the tension in the corner of that mouth, poised to erupt into the smile they so desire — right after he whirls around, grabs the controls and resumes being captain of the cockpit.

"Thanks for the long walk to the pet store and for buying me this big puffy bed, but can you just leave me alone to wallow in it and make it my own? I'm a big boy."

GTI

2010-04-07T22:32:00.003-04:00

Finally here, trip home from the dealer took almost as long as it sat at the port. All is well and we won't be driving around the city at 6pm anytime soon. We will report back once we have combed over the car and stretched it's legs a bit.

Carbon Steel Grey with Plaid seats...

A Color Progression

2010-03-25T10:35:00.018-04:00

Many of the blogs I read have been focusing on some interesting color palettes lately — from the monochrome desertion of Detroit suburbs to frost-covered fields of fall, the saturation of root vegetable flesh to the slightly dialed down neons of new fashion. A surprising tonal thread connects them all.

Detroit photos from Sweet Juniper. All others are linked photos from All the mountains...

The Hot Hatch Cometh

2010-02-04T09:55:00.009-05:00

Well, in approximately 2 months it'll cometh. I'll let the *boy fill in the details but here are the pictures of our 4-Door, Carbon Gray Steel, VW GTI DSG w/ Tiptronic Transmission (that's fancy talk for automatic).

It has tartan plaid seats and red accent stitching on the wheel — my favorite part.

Jobs on Taste

2010-02-01T17:46:00.004-05:00

Taste is one of those intangibles that design school ignores or likes to corner with style because while taste is something that you have to learn and continue to study and evolve, it is not something that can be taught and relies heavily on intuition and ego. You either have it or you don't.

...In his Palo Alto home years ago, he said that he preferred uncluttered, spare interiors and then explained the elegant craftsmanship of the simple wooden chairs in his living room, made by George Nakashima, the 20th-century furniture designer and father of the American craft movement.
Great products, according to Mr. Jobs, are triumphs of “taste.” And taste, he explains, is a byproduct of study, observation and being steeped in the culture of the past and present, of “trying to expose yourself to the best things humans have done and then bring those things into what you are doing.”

Via NYTimes

Everything In Its Place

2010-01-29T16:16:00.003-05:00

michael johansson

All We Need is Love (and Nice Type)

2010-01-06T16:57:00.013-05:00

In these discouraging days of war, strife, and struggle — both near and far — it is so wonderful to see an American city embracing love. Imagine what a world it would be if we only considered loving one another first.

This stunning, hand-painted typographic mural series is titled "Love Letter" and encompasses 50 building walls across several dozens blocks in Philadelphia — all visible from the elevated mass transit train. Much more on A Love Letter for You.

Spatial Effects

2009-11-14T15:09:00.003-05:00

Ghost Stories by Nendo at MAD

5mm circular stickers...

For the Love of Crayons

2009-07-29T11:15:00.012-04:00

All crayons are hand cast by the artist, Christian Faur, creating custom colors to achieve these inconceivable gradations. Lovely.

From the artist:
My earliest memories of making art involve the use of wax crayons. I can still remember the pleasure of opening a new box of crayons: the distinct smell of the wax, the beautifully colored tips, everything still perfect and unused. Using the first crayon from a new box always gave me a slight pain. Through a novel technique that I have developed, I again find myself working with the familiar form of the crayon.

Because of the three-dimensional nature of the crayons, the individual surface images appear to change form as one moves about the gallery space. The images completely disappear when viewed from close up, allowing one to read the horizontally sequenced crayon text and to take in the beautifully colored crayon tips -- all the while being reminded of that first box of crayons.

My Husband, The Architect

2009-06-29T09:56:00.011-04:00

The worlds of graphic design and architecture have so many delightful tangents that make my relationship with *boy's career — and his with mine — infinitely interesting. We speak the same language but work on completely different scales and schedules, allowing each of us a unique perspective on the other's work. Usually this dialogue consists of process issues as we each navigate the waters of making design manifest. However, this past week has been full of completions.

My projects begin, live, and end in the span of half a breath compared to *boy's work. As I assembled my portfolio last week and surveyed my completed projects from the last 2 years — over a dozen — the one project *boy has been working on since before we even met was finally drawing close to the finish line. In a way I feel like I've been on this years-long journey with him, remembering looking over his shoulder at a sketch-up model, a design in the making...

The first completed photos from the Hershey Cancer Center at Penn State:

Living in a Digital World

2009-04-24T17:25:00.004-04:00

Photos by Hubert Blanz

Where The Wild Fonts Are

2009-03-27T09:32:00.007-04:00

Oh, how I love to see people leave the box behind and embrace everything that can exist beyond it's boundaries. Simple, appropriate and really, really lovely hand-drafted type in the new trailer for Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are.

I can't wait to see this. Full trailer here.

Liver Doodles

2009-02-27T07:45:00.004-05:00

Many of you know that Bacon is still very much a boy — despite all our best efforts to remedy that — due to a little liver irregularity. After two solid months of blood work and three different vets' opinions it looks like everything is fine and all of this might clear up on its own with a little vitamin supplement. But for now, Bacon remains the other man in the house and this is his throne.

Maybe all that sunshine is more than his liver can handle...

Celebrating A New Beginning

2009-01-20T10:14:00.006-05:00

Its been a busy year so far for *boy and I — busy and stressful. I now have three jobs in full swing (the part-time day job, the escalating blog job and teaching two classes) and next week *boy's teaching begins atop a very heavy workload at the office. All this and Bacon still expects serious play time when we are home (or at least serious lap naps while we work).

It's one of those times in life that I'm sure we will remember for many years to come — newly married, working like crazy, tight budgets and watching with mouths agape at the way the world is unfolding around us. But when I woke up this morning I had a different feeling. I wasn't anxious or tense, and I didn't feel stressed or overwhelmed. As I got ready for work this morning I felt excited, almost giddy. Today is not only a new day, but a new beginning — a fresh start for each and every one of us.

There's a reason why a few million people flocked to our national mall this morning before the sun was even up and why tens of millions more around the world will be watching Washington today at noon. That reason is so much bigger than one man placing his hand on a book and repeating a handful of scripted words. That man represents an idea — a hope — that we can begin again, we can start fresh, we can come together and work for a better future.

Today is not about watching a man take an oath, its about being part of a nation focused on a single moment that none of us will ever forget. In the same way, we must all remain focused after the moment has passed...

A Practical Compliment

2008-11-25T15:15:00.004-05:00

Since starting our part-time gig over at Apartment Therapy, I've really come to embrace this whole reading-posting-commenting world that is the blogosphere. I read interiors blogs and graphic blogs, food blogs and, yes — for a large portion of this year — wedding blogs. I even email the writers from time to time. I only found a few nuptial sites that I could even stomach, but A Practical Wedding quickly became my absolute favorite.

A few weeks ago, Meg posted a few pictures from our wedding and wrote some truly lovely things. You can read it here.

V.O.T.E.

2008-11-04T12:18:00.003-05:00

From our morning at the polls (click to enlarge).

Also, I'm handing over the political commentary to a guy who hit the nail on the head with his Election Day Post and this little excerpt from Lincoln's first inaugural:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

Its even better in context: Sweet Juniper.

Just Another Married Couple

2008-10-27T12:27:00.007-04:00

Real wedding pictures by the wonderful Francine Kontos are up at last.

Maybe these should be our Halloween costumes...

Red and Blue or Purple

2008-10-21T10:45:00.011-04:00

After looking at so many maps of the United States lately with the typical red state blue state highlights that basically divide the country into what the red candidates have come to call "real America" and the rest that question them are somehow un-American or part of "Fake America". So much of the focus of the election from both sides is on small rural towns which make up a great deal of physical space but not population. Everything looks clearly divided along state lines and each state is characterized in one way or another. Fortunately things are not so clear cut and if you add just a little more information to the typical maps maybe you can see what real America is made of. Not something that you can just cut down to a single message or soundbite. Adding information such as a more generous scale to the subtleties of voting and population density to redraw the map, maybe this is more what America really looks like:

As Barack Obama said back in 2004 and this map shows, "there's not a liberal America and a conservative America - there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

I do believe we will be either voting for or against America this election, it's just a matter of if you believe in red and blue or purple.

more maps here

Non Verbal Communication

2008-10-17T10:14:00.007-04:00

About 6 years ago, a graphic design professor introduced me to the work of Luba Lukova - a Bulgarian illustrator who manages to create profound and thought provoking messages almost entirely without words. The thought of graphic design not only functioning but thriving without the help of written language was an amazing concept to me, then only a year into my studies, and something I have never forgotten.

Last night *boy and I went to see Luba speak about her work. I don't know what I expected from an artist lecture by a woman who relishes in not using words but it was a wonderfully succinct experience. Although her work is often associated with politics and many pieces are highly relevant to the current political scene, she views her work as universal and human.

It was refreshing to hear someone give voice to the truth that we so often forget - especially amidst these frustrating and uncertain times when its hard to see past the end of our own noses. Although we have plenty and so many others have so little, although we have our differences in religion and government, we are all the same, no better or worse than our neighbor and we must all live on this earth together. These works are not Democratic or Republican, they are the thoughts of a person, put forth for a public and open to all interpretation.

Isn't it nice to think for yourself?

More on Luba Lukova's Social Justice series here.

Love Carrot

2008-10-17T10:08:00.002-04:00

Auntie Fran the Photographer is coming down this weekend with the official pictures but I wonder if any will truly be able to rival this one. We shall see...

For now, more here.

The Countdown is On

2008-09-30T12:46:00.003-04:00

Here's to dry weather and amazing color that only nature could provide.

5 days to go...

Black Magic

2008-09-17T15:03:00.004-04:00

My sister has written a wonderful post over at her site about my dad in honor of what would have been his 50th birthday. Its full of great stories including a few about his notorious yet beloved car, Black Magic (approximated above).

Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Apartment Therapy Boston Launch!

2008-09-17T09:26:00.004-04:00

After many months, and many, many, many posts on Apartment Therapy New York, the Boston site officially flies solo later this morning and we couldn't be more excited. Back in March, on a hunch, *boy and I decided to give this whole blogging thing a real go and submitted our first post for AT NY. A few weeks later the job was ours and we become half of the new Boston team.

Its been an interesting, sometimes stressful, but mostly rewarding endeavor and we're really looking forward to seeing our little group go solo as we try to build a Therapy community here in Boston.

You can get a sneak peek at the Boston site pre-launch here.

Enough

2008-09-12T10:54:00.006-04:00

October 4 is going to be a big day for us, clearly, but November 4 will be bigger—for everyone. Wedding plans have taken a backseat lately as we have been consumed with nightly politics and, honestly, I've had enough. Enough of the crap, enough of the lies, enough of the ridiculous state of American government and media. Enough of the "reality" that these people think we're that stupid. How does it make you feel to know that the possible future President and VP think they can lie, flat out, to your face, repeatedly, on a daily basis, just make things up, fabricate their own "facts" and honestly BELIEVE you'll never know the difference. Or, even worse, if you do know the difference, that you won't care.

Wow. How did we get here?

As someone who just lost her job due to a horrific economy, I watch, mouth agape, head shaking, embarrassed and enraged. Aren't there actual issues to discuss? Real problems to solve? Tough realities to face? Oh yeah, that's what that other guy is talking about, has been talking about and will continue to talk about. This isn't a reality show or a soap opera or fodder for trash Hollywood tabloids. This is my country. And I deserve a president who recognizes that my country does not belong to him, to play with as he pleases. I deserve a president who knows it belongs to me and you and our families and our friends and that we care what he does with it. Enough is enough.

On November 4, one month after *boy and I say "I do," we will vote for the guy who's had enough and plans to make things better.

Conservative but still concerned? Read this. Then read this: Christians for Obama

A Year of Haberdashery

2008-08-28T15:53:00.008-04:00

One year ago—well, one year and 8 days ago—I started this blog as a late afternoon pick-me-up surprise for *boy while at work. Since our trip to Spain where we serendipitously stumbled upon the word haberdashery on a store sign, we had joked about starting a blog, a blog to encompass all the random bits of life that we love, hate, or just observe. Around the same time we made a life wish list of sorts and stuck it on *boy's refrigerator door. Quite simply it included the following:

Get job that allows for Bacon
Get apartment that allows for Bacon
Make living from our blog

Shortly after I posted our first article, I began looking for a new job—hopefully one that would either allow me to bring (then unborn) Bacon to work OR would be close enough to home for me to visit him during the day. By year's end I not only had a new job, I had a new nephew, too. I was also teaching my first class and looking forward to the next semester. Bacon was still in the distance but I felt us getting closer, felt life moving along, swimmingly.

By the beginning of February, in addition to my new job, new nephew, and new teaching gig, I had a new fiancé and a wedding in the works. By May, a new apartment, a roommate and, at last, a tiny, white puppy promised to be ours. June saw us into a new part-time job over at another (much more profitable) blog. And by July 5, Bacon was in my lap and the little hole in our hearts was filled with puppy breath and pink, freckled paws.

The summer has been a blur of puppy training and wedding planning, AT posting and 9 to 5 work, frustration and stress but also laughter and silliness. Most of all it has been full of anticipation and realization. Anticipating our our wedding day and realizing how great we have it and how much we have to look forward to, still.

By last week we were ready to kick wedding prep into high gear but by Friday I was leaving work early with bad news. Just shy of a year after my last job search began, I was informed that I would need to find yet another job by the end of the year.

After a very downtrodden weekend of doing pretty much nothing, and against my own vow to not even think about the job situation until after the wedding, I've already come up with a plan and begun its execution. Well, at least a plan to get us through next May. Ironically enough, the plan includes me being able to spend ample time in our wonderful apartment, with Bacon. It also allows me to make at least a partial living from a blog, just not this one.

Apparently this is the upside of making a very short, very broad life wish list: not only are there many ways to achieve the same goals but, when you're not busy making lists, other fantastic life wishes come true without you even trying.

I'm writing this anniversary post late in the afternoon at work—at a job that I won't have for much longer, a job that I wasn't ready to leave yet—for *boy to know that I wouldn't have wanted to spend the last year doing anything else, with anyone else. Good or bad, I can't wait to see what the next year brings us.

Style Me Flattered

2008-08-11T14:47:00.005-04:00

To say that life is busy these days would be a laughable understatement. Our little Bacon takes up nearly every waking moment at home and while he sleeps we manage to squeeze in our daily AT Boston posts (which launches officially on September 1) and plan our wedding, now less than 2 months away.

I'm trying hard to stay practical about the planning but, turns out, even a small, intimate affair comes with stress and minor chaos. So, to boost our spirits and remember out initial care-free vision for the big day, I made this little collection of images and sent it over to the *boy at work. I think its a refreshing visual reminder that all of this planning and scheduling will pay off soon and, on that October afternoon, these pictures, these ideas will come to life and we'll be able to enjoy all those decisions-made, relax and indulge in a lovely evening with friends and family.

After making it, I figured I might as well send it to the wedding blog that inspired me to do it and today she put it up on her site, Style Me Pretty. Thanks Abby!

Now everyone pray it doesn't rain...

Toxic Nudibranchs (Sea Slugs)

2008-07-16T21:04:00.005-04:00

Via National Geographic

Bacon Bits

2008-07-11T23:23:00.012-04:00

more here

At Last

2008-07-06T15:28:00.011-04:00

We took an early flight to D.C. with an empty doggie bag...

To fill it up with a Bacon and a stuffed animal that smells like his mommy.

We played with him for an hour at the breeder's house and then he slept the whole way to the airport.

After a quick pit stop outside of Dulles to empty his tiny bladder, we made it through security, the weird moving airport trams and onto the plane where he slept the entire flight - popping his head out to look around only after landing in Boston.

Another pit stop outside of the airport and then into the cab. He was restless and ready to be done with the traveling so we let him stick his head out of the bag...

Then he climbed out of the bag altogether.

He's been home for a little over 24 hours now and he seems to like us almost as much as we like him.

He likes to hop around our little yard and chase ants. He likes to nibble on earlobes and lay on a lap. He loves his rope toy. We've only had 2 accidents in the house and he slept the entire night, only going out once.

His favorite thing is to nap on top of us, close to our faces. What I thought was an unbearable wait was worth every, single second to have that sweet face so close to mine. Much, much more here.

The End of Our Lives as We Know It

2008-07-04T21:54:00.003-04:00

Twas the night before Bacon
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Because we don't have any creatures...yet

BACON ARRIVES TOMORROW!

At last, the wait is over. Its been 10 long weeks but we made it. We spent our Nation's birthday cleaning, organizing and finishing up all last-minute tasks PB (pre-Bacon) so that we're as prepared as possible when our little man sees his home for the first time. Everything is up off the floor and his crate and play pen are set up - toys and all - just waiting for him to settle in.

Our trip to pick him up and the journey home will be thoroughly documented. Tune in tomorrow for the pictures...

Why Am I Marrying Him?

2008-07-01T17:07:00.011-04:00

Photographer Kate Hutchinson is doing a beautiful series of portraits of her fiance called "Why Am I Marrying Him?" that I find extremely compelling in their universal, everyday nature.

So compelled am I that I took a break from my silly wedding blog hopping to put together my own little series. After all, the real reason behind this shindig we're throwing is in these pictures below...

Wedding Reconnaissance

2008-06-19T12:59:00.002-04:00

So tomorrow morning (at the crack of dawn) we're off to the Lone Star State to attend the wedding of my sister's best friend. Now eye-ball deep in planning our own nuptials, I'll be taking notes. Its amazing how fractal-like this whole planning thing is, with each layer of decision making ladened with yet more and more decision making.

Last weekend we (tried to) tackle the tent decisions such as: What size do we need? How many tables will it fit? What shape is it? What kind of walls will it have? Does it come with lights and heaters? Where will we put the tent? Will we have to push the fence back if it goes in location A? If so, how far? Where will we get the tent? How much will the tent cost? Will they come survey the site before installation? How will they install it?

All that and we still haven't really nailed anything down (figuratively). But through it all we actually came across some lovely pieces of tent design - this site in particular - that don't look like plastic on a pole.

Anyway, this weekend's wedding is altogether different from what we're planning - ours is outdoors at sunset in October with dinner after, this is early morning in a chapel with brunch after - but hopefully I'll be able to glean some inspiration nonetheless.

Bacon Outdoors

2008-06-16T10:51:00.008-04:00

Ok, back to the dog. The first non-posed Bacon pictures. Three weeks in counting...

Dream Job

2008-06-12T17:00:00.001-04:00

I spent a good part of my childhood obsessed with elephants and remember specifically drawing an elephant house on at least one occasion. This design is not so different than mine. I remember my design had 2 domes, a large dome that was the elephants house and a second smaller dome called the peanut storage warehouse. How could they forget the peanut storage. I'm sure it was just so full they couldn't get any pictures of it.

The new Elephant House at Copenhagen Zoo

More here

Extreme Home Makeover

2008-06-11T16:33:00.004-04:00

We began on Friday night and finished Tuesday evening. All in all we put in an extra workweek of time on our kitchen over the weekend. We think it looks amazing compared to what it was. The black is chalkboard paint which was a last minute idea, saving the room from fading completely into a powder blue haze. It's been about 95 degrees everyday since the weekend and everything still feels a little tacky so we're afraid to close the doors just yet. Hopefully it will be completely cured in a few more days. Now on to bringing warmth back to the space by replacing the floors...

Something Old, Something New

2008-06-11T13:55:00.004-04:00

I don't know who's behind it (he, he, he) but there's been a whole lot of puppy talk on here lately. Let's get back to design, shall we?

Amazing vintage Polish space stamps via my favorite type site, Ace Jet 170. can you imagine if this is what our stamps looked like? The colors alone are wonderful.

And the best part of the Olympics: new Coke bottles designs from the collision of Asian designers and musicians. I wish they put this same thought and effort into their regular packaging. The site interface is pretty nice, as well.

Freckled Bacon

2008-06-06T09:25:00.003-04:00

Words cannot even describe how much I already love this little guy. His ears are half-way up (she's assisting them in this first picture) and little black spots are appearing on his head. Four weeks in counting...

hbrdshry on AT

2008-06-03T16:27:00.002-04:00

AT store review: The Door Store in Cambridge, MA. Enjoy!

Bacon (Officially)

2008-05-30T11:33:00.003-04:00

The breeder asked us if we had a name for him so he knows his name when we come get him. We thought she might think we were crazy for calling him bacon but it's perfect. He looks like he is growing quickly and plumply. He is now just about completely covered in wrinkles and his ears are taking over. One ear looks like it wants to stick up. Five more weeks and he will be taking over our apartment.

hbrdshry on AT

2008-05-30T09:41:00.003-04:00

Two new posts up on Apartment Therapy:

Look! Camouflage Switches

How To: Hang a Cycloc

Enjoy!

Scouting

2008-05-29T11:08:00.005-04:00

Some pictures from our weekend in NH. This first image is where we think the wedding tent will go. The sheep will be on the other side of the fence by then.

More here

hbrdshry on AT

2008-05-27T21:14:00.004-04:00

Our first official AT Boston post went up today - an homage to the Boston renter. We'll continue to link to our stories from here. Enjoy!
How To: Move Successfully

Baby Bacon

2008-05-21T17:15:00.005-04:00

More not-so-blurry pictures of Bacon. Isn't he handsome?

(from Tuesday)
Its blurry but official. World, meet our Bacon.

We'll be going to pick him up on July 5 and couldn't be more excited!

Honorable Mention and a New Part-time Gig

2008-05-14T09:22:00.002-04:00

Neither *boy's or my apartment made it to the finals in AT's Small Cool contest but I did receive one of the few Honorable Mentions by the Northwest judge, Philip Wood. Yea! Who knew my little blue apartment would be so well-received. Wonder what my "special gift" will be...

On a related note, we got the AT Boston job! In the end all 4 Boston finalists were hired and we're meeting up in person this weekend to discuss how this will all play out as we develop the Boston branch of Apartment Therapy. Wish us luck!

The Beginning

2008-05-12T22:18:00.002-04:00

Less than two weeks in the new place and we're still unpacking boxes. The place is looking worse rather than better these days so we've only posted "before" pictures thus far (from moving day). We'll be documenting our progress as we settle in and make this place our own. Stay tuned.

Maybe Bacon?

2008-05-11T09:40:00.003-04:00

News of the first definite pet puppy from our breeder in D.C.! We thought we wanted a brindle puppy but this little guy is pretty gorgeous. Could this be our Bacon?

This is what he would look like all grown up (his half-sister).

She breeds for show dogs only but, within those litters, always has a few pet puppies. Learn more about this wonderful breed here.

Balance & Order

2008-05-09T12:59:00.008-04:00

Just over a year apart these photos show the transformation of the Bear Hill house. Work happens in short stints of a few weeks at a time but it seems like they can finish a tremendous amount of work in not a lot of time. We have stuck to the original plan and over the last few weeks work on the more public face of the house began. The bedroom dormers are done, the roof is finished and they are quickly putting up the bump out.

4 days into the orginal demo

A year later and all new windows

The windows are more about what they do to the interior

Almost unrecognizable from the original photographs, the house now has a strong presence and feels grounded and balanced. exaggerating the trim on the eaves of the roof of a small house helps give it a weightier feel and can look almost cartoonish in drawings but the effect is hard not to notice. What was a house with no character now asserts itself, not to mention all the windows opening up to a nice bucolic view. It is just a shell now but the interior should slowly take shape as funding permits. *girl and I will check out kitchens this weekend while we are IKEA getting little things for our apartment.

Sustainable and Eco-Fashionable

2008-05-08T15:04:00.010-04:00

*girl's superpower is an allergy to all metallic elements. So, more out of necessity than choice, we've been searching for non-metal wedding bands. I came across a number of unique alternatives including Easy Bake Oven rings, antique ivory, and tattoos but nothing felt right and the quality and longevity of some of these options seemed questionable at best. Wood was something we talked about early on but didn't seem like a truly appealing option until we found Nicola and David Finch of Touch Wood Rings. The quality and look of the rings is amazing. Best of all, we found them just in time to get on the schedule for August when David will take an entire month to make ours rings to our exact specifications. Now we just need to decide what we actually want and design them. A few examples:

Color, Color, Everywhere

2008-05-05T14:59:00.008-04:00

We have unpacked all the clothes but the boxes of books and pots and dishes remain sealed. We decided to attack this whole "settling in" thing from a different angle and start with painting. The living room - full of two bow front windows, a built-in wall of bookcases and a fireplace - we painted with Benjamin Moore's "Silver Fox," seen below...

Goes wonderfully with our green stripe/floral curtains and new BluDot couches. The dining room is painted with the bluish green below which we spotted in an Apartment Therapy post. Thanks to the blogging world we were able to contact the girl who owns the studio and she gave us the custom paint code for this color. Its a happy medium between my old living room blue (also a custom mix) and *boy's green wall.

Pictures of these colors in our own apartment will follow soon...

Inspiration Everywhere

2008-04-29T17:10:00.005-04:00

This is so cool. I love seeing inspiration being drawn from unique places...

From the new Five Franklin Place residence in NYC, by UNStudio. Much more here.

Thinking Inside the Box

2008-04-29T16:32:00.004-04:00

Life revolves around boxes this week - finding them, packing them, labeling them, taping them, piling them and, come Thursday, moving them. Our favorite source for free moving boxes? Liquor stores. My future in-laws are helping us move later this week and I can't wait to see their faces when they glimpse my wall-o-beer boxes. Budweiser to Blue Moon - you name it, we got 'em. You can't ask for better moving boxes, though: they're sturdy enough for the heavy stuff but small enough so you can't overpack them and, best of all, they're free (you just have to be willing to go into the back room and bust them up yourself).

Less than 48 hours to go and my mind drifts to our little would-be puppy... the litters were born last week but we wait patiently to hear which pups will be saved as show dogs and which imperfects will be pets.

Thinking imperfect thoughts...

Six More Things

2008-04-24T09:38:00.003-04:00

*girl forgot to mention her impulse ebay purchase of 6 vintage Eames DSX fiberglass shell chairs... we will need to replace the bases. This will match our new/old dining table. The slight mismatch of colors will be fantastic.

AT, Moving, Bacon and a Wedding Dress

2008-04-23T09:20:00.004-04:00

That's pretty much life around here, these days. First off, our third article is live on AT - check it out and vote for us here!

Now the elephant in the room: moving. So we don't actually have moving boxes yet but we're thinking about them a lot. Preliminary purging and organizing began this weekend for the big move...and then we took a break and purchased couches in "Dark Roast" and curtains in "Green" for the new apartment (because that's way easier than actually making ourselves pack our existing curtains not to mention the rest of our belongings).

Also this weekend, in yet another procrastinating move to not pack, my hunt for a wedding dress officially commenced. Sunday was spent in an 80's style bridal salon on Boylston Street and last night I rubbed blisters on both my pinky toes scouring every high-end department store in the Back Bay looking for dresses. Two possibilities thus far, two more shopping appointments scheduled for this Saturday (when I should be packing).

Lastly, our long-awaited baby is soon to be born! We don't know if its a boy or a girl but we do know that the mommy's name is Posh and lives in D.C. Of course I'm talking about our little French Bulldog puppy who, hopefully, will be born in the coming week. Pictures will clearly be posted at the absolute earliest moment possible.

We're on AT (Again)!

2008-04-09T13:33:00.005-04:00

(Our apologies to AT - we have removed our additional apartment images from this blog.)

Although this time in a different capacity. We both entered our apartments (pictured below) in the 2008 Smallest Coolest Contest. The requirements are simple: the space has to be your primary residence and it has to be small (under 650 square feet). You can view the open critique of our small homes and vote for how cool you think it is.

*boy's entry here.
*girl's entry here.

Stayed tuned for more AT Boston posts - our second story should be up this week.

Not so Shiny Anymore

2008-04-08T23:17:00.021-04:00

Now that it's caked in road grime and getting ready for its first spring cleaning, my custom bicycle (hand-built by my little brother) takes center stage here on the blog. Here's the story from welding to riding and a quick how-to for hanging a cycloc.

The color, a very popular subject, is not the actual Bianchi celeste green. It is a color I chose which is somewhere between celeste and Tiffany Blue but it is often mistaken for a Bianchi.

Graphic Decorator

2008-04-04T09:29:00.010-04:00

Given my profession as a graphic designer, I lean heavily toward bold and colorful interior design. Its not that I don’t think minimal, white spaces can be lovely – they can, much like a good, crisp white paper stock – but when it comes to my own home surroundings, I like things graphic. Currently this manifests itself in the form of brightly painted walls, lots of posters, color-coded books and bold pattern fabrics. But as *boy and I plan our impending move-in, I’m starting to think about channeling my graphic tendencies in a more focused direction that we both can live with.

Wallpaper is back with a vengance these days but I think my love for it actually began as a child in my grandparents’ dining room. The entire foyer and dining area of their house is covered in this handmade wallpaper:

I love it. It’s rich, elegant, graphic and I told my mother I'd never visit again if she dared to rip it down. *boy and I have discussed the possibility of wallpapering the hallway/second entryway in the new apartment and I’m getting pretty excited about it. Here’s a little wallpaper inspiration.

From Studio Nommo, Walnut Wallpaper, and Trove.

Failings of Modernism

2008-03-31T09:51:00.001-04:00

And to think, the Modernist movement was touted and intended to raise the standard of living for everyone - albeit through the virtues of industry. In my education there was a certain nostalgia and notion that the general public just didn’t get Modernism because of its abstract qualities and essential forms. Though a little radical this begins to make a lot of sense as you walk through desolate Boston City Hall Plaza.

“The messes we’ve made of places where we live and work is not solely the result of bad buildings, though there are plenty of them. But that hardly lets architects off the hook. Rather, with the hubris of religious zealots, they set out on a great purifying mission that damaged the whole physical setting for civilization of our time. The dogmas that guided them went by the name of modernism. Heretics and skeptics were anathematized as systematically as the opponents of the fifteenth–century Vatican.
Modernism did its immense damage in these ways: by divorcing the practice of building from the history and traditional meaning of building; by promoting a species of urbanism that destroyed age-old social arrangements and, with them, urban life as a general proposition; and by creating a physical setting for man that failed to respect the limits of scale, growth, and the consumption of natural resources, or to respect the lives of other things. The result of Modernism, especially in America, is a crisis of the human habitat: cities ruined by corporate gigantism and abstract renewal schemes, public buildings and public spaces unworthy of human affection, vast sprawling suburbs that lack any sense of community, housing that the un-rich cannot afford to live in, a slavish obeisance to the needs of automobiles and their dependent industries at the expense of human needs, and a gathering ecological calamity that we have only begun to measure.”

The Geography of Nowhere
James Howard Kunstler

We're on Apartment Therapy!

2008-03-29T22:39:00.007-04:00

One of our favorite design blogs, Apartment Therapy, is expanding its coverage to Boston and we're trying out! We've made it to the finals and our first article is up for voting now. Check it out here, vote and leave some feedback for the judges. We'll be posting two more articles over the next two weeks so keep reading and keep voting!

A little more about what Apartment Therapy is all about and why we would love to be part of their fantastic blog:

Mission
Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online.

What We Believe
A calm, healthy, beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world. Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it. The basic elements of good home design can be learned and achieved by all.
Simplicity and luxury are not mutually exclusive.

Our Goal
To connect people to the resources they need to improve their homes, while reducing their reliance on stuff.

Primary & Pastel

2008-03-24T14:26:00.010-04:00

I'm currently working intensely on a brand new Children's Hospital. When one imagines a color palette for children, one inevitably focuses on the very basics of the color wheel; when imagining a palette for a hospital, colors tend toward muted, pasty pastels. Presumably, primary colors are identified with children because they are bright and simple and pastels work well in hospitals because they're non-offensive - though I would argue that I've experienced a few nausea-inducing shades.

So when it is time to introduce color into this Children's Hospital where does one look for inspiration? The architectural firm Sauerbruch & Hutton have nailed it. Somehow balancing on the edge of playful yet sophisticated, colorful but not loud their work is a shining example of what color can do in the hands of the right people.

More here
Official Website here

Inanimate Objects

2008-03-03T20:44:00.004-05:00

I sit here typing this post on my brand new Macbook Pro while my five year old Powerbook is sitting on the coffee table running though diagnostic tests. I unpacked my new computer, gave it a once over and turned it on. OsX asked if I would like to port my documents, settings, and applications from my old computer and I said yes. What a huge time saver. I closed all my files on the old computer, plugged in a firewire cable and pressed restart. The new computer waited a minute and then said: "please plug in a volume with OsX installed." I unplugged the firewire cable and restarted the old computer only to have the apple come up for a minute and then it just shuts down... every time I restart. Not a happy Apple.

I'm reading The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain De Botton and just finished a short section titled Consolation on Frustration describing the philosophies of Seneca. It goes on to talk about the idea of inanimate objects and that one may believe they do things to purposefully cause pain and aggravation. Blaming a wall or chair when you stub your toe or feeling that your computer is intending to disobey your commands when you ask it to give up it's files and retire. Good timing I guess, now what about inanimate objects having feelings of abandonment and neglect?

Oh, to not be Latin...

2008-02-29T10:56:00.009-05:00

I am of two minds when it comes to letters: on the one hand, I love our alphabet and the world of Western typography in which I reside (clearly, I teach it), but sometimes that same world can feel incredibly unimaginative. I first saw non-Western, calligraphic writing when I was 16 during a tour of the Alhambra in Cordoba, Spain. Every inch of the Moorish palace is hand-carved with ancient Arabic writings, most from the Qur'an.

I think the wonderful texture and fluidity of that typography have been in me ever since.

I have my students designing a magazine spread, dealing with grids and heavy text coverage but also integrating hand-drafted elements into their design. Its a effort to keep the grid from controlling their design and turning it into a rigid, lifeless mess. I was starting to actually question my decision (about the relevance of hand-drafting in the world of heavy text) when I ran across this article on the Hoefler & Frere-Jones blog.

Its all about the world's last handwritten newspaper, The Musalman. What a wonderful reminder that hand-drafted type is not only alive and well but still considered highly applicable, in some parts of the world, for the design of heavy text. I forwarded it on to my students, we'll see what they make of it. In the meantime, I'll continue dreaming about the day I'm able to write in a non-Latin language...

Unintended Uses

2008-02-27T10:07:00.005-05:00

Originally conceived as a simple replacement to an unsightly Kwansit tarp hut, The Shed, as it has come to be called, has taken on many additional functions beyond simply shielding the tractor from the elements. Much of the design was based on the fact that the entire structure had to be built by two people - my dad and myself - with very basic tools, and to reduce as much labor and waste material as possible. Even the detail of the rafter tails with sloping V's was based on the fact that our circular saw could only cut halfway through the beam. Two cuts were required and if they weren't straight it would never line up.

Polycarbonate roofing was intended to not only bring natural light into the space but was a labor saving decision. The plastic roofing was much easier and safer to handle and cut than traditional metal roofing. Adding clear siding restored the clear view from the front of the house to the garden. All this light made the space an ideal workshop and now the back third of the shed is an officially that, complete with concrete pavers providing a hard floor and additional benches built into the simple wood frame walls. In the summer the space is used so much that the tractor is rarely parked inside. The overhang in the back created a small porch that became a place to sit and view the garden as well as a place to keep garden tools out of the rain.

My first attempt at creating real built architecture will now make an ideal altar for *girl's and my upcoming wedding.

Maybe we'll move the garden hose and bucket for the big event...

A Shed for All Seasons

2008-02-26T17:24:00.013-05:00

Although we haven't yet made many decisions about our Big Day, "location" can be checked off the list. Weather permitting, the shed's porch will serve as our altar.

Summer

Sunset

From the Garden

Winter

Fall, Season of choice for the Big Day

Drawing an Imitation

2008-02-19T13:22:00.003-05:00

I don't know if this is by the same artist (I don't think it is) but I came across it and thought it would make an interesting addition to *boy's earlier post.

I don't know if this was done as an imitation of Peter Callesen's work. Maybe this designer originated the idea and it just happens to be one of those coincidences where two designers come up with the same concept. Maybe this was designed by Callesen. Regardless of the author issues, isn't it interesting how our perception of the design changes when the design changes context. The first work is presented in a void of the artist's own making: solid color field, intentional lighting and an absence of scale.

The second gives us far more information because of its literal surroundings and yet this additional information seems to limit the design's interpretation. The "meaning" has been decided on by the type and the context: it is an advertisement for a self-help organization. The first remains untethered and open for our own opinion, our own ideas.

Where is the line between art and design? Between beauty and advertising? Does the human race really need everything spelled out in black and white? Why can't negative space say everything that need be said? I'm in the process of working with my type students on this very idea. Its a tough one...

Drawing a Blank

2008-02-15T15:05:00.004-05:00

I helped *girl design a sleeve for sketchbooks before Christmas that had little pop-up trees to go along with the theme of the all new sustainable and recycled sketchbooks that she put together for our office. I wish we had seen this work when we came up with it.

The artist...

http://www.petercallesen.com/

Man vs. Wild

2008-02-06T09:26:00.001-05:00

When I first saw the renderings of this building I immediately thought about blowing bubbles in chocolate milk as a kid. As a designer I guess inspiration can come from anywhere and sometimes the most unexpected things yield fantastic results. I’ll let the engineer and architects describe it as it may seem like a simple concept but the execution required some serious thought….

Its structural design is based on the most effective sub-division of three-dimensional space – the fundamental arrangement of organic cells and the natural formation of soap bubbles. This naturally-occurring arrangement contributed to this seeming random generation of structure, but it is in fact a solution that is extremely repetitive and highly buildable - removing the usual architectural inspiration that defines extreme geometry in building design, thus nature beats technology.

The design of the Water Cube is derived from theoretical physics, and the steel frame that encompasses this aquatic centre is based on what is known as the Weaire-Phelan structure, which describes the most efficient way to divide space. This is in fact the same way that bubbles form in foam. Whereas soap bubbles can be divided into two shapes - three quarters of the cells have 14 sides and the remainder have twelve - the engineering solution to make the Water Cube a reality requires over a hundred different ones. However, in spite of their seeming randomness, bubbles always touch each other with a regular geometry and it is this simple fact that makes the design feasible.

This abstraction of a natural phenomenon into a geometric form gives the building a direct relationship to nature while satisfying the rationality of human thought and order. It is this thin line that some of the most exciting and groundbreaking architecture seems to be located. It is only with a scientific and analytical abstraction that we can harness the wealth of knowledge hidden in nature to create more sustainable and interesting world.

National Swimming Centre2008 OlympicsBeijing, China
By PTW CCDI and Arup

more images here

New England Modernism

2008-01-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

I'll let the architect talk about the details when he can find the time. For now, just enjoy the pictures from last weekend's day trip to Lincoln, MA to tour the Gropius House.

Adventures in (Dangerous) Mind-Molding

2008-01-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I had this nightmare that I showed up to my first graduate typography class with my clever little sewing project and was suddenly transformed to Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds wrangling inner-city LA high schoolers into learning about type. I won't go into the details but it involved some of the students being gang members, a few stairwell pot-smokers and a rowdy hip-hop choir across the hall lead by Dwight from The Office. Thankfully, that is not how Wednesday's class went. The students did come in together (very gang-like) but my fears were quickly calmed when they told me that most of them have class together right before mine.

To introduce the scope of this new (less-than-traditional) type class, I had the students cross stitch a lowercase letter a into plastic stitching mesh with black yarn, considering fundamental typographic issues such as height, width, proportion, form and negative space. Although this class is about designing with type, it is crucial to be intimately familiar with the anatomical workings of letters. Subtle nuances that define the individual design of letters can be studied and expounded upon to better understand the subtleties and details of designing with type on any scale - be it letter, word, line or body.

The charrette far exceeded my expectations (especially considering that after that nightmare, my only real hope was that the needles not be used as weapons). I really think the students understood the point of the exercise and had a lot of fun doing it. I'm officially excited about the rest of the semester.

Here's a taste of what cross stitched type can look like:

I'll be documenting all charrettes (1-class projects) and class pin-ups here on Flickr.

Irony & Life

2008-01-14T13:43:00.000-05:00

*girl has been learning to cross stitch over the last week. Her first foray into the world of cross stitching is a little sign, complete with pink bunnies, that reads "IRONY IS NOT DEAD" -for the past week it read "IS" then "IS NOT" and finally last night the completed phrase.

How appropriate that we, after expressing our disdain and disgust for the act of legally binding oneself to another person and doing so in a pageant of bad taste and excess, have come to the conclusion that we're never going to find anyone else who shares those same feelings, so let's do it. What may be even more ironic is that it took our office "prom" and a few dirty martinis for either of us to admit to the other that we wanted to make it official. We will do our best to avoid the pageantry and excess, beginning with a more modest version of the rock.

We're pretty sure we are crazy, and that everyone else will agree, but I haven't been this sure about anything in a long time and I know *girl is who I want to spend my life with doing ironic and ridiculous things.

White Space

2008-01-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

As someone who grew up wearing short sleeves on Christmas Day, I am eternally fascinated by the snow. Its nature's white space - blanketing our cluttered world and revealing unexpected, beautiful silhouettes.

Modern for Two

2008-01-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

I was looking at two of my favorite lounge chairs recently and had an idea that would allow *girl and I to enjoy them together. My first concept turned out to be a design that was produced but very rare.

Eero Saarinen Womb chair (1948)

the love seat version: the Womb Sette

The second concept is based on the LC4 by Le Corbusier (1928) and something that if I believe would be a very simple hack to produce a beautiful double chaise that would allow you to face each other or one direction as the seat and base are separate pieces.

LC4 by Le Corbusier (1928)
My concept

Christmas in Pixels

2007-12-21T09:38:00.000-05:00

Living in a small apartment and traveling during the holidays leaves little opportunity for a real Christmas tree - especially when your tastes are more modern. So instead, *boy had the wonderful idea of creating an economical, low-maintenence likeness of a tree over our "hearth" (a.k.a. the huge silver radiator). We think it turned out quite nicely.

Its a post-it note pixel tree.

And beneath the tree - Chinese newspaper packages, tied up with string.

Of course *boy had it all planned out for us...

And then we both had the idea for the perfect tree topper. It just needed a little support...

Its a modern angel with wings.

Buddha Baby

2007-12-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

I promise not to turn this into a baby blog but it is among the more difficult things in the world to resist sharing images like this:

He's my own little Buddha.

Healthy baby, healthy mama, happy Auntie. Much more right here.