>> dandy chains

I love these 6-foot dandy chains from Emersonmade ($33)! They were sold out for a while, but now they're back. They're 100% cotton and come with brass tacks for hanging. Note in the photo above, two chains are used.

>> sir paul

A bunch of us are seeing Paul McCartney play The Hollywood Bowl tonight, a venue he historically rocked out with his band mates in 1964 and 1965. It's going to be a crazy night of sandwiches and senior citizen rock 'n roll. Can't wait!

P.S. Does anyone know what is going on in this photo? Did he just chuck a live animal into the air?

>> stanley + sons

I'm love-love-loving the Brooklyn-based artisan apron and bag maker Stanley & Sons, which re-launched in 2008 by the grandson of founder Stanley Grodzki. The company designs aprons and bags by hand from materials ranging from rare denim fabrics, sail cloth, blankets and even U.S. military tent canvas. Dope! Prices vary, contact them for availability. If you're in L.A., an assortment of bags supposedly just landed at Mohawk General store in Echo Park.

>> what's inside: Karen Kimmel + James Bond

Here's few scouting snaps I took while writing about this rad mid-century gem in Los Feliz. Full story coming soon to the LA Times!

>> this isn't sea world, this is as real as it gets.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I want to get on a boat!

Tricolor ribbon belt ($40); Sundek boardshorts ($120); Fendot scarf ($85); French flag throw pillow ($129); Sivo shorts ($118); Spring Courts ($93); Sag Harbor dinner plate ($19); Stubbs and Wootton shopper ($425); Nautical pint glass ($40 for four); Moby pillow ($70); Big Cata napkins ($8 each); Trident General Store hat ($20); Band of Outsiders knit tie ($135).

>> c magazine spread

C Magazine, a California style pub, featured our wedding in their first-ever Weddings Issue which just hit stands. Seems like forever ago now, but it all went down last October, probably about time to take that giant bow off of Harrison.

>> abstract expressionists stamp series

I'm really psyched about the newly released Abstract Expressionists series of postage stamps, which is a tell-tale sign that I probably need to get a life.

>> what's inside: Alexandra Becket + Greg Steinberg

Yesterday afternoon I sipped iced tea with textile artist Alexandra Becket in her fabulous newly remodeled house in West Hollywood. She and her fiancé Greg spent the better part of last year working on stripping walls, razing the garage, demo-ing the tiled roof and putting in a new kitchen, bathrooms, landscape—and of course scouring estate sales and flea markets for those perfect accents. He loves Tiki Modern and she loves Mid Century, two styles that happily marry in an L.A. home. While hanging out with Alexandra, I felt like I was hanging with Los Angeles history because she is the granddaughter of Welton Becket, the architect who designed The Capitol Records building, LAX, The Beverly Hilton, The Cinerama Dome...is there a major architectural landmark in L.A. that he didn't design? It was really cool to hear her stories. Thanks Alexandra!

Above photo is a shot of her studio office located in their garage. Becket has sold textile designs to Trina Turk and Anthropologie to name just a few clients. She also has had her artwork displayed at DWR.

Alexandra and Greg landscaped with mostly drought-friendly plants.




The fireplace was painted white when Greg moved into the home in the 1990s, they stripped it and found beautiful 1920s tiling by Ernest Batchelder!

Tiki, the cat, prefers Danish Modern.


A LIFE magazine from 1956 sits in their living room. The cover story is a Palm Springs home that Welton Becket designed for a mechanical engineer. What you're looking at is a rotating sun deck apparatus for even tanning. Ah, the 1950s! Check the dog in the middle!

>> long beach love

Back to Long Beach for a second. Who knew how awesome it was? After the flea a bunch of us headed to 4th street and ate Vietnamese sandwiches at Number Nine Noodles, our friends Danielle and Garett then found a rad dining room table at Trebor/Nevets, and I ogled the above painted crab buoys ($125) by Elias Crouch at Shelter Surf. I also like his print 26 Flags for communication with other drifters ($25), but didn't have a good photo to post.

Now that's what I call a house boat. Image from the artist's SF-based surfboard line Crouch Craft.

>> giulio cappellini

Earlier today I interviewed Giulio Cappellini, the head of the avant-garde Italian design house Cappellini. He spoke faster than I thought was humanly possible in a combination of Italian and English, but it was one of the most energizing and interesting interviews I've ever had the privilege of conducting. Check the Los Angeles Times Home section blog for a little story about his latest collaboration with Disney. It's pretty wild.

Some Cappellini pieces through the years:

Rive Droite armchair by Patrick Norguet with Pucci fabric, 2001 ($4,160); Ribbon stools, 2007 ($538); 2009 re-issue of the Proust armchair by Alessandro Mendini, 1978 ($11,855); Stich chair, 2009 ($719); Rainbow chair by Patrick Norguet, 2000 ($15,688); Peacock armchair, 2009 ($6,406); Wooden chair by Marc Newson, 1992 ($5,641); Cappellini stool by Tom Dixon, 1992 ($894).

>> flea mrkt finds

We walked out of the LB Flea with a huge Susani wall hanging that I had almost purchased once before for $400, but scored for $75 (although we had to take directly to the dry cleaners, so no pics yet), a few vintage seltzer bottles for the bar and a bright blue ten dollar demijohn cage-thing—that I'm not sure how we'll use yet. Matt wants to use it to make a pendant lamp in his future man garage, but I was thinking it would be a great base of a side table. My friend Danielle thought it would be good for stacking pillows. Any other ideas?

>> wknd

Have a great weekend! I'm excited to hit up the Long Beach flea on Sunday.

>> muy caliente

Feeling a little Miami Beachy this morning.

Ambsn popsicle board shorts ($62); stick lighters ($32 each); Cindy table lamp ($273); Selima Andy 35 sunglasses ($288); Miami poster ($30); Fingerprint Kuma tote ($50); Futsal Ball ($72); Nixon Whip headphones ($30); Kartell Dune trays ($83-$113); Uslu Airlines nail polish ($12); Lita t-shirt ($28); Lomography Diana F+ CMYK camera ($105); Cynthia Rowley for Roxy wetsuit ($225).

>> molly mutt dog duvets

Every time, without fail, when laundry is on the floor, Harrison gets right on top of it and takes a nap. With that said, I think I just found her dream bed! It's a great concept by Molly Mutt where you stuff old clothes or towels you don't want anymore into a mesh stuff sack ($10-$15) and then cover that with a cute little dog duvet ($20-$45). In the end it's a LOT cheaper than most dog beds and if you have a dog like ours that is often kept awake by non-existing raccoons at night, this may be just the thing.

>> custom bikes by republic

This is SO COOL! You can customize a bike online in the same fashion that you can a pair of Chucks. Republic Bike offers online customization of fixed/single gear Aristotle bikes. Most combinations I tried added up to $399 + shipping, which is a helluva deal for a custom bike. Check it out!

>> i lego n.y.

Being a total Lego freak (i.e. huge nerd), I've been loving Christoph Niemann’s blog Abstract City which runs on The NYT website. One of the most notable chapters, I LEGO N.Y., is one of the most clever, genius, hilarious things man has ever done with Legos, and now the series has been turned into a book. Get a copy here ($10).



***Update***
Check this out! Delores of Humble Ablog re-created the George Nelson platform bench using only Legos. It'll knock your socks off.

>> classic pegboard

Our office was feeling a little blah, so Matt came up with the genius idea to put in a giant pegboard. We got a 8' x 4' slab at Anawalt Lumber for $30, painted it, installed a back support (so you can have room between the wall and the pegboard for hooks, etc.), and ta da...new office!

>> wknd

I'm so happy not to be on deadline this weekend! Can't wait to hike with Hare and Matt and hit the farmer's market. Have a good one!

Sailor shirt ($135); painted cut-offs (never-nude flair) ($41); artichokes are in season!; Kanken 13" Laptop Bag by Fjallraven ($99); needlepoint key fob ($25); Susani plate ($10-$12); RGB steel nail varnish ($14); tortoise Persols ($256); Cana Flecha bracelets ($24 each); Billy Kirk belt ($156); vintage duck boots ($55).

>> Kelly Wearstler in L.A.

Ironically it wasn't until last night that the Los Angeles-based interior designer started retailing her objets d'art (formally exclusive to New York's Bergdorf Goodman) in Los Angeles. TableArt, the tabletop Mecca of Melrose, now carries both her tabletop lines for Sferra and Pickard AND the Bergdorf stuff! There was a slew of new sculptural pieces (prices range between $195 and $2,195) as well as some of the pieces we've seen before. Not surprisingly, guests of the West Coast launch were as enthralled with the fashionable designer's python boots and fur stole as they were her china patterns.

Wood sculptures carved from white oak on display near the shop's entry ($1,995, $1,195).

Wearstler was also signing her most recent monograph, Hue.

Love these striped ceramic pieces ($350-$690)

The Sputnik centerpiece ($2,195) that is now synonymous with KW tabletop.



Brass Hand ($1,495)

Only Walter Lowry would serve guests with glass tumblers and cloth cocktail napkins (that of course happen to be by Kelly Wearstler for Sferra).

Kelly Wearstler and TableArt owner Walter Lowry, and a shot of the designer with yours truly.