beautiful books

There is something magical about picking up a new book. Especially if this new book also happens to be pretty. I've recently gone on a bit of a classics craze and when I saw this Barnes & Noble leatherbound classics edition of seven Jane Austen novels I had to have it. While the words are the same as they've always been, the experience is somehow heightened when I sit and turn the gold leaf pages while reading one of my favorite's from this collection...

I was literally giddy when I first opened this book and saw the vintage floral print on the inside cover... and yes, I know, I'm a nerd. But despite this fact, I'm a strong believer that design not only improves the value of something, but also improves the experience of it. Good design is something you feel. It goes beyond logic or reason and touches on the intangible qualities of life.

The more I thought about the design of my pretty little Jane Austen collection and how great it made me feel, the more I considered the concept of creating beautiful books. In today's world, book design isn't one of the first forms of art the typical person would consider. With advances in technology such as internet and the latest craze, the Kindle, the tradition of sitting down with a book is becoming less common. And even for those who do enjoy turning pages while reading rather than clicking the "next" button, books themselves are less permanent than they once were. Most books are paperbacks now and end up with bent corners, spills, or even wrinkled pages from dips in the tub.

images via Barnes & Noble

While the wave of the future isn't necessarily a bad thing as it signifies the increased access we have as a society to reading material, books were not always as discardable as they are today. Many early works of art were in the form Biblical manuscripts that were passed down through the centuries. These books took years to create and were illuminated with beautiful colors and rich designs. The image below shows an example of one such manuscript. You can see from this example that the image was as important as the text and helped communicate the content of the manuscript.

The Book of Hours

Valencia, c 1460

Collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek

image via Colophon Page

Continuing on this train of thought, I went on a mission to discover inspirational and beautiful books of today. During my search, I stumbled across The Book Design Review, a blog focused on my very task. I would recommend checking out the blog as it offers a completely new perspective on art and design via books.

Here are a few of my favorites from this blog... there were so many interesting covers that I tried to pick a few that offered a range of styles. The first, and quite possibly my favorite, is Ruben Toledo's design of Wuthering Heights for the Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions.

The Children's Book, designed by Stephen Parker and adapted by Gabrielle Wilson.

The Great Perhaps designed by Jamie Keenan

images via The Book Design Review

28 gorgeous globes: a new pendant chandelier by Omer Arbel

I was recently perusing the pages of one of my favorite blogs, Contemporist, when I found this stunning light fixture designed by the same firm that brought us the 2010 Vancouver Olympic medals.

Omer Arbel created the 28 series of pendant lights for BOCCI using a unique glass blowing technique that creates the randomly placed pockets of air and distorted spherical shapes of these globes. Each globe pendant contains one low voltage spherical lamp and, when clustered together, creates a gorgeous and unique chandelier.

By far my favorite of the pendant chandeliers I've come across!!

images via Contemporist

diy project .:. vintage cake stands

Wedding plans have been keeping me very busy lately, but I love the little details that go into planning the event. I love dessert and thought that having individual and ornate desserts served on each guest table could create a beautiful and unique center piece. I was immediately drawn to the classic antique milk glass cake stands as they are simple, elegant, and fit our vintage theme. While these pieces are stunning, they are a bit pricey, so I decided to get creative and make my own custom cake stands for the guest tables at our wedding reception.

During one of my intense online wedding research sessions I found an interesting post on one of my favorite blogs, Design Sponge, about adaptive reuse of plates and china (please see my previous post on the marvelous Sarah Cihat and her inspirational and funky dishware adaptations). Design Sponge even highlighted a DIY project creating Sarah Cihat-inspired cake stands that I was instantly drawn to. Of course, I didn't want to paint bugs on my wedding centerpieces, so I went a more elegant route and have been collecting antique china plates and crystal stemware from various antique shops over the last few months in the hopes of adding some creative glamor to my wedding reception.

This last weekend, my sister and I went at the first 30 stands, using Epoxy to secure the crystal stemware to the bases of each plate. We used varying heights, shapes, and colors to add visual interest and rhythm. I love the outcome and can't wait to see them at our wedding. I'm thinking some soft loose blooms and LED lights would look stunning clustered around the bases of these stands.

Enjoy!

I adore milk glass and these pieces are absolutely stunning. These stands were my original inspiration for my guest table decor.

My sister and I collected mismatched china plates, crystal stemware, and candlesticks like those pictured above over the course of a few months (and many visits to the Antique Emporium in Eau Claire, WI). Once they were cleaned and sparkling, we organized them so that each plate was paired with the perfect base, offering variety of height, color, and design.

Phase two was all about the smelly Epoxy... we glued the 30 plates and bases together within a couple of hours and then secured them with painters tape and set them out to dry for the night. I wasn't sure that the Epoxy would hold the delicate crystal to the china, but that stuff is amazing!!

The finished product is surprisingly durable (and pretty cute)!

.fabulous.wedding.details.

In case you were wondering, I've been a bit busy this month (thus my wimpy 3 posts) and the majority of my time is balanced between work and wedding planning. It's amazing how many details go in to planning a wedding... there are so many fun, creative, and unique ideas out there that I've had a difficult time focusing in on the few concepts I love the most. So, for today's brief post, I'm going to share one of the wedding websites I discovered that has some of the more interesting examples of vintage themed weddings out there.

www.greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com

Enjoy the eye candy!

How beautiful are these envelopes? I never would have considered stamping the envelopes like this. The entire composition works well in each of these designs.

I love how all of this stationary comes together without matching too much... I also love flower!

I love the color of these feather headpieces and how fun are these gray dresses with the yellow accents?

images via greenweddingshoes

I love birds. I especially love vintage birds and these might be the cutest birds I have ever seen! Not to mention the fabulous cake...

the reveal cabinet by studiomama

While surfing one of my favorite design blogs, The Contemporist, I came across the Reveal Cabinet by London based designer Nina Tolstrup of Studiomama and was immediately drawn to its simple lines and unique design. The piece contains a series of window-like cutouts for storage and display while retaining the traditional function of a cabinet with additional interior storage. Tolstrup's selection of recycled wood floorboards for the primary material of the cabinet offers an interesting textural quality to the piece that contrasts its sleek form.

While the image of the open cabinet with the series of cutouts and shelves of various proportions and sizes is alluring, I'm not sure the interior storage is very practical. This design would be just as fabulous and potentially more functional if the interior spaces were designed with typical bookshelf-style shelving. Either way, it's pretty to look at and would be an interesting addition to any home.

images via The Contemporist

lonny mag: the new online design publication

My friend Lindsay shared this great new online magazines with me earlier this week and I had to share it...

The mission statement for Lonny Magazine embraces the values I hold near and dear and come at a time when many of us are tightening up the purse strings and looking towards more creative and crafty ways to make what we want of our living spaces.

Here's a message direct from the magazine's Facebook page:

"OUR MISSION is to reopen the doors of accessible design. By embracing an online platform we provide inspiration at the click of a finger, directly connecting our readers to their favorite products and resources...We believe that good design and affordable design can coexist and that true inspiration can be found in the teeniest of homes or in the grandest of spaces."

I love the way the magazine captures trend within various design fields, highlighting shoes and tops next to lamps, rugs, and throw pillows that all fit within a given scheme. Another fabulous feature to the online format is that this magazine is interactive. Any item you find within the pages and every ad that catches your eye is accessible by a simple click of your mouse.

Welcome to the new age of smart reading. I love it!

uplifting the urban landscape in a down economy

I apologize for the lapse in posts from me this month... February has been crazy and I have not devoted the necessary time to my blog. But, alas, I hope my post today will make up for all these ills.

I do not want to appear as though I am complaining about my busy and hectic month thus far; to be busy and hectic these days is truly a blessed thing. It's not news to anyone anymore that our economy has been shaken beyond anyone's wildest nightmare. It's difficult to walk anywhere without witnessing some aspect of the economy's downfall, whether it's the increased number of homeless on the street or the foreclosed home at the end of your block.

The greed that caused the current economic crisis can literally be seen dotting our urban fabric in the form of undeveloped city lots, abandoned homes, or large vacant warehouses (once planned as the latest lifestyle center, fully equipped with an organic grocery store, high rise condominiums, and the trendiest boutiques).

Yes, it's depressing! But with all this said, there is some inspiring and innovative thought out there centered around uplifting and reshaping the urban landscape, which will be my focus for today's post.

So here's to making the best of what we have and the time in which we live... now for some happy thoughts!

I was reading my February issue of Dwell magazine (I know, I'm behind on everything right now) and came across a short editorial titled "Empty Lots" that struck me due to the simple yet resonating message to developers and landowners: do SOMETHING. Rather than plaster the future site of your shimmering and hip high-rise with "coming soon" signs that are surrounding by weeds, trash, and unmaintained sidewalks (yes, I am thinking of a particular site on my walk from work, cough, livetwotwentytwo.com), why not offer your future neighbors and potential clientele something positive to look at every day?

Yes, I know, we all know... everything comes down to the bottom dollar, but the thing I love about the Dwell article is that it presents the case of revitalizing vacant urban lots in a way that makes financial sense. Even the sleaziest developer couldn't argue this logic...

Publicity-seeking developer's could hire local architects, designers, and artists to create interim landscapes that would at least look pretty from surrounding buildings. We won't call them parks, as this would imply a more permanent use that neighbors could potentially scream about being taken away when (or if) the development of the future high-rise does commence. At least, in lieu of a full fledged park, there could be some visual interest and creativity implanted into our tattered and forlorn cities... but how does this make financial sense? A couple of simple and fantastic concepts.

First, the basic notion that perception is reality. If you perceive a place to be unmaintained, unsafe, and ugly, this image will not only stick, it will spread to others within the community. Where you once had an up-and-coming area on the edge, you end up with a battle scarred neighborhood on the brink of collapse! Any developer with sense would realize a community like this is not the place for their new hipster hotel.

Secondly, for those in doubt of the logic and/or potential altruism above, the Dwell magazine article suggests an interesting funding source to accomplish these urban projects: local government could let landowners credit the expense against the development fees that are due when construction begins. I think this is an idea with some real potential. It benefits cities by reducing the potential for crime and the need for added security in these neighborhoods, while giving the cash-strapped landowners and developers a nice incentive. Think of it as an urban bailout...

The design could be as simple as a geometric, manicured plaza or a more unique and artistic display... whatever the product, the commission would be much needed for out-of-work design professionals and the product would help maintain a positive and uplifting image within the community.