February 21st, 2011 · 2 Comments
Galleries were closed so I hit up more design spots around town.
The Reformation = cool, wearable clothes made from recycled textiles. It was closed when we walked by on Saturday so I returned to do some shopping. Turns out they have a store in New York too!
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Food trucks on Abbott Kinney Road in Venice.
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A “Cali” dog (beef hot dog, basil mayo, avocado, crunchy onions, tomatos and arugula). Tasted as good as it sounds.
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A + R is a super-cool design shop with a mix of modern design staples like this and more unusual items like this and this.
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ModKat x 2.
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Tortoise General Store is my new favorite design store. Yes, I know, I’m totally obsessed with Japanese design! For those other Japanophiles out there I’m telling you this place is a little slice of heaven, AND it just so happens they’re considering opening a shop in Brooklyn… if only! We bought a few, darling items and somehow they all fit in a teeny, tiny paper bag.
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I’m a little obsessed with the Austin-based shop Spartan. They just have the coolest collection of goods and accessories! I never would have thought I’d include a pocket knife on a wish-list but like everything else in the shop it’s just so beautiful and appealing.
Today I created my very first treasury on etsy and wanted to share it with you all. I am constantly inspired by etsy’s community of artists and makers – there are SO many creative souls out there!
Lately I’ve been finding lots of cool industrial-modern items like anzfer farm’s driftwood lamp and forest bound’s recycled linen duffel bag. (Speaking of… I’m replacing my work bag with this awesome tote! It kills me that it has ‘Troop 4’ written on it from when it was previously used by a boy scout troop.) Back to the treasury… I hope this little collection inspires some of you too.
I spent a few hours yesterday afternoon checking out the art and design scene in Portland, Maine. I really wish I had had at least a full day there, but sadly we were just passing through. One of the few places on my wish list that I was able to visit was Eli-Phant, a shop full of handmade and designer goods. Next time I make it up to Portland I will be sure to hit up Angela Adams (which was closed), SPACE Gallery, Whitney Art Works, and The Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA.
While at Eli-Phant I was pleasantly surprised to find that they carry goods by many of my favorite designers: pillows and blankets by Donna Wilson, tea towels by Skinny LaMinx, posters by Nate Williams, and candle holders by Jean Pelle. It’s always so much fun to see stuff in person that I’ve been eye-ing online.
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I also discovered some new designers, which is always the best! My favorite find at Eli-Phant were the wooden house trays by Emilie Ek (below). Aren’t they fabulous? The House, City, and Factory trays are available on the shop’s website for $58.
We are in the dog days of summer… already! Yuck. On a happier note, here’s some great summer stationary available online. As I’ve mentioned before, many uber-talented artists and illustrators have their own or contribute to stationary lines. There is just a fantastic amount of beautiful, small-batch products to chose from. For more on my favorite stationers, click here.
In addition to the companies I profiled above, here are some others worth checking out:
Able & Game
Blackbird Letterpress
Enormous Champion
Ink & Iron
Ink & Wit
Linda & Harriett
Pistachio Press
Red Cap
Rifle Design
Studio Olivine
Screech Owl Design
Sycamore Street Press
Vandalia Street Press
Thanks to MLFU, I heard about Arrow to Arrow, a brand new online art and print shop. Arrows to Arrows is the brainchild of Portland artist, Jess Fogel, and looks to be an awesome resource for those looking for good, affordable art. The site has a rock-star roster of artists including many Art Hound favs: Betsy Walton, Jess Hirsch, Lisa Congdon, Katy Horan, Ryan de la Hoz, Stacey Rozich and Sophie Alda.
Clearly Fogel has great taste and cool friends so I very much look forward to discovering new artists through the site! Only a few prints are currently available so stay tuned for Arrow to Arrow’s full-fledged opening.
