Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

Um, I believe I am obsessed with the Bouroullec Brothers.

Stitch Room (above)

"Steelwood Chair" designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

The Steelwood chair was designed by the progressive minds of the bouroullec brothers, the steelwood chair is a radical combination of two very conventional materials: steel and wood. aimed at attaining an ornamental patina over years of use, the steelwood chair is intended to preserve the illusion of timeworn delicacy. after extensive technological research the steel forming process has been refined to accommodate the unique and intricate form, requiring nearly ten successive stamping stages in order to create the perfect curvature. magis

Nick Dewar Illustration

ABOUT NICK DEWAR

"Born in Scotland, grew up in a small fishing town on the East Coast and attended Art School in Glasgow, lived in Prague, London, New York and on a sheep farm in Cumbria. After living in New York for nearly ten years I have recently moved to Southern California. I no longer have to bathe in my kitchen."

Nick Dewar - Illustration

Paradox of Our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit "Skip Ahead"... Dr. Bob Moorehead

Apsley Cherry-Garrand Quote

"And I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physicalexpression, go out and explore. If you are a brave man you will do nothing: if you arefearful you may do much, for none but cowards have need to prove their bravery. Some willtell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, 'what is the use?' For we are anation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper will look at research which does not promisehim a financial return within a year. And so you will sledge nearly alone, but thosewith whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal. If you march your Winter Journeys you will have your reward, so long as all you want is apenguin's egg."

Ray Charles White

The Spions - 803, 888 and 108(Photo: Ray Charles White, Toronto, Canada, 1982)

Get Well Card

Farm Table

This custom made slab table is 76" x 38" and is made with the contoured planks from lumber that has been on the ground for greater than five seasons. Very dry and stable lumber. There are multiple layers of "finishes" built up to provide a warm, natural and organic texture. lorimerantiques.etsy.com

Gezellig Print

Gezellig: (adj.) A Dutch colloquial term.

There's no English equivalent, but the Dutch often use gezellig to describe a place where the atmosphere is just right. It's kind of a combination of cozy, homey, friendly, relaxing... just good all around.

Bottom line, it's a great word. So the next time you're in the Netherlands, give a lil' "dank u wel" to the Dutch.

Gezellig Print wants to bring a little gezellig-ness into your life with our unique, screen-printed items for your home or office. Each piece is hand-printed with extra care, and even though "cozy" may not be the best way to describe our designs, we think you'll like them nonetheless.

Tables & Prints can be found at gezilligprint.com

Kenny's Powerwashing Company

Playing the Building - David Byrne Installation in New York

To watch click here - Pitchfork TV

David Byrne gives Pitchfork.tv an exclusive walkthrough of the NYC art installation he's spent two years creating: Turning an abandoned ferry terminal into a giant musical instrument whose creaking pipes and beams are played with an archaic pump organ. The installation is open through August 10.

Quilts of Gees Bend

Linda Pettway, born 1929. "Logcabin" -- single-block variation, tied with yarn, ca. 1975, corduroy, 88 x 78 inches.

See other examples

"The compositions of these quilts contrast dramatically with the ordered regularity associated with many styles of Euro-American quiltmaking. There's a brilliant, improvisational range of approaches to composition that is more often associated with the inventiveness and power of the leading 20th-century abstract painters than it is with textile-making," says Alvia Wardlaw, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts.

About the quilts & artists from Gees Bend: The artists are all descended from slaves who worked a plantation called Pettway, located on the Alabama River. The plantation owner's surname is still ubiquitous in the community, and the residents still inhabit the land their ancestors once slaved. But now they own it. Through generations, the women of Gee's Bend have taught their daughters to quilt, using any piece of material available - from feed sacks to old work clothes. During times when self-expression was discouraged, their singing and their unique quilt patterns represented the women's only creative outlets. Geographically and culturally isolated from other communities, they developed techniques and styles with little outside influence; hence this quilting coterie has been compared to the great artistic enclaves of the Italian Renaissance. About 10 years ago, an art historian "discovered" these quiltmakers and began introducing their work to curators. Quilts that once kept families of sometimes 16 children warm inside drafty log cabins now hang inside some of the world's finest museums. Textiles that were once thought worthless now sell for thousands of dollars. A new sense of self-respect has evolved. And what is most extraordinary, despite their many struggles, the women are not bitter. Wherever they go, they leave behind a kind of inexplicable residual joy - as though they are unwitting ambassadors of goodwill and examples to the world that the key to true happiness exists in positive human relationships, not material wealth.

FLASHBASH 2008 DVD Cover