Totems

When in Milan recently I met a talented group of warm folk who all seem to revolve around furniture design and art. One dude in particular whose sense of humor and sensibility was somehow familiar and comforting to be around ( especially coming from Paris where the good humor realm is sort of tweaked), was Jakub Zak. I am stunned by his work. It's industrial design meets art and craft in all the right places.
 

He recently teamed up with his long time buddy and gallerist, Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, to launch the first collection from their new studio called Oeuffice.

Caramels and Wood Pendants

I had a super lovely time participating in the Jack's Jumble Sale event at Candelaria in Paris. I made caramels and organic sandwich cookies. Adrian designed and crafted beautiful wooden pendant necklaces. To see some snaps of the event cruise over to my sister site, The Trail of Crumbs, to read more.

My pain d'epices caramels lined up to get wrapped up for the big day

Crystal Lands

 

 

 

Too Good

I finally found a shoe company that has beautifully constructed shoes in traditional styles that are both a  little bit elven and also American old school. So much goodness it's kind of hard to take. The company is called Yuketen and "...Since 1985, designer Yuki Matsuda has paid homage to the American crafts and traditions by treasure hunting for outstanding examples of footwear and luggage in remote locales spread out across the rolling Appalachians to the high Sierras."

Check it.

Fall into Spring

I love both the watery and bold patterns of the Issey Miyake Spring 2012 collection. I feel that I should gather a crew of ladies up and then douse ourselves in these fabrics, socks and skin coverings and have a dance party in a field of spring blossoms somewhere magical next year.

 

Look book photos shot by Estelle Hanania

Love Sculpture

This year for my birthday, Adrian made me a sculpture. It's a portrait of the two of us. I melted. We are connected via a crystal form representing a million things. Can you tell who is who?

This piece was made using Padauk and Mahogony wood, Acrylic and leather cords.

A Barrage of Bouroullec

My mellow mannered bearded Parisian bro, Erwan Bouroullec, would not normally come off as someone who would have anything to do with the palace of Versailles. He and his brother Ronan have won a competition to design a permanent addition to the glorious Gabriel staircase inside the palace. They have yet to announce the piece, but I'll keep you posted. The staircase was originally designed in 1772 by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, yet was only completed in 1985.

The Gabriel staircase that leads to the royal apartments in the palace of Versailles

Also, they curently have a retrospective featuring the last 10 years of their work at the Pompidou-Metz in the alsatian region of France. It's a huge deal for them as they were also named designers of the year by the Maison & Objet trade show this year. All this while still young and have so much ahead. So much is happening for these guys. Im very proud of Erwan and his work because he takes inspiration from the best source: nature.  He's a gentle soul with a timeless vision and a great sense of humor.

Adrian helps produce various pieces of the Bouroullec's for furniture exhibitions at Gallery Kreo. Adrian says " ...I always enjoy working on Bouroullec pieces. They have a natural quality almost like a plant or animal, and when working on them in close proximity you can feel their character, the affect they have in your personal space."

 Erwan and Adrian contemplating Californian art at a show I recently appeared in and organized at OFR Bookstore here in Paris

The brothers are originally from Quimper, a town in the north west region of Brittany, France. Adrian and I explored Brittany last summer with native Bretonne, chanteuse and friend Hélène Renaut, who showed us what eating fresh caught Mackerel is all about. The region has serene beaches, salty sea folk and a chill countryside vibe. I will post a full report on the area on our sister site, the Trail of Crumbs, shortly. 

Here are a few Bouroullec pieces that I'm into:

Ploum 2011

Couch produced by Ligne Roset, France 

Erwan B. describes this piece is "... like a ripe, voluptuous piece of fruit."

Pico 2011
Unglazed homogeneous porcelain stoneware, tiles produced by Mutina, Italy

Lighthouse 2010
Hand blown Venini Murano glass, marble, aluminum, lamp produced by Established & Sons

Vegetal chair 2009, Injected polyamide,  produced by Vitra, Switzerland

Bouroullec drawings that sprouted the chair

A video about the Vegetal chair

Slow Chair 2007
Knitted textile, tubular structure and cushions, produced by Vitra, Switzerland


Floating house 2006

Studio for resident artists in the CNEAI - Centre National de l'estampe et de l'art imprimé. Conceived together with Jean-Marie Finot and Denis Daversin, architects

Images courtesy of Bouroullec

Imaginary Album

We drove north yesterday to see the sea. While cruising around the harbor of Honfleur, I walked with a gasoline slick shape for a while. This is it.  Even though it's a toxic floater, I was struck by it's trippy beauty. I sort of love it as an album cover image. I like making graphic designs using my camera as the tool.

Michelle

During our annual September photo shoot with singer-songwriter, Michelle Schmitt, we visited Versailles for the palatial light and basked in the sunset magic during a boat ride down the river Seine. What started as a professional relationship, has organically evolved into a deep friendship. I love when that happens.

Me on Design Sponge

The nice ladies over at Design Sponge featured us and our Paris apartment in this weeks "Sneak Peak" column... So fun! Click on the below image to jump over there for a quick looky look.