Categorizing PIECES -- Atlanta

I was admiring a very cool chandelier in the "what's hot" section of Elle Decor recently.

The store's url was listed and so I visited the Atlanta store Pieces. (Note: it is also a 1stdibs shop) Yes, the store has lots of cool stuff, but what I like about it is that it categorizes it's wares not just by function, but by color -- which is FUN! Am I obsessed? I'm rather like that with my collections, although I do shapes too. Time to get back to work!
Wonderful hand blown etched glass.
And a raincoat for my imaginary whippet Hermes.

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Gotta Do This For Technorati

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That's it. We'll see what happens.

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The High Line -- Things are Looking Up

The High Line, a new raised park in New York's Meatpacking District opened today.


You know, meat, as in Diane von Furstenberg, Prada, Anya Hindmarch. Section 1 traverses 9 blocks. On the Fact Sheet, it says that this section is .5 miles, but I thought the pr person said that it was a mile. The 1930's raised rail structure, once scheduled for demolition, was rescued by the Friends of High line leaders Joshua David and Robert Hammond. Designed by James Corner of Field Operations with Diller Scofidio & Renfro.

First reaction, it's going to be hot up there in the summer. It wasn't too hot when I visited on June 8th and yet my mind sang "it's hoootttt" (in a high Jon Stewart voice) atop the new paved area.

I am concerned about this little primula. As a gardener, I would tell visitors not to worry about the plant material. It's young. We don't know how it will proceed. But it's designed by Netherlands-based Piet Oudlf who has an excellent reputation and a way with grasses.



There are a couple of different seating options. There's this bench that has an organic connection to the surface of path.



And there are lounge chairs. How will NY'ers stake out this wee bit of real estate?

The Spencer Finch site specific piece, The River That Flows Both Ways, is made up of 700 individual panes of glass, each hued to represent a color of light reflected off the Hudson River. It is one of the highlights of the High Line.


Smartest of all is a water feature that will cool the toes of tourists and residents alike.

See that river beyond? It's celebrating it's discovery by Henry Hudson. Things didn't turn out too well for him, but I think that there are many events related to the 400th anniversary of European discovery of this majestic river.

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Whimsical Textile Design -- Coral and Tusk

A friend told me about the wonderful textile designer Stephanie Housley of Coral and Tusk.

Brooklyn-based Housley mostly confines herself to tee shirts and onesies for babies and little children, but she has a couple of pillows that are really fun. She is a RISD grad who spends part of the year in India; in fact she is there right now, so I had to lift images from her Etsy store. She uses organic cotton almost exclusively. Check out this humorous Hungry Whale pillow. $120.00.

The Baby Goat shirt, below, best exemplifies her talent with thread. Amazing. Cute kid. $46.00.


The whimsical detail in this shirt called Crab Claw Crusher is a story in itself. Note the jellyfish and the charming little crabs. $70.00.


A Circus Tent onesie would be a fabulous baby gift. A cool summer outfit for any wiggley baby. $46.00

Pinchy Whale. Great name. I think I love her sensibility as much as her designs. $46.00.

Finally -- and I would love to have this one in an adult size shirt -- my favorite design (if pressed) is called Leaf Cutter Ants. $46.00.

Prices are a little high for every day, but perfect for a special gift. Coral and Tusk products can also be found at Acorn Toy Shop and Sweet William in Brooklyn as well as John Derian in Manhattan.

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Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward -- culture, technology and the environment

May 15, a new exhibit Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward opens at the Guggenheim in New York.

To celebrate it's 50th anniversary, the Guggenheim is hosting an exhibition co-organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The exhibit opens tomorrow and you have until August 23 to see it. Wright, (1867–1959) who died six months before the opening of this landmark building, was certainly one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and I dare say his legacy lives on. I know I appreciate his "eye" more as I get older. Included in the exhibition will be his civic buildings, religious and performance spaces, as well as unrealized urban mega-structures. And there will be additional tech creations based on un-realized projects. I look forward to walking the spiral of the museum and seeing more than 200 original FLW drawings, many of which are available to the public for the first time. Here's an explanation of the title of the exhibition:

“Rather than a retrospective, this exhibition focuses on the diversity of Wright’s vision and the ways he sought to realize it, conveying fresh perspectives on how the buildings themselves celebrate that vision through spaces that enrich our lives with their transformational power,” said Phil Allsopp, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation . . . “The concept of the exhibition also reflects a growing recognition of the enormous relevance today of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design philosophies, which embrace culture, technology and environment."

Although that quote doesn't quite give me a better sense of the title, perhaps I am more drawn to his work now because of the commingling of ". . . culture, technology and the environment." My kind of stuff.

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Say it with Animoto

Animoto is a new, totally affordable service that allows regular non-nerds make videos easily.

Animoto, winner of a prestigious Webby Award this year, has zillions of applications. As the Guys at Animoto (that's really what they like to be called) put it:

The heart of Animoto is its newly developed Cinematic Artificial Intelligence technology that thinks like an actual director and editor. It analyzes and combines user-selected images and music with the same sophisticated post-production skills and techniques that are used in television & film.

Imagine. You're opening a luxury hotel outside of Florence and you want to impress the press. Create an Animoto video. I heard a great story about an Animoto guy proposing to his girlfriend via an Animoto video. Non-profits are encouraged to contact Animoto to make videos and there is a section on the site for making videos for educational purposes.

I'm not too smitten by these guys am I? I created a farewell video with pictures of our local Twitter group for friends moving to Austin. Speaking of Austin, Animoto won an award at SXSW. How to do it? Upload photos and choose a song. Could it be easier than that? While the video is being created, look to the right and there is a list of things to do called "distractions". A little something to busy yourself with while you wait.

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New Shopping Site -- One King's Lane

There is a new "invitation only" shopping site with which I have a love/hate relationship.

One King's Lane is a sale site not unlike Gilt Groupe, that "partners" with various design companies and sells at substantial discounts. The pillow above is John Robshaw. They have shown Ann Gish and others in the past. It certainly shares many of the glitches that GG had in the beginning such as the outrageous shipping charges. One pillow $16.00. Two pillows twenty plus dollars. Crazy. Their returns policy is not user friendly either. GG slowly overcame many of their weaknesses, so I hope the same occurs with One King's Lane.

That said, if you want an invitation, put your email address in the comments area and I'll send you one. The John Robshaw sale is fabulous. And Gilt Groupe -- which bills itself as having "sample sales" has a fab Bric's luggage sale today. And there is a Caroline Herrara (!) sale later this week.

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