A Quiet Little Spot.

So its off and running for another week.
I wish I could spend some quiet time on this amazing little bench.
Design by Tori Golub.

Barbara Hill At Found.

One of Houston's best stops for antiques and unusual objects is Found. They are fairly well known in blogland and have a great site on 1st dibs. Being the "eclectic" person that I am, I always find many lust worthy objects there. Next week they will premier new furnishings designed by Barbara Hill.

Barbara's Marfa home has been featured in several publications, including

Dwell and Metropolitan Home.

I really got to go there! The photo below is actually one I have in my tear-sheet stash, but didn't

know who designed it. (I admit I don't always read magazines...I just look at the pretty pictures).

I'm ashamed of myself:( I'm also ashamed because I now realize that Barbara

is a frequent patron of my favorite coffee shop, I see her all the time but didn't know who she was.

In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I stopped her to say how much I love her red hair.

I think she thought I was crazy. Oh well, maybe I can officially meet her next week

and she won't think I'm crazy. (Ha ha).

I can't wait to see her new designs!

I'm Tired, I'm Stressed...Only Junking Will Help.

Junking is a real term right? If not, I'm sure you all know what I mean.
Its the act of searching through and hunting for junk!! I have yet to figure out why I love it so much, but it does my soul good:)
Many of you may have noticed that I have been slow on posting lately. I have to admit that my work has been taking all my time and energy.
I'm struggling w/ feeling any amount of creativity or inspiration.

I know, "Boo hoo".
Over the weekend we had a few rare child free hours. (Thanks to my lovely sister and brother-in-law)
So I took the time to hit some "antique" stores, to relieve some stress.
Some of my favorite Houston haunts are located along several blocks of Westheimer.
Finding so many hidden gems made me very happy. Here are a few of my favorite finds.

This is such a cool Valentine's themed window display!

Of course I must include chairs.

I feel a little better, now. Aahhh.

Rek Bookcase

I love this expanding shelving unit by Reinier de Jong. As your book collection or collection of anything come to that! begins to grow you can simply slide the unit apart to reveal the ideal shelving unit.

The Rek bookcase looks simply stunning closed up with the added intrigue of it opening up to cover virtually a whole wall. Great idea for rented studio flats where space is usually confined or you don’t like the décor in a room!

The other aspect of Rek which appeals to me is the variety of different shapes and sizes of the shelves/cubby holes when the bookcase is open. The long thin ones would be ideal for storing magazines; there is even storage for oversize books which I can never seem to find the right place on a shelf for.

The overall simple clean lines provides the opportunity to use the Rek bookcase in any style of interior. It would look equally at home in either traditional or modern room designs. No over the top fussiness; just a very functional piece of furniture. Being white it will coordinate with any colour scheme, style of furnishings and window dressings such as roman blinds or curtains.

Although Rek has been designed as a bookcase I think any sort of personal collection would look equally as stunning. This bookcase is perfectly in keeping with this year’s interior design themes of no clutter or mess, just be careful that it doesn’t become an untidy dumping ground as that would completely ruin the look!

For further information and image source visit MoCo Loco.

Is This Heaven?

It just might be! My version anyway.

This from The Modern Warehouse, found via Hoping for Happy Accidents.

Sunday Abstraction: Pretty Balloons

Loquat "Harder Hit" from Evan Lane on Vimeo.

What is it about balloons that I think we all love? Lately I notice them everywhere.

As a little girl, I treasured every new balloon I would receive. Of course, it was all the more heart breaking
when I would lose hold of the string and the balloon quickly flew into the sky. I cried every time that happened.
I think all the pretty images of balloons reminded me of that. The funny thing is, I still love them!
Does anyone outgrow their love of balloons? I think not.

Links:
1. The most romantic image of a balloon ever!
2. Harder Hit by Loquat. This was an instant favorite for me!
3. Sofia Coppola's tribute to being "Pretty in Pink" via A View To.

This just in...
Check out Pink Wallpaper's article about balloons too!

'Lull' Light

The concept of this amazing light has 'blossomed' by the Norwegian design group Varmo 1 Kollstad 1 Buene. It works by a motor which has a timer attached. When it is time for sleep the light slowly dims and the petals of the light slowly close. In the morning the bud comes to life by reversing the action-the light comes on and as the bud opens the light becomes brighter. What a wonderfully relaxing and ingenious way to let your body clock know when it is time to sleep and when it is time to get up.

Lull, the apt name of this design, is a great way to get children into a good sleep routine from an early age. No more being afraid of the dark, as the light fades and the flower closes the room will gradually and gently become darker, rather than the usual 'shock' of being plunged into complete darkness. It may also be very useful for anyone who has problems drifting off to sleep or waking up.

In order for Lull to work effectively it would probably be best to use a blackout roller blind to prevent unwanted light coming into the room too early in the morning or when trying to get to sleep-as these would defeat the object of controlling the amount of light in the room.

Lull would be ideal for use all year, most particularly during the long summer evenings and early morning sunshine!

The design group consulted psychologist and specialist on sleep problems Dr. Staalle Pallesen during this wonderful lights conception.

For further information and image source visit yatzer