Analogue Chic

Archive for the ‘Home Style’ Category

{Woah, 3 posts this week!  Can you tell I’m on sabbatical from wage-slavery? }

A couple of great  links from my new blog-discovery, ethniciti by interior designer Bill Sands. Both these references are helping to fuel my longstanding intrigue-bordering-obsession with Mali.

Malian fiber arts at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, San Francisco

Aboubakar Fofana, Malian-French fabric artist (sorry, his site is currently French only)

I just came back from a quick trip visiting family in Atlanta (aka HOTlanta, aka The A-T-L).  It is a wonderful thing to stay in the same time zone and move several climates closer to the equator.  Break out the sandals and mini dresses!

I had been in metro Atlanta for a few days a couple of years ago for a work-related conference in Decatur, which I loved for its artsy vibe.  I was looking forward to having more time to savor the flavor of the city itself.

I did some recon by searching through local Atlanta blogs and crafters’ websites, figuring they would be the kind of folks I would hang out with if I were a native. 

She’s A Betty was really helpful, and led me to Atlanta.net, which is touristy but has good information.  This two-part series on Indie Fixx, although posted in 2008, was a goldmine, and most of the listed businesses, at least in Poncey-Highlands, were still there.

We loved Poncey-Highlands so much, we spent 2 afternoons hanging out on North Highland Ave– also, because stores in Atlanta have a very weird open schedule.  Many were closed on Monday, which is somewhat standard, especially for small, sole proprietor shops, but quite a few others were closed Tuesday and/or Wednesday.

Things to know before you go:

• People will greet you on the sidewalks, and you may do likewise.
• Spring-time pollen is a force to be reckoned with – it literally creates drifts on the sidewalks.  Be prepared.
• Public transportation from the suburbs to downtown is almost non-existent.  Thankfully, ZipCar operates in Atlanta.
• Beware rush hour on the bypass roads.  This is a commuter city, and there are a lot of feeder roads and bedroom communities surrounding it.  A LOT. Ride with a friend and use the HOV lanes.
• The airport is HUGE.  On your flight out, make sure you have plenty of time just to get from security to your gate.  Because I will not let you cut in front of me in the screening line, just because you got there 20 minutes before your plane leaves.

Here’s what we did in the Poncey-Highlands neighborhood:

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This is a real job posting I saw on Craigslist this morning:

Anthropologie is looking for Display Coordinators
Open Hire Scheduled for Thursday, February 25th from 9am until 2pm
Store Address: 1365 Post Rd. East, Westport, CT 06880
Phone: 203.259.0043
Please bring your resume and portfolio.
Two years experience required.
The successful display coordinator will have a fine arts, applied arts, or design and architectural background. Installation experience is preferred.
Display Coordinators are responsible for the successful implementation of all display elements within a store–windows, signage, platforms, shelf uppers and jewelry cases. This person must be highly creative, with a thorough understanding of the Anthropologie point of view, and a constant awareness of trends in fashion and home furnishings. Knowledge of various textiles and materials as well as familiarity with power tools, basic construction techniques, and installation is preferred. A fine arts, applied arts, design or architectural background is beneficial.

OMG, I wish I had more experience so I could apply.  Good luck if you do!

A truly fabulous exhibit opening at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum, about the SS Normandie.

Movie stars, art deco up the wazoo, fabulous vintage photos, plus stylish travel– it’s all here.  The exhibit opens to the public on February 25th.

Decadence. Definition:

Lalique created the famed walls of eglomisé glass and elegant glass columns which filled the dining room and Grand Salon, as well as the magnificent dining room service wear of the S.S. Normandie, much of which is now part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His brilliant eye and skilled hand were also responsible for some of the smallest appointments aboard the ship. Lalique crafted the small crystal bottles that housed the Jean Patou fragrance created specifically for Normandie’s passengers.

Oh, and the souvenir t-shirt is very cute too.

Via PFSK.

A continuation of my sporadic series, What is Analogue Chic?

I got some great leads last week on analog-reinterpreted music equipment.

Lovely bamboo-cased electronics by Elium Studio, available at Lexon.

A wooden turntable from Brooklyn-based furniture design company BDDW.  I did not see this on their website, it may have been a one off, but it is intriguing and lovely.

Today our lifes (sic) are surrounded by incredibely (sic) flat, compact, multifunctional and boring machines. There is a basic human need for real, analog and touchable things… – Florian Busco via PFSK

There is something so humanistic and soothing about natural material – and yet, manufactured materials that are designed to look natural, like faux wood grain, is so repulsive, it feels like a betrayal.

Via PFSK.

Got a tip* today on an lovely new blog, A Collection a Day, by artist Lisa Congdon, an illustrator and collector.

Images copyright Lisa Congdon.

This is my attempt to document my collections, both the real and the imagined. Some of my collections are so large that I will need to photograph them separately over several days. I will likely not attempt to photograph collections in which the individual pieces are large in size or awkward in shape (i.e. my art collection or vintage enamel dishware collection). The only rule is that I must photograph or draw a whole or part of a collection each day for 365 days and post the result here on this blog.

*Thanks, Cyanatrendland.

I got a tip this week on fabulous lighting designer Stuart Haygarth.

From his bio:

Starting in 2004 I have been working on design projects which revolve around the collections of objects. The objects are normally collected in large quantities categorized and assembled in a way that transforms their meaning. My work is about giving banal and overlooked objects a new significance. The finished piece of work takes various forms such as chandeliers, installations, functional and sculptural objects.

More fabulous upcycling from the 2007 Deptford Design Market Challenge based in England’s Deptford Thrift Market.

Artists like Haygarth are so inspiring, and these projects are really giving me ammo for my argument that there’s really very little need for new production to create beautiful, functional objects.

I knew Geoffrey was different when I saw him on the school bus with his Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper ®, spouting trivia about ancient Egyptian civilization… in elementary school.  And that was perhaps my only encounter with him until high school, by which time he was a loud and proud young gay man.  Although he was two years my junior, we soon connected in the Art Department over our mutual obsession with historical costume.  Again, his encyclopedic knowledge of anything that might remotely be connected to his topics of interest was his claim to fame: royal portraits, palace architecture, the royal families of Europe, styles of dress and coiffure…  We remained close for the remainder of high school and for a few years after I graduated.  Geoffrey even graciously organized and hosted my “debut” (in the 19^th century literary sense) for my 18^th birthday, complete with formal wear and punch. 

By the time I looked him up on Facebook a few weeks ago, we had not had any contact in about 5 years.  Needless to say, it will take us a few sessions to thoroughly catch up…  I traveled to his house (!) in central Connecticut for tea and reminiscing and geeking out over fabric and antiques. 

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Thanks to CyanaTrendland for introducing me to this fabulous concept: mossgraffiti.

Ooh, aahhhhh…

As a wannabe graffiti vandal, recently taken with the idea of guerrilla gardening, this is really fabulous and quite tempting to me.

I love these projects by the moss graffiti collaborative, mosstika, especially the indoor installations.  Having soft, green, living plants on otherwise totally manufactured surfaces and spaces just brings the heartrate down a bit, slows the breathing…. And also has a feeling of fairy-land, or Miss Haversham’s salon…

These transport-system installations are particularly inspiring to me right now, as I’m currently temping in another town and taking public transport.

This could be the next wave of interior decorating – beyond faux finishes.

How to? Here.

All photos in this post (c) Mosstika Urban Greenery.

Photo via Spiritsandcocktails

Way back around New Years, I discovered St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, and blogged about it here.

The current issue of People Style Watch, lists St. Germain as a new trend, beating out champagne sparklers as the drink du jour.

Kudos to St. Germain, but I’m worried that this will make it even more difficult to find, as it’s only produced during a short season of the year. 

At any rate, stay tuned to Analogue Chic, to be on the avant avant garde.