>> dwell on design 2011

I just got back from this year's Dwell on Design exhibition in downtown Los Angeles, which was a pretty good showing! The guy up there in the Sleeper get-up is spray painting the rhythm of random people's heart beats and then auctioning off the artwork for charity. Here are few pics of items and designs that caught my eye.

A+R's genius Hot-Pot BBQ by Black + Blum and great wireless portable speakers also at the A+R booth.

Rewired and re-purposed shoe lamps (?) and Heath's house number plates, which are to die for.

Minimalist loose-leaf tea strainer and ceramic speakers by Joey Roth.

Molo Design's lighting booth was pretty dreamy and loved this pendant cage lamp.

Public Bikes out in full-force!

LOVED these cast honey bears by Lesley Anton. So cute!

Nice lookin' hammocks. Nice lamp?

Charley Harper + Todd Oldham, so great.

>> black leather

I love how French Vogue's new editor-in-chief, Emmanuelle Alt, uses a Charles Pollock Executive Chair ($1900) in her office. At first glance I thought it was an Eames Lounger, but at closer look, definitely a Pollock. And some guesses on the rest of the scene: Cartier Tank (approx $2000); Vince Paper Leather jacket ($945); Rag & Bone Newbury ankle boot ($495); Bose iPod dock ($300).

>> tiiiimber!

Jeep Grand Wagoneer; select edition Eames Hang-It-All ($249); five year diary ($25); George Nelson Polygon wall clock ($540); folding knife ($45); Donna Wilson pillow ($92); Rook table lamp ($159).

>> tanya aguiñiga

I'm really loving Tijuana-born/Los Angeles-based artist Tanya Aguiñiga. Gotta have that jersey knot bracelet ($40, currently sold out on her Big Cartel site), the seating trays and the Alaska chair. In L.A. you can find Tanya's goods at A+R in Venice, ReForm School in Silver Lake and at Reform Gallery on La Brea.

>> zographos side chair

My friend recently scored a set of four chrome-plated tubular chairs with buttery worn leather laced up in the back a tag sale for a price that would make anyone want to jump off a building for not buying the set themselves (yes, that good). The chairs were designed in 1966 by American furniture designer Nicos Zographos. So good.

>> acapulco chair

I think I first laid eyes on an Acapulco chair ($350+) earlier this year when I was writing a story about a Los Feliz couple who had white ones in their back yard. The chair, which is based on Mayan hammock weaving technology, was designed in the 1950s and has been a huge hit in Mexico. They're great for outdoor space but could work indoors as well. Another good online resource is Greenpoint Works in Brooklyn.

>> dogs days of summer

Emeco Heritage Rocking Armchair ($875-$1,745); McClure's garlic dill pickles ($14); glass juicer ($12); classic cotton hammock ($99); Peterboro bike basket ($34); Fatboy dog bed ($139); Propello desk fan ($145); oval hurricane ($18); My Dog Skip ($10).

>> sixagon side tables

Loving these Misewell side tables ($265) made of solid wood, steel and aluminum in the U.S.A.

>> galerie half

My friend Nena dragged me to Galerie Half (6911 Melrose Ave.) yesterday afternoon, and I'm so glad she did. It is full of masterfully edited European antiques heavy on the masculine side. Loved it.

>> tom dixon offcut stool

I've been design crushing on Tom Dixon since his copper pendant lamps hit the scene four or five years ago and it's not waning, at all. His new offcut stools ($235) are constructed from furniture waste generated during the manufacturing process. The legs are usually discarded irregular pieces of wood called "waney edges". Plus, no glue or screws are used, it's all held together using wooden pegs. Totally utilitarian. Love it.

>> 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!

>> 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.

>> 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).

>> 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!

>> 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).

>> on my radar

Just a few fun things that I've been eying...Above: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium ($800) by Alexandra Becket. Below: Bodum's Bean French Press ($70), comes several other great colors; Gold Moroccan Pouf ($260); Virginia Johnson Shark Scarf ($68).

>> woah!

I was watching Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Last night (yep!) before heading out for tacos and thought, "woah, Bill's mom has some most excellent patio furniture!" Can you believe that movie came out 20 years ago! Totally bogus!

You go Mrs. Preston!

>> ana meier for meier/ferrer

Last night I went to the launch of Ana Meier for MEIER/FERRER, a new furniture collection that...I want. Clean lines, warm tones, bold geometry—just beautiful furniture. I think Ana Meier (who's 27!) said it best in a W Magazine interview a few months back, "I think a lot of the modern furniture that’s out there is [all] the same. My pieces are modern, not stark. They’re comfortable.”

I totally agree. I guess talent is genetic as Ana's father, Richard Meier, is one of the country's most prominent architects. The Melrose Place gallery Lead Apron will be displaying the 15+ examples of the new line for the next three weeks. Excuse the bad photography, it was totally packed.





Guess what else!? There were several Cy Twombly pieces on the premises (OMG!), and wow, the furniture really looked good with the art.



The keytar-clad trio The You Know Who played a few fantastic sets. Keytar.

And there were some pretty great sartorial sightings in the crowd, like Jack Merrill, who was wearing an amazing 1970s Alexander Sheilds for I. Magnin blazer.

If you're in L.A. get yourself to 8445 Melrose Place.