>> shades shade

Folding Cardboard Carshade designed by Arik Acosta ($20). Yes.

>> wknd

Hope y'all have a good weekend. We're headed to the Venice Garden and Home Tour on Saturday followed by oysters and beer on the beach at Blue Plate Oysterette, although I think we may have to mix up a few Mint Juleps this weekend as well. Yum!

>> lisa bengtsson baronessa trays

Gorgeous ($65). Perfect for use as a table topper or serving tray. Measures 18" diameter and made from sustainable wood.

>> the shaker project

This guy Dan Frazier has a collection of 104 s+p shakers and has decided to photograph them all and put them on a website called The Shaker Project. He also made a poster of the collection ($13-25) which you can see/buy here. I NEED that croquet set! Via Swiss Miss.

>> sit + read

Loving this Brooklyn-based mid-century and industrial furnishings joint, Sit and Read. I want that rolling medical cabinet ($495) as a bar cart, bad. And those wooden crates ($75 each) are dream storage drawers. They ship!

>> venice beach

Linus Roadster Classic ($389); vintage Hang Ten decal ($35); Keep it Neil tee ($60); vintage Zippees skateboard ($125); classic Freestyle Shark watch ($55); vintage ceramic potter ($50); Almond unisex hoodie ($47); Peace needlepoint pillow ($165); Quick Humps surf wax ($2 each); Hemp Vans ($42-$52); The Best of The Rip Chords ($10 on iTunes); cross hatch bowl ($30).

>> current obsession: truck furniture

There really isn't a single thing from the Osaka-based furniture line Truck, that I don't like—even if I can't really understand most of their website. It's only available in Japan, but rumors are spreading that it may be arriving in Europe or the US soon. In the mean time, two tickets to Osaka please!

>> one king's lane tastemaker tag sale preview

If you're not yet turned onto the glory of One King's Lane, it's an online home decor discount retailer for members only (membership is free). The discounts are often enormous and the brands are typically high-end. In other words, go there now. Every Saturday they've been featuring Tastemaker Tag Sales, a selection curated by an well-known interior designer. Tomorrow it's Windsor Smith, and above is a preview of what's going to be hitting the site at 11am EDT! Pieces sell out quickly, so if you like what you see, don't mess around.

To get a sense of the deep discounts:
Chair: retail price $6,500, OKL price $2,999; print: retail price $279, OKL price $139; pillow: retail price $280, OKL price $139; Georgian Perior: retail price $16,500, OKL price $7,999; Vintage Terra Cotta Planter (price TBD).

>> in the loop

My friend Alex and I went to the Los Angeles Antiques Show preview night yesterday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, which is open to the public now until Sunday and worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood. There are 50-some exhibitors from all over California, the U.S. and even a few in from Europe. The booth that I really thought was stealing the show was predictably the New York and L.A.-based antiques dealer Downtown. I forgot my camera battery (of course), but they have a great little set up of mid-century designs that actually look really fresh. Downtown also has a collection of pieces inspired by iconic design that they manufacture new, like the above Frances Elkins loop chairs, that I would literally kill someone for. I know the new outdoor chair on the far left can be powder coated in hundreds of colors and I think goes for about $2,200 a chair, and my guess is the prices get steeper from there.

A scan from my copy of Frances Elkins Interior Design ($44) of Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler's living room in Lake Forest, Illinois circa 1934.

>> the touch

That's revered glass blower and furniture designer John Pomp pouring a bottle of Newton Unfiltered Cab in his new limited edition decanter called The Touch ($500) made exclusively for Newton. It's really quite a piece—sturdy and gorgeous and made from 30% recycled glass. And let me tell you, the wine is as good at 10am paired with an LA Mill cappuccino as it is when I typically start drinking red wine (noon or so).

Ahhh, breakfast of champions.

>> exit through the gift shop

My friend Danielle and I went to see the movie Exit Through The Gift Shop last night. It's a documentary (about a documentary) on contemporary street art a la Shepard Fairey and British street artist Banksy. First off, this movie is killer! Definitely go see if you have the chance. I didn't know who Banksy was before the movie, but I definitely recognized his work, like the above stenciling he did on a building on Melrose Avenue just blocks from my old apartment. I remember driving by it and smirking every time I saw it thinking, "Man, that rat really gets me."

**update**

I think someone bought this from the building, as in, an art collector bought a wall of this building, as it is now missing and covered with a blue tarp for insulation. Sad.

>> mister freedom

Behind a barely-marked storefront on a lonely stretch of Beverly Blvd., you'll find one of the most insanely cool clothiers in L.A., Mister Freedom. My friend Nena turned me on to this joint this morning after telling me that Andy Spade scoured the store for J.Crew inspiration as well as the new Mister Freedom for J.Crew line. It's heavy on menswear, especially old Navy duds, work boots, and rancher wear, but there are just amazing things everywhere, including women's clothing and a few things for boys, denim, hats, jackets, bandannas, sunglasses, as well as books, a few motorcycles, and hours of eye candy. Photos aren't allowed, but they graciously made an exception for me as long as I didn't take a detail shots that designers could copy—so believe me, these photos don't do it any justice. 7161 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles.







Speaking of The King of Cool, check who's in the top right corner!

>> steve + ali

Living in an historic Hollywood neighborhood garners a lot of rumor and lore about who used to live in what houses. I've heard a lot of good ones, like, for example that Sean Penn and Madonna lived in our building in the 1980s—but yesterday I was told that Steve McQueen bought the cute little house across the street as a wedding gift for Ali MacGraw. Matt always talks about how much he likes that house, and when he finds out those cats lived there, it'll be all over.

>> gibson

I finally got into the Gibson showroom on Beverly Blvd. today, which is curated by high-end interior designer Gary Gibson as a little side project to his residential and commercial design business. What a gem! I couldn't believe it's been around for five years or so and I had never been in. Seriously, I could have easily spent hours in there looking at all the relics, furniture, antiques and art from all over the world. My camera battery was nearly dead on arrival, but I still managed to snap a good amount of photos. 7350 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> sakura

We picked up some gorgeous cherry blossom branches ($2 a stem) at the Hollywood Farmer's Market yesterday morning. They are so pretty, and remind me of my brother and sister-in-law's Spring wedding where cherry blossom pedals were sprinkling the quaint streets of Princeton exactly one year and one day ago! Happy anniversary M+B!

>> wknd

I have to admit that my favorite part of the weekend lately has been curling up with Matt and The Hare on Sunday nights and watching The Pacific on HBO. So good. Above photo: Aviation Ordnanceman installing a M1919 Browning machine gun, 1942. Word.

>> hipstamatic iphone app

The Hipstamatic iPhone app ($1.99), which converts your iPhone camera into an old school Instamatic camera, came out in mid February, I don't know why it took me so long to download because it's pretty freaking awesome.

>> beige + blonde

Skinny feather pillow ($325); gold etched disc earrings ($30); ikat box clutch ($99); Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead ($17); Moscot Lemtosh sunglasses ($179); sequin sunhat ($95); straw doggie carrier ($45); Artek Stool 60 by Alvar Aalto ($250); shag pouf ($385).

>> current obsession: bauer pottery

The J.A. Bauer Company, a historic L.A. pottery, received lots of attention last year for the Russel Wright re-issues they did, but I'm just as jazzed about their everyday lines. Simple, beautiful, hearty and inspired by the weather and lifestyles of Southern California. Almost everything they make comes in a rainbow of colors.

Pinnacle vase ($66); cookie jar ($90); cake stand ($77); luncheon plate ($26); dog bowl ($24-$38); canoe pots ($125 each).

>> rolling greens nursery

I checked out the new Beverly Boulevard nursery Rolling Greens yesterday, which I remember as a defunct garage before we moved to Chicago and now is the most gorgeous retail space ever! A great spot for gardeners and a few home goods worth checking out too.

Their second installment of antique birdcages—Juicy Couture snatched up the first set.