1 Artist / 1 Piece: Joseph Cornell

Oh, Joseph Cornell. I've been an admirer of his since I was in high school. I actually went through a "Cornell Phase" which involved searching flea markets for vintage boxes and bits of interesting randomness to make pieces in a similar style. Those boxes are still taking up space in my parent's house. Cornell is a curious character. He never had any formal art training. He was more of a collector. A collector with a fantastic imagination and an eye for piecing together the most beautiful creations. Poems in a box.


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Sleek

I've been meaning to do a post on Joe Cariati's gorgeous hand-made glass. He had a booth at Dwell on Design so I got to see some of his work in person and let me tell you...it's stunning. The colors are so vibrant and the pieces have exquisite lines. Joe is based here in Los Angeles so it's nice to feature local folks. He makes every single piece by hand using a Venetian off-hand glassblowing technique. Joe says, "I'm not a 'fussy' glass blower, I cannot stand spending time on surface decoration or frilly techniques. For me, the purity and essence of the process of glassblowing is immediate, there is a sense of urgency, the glass must be blown while it's hot! There are no breaks, there is no time to rest, no lull. My approach is to craft the glass quickly and efficiently; clean, pure, simple and beautiful." Check out his website to see more and feel free to buy me a decanter while you're there. *Wink*


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Simple

My interior design principles usually consist of two quotes. "Simplicity is the key to successful living." and "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." The second is from William Morris...wise words. In the past three years of my life, I have done some major downsizing. I went from a storage-abundant apartment with a closet the size of a Manhattan bedroom to a 1920s apartment with 29" of closet rod space and NO other storage besides kitchen cabinets. Yeah, I had to get inventive and I had to make some epic trips to Goodwill. I donated boxes of books, 70% of my shoes, and bags and bags of clothing and various other bits and pieces. Yes, it helped that I was on a major minimalist kick (and still am just not to the same extent). I've been very happy with the reductions and I don't miss anything that I've given away. I'd like to take it even further when the time is right. So, yes, I guess I'm a rational, soft core minimalist at heart? I like it that way. I also like (ok, love) clean, simple, living spaces with clear surfaces, and concealed storage. Ahh, calm. I tend to get very uncomfortable and depressed in cluttered areas so these spaces are a true breath of fresh air. Many people may think these interiors are too cold or stark or bland but I would move in faster than you could bat an eye. Enjoy the breathing room.



1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, Unknown, 7, 8 and 9

Stunning

I've had my eye on these fashion shots by Mark Shaw for a long time so I decided to put together a small sampling of his work. He's probably best known for his photographs of the Kennedys but he also worked for LIFE, Harper's Bazaar, and Mademoiselle. He was actually one of the first photographers to use color when shooting runways and backstage images. These gorgeous black and white shots are from a Vanity Fair ad campaign that took place over a ten year period. Stunning!


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Swedish Stylin'

So Lo Bjurulf's stunning work has been making its rounds through the blogosphere lately but I decided to whip up this post about her anyway! If you didn't notice the name, she's Swedish which means she's genetically predisposed to good design taste. Bjurulf uses IKEA items to style these gorgeous set ups which would make for some jaw dropping weddings and parties. Three cheers for budget friendly yet amazing style! All of her work (whether it be interior design, prop styling, or set design) has a warmth, softness, and simple feel to it that I really appreciate. Let's enjoy the eye candy now, shall we?











Lovely light!






Provence wedding?






*Swoon*


IKEA never looked so good.
All images via Agent Bauer