trans-pecos love letters

desert adventure 2009 | el cosmico

practical need

practical note pads from the clever people at knock knock. i feel like i'm always looking for something like this every time i go on a trip and when i try to responsibly plan menus.

bag lady

colorful bags by RUDA
via la tercera

summer naps in a tree

tree house from la cabane perchée. good video here - in french and still good even if you don't understand. via maire claire maison

color tick

i'm a big fan of the swatch. it's practical, simple, durable and has a fiscally sensitive price tag. these watches from triwa are a mix of rubber and stainless steel. they're a nice alternative to the swiss standard - and in succulent colors. available here

natural | imaginative | delicious

sarah weiner, my new food crush, has a few restaurants in berlin. she's a promi-chef who puts her focus on traditional, simple and healthy foods. she's one of the leading foodie activists against gen-manipulated foods.

i have one cookbook of hers, frau am herd (lady by the stove) - i love it. i am looking forward to trying her food at her cafes and checking out her set up. specifically menu design, uniforms, decor and operations.

texas gets better and better

Open publication - Free publishing - More style

incredible feature in refueled on friend and client, liz lambert. amazing photos, background and design insight on liz's newest project, hotel saint cecilia. friends bobby & steve of mercury design studio get a shout out, too. hooray!

interview with style

Marije Vogelzang - Interview from Design Blast on Vimeo.

in june, Jill Enders and Chris Spatschek (students from the Arts and Design academy in Karlsruhe) interviewed dutch eating designer marije vogelzang. their approach was very whimsical and creative. they crafted a box of treats that had questions hidden underneath them. marije was allowed to choose eight from the eleven bits and answer those questions. clever, indeed....

wow | stunning on the ligurian coast

found this hotel in vernazza, italy (on the cinque terra): la malà. the rooms seem so full of light and the furnishings well edited with clean lines.

vernazza is the birthplace of pesto and a great place to take a swim.

their site really captures the mood they're aiming to strike - because really, it's all about the food and the sea and the hotel is done in such a classy way that it frames it all perfectly.

Bike Only Roads

Max Fisher has a great article in the Atlantic today about bike-only roads.

Top Shop Bicycle Club

Kate Moss's top shop isn't a place I shop, but I'm completely curious about the Top Shop Bicycle Club.

Minimal Protection

Maison Martin Margiela has teamed up with Les Ateliers Ruby Paris (featured earlier this winter) to produce a new line of moto helmets. MMM took on this design challenge in celebration of its 20th birthday. The helmet obliquely traces the history of the past 20 years and is covered in the signature shade of imperfect white. 

via yatzer

Farm Stay: Part 2

Looking forward to my assignment in June in Italia. Staying at Fedrica's at this beautiful place {she was recently featured in Marie Claire Italia}. She runs Agrifuturismo and has beautiful photos on her site and in the feature in MC Italia. Fedrica's site works well in firefox (safari's not so hot...).

found out about this beautiful place through Mandarine...which is a lovely blog.

New Inspiration in Munich

On May 21st the newest member of the Munich Kunstareal steps onto the scene: Museum Brandhorst. It will contain more than 700 artworks of the most renown artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Sigmar Polke, Bruce Nauman, Mike Kelley and many more. One whole floor will be dedicated to the Twombly collection of nearly 50 artworks and will be thus the second largest collection outside of the US.

I've watched it being constructed over the past three years and am so excited to see a museum embody (in my opinion) the approach to art that's very much this generation - a 21st century place - colorful, creative, lively use of light and shadow. It seems to jump right out of the ground and say - "come inside see these beautiful things!" The museum is located in Schwabing/Maxvorstadt - at the corner of Theresienstrasse & Türkenstrasse (Theresienstrasse 35).

Images & Imagination has some great photos up of the exterior and a nice bit on the architects and design process.

Pages that inspire

Creative spirit Pia Jane Bijkerk has a new book out Handmade in Paris. It's available at The Little Book Room. Besides Pia Jane's great book, The Little Book room has treasures a plenty.

Michelin Star System on its Head

New non-star hotel concept by Swiss twins Frank and Patrik Riklin. They run the {Atelier für Sonderaufgaben} and their newest project is {Null Stern Hotel} located near Zurich.

It is a fall-out shelter converted into a hotel. There are nods towards hostel-life, communes, ideas of elegance and 'traditional' hotel accommodations. 

This video {in German} shows a bit of their construction process and a celebration. The twins are playing with the understanding of 'null' - 'nothing', contrast, content and community; a collective call for connection and focus on shared experience...

The concept allows the idea of  without to be experienced as with.

Train Romance

Very romantic new advertising campaign by {Chanel}. Film takes place on the elegant Orient Express train starring Audrey Tautou and a delicious seducer.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

I'm celebrating with a margarita. Turns out, {Martha} can make a mean drink.

Selections for feet that deserve

Hand-crafted leather shoes: Plus by Chausser

Supper Underground - feature

Congratulations to my sweet friend Hannah. Her clandestine dining project - Supper Underground - is featured in the current issue of Garden & Gun. Way to go Hannah & Tasso! Also featured are a few historical supper clubs in the American South.