Andy Warhol is in my office.

Well, not technically in my office. But he could be. And in my bathroom, too. And he would look adorable on my desk.

Decorative Things has these great Warhol-inspired pieces made out of melamine. I bought my friend, KK, a bowl from this line for her birthday a few months ago and she loved it. So did I, it was hard to let go!

Clockwise: toothbrush holder, soap dish, dust pan, clipboard and wastebasket.

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Good is Dead. The Work of Chip Kidd.

Chip Kidd is the closest thing to a rock star graphic design has. Kidd is recognized as a master of contemporary book design with his iconic covers, each a marriage of type and imagery. He’s basically influenced an entire generation of designers in every imaginable field.


And now he has a new book out. Chip Kidd: Book One collects all of his book covers and designs for the first time, as well as hundreds of developmental sketches and concepts. The book also showcases Kidd’s work with comics and graphic novels, including his collaborations with leading artists and writers in the field. Featured are projects for DC Comics, including Batman and Superman, as well as Kidd’s award-winning exploration of the art of Charles M. Schulz. Most notable, however, is the books design – a half cover relative to the full page layout. It’s going to be a handful to hold, but well worth it.

Check out Kidds site, too. I love the “design” design of it all.

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The Best Parts: Summer.


Watermelon.
Longer days.
Fireworks.
The lake.
Air conditioning.
Landscaping.
Rain.
Cookouts.
Chlorine.
Lawn chairs.
Cold beer.
Cool bed sheets.
Highlighted hair.
Being tan.
Fall on the horizon.

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Dreamy Bookshelves.


This is someone’s actual living room. And no, she’s not even a designer. I’m completely and totally 100% envious. I’ve wanted to do something similar with my book collection for a couple of years now (excuding the creepy naked doll), but unfortunately my collection doesn’t want to cooperate. I have a friend who attempted this only to give up halfway through because she didn’t have enough of the same colored books to pull it off (my issue as well). I’m convinced that this woman hasn’t read one of those books, that she only purchased them for their decorative capabilities. Otherwise, how could you pull this off?

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Alice Stevenson.

Alice Stevenson’s whimsical art is fantastic. Being a designer who has always harbored a secret – okay, not so secret – desire to design book covers, I can’t help but admire her work. I read a lot and half the time I choose my books based on their cover design. These I would most definitely buy!




Here are some of her other sketches…


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1000 Journals Project.


I love this. The 1000 Journals Project is an ongoing collaborative experiment attempting to follow 1000 journals throughout their travels. The goal is to provide a method for interaction and shared creativity among friends and strangers.

How does it work? Unfortunately, you’ve got a better chance of winning the lottery than of getting a hold of a journal. That’s the problem when there are only 1000 of them.

The project officially launched in August of 2000 with the release of the first 100 journals in San Francisco. Artist Someguy gave them to friends and left them at bars, cafes and on park benches. Shortly thereafter, people began emailing him, asking if they could participate. So Someguy started sending journals to folks, allowing them to share with friends, or strangers. It’s been a roller coaster ever since.



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Fine Finishing Touches.

I’m an organizational freak and love office supplies – especially pretty, fun ones. That’s why I love Russell + Hazel. The details of the collection are inspired by vintage architecture, classic Hollywood and contemporary couture.


Audrey Fine Finishing Touches Set ($45)
– Boxed set includes place cards, book marks,
page finders, notes and gift enclosures
– 10 of each style—80 pieces total
– Assorted shapes and sizes


Self-Adhesive Note Set ($40)
– set of Self-adhesive To-Dos in olive
– set of Self-adhesive Memos in tangerine
– set of Self-adhesive Squares
– set of Self-adhesive Minis
– set of Self-adhesive Chicklets


Recipe Binder Set ($110)
– 2 slim binders (in white/charcoal or blue/red)
– Set of 15 section tabs & 1 measuring equivalents
– Recipe Pages, 40 pages
– Recipe cards, 50 cards
– Menu Planning Sheets, 60 pages

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Tazo Tea.

I’m a big fan of hot tea. I even went through a short phase of preferring it in the morning over coffee, which is saying a lot. The Tazo brand has long been one of my favorites. And its design presence is what initially turned me on to the tea.

The Tazo Tea site is beautifully designed with elegant type and photography. But it’s also got personality with its funky expanding menu, animated details, ethnic music and, my favorite, a Tea Leaf Oracle whose creepy eyes follow the mouse wherever it goes.



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Pretty Cleo Chair.


This chair from Anthropologie is fabulous. I love the big, bright yellow print and the pleasingly plump proportions. It would be really cute in my bedroom, but I think I’d want it out in the open to see all of the time. But costing $998 as it currently does, it won’t be coming anywhere near any of my rooms unless the Chair Fairy pays me a visit. Oh well, I can enjoy the pictures. Maybe I’ll sit on the pictures of it and pretend, you know, like Phoebe did in Friends with the bicycle box. Only I won’t make anyone drag me around the living room on it.

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Rethink: Contemporary Art.

Rethink of Vancouver, British Columbia is a cutting edge agency.

The agency’s philosophy – creative and otherwise – is pared down to the essentials. Pencil rough storyboard presentations (no PowerPoint). Notes in client meetings are taken on walls covered in chalkboard paint. Any leave-behinds are tucked into blank white folders, DVD covers, or booklets stamped with a small backwards circle R – the Rethink logo. Even business cards are generic – they’re plain white with blank spaces for the handwritten name of the staffer and a phone number or email address. The web site itself is a blank white screen with a small glyph saying “web site.” Pretty Cool.

This is my favorite project of theirs. Fifty-thousand buttons were displayed, each printed with a single word representing one of a hundred possible responses to contemporary art. The public was free to walk away with as many as they wanted in this installation for the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver.

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