If you make it to the UK this year, check out the East London menswear boutique, Hostem. Proprietor James Brown opened the location in efforts to “marry his favorite… sartorial aesthetics under one roof”. I can’t stop staring at the “rustic-luxe” interiors. The re-worked lamps, mirrors and screens serve as the backdrop for a truly high-end shopping experience. Consisting of three conjoining rooms that showcase brands like Ana Demeulemeester and Adam Kimmel, this is one London stop you can’t miss.

Photos courtesy of JC Report.

Do you watch Man Shops Globe on The Sundance Channel? If not, you’re only missing out on a peek into the coolest job ever. Keith Johnson works as the buyer-at-large for Anthropologie, which means it’s his job to trek across the globe and acquire objects and one-of-a-kind pieces for the bobo retailer. Personally, I’m not crazy about Anthropolgie’s merchandise. Sure, it’s a great place to shop for gifts — lots of yummy candles and cool jewlery — and I do love its shoe selection, but they’re ridiculously marked up and so never make it to my feet. However its in-store displays are pretty amazing, and that’s usually why I stop in — to check out their seasonal installations. Anyway, last night I was watching Keith’s shopping trip to Australia, where he came across artist Anna-Wili Highfield.

Anna constructs animal sculptures out of archival paper, ink, watercolor, thread, and copper pipe, and the results are incredible. She’s made barn owls, horses, and even cows, but I’m a fan of her series of birds native to Australia, like the Black Fronted Dotterell and the Superb Fairy Wren — great name.

Black Fronted Dotterel
2010
16cm x 20cm x 9cm
Ink, water colour, archival cotton paper, cotton thread, brass rod, timber block

Superb Fairy Wren
2010
13cmx 12cm x 5cm
ink, water colour, archival cotton paper, cotton thread, brass rod, timber block

White Breasted Robin
13cm x 13cm x 6cm
Ink, watercolour, archival cotton paper, cotton thread, brass rod, timber block

What’s even better than cooking with snazzy kitchen utensils? Not having to pay full price to do it!  I’m extending an invitation to all of our readers (click on this link to register: http://snappytuna.com/invite/kimberlygarvey) to SnappyTuna, a new sample sale site that specializes in kitchen utensils and tableware, so you too can partake in deep discounts on design concious kitchenware. Here’s a sampling of today’s sales:

From left: Barware by Outset, tableware by Rosanna, espresso machines by Espressione.  

Enjoy!!

I’ve always been a little bit obsessed with phones – but I come by it honestly, my grandfather and my uncle both worked for Bell Atlantic at one point in their lives (I think my aunt might have even worked as an old-fashioned phone operator, too). Growing up I somehow convinced my parents that it would behoove their own phone usage to invest in a private phone line for me. And they did! And it had call waiting! Over the next several years, I had a multitude of different phones, but none of them were ever as cool as these beauties . . .

Sculptura phone.

MF5, Branco & Preto, 1953

The evolution of design aesthetic is a funny thing. There is a natural time table for revitilization, an internal clock of sorts, that dictates when an old trend can possibly survive in a new and modern environment.

This year, while walking around ICFF, it was quite clear that the 1950s have found relevance again with today’s designers. We’ve already seen its resurgence through the popularity of AMC’s Mad Men and fashion trends. The September issue of W – and for that matter Fall 2010 looks – is heavily influenced by the 1950s. Whether it’s through reproduction, inspiration, recreation, or in spirit, evidence of post-WWII homestead feels right, right now — funny that it’s coinciding with the US troop removal from Iraq.

Some of my favorite pieces from the 1950s are cane-backed armchairs. Sure they’re gorgeous and absolutely 50s, but personally, I have a nostalgic, familial connection to the designs — they make me think of my grandparents house growing up. I think we’re going to start seeing a resurgence of woven cane-backed furniture – think more Brasilia mid century not so much traditional British Colonial — which means, now’s the time to snatch up the thrift store and antique market selection. Once it hits the tipping point, it’ll be impossible to acquire at a reasonable price. Here are some of my favorite inspirations . . .

Ever since My Fair Lady, I’ve been semi-obsessed with British slang. So, last weekend when I ended up at the Brooklyn Flea, these immediately caught my eye in the A.S.I.S booth.

James Corbett, a sculptor from Ningi, Queensland, Australia first discovered his talent while working at an auto recycling business in Brisbane.  Using antique car parts, Corbett now creates fascinating large-scale sculptures that sell for thousands and thousands of dollars…and understandably so!  The complexity and originality behind these pieces is quite astounding.

Lovers of vintage books, prints, and posters; purveyors of bygone eras; and collectors of rarities will drop to their knees over Itis Edition. The Taiwan-based shop sells gently aged post-WWII industrial design books, catalogs, magazines, card sets, and manuals that also happen to be graphic design eye candy.  These are my favorites . . .

  
Above: The 35th Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art and Design, 1958

  
Above: Industrial Design 18/7, 1971

Above: Fur Hammock by BLESS — $ 12350.00

Yes, I realize the use of fur for commercial purposes is frowned upon. But it’s also a personal choice, and I’m not about to criticize. The unfortunate reality is that animal fur is undeniably tactile and warm, and I can’t help but look at this fur hammock by BLESS and imagine the softest and coziest nap of my life — albeit at the expense of a pack of coyotes and one’s wallet.

If you have any sort of appreciation for passive aggressive humor, then you’ll enjoy this hilarious email chain between two coworkers. And a big thank you to Ryan for sharing it with me! Enjoy!

And so it begins . . .

Shannon (the secretary) has lost her cat and has asked David (the graphic designer) to help with a lost poster. This is their email correspondence (read it in order) . . .