toronto's own graffiti man

yo! yo! Yo! if ya'll didn't know about 'elicser' know ya know. he is one of our very own toronto graffiti artist's and an illustrator mr. jabari elliott, better known as elicser. his work is all around the city, but i know i was immediately won over by his whimsical characters when i saw him in the red bull music academy. he has a pull out poster and we have proudly posted it in the little mans bedroom nook. alongside our mad bunny posters by 'dream caffeine' from the usa. it's all rockin' and i really was drawn to the retro banana seat bike. he sounds chill and cool too - he so enjoys people dodging in the craziest busy area of spadina.

the gun with doves - this was published somewhere, i know i've seen it before.

cravin' chocolate | tokyo style

ahh, luscious sensuous chocolate. my top pick is Green & Black's dark 70% chocolate made from organic cocoa beans or if i'm feelin' sassy i'll go for cocoa camino's premium Fair Trade Certified and certified organic chocolate 'chili and spice' [or g+b's ginger followed by espresso].

then again 'nine out of ten people like chocolate and the tenth person always lies.' these are the words of an american cartoonist john g. tullius - love that quote. 'views on chocolate' the world from the perspective of chocolate by acclaimed designer and chocolate curator naoto fukasawa who hauled in about 70 creations by around 30 creators for display this past july 2007. wonder if it tours - might melt no? maybe the idea should tour and each city rounds up 30 design wonders and voila a museum show! that's it, i'm gonna look into this one_ look out t.dot cholatier's. get a load of the detail and some serious chocolate skills below:

this one really turns me on: from the chocolate exhibition at the new 21_21 design sight space in tokyo: play king kong with this miniature "city made of chocolate," imagining yourself crashing through semi-sweet office buildings and flinging about menacing bosses. by naoko tone and atsuyoshi iijima. oh, i see the brains churning ideas already.

and my second fave, runner up yoji ishii`s piece “germination” sprouts a little green stalk from an earthy chocolate bean from the chocolate exhibition.

natsumi toyama`s “100% chocolate.” from the chocolate exhibition

“412-810″ by HIMAA are individually made chocolate keys from the chocolate exhibition

my heart goes to this one: a british photographer, james mollison`s larger than life photos “cacao pickers” displayed with comments as to their meagre wages and violent environments. alongside roomfuls of mouth-watering objects in chocolate design, it`s a poignant statement about the human cost of consumption. [fyi-kenyan born james mollison is contributor to i-D, the U.N. refugee agency and colors magazine]

red chocolate: a strong colour impression, indeed: hisashi hidano`s 'c.red.' [great name!] from the chocolate exhibition.

dutch slides

greg is not lovin' this dutch dream but i think it's fantastic. white on white with a spark of green grass. three pronged slide by richard hutten found in the public spaces at that incredible parkrand building in the western garden cities of amsterdam. the complex contains three so-called outdoor rooms. richard hutten designed a children’s room, a living room and a dining room. these are spaces where residents can rest between the private domain of the home and the public park. um, what i would give to have that in toronto_ this would solve 'where to have the wee ones birthday party' in a split second! although our little bugger lugs b'day is in the depths of 4 feet of snow _ still i could whip me up some designer winter wonderland birthday party there! you dig? oh, toronto_ catch up, catch up!!!!!! and the kid would go bonkers when he saw all those white elephants _ he's the king of all animals be it jungle, desert, farm, zoo, pets, you name it we also have it _ thank you schleich.



it's dutch design week _yo!





just in case you were wondering:





richard hutten [1967 zwollerkerspel] graduated at the academy industrial design eindhoven in 1991. that same year he started his own design studio, working on a variety of projects such as: furniture-, product-, interior- and exhibition design. he developed his 'no sign of design' and 'table upon table' concepts. he is one of the most internationally successful dutch designers; a key exponent of "droog design", in which he has been involved since it's inception in 1993. his work is part of the permanent collections of, among others, centraal museum utrecht, stedelijk museum of modern art amsterdam, vitra museum weil am rhein, san francisco museum of modern art. philippe starck used some of huttens designs for the interiors of the delano hotel miami and the mondrian hotel los angeles.

exclusively contemporary.....

current view of 235 bowery....okay, its a grey day but i'm sure it will shimmer. hopefully i will be able to update this post with real pics as i will be in nyc for the opening weekend! woo hoo!

wow, nyc is getting its little museum devoted exclusively to contemporary art dubbed 'the new museum'. the new digs are designed by cutting-edge, tokyo-based architects sejima + nishizawa/SANAA is opening it's doors on december 1st, 2007. [even their website is minimal 'need us, call us here'] they have designed a breathtaking facility that will feature beautifully proportioned galleries, a theater, an education floor, a new museum store [yeah! more to feature and shop for!], a café, a top floor event space with roof terraces, and more. to read more about the new museum of contemporary art click here. my favorite part: okay_ other than the fact that it is downtown manhattans first art museum ever built from the ground up _ at seven stories the structure is a shimmering metal mesh-clad stack of boxes, off kilter. it twinkles thanks to the exterior anodized expanded aluminum mesh and the many windows and skylights that offer super shots of the cityscape. and well.....they also did that little 'dior' store in japan.

the new, new museum, new york, usa [2003 - construction began 2005]

dior store, tokyo, japan [2001 - 2003]

extension of the institute of modern art, valencia, spain [2002]

gimme cocco baby!

coco bloom belongs in contemporary living spaces with its iconic form and comfortable nest for baby. you will oogle and aah, while rocking mini gently. with its curved, single-piece frame with cozy comfort seat; this lounger is perfect for any and all living spaces. features: • formed in shades of stylewood™ or plexistyle™• smooth self-rocking motion• 5 point padded safety harness, adjustable for growing baby • micro-suede™ seat pad available in vibrant colors and easy clean for maximum comfort.• no assembly required _ available at ella and elliot at 188 strachan avenue toronto [call 1.416.850.7890 for pricing] or hit modernseed. yup, definitely makes me want to have another baby. bloom baby, my new fave. bloom baby founded by four dads, need i say more _ read here.

fatbiy + dwell ...sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

dwell fatboy original via jukka setala with dwell™ the original fatboy. . .made for serious lounging, is now available in two dwell™ designs: chocolate and fuchsia. these bold, modern designs were created in stripe and dot opposites.the fatboy original was designed in finland as the new alternative to the "beanbag" from the past. grab a book and cuddle with your mini. this huge bag will surely become your mini's favorite spot to read, play, jump or do just about anything! made of a practical and easy to clean nylon with a special coating, a simple rub with a damp cloth and your fatboy will continue to look new. the inside filling is made of tiny EPS cylindrical pieces [expanded polystyrene packaging.] $299.00 [US] at good ol' modernseed. and we love it! why do you ask? because we have had our sassy silver sumo lounge omni for 4 yrs and although it is monstrous in size, especially if you live in a shoebox like we do - but we can't give it up? [we have a sumo because of a 'big deal' trade show booth we did - let's not go there shall we] keeps the kids off my minotti during a play date and their own safety space if they need to wrestle. i do wish we had more beads to fill it a tiny bit more. and a good scrub down from time to time and and clean and new. [fyi -jukka setälä from finland designed the fatboy® in 1998 as the beanbag from the 21st century.] and yes, the sumo lounge is the cheaper option but fatboy has more design options_the choice is up to you my dear readers.

reclaimed love

piet hein eek is notorious for making functional pieces out of materials that are abundant: scraps. whether it be metal, aluminum oak, tree trunks, plywood, polycarbonates _ you name it he can will be inspired to reclaim the ideal scrap and design it into an evolving project. a project that flourishes over time may become and multiply into a collection of pieces he simply continues to add on to. although famous for his ceramics, his other self initiated works include a children's line that i don't think many are aware of, children's pieces designed and made with passion.

tree trunk child's table 100 x 60 x 50 cm
200 x 60 x 50 cm € 1.030,00

srapwood high baby-chair 40 x 47 x 80 cm unlacquered € 450,00 lacquered € 495,00

go-kart € 3.540,00

child's bed lacquered 126 x 65 x 100 cm
unlacquered € 495,00 lacquered € 675,00

but all of it is incredible, he's an industrial genius _ see for yourself below:

superdeluxe chair white leather
stainless steel € 3.200,00

aluminium stackable stool 38 x 38 x 42 cm € 192,00

ceramics jug ceramics, small € 885,00

table 90 x 250 x 78 cm € 2.159,00
chair 52 x 38 x 83 cm € 560,00
linoleum tabletop and chairseats available in various colours

polycarbonate cabinet 9 section
42 x 102 x 194 cm €5,850

vippig

hmmm, ikea vippig kids seesaw. so simple we will have to give it a test run. when we do we will let ya know how it turns out and if it's worth the $49.95 or if it just looks pretty. vippig motto: rocking helps develop a child's sense of balance and the brain to sort sensory impressions. designed by martin f rosquist the guy who also designed this stelton product a cheese and and butter shaver in 1997.

did we mention how much we adore stelton? still, i'd buy the rocker just as a sculpture for the kids room, weather he used it or not.....but i better not i still get flack for buying the sibi olga - okay maybe because sibi olga was 5 times the price but he still rides it.

clock cool

we are so diggin' the moma store's four-inch-diameter clock that has blue l.e.d. 'numeros' and an ac adapter. made of plastic casing with metal components _ three AA batteries included $35 bucks is a steal _ gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme! but the test is always -'what does that alarm sound like?' i mean i don't want to be tossed outta bed we just want to be beautifully awakened and if that's the first thing to look at in the wee hours of the dark morn' then i think it's a keeper. [p.s. it's found in the wicked moma catalogue ....order your catalogue on line - 10.00 US]

jac flash

we know the guy who put together this little hot retailer's space on queen west, he's a cool dude and pal o mine and the shop rocks. we met jaclyn's parents [co-owners] on the eve of nuit blanche when they were closing shop and we hope a whole lotta ahoppin' goes on there. there first day was the bomb and we hope the good fotune sticks around. can't wait to see the launch of the website mr. budd, you rocked it. and she sings _ can you dig it?

perle gaget

perle trivet by dedicated product and graphic designer's adam and harborth, 2004 perle is a modular, moveable trivet designed to protect table surfaces from hot serving dishes. it can be configured into various shapes to accommodate multiple dishes in a variety of sizes. made of porcelain beads and red leather 95. 00 US @ momastore.

t33 lamp a la paris

elsa from paris just sent us these cool pictures of the fresh new t33 lamp designed by mahmoud akram for triode modularity. this little number is laser cut and finished with an inox frame which formulates a repetition of one single plexiglass module. the t33 will be launched at the maisons & objets fair january 2008. triode is a design company based in paris with a team of talented designers such as mahmoud akram, guillaume bardet, tod bracher, christian ghion and rebecca selosse creating objects that mix decoration and design in a typical french style.

my kinda facade...

good god, i must be going back to l.a. soon or something _ lot's of posts for los angeles lately. i'm so torn - la, nyc, la, nyc, toronto, la, nyc, montreal?, ooh, miami. then there is the rest of the world _ goodness, if i could travel the places we could go. so if you are in the city of angels, check out this hollywood hills modern beauty. it just floats, so gracefully like there is no science to it, like it was meant to be, enveloped in it's surroundings. letting the outside in from every side, profound and proud _ owning it's hillside......or:

'california hillside typology reinterpreted by dramatic opening on all sides to surroundings:
a narrow and sharply sloping site led to the creation of a house both integrated with the topography and open to city views below. retaining walls double function to extend the first floor living area into the hillside and to form garden terraces on two levels. ten and twenty meter steel spans allow for unrestricted access to the surroundings and frame uninterrupted views over los angeles. deep overhangs provide solar protection for double glazed walls that slide away to create continuous open spaces from interior to exterior, transforming the local hillside typology by allowing the house to be formed by the topography and opening directly to it in every direction.'

when do we start packing? to move in, for good? you can be my neighbour, won't ya be? ;).

oh yeah this extraordinary bit of architecture was designed by xten architecture _ distinctive, modern, contemporary. stay tuned for more on them shortly - they rock it.

farfalle

gosh. it's wednesday and it feels like it's draggin on and on and .....yawn. maybe if i wear this today everything will be groovy. this will definitely make everything better, a butterfly chapeau. pretty.

photo: BENOIT TESSIER/REUTERS
alexander mcqueen paired with milliner philip treacy to create an extreme, yet elegant, collection of clothes and hats – an homage to the late isabella blow, the british eccentric who helped launch both their careers _ globe and mail _13/10/07.

stan the man

we were commissioned by our youngest client yet _ 8yrs old, to do a book for flat stanley. stanley flew to us for a consultation in our studio and we gladly took him on a tour of toronto. he is currently on his way back to the O.C. with presentation in tow. good luck stan, grade two is a tuff bunch.

[blogger is having a brain_fart...it won't post pics......stay tuned]

dream it_build it_drive it.

i love how the website shows the little gals playing with the cars, so cool. we have a few of these and we are huge fans of automoblox. such a smart toy, seriously. it's like the modern transformer but a car and loads of imagination. come on , teach your kids to build, live and create outside of the box _ buy automoblox. good solid fun. for little and big boys and girls.



these are the new 2008 limited editions ....just in time for pre xmas - you heard me, xmas. and no, sadly we can't get them at target or any big box stores but if you click here you might just find out where in a state near you, canada, the UK or japan! okay and the design - absolutely beyond a dash of style....and there is always vroom for more for the kid!

S9-R Sport Sedan

C9-R Sportscar

X9-X Sport Utility

available at the toy space 106 bathurst st in toronto. [approx. $39.95 - $42.00 CDN plus taxes]