Seonna Hong

 

Los Angeles-based painter Seonna Hong creates some truly mesmerizing work. I’m entranced by the way she focuses on both the big picture with those grandiose landscapes, as well as the attention to detail that’s paid the tiny people and animal figures. The best of both worlds, indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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AÃRK Collective Minimalist Watches

 

I haven’t worn a watch since roughly 2004, but I’m all about these minimalist timepieces from AÃRK Collective. Their pieces are inspired by the challenge of balancing function and beauty, each watch created to last and unique with geometric and playful details. From Swiss and Japanese Quartz to hand-dipped casings and Horween Leather straps, everything is of the highest quality – you can even swap out bands for some fun customization.

 

 

 

 

 

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Yvan Favre

 

Yvan Favre‘s modern realistic oil paintings make me FEEL THINGS. Maybe that’s because most of his portraits convey scenes that show some form of loneliness or sadness, with subjects that are often in situations of waiting and dreaming. Lighting may as well be Best Supporting Actor/Actress because Favre conveys so much emotion through it – it’s all so moody and so good.

Shop Yvan Favre’s paintings and prints here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rethinking the Dining Room

Matte Black and Brass 3 Arm Chandelier // Tiger Stitch Rug // Jupiter Pink Marble Serving Board // Mid-Century Modern 67″ Buffet Cabinet

The dining room is my favorite room in the house, for a few reasons – it feels the most complete decor-wise, it’s the best interpretation of my own personal aesthetic, and it’s usually the cleanest. (I’m nothing if not honest.) I love that when I’m entertaining it’s the place we all tend to congregate, so I want it to feel comfortable but I’m also not opposed to visitors thinking I know what I’m doing when pulling together a space.

 

Serena 60″ Dining Table // Subtle Tie-Dye Napkin Set // Copper Top Flatware // Clement 42″ Brass Mirror // Echasse Vase // Moroccan Spanish-Style Wine Glasses

You can check out the current-ish room design here and here, but I’ve been thinking about how a large round table might change the dynamic. Of course that got my mind spinning with the possibilities of an entire room redesign! Because my dining room is painted such a light color – and that isn’t something I’m anxious to change – I’m daydreaming about filling it with some darker materials like walnut wood, leather, and brass.

 

Simple Black Candleholders // Boccia Decanter // Gage Dining Chair in Tanner // Large Porcelain Serving Bowl // 12-Piece Speckled Dinnerware Set // Serena Bar Cart // Acacia Print

I’d balance all of those heavy tones and weights out by keeping the tableware and serveware in check with lots of glass, ceramic and porcelain, and lightly colored marble. This large acacia print would anchor everything together and bring a nice dose of nature into the decor.

 

Mara Marble + Copper Trivet // Carter Salt Cellar // Dawn Glass Pitcher // Graydon 8″ Antique Brass Hurricane // Cast Metal Trivet

Candlesticks and hurricane lanterns, along with that beautiful three-armed chandelier, are all I’d need to set whatever mood I’m going for – moody and dramatic or light and bright. I’d say the look of this reimagined room might be called Casual Industrial Modern and I’d happily welcome it into my home!

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Jan Kaláb

 

Ever wondered what happens when a well-known graffiti artist steps away from the streets and into the studio? Check out the work of Jan Kaláb, aka Cakes or Point, who in 2007 traded in spray paint for acrylic and brushes. Organic imperfection, dynamics, and collective energy all play large roles in his work. But whatever the canvas, his motto is always the same – always getting higher, always inventing new forms.

Shop Jan Kaláb’s work

 

 

 

 

 

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The Human Made’s Graphic Tights

 

My mind is already in Fall Mode, including when it comes to wardrobes options. I first saw The Human Made‘s line of graphic tights last year and they’ve been on my mind ever since! Most of my clothing lives in the world of neutrals, and a few pairs of these would be just the thing to shake things up a bit. Currently there are 61 designs available, with several on sale for 50% off so go take a look!

 

 

 

 

 

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Alëna Olasyuk

 

Ukranian-born, Beijing-dwelling artist Alëna Olasyuk works in a variety of mediums, but these textural illustrations are what stand out to me most. Would you have even thought some of them weren’t weavings?! Throughout her portfolio Alëna explores complexity and simplicity, chaos and balance, movement and tranquillity, transiency and infinity – the idea of the world’s duality.

 

 

 

 

 

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Stefanie Herr / The Growth Imperative

 

I’ve learned more about politics in the past year than the previous 35 combined, and part of that has been about the economy which has impacted me in a very real way. Stefanie Herr’s The Growth Imperative uses six photographic relief sculptures to explore stock charts over a period of six years. Each piece is crafted by hand using pigment print on Hahnemühle photo rag, museum matboard, aluminium, and other materials.

 

“The Growth Imperative explores the spatial dimension of stock charts by translating their peaks and valleys into physical coordinates. Inspired by the neoliberal fantasy of infinite economic growth on a finite planet, The Growth Imperative maps the performance of the S&P 500 Pure Growth Index over a six-years period between 2009 and 2015 and transposes it into six sculptural objects covered with photographs of forests.

The forest is the place where growth is inevitable and vegetation luxuriates. It is a multidimensional space that expands both horizontally and vertically and devours everything within its boundaries. Exposed to the erratic and uncontrollable behaviour of the stock market, each photograph is stretched, distorted and finally broken into 440 triangular facets. Thus, The Growth Imperative seeks to unmask the self-destructive nature of neoliberal capitalism and its central role in causing serious environmental, social and territorial imbalances.

Entirely crafted by hand, each piece of the series took about two months to complete. In a world subject to the vagaries of global capitalist economy, the market constitutes the main creative force behind it and consequently becomes its true sculptor.”

 

 

 

 

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Pen UNO

 

Don’t you just love the feeling of finding the perfect pen? One that sails across paper, won’t smear, and hopefully doesn’t run out of ink too quickly. I’m anxious to try out Pen UNO, a sleek and minimal aluminum pen available in five colors – space grey, gold, rose gold, red, and black. It uses a Hi-Tec C Coleto gel ink cartridge which is widely available online in a variety of colors and line-weights.

 

 

 

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Fan Yang-Tsung

 

As ready as I am for autumn (SO READY), I’m also basking in the last few weeks of summer. Enjoying extra time outside and not letting the longer days pass by feels extra important right now, and the paintings of Fan Yang-Tsung seem to put those emotions on canvas. Swimming pools, carwashes, airports, and more capture it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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