Happy Birthday!

It is most important that I pause for a moment and wish some very special people a very Happy Birthday! To Aaron, Drue, Megan and Stephanie.
With love to R.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Monster Art.

Whimsical and fun, I love this inexpensive wall print from Urban Outfitters. This Most Excellent piece of wall decor is by Masha D'yans, whose playful and evocative watercolors draw inspiration from nature, love, Japanese art, animation and Russian fairy tales. Colorful image digitally transferred to canvas and stretched over a substantial wooden frame. The image wraps all the way around the frame, giving the piece depth and attracting interest from all angles.

Boa. Fuse Lighting.

The Boa Chandelier and Pendant from Fuse Lighting is Most Excellent. This stainless-steel chain link lamp slithers 52 to 84 inches from the ceiling and comes in ten different finishes, including satin nickel, brushed brass, white powder coat and oil rubbed bronze. I would love to see this fixture used in the interior design of a trendy new hotel or restaurant. Those who are adventurous may consider placing this ophidian inspired piece in their home.

John Houshmand Furniture.

Chaise Lounge. Bronze with Pine Beam.

John Houshmand Furniture has a simple but profound philosophy: To show what wood really looks like. According to the company website, "Trees are guardians of everything sacrosanct. They hold secrets of the past and relinquish everything necessary to sustain the future. They bare their souls providing us with the air we breathe, the shelter in which we live, and the food that nourishes our very beings. Growing vertically and recording history in radial timeline, trees are evolutionary storytellers and timeless teachers. We do not live in straight lines. We live in ever expanding spheres. We allow trees to do the talking. We simply listen." In this age of uniform mass production, John Houshmand creates individual pieces of furniture that are timeless works of art. Incorporating organic and inorganic elements, these breathtaking, Most Excellent pieces stand as select jewels in the interior design of any space.

Kenmore. Life Running Beautifully.

I simply could not resist placing this Most Excellent advertisement from Kenmore appliances, (specifically their new "Elite Ultrawash" Dishwasher), on my blog. The ad, which depicts a Barbie doll with eight of her friends bathing in a kitchen sink, comes complete with the catchy tag line, "The Last Thing You'll Find in Your Sink is a Dirty Dish". Very fun!

Floralis Genérica. Buenos Aires.

This Most Excellent sculpture, Floralis Genérica, is located at the United Nations Plaza in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Designed by US trained architect, Eduardo Catalano, the sculpture is a structure of stainless steel frame with aluminum and reinforced concrete. It is 23 meters in height. It is mirrored in a pool of water measuring 44 meters in diameter.

One of the characteristics of the flower is an electrical system that automatically opens and closes the petals depending on the time of day. During the night, the flower closes emanating from inside a red glow opened in reborn for the following morning. This is the same mechanism that closes the flower show to strong winds.

According to its author architect Eduardo Catalano, Floralis means that belongs to the flora and hence the flowers, and Generic stems from the concept of "gender", indicating that represents all the flowers in the world.

Tea Time. Fortnum and Mason Style.

For over three hundred years Brits have stocked up on fine comestibles at Fortnum and Mason in London. Known as purveyors of breakfast preserves and tea, among other staples, to the royal household, Fortnum and Mason has now launched a US website offerings many of its products to Americans. Shown here are just a few of the Most Excellent fine foods you may encounter when you visit the website. The Earl Grey Tea jelly would be fantastic on toast or scones and the Balsamic Jelly would pair beautifully with a holiday cheese plate. For something a little bit different, there is Rose Petal Jelly and Strawberry and Fortnum's Champagne Preserve.

In the Dog House.

Megan loves dogs. She really loves dogs. A walk down the street in DC means stopping to say "hello" to every dog and dog walker she may encounter. Her technique, I have observed, is to first ask the dog owner if the dog is friendly. Upon receiving a positive answer, she will then start to pet the dog and obtain important information such as the dog's age, breed and name.

Megan introduced me to these delightful, stylish and whimsical dog beds. If ever I was to find myself "in the dog house", I would hope it would be one of these.... particularly the one shown above!

The beds are available from, Designgostudio.com,
DogIsAGod.it, and GaiaGino.com

Alejandra Laviada.

Formation of a Thought, 2008


"My work exists at the intersection of photography and sculpture, but in essence I consider myself a photographer," says Alejandra Laviada. Working in dilapidated buildings in the historic center of her native Mexico City, Laviada, 28, gathers objects found on site-old wheels, brooms, broken chairs, decaying signage-and assembles them into witty, Most Excellent minimalist sculptures. She then documents them with her camera.

The results are like poetic markers of a vanishing place and time. "I am interested in objects that reveal the histories of the site," she says. "I see them as a living archive of these spaces before they're gone completely."

Laviada, whose images have already appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and other publications, graduated from New York's School of Visual Arts last year. Her first New York show, at Danzinger Projects just closed late last week. Prices for her photos-33" x 40", in editions of five-start at $3,500.00

Alejandra Laviada