PHI DESIGN GROUP

WE'RE NEW, WE'RE SHARP, WE'RE FABULOUS~

2010-06-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

We have a new site, new location - come check us out!

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX

2010-06-22T07:36:00.001-07:00

Today is Photo Show day, Photo Show day, Photo Show day! We're thrilled and excited for tonight, for our photographers, and for you to see all the amazing work that's gone into this. So we're putting in the finishing touches with - psst, follow us on Twitter if you want a peek. But we can't wait to see you tonight!

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE

2010-06-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

How great is this? Nilda is the featured Style Crush over at New Brahmin. Read all about her fantastic beauty secrets, personal style, and what it means to be Latina Chic. *g* (Photo credit, Boldfacers)

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR.

2010-06-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

This week, in the lives of all of us at PHI, it's finishing prep for our very first photo show which, if anything, we're all incredibly thrilled for. Michelle had a little adventure on Thursday, getting her work organized with Mark, and as you can see the PHI mobile is nothing short of a fabulous model for a sneak peek of the results. There's so much to do today - last minute prep work, a few meetings, setting up for the event tomorrow, a getaway shopping trip to H&M - I kid. You're going to see all of in the South End, for sure.

We're really excited and looking forward to seeing everybody there. We have such a strong and diverse group of photographers that we're so thrilled to be able to share with you - and we're all very proud to host this show and without doubt, looking forward to the next quarter for our next one. So remember, there's still time to RSVP for tomorrow night here if you're interested in coming. And follow us on Twitter, while you're at it, today's going to be a fun day to chronicle.

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE.

2010-06-18T12:49:00.001-07:00

A happy Friday and a happy Father's Day weekend to all the dads. This Friday Favorites' entry is going to start off with such an easy favorite - one for both Nilda and myself. Zoe Joan Sweeney. A huge congratulations to her for graduating today from sixth grade, being a brilliant and amazing girl, and for getting ready to start the next phase of her life. Nilda, in her own words, would like to say:

"My friday favorite is easy this week... Zoe Joan Sweeney. A huge congratulations to the most beautiful girl in the world. So proud of her accomplishments. She has made motherhood fun, exciting and culturally relevant. Everything is a teaching moment, even Rihanna + Chris Brown."
This photo was shot by the amazing Cheryl Richards, whose work can be seen here.

Other favorites?

DAUCUS CAROTA. Graphic design guru Jess Sutton is one of our favorite girls (and favorite go-to-girl!) and her blog is full of wonderful, gorgeous inspirations that you can't help but check in on every day. It's a delightful experience and if there's anything that I love, it's beautiful, beautiful pictures of lovely things!

M.I.A. So we'll call this favorite, a favorite future curiosity. M.I.A. drops her third album Maya on July 13 and if you haven't already seen the controversial music video for her new song "Born Free" or read up on her battle with the New York Times and journalist Lynn Hirschberg (and that not-so-flattering article), you know this album is going to be nothing short of incredibly fascinating. And let's face it - she's never boring.

DANCING IN VHS. This speaks for itself in more ways than one. Still have old VHS tapes? I'm pretty sure there's a Disney collection somewhere in my house, but such a cool pieces from Scianca - a dress made from VHS bands. Check it out.

WORK OF ART. And this is going to be called the Work-In-Progress favorite. But if you haven't, you should turn into BRAVO's Work of Art because, if anything, it's a fascinating experiment in seeing if reality television and art are two worlds that are somehow compatible. So far? I'm being won over. This second episode features the likes of Jon Kessler, who I love, love, love. (Yes, I'll tell you again. LOVE.) I've definitely committed myself to blogging about it every week - so if you're watching it, let me know.

THE MINISTRY OF DESIGN. The Club Hotel in Singapore is a very cool project by the design studio that looks like it got lost in Alice In Wonderland or in A Clockwork Orange. There's a lot of humor, a lot of play, despite the monochrome scheme. The pictures are wonderful.

A WHOLE LOT OF LOVE for these vintage milk bottle caps. I know what you're thinking. You're going that small? Yes, yes I am. Design Sponge, another favorite of ours, has a really neat entry on how to take vintage milk bottle caps and turn them into magnets for your refrigerator. It's easy to think about things in really big pieces and sometimes small pieces, but a lot of the times, those cool details get lost in the bigger picture. So check this out!

DESIGN FOR MANKIND. One of the telling signs of a great blog is when you're able to get such a wonderful mix of inspirations whether it's photography or art and a day-to-day peek into what it is that the blogger does. Design For Mankind is such a favorite of mine - it's clean, the photos are gorgeous, and the content is cool and pulls from really great aspects of design, and is always such a joy to read.

LENS. In honor of our photo show on Tuesday, it's only appropriate to have a great photo blog. There's a lot of the New York Times that is easy to like and a lot of it not to like. But one of the great things that they do have going on for them is Lens, their photography blog where they feature a variety of photographers that are inspired and shoots all different walks of life. It's easy to spend a ton of time exploring!

And speaking of favorites and photos -

Our show. Tuesday, June 22nd. It's from 6:00-9:00pm at 1409 Washington Street, in the South End. Look for great work, great company, and fabulous food and rink. Let us know if you're coming here!

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO.

2010-06-17T09:12:00.001-07:00

This enameled Benjamin Saaflux factory shade was salvaged and restored by skinflintdesign and is a piece of history, circa 1930. These shades would have been seen hanging over manual production lines - neat, huh?

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE.

2010-06-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

So, okay. You continue to win me over, Work of Art. I mean, if anything, you can't argue that seeing some part of someone's creative process is ultimately one of the most fascinating things ever. It's the positive side of reality television (although, one can launch into an entire tirade about why it isn't, etc, etc) and I think for me, personally, there's just something great about seeing a show like this providing a platform for art and allowing it to have a much more public forum.

And of course, they bring in Jon Kessler and my love of this show continues to grow. Anyway this week's challenge is to make an interesting sculpture out of found objects - or well, junk. The studio erupts in a really form of contained chaos where you're suddenly seeing who's really taking the idea to heart, how they understand it, and who's struggling. I wonder sometimes how time really plays into this - think about, a television show is cut and edited so that we, the audience, are drawn into this crazy web of suspense. There's no time limit to art, but then again, we're only at the second episode and we've barely scratched the surface what's apparently ahead.

It also further convinces me that Nilda and Michelle could do a show like this and make everybody else eat their dust. I know, I know. Bias meet readers. Readers meet my bias. I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't seen the episode, but Jerry Saltz continues to be my favorite judge, probably since he reminds me a little bit of my mother and because his blog is hysterical. And this week's winners are interesting picks as well as the artist who ends up going home and who, now thinking about it, I can imagine myself seeing his piece at the ICA and just shrugging my shoulders - despite my reaction of OMGREALLYWTF? In that order.

And by the way? I still want China Chow's closet.

TWO HUNDRED SIXTY.

2010-06-16T14:54:00.001-07:00

A woman in Malibu builds her dream home out of a recycled 747. I kid you not. Read one of the articles about it here. How you get a 747 out of wanting your house to be eco-friendly and feminine, I don't know, but the house is very green and the woman, Francie Rehwald is being contacted by people who have researched the tail number - from passengers to flight attendants, etc. There's no such thing as too big or small.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE.

2010-06-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Some more excellent links!

Our favorite, The Urban Hound, is being featured over at another one of our favorites, by the wonderful ladies at New Brahmin. Read here.

Be sure to head over to The Urban Hound's website as well where you check out their great membership package deals, running for a limited time. And of course, there's the blog where every Monday, UH will feature a weekly steal with great coupons.

You can see The Urban Hound at the SOWA Open Markets on July 11th as well. Make sure you stop and say hello! You'll get some great information about the hotel and daycare. You'll also be able to see some training demonstrations and of course, be able to win some great prizes from a raffle they'll be having. Check their blog out!

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT.

2010-06-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

(PHOTO)

I have to admit it takes me a little while to think of catchy titles. I think that issue heads back to Freshman composition class (ugh, you don't even know!) where were told that for the rest of our university career and as English majors, titling things is MANDATORY. Just like that. Caps and all.

So to keep in vain with that tradition and to avoid countless of puns (also learned in that class, puns not avoiding puns), it's time for some design news and odds and ends:

The Guggenheim and YouTube are partnering to find the next and greatest in video art. How cool is that? Beginning Monday, anyone who as access to any sort of video equipment or a simple camera and a computer will be able to vie for a place in a video-art exhibition in October at all the Guggenheim Foundation's museums.

Be sure to definitely take a peek at Sam Songailo's art, which is heavily influenced by design, electronic music, technology, and futuristic aesthetics. Media Centre is Songailo's first major installation. The photos of the installation are tremendous.

And to round this out, a bit of an interesting blurb on bloggers. Ad Blogger Jumps the Fence is about Mathew Van Hoven, who was the head of a mediabistro blog called Agency Spy and how he's now been hired as the Communications director for Skinny, an NY-based agency. It's a cool read.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN.

2010-06-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

A really cool article about Design Miami/Basel's exhibition, "Renaissance: The Last Dance at the Cross." It commemorates the recent demise of three underground dance club in London - Bagleys, the Key, and Cross, in which the pieces was built with materials salvaged from all there. Read it! (PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX.

2010-06-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

I have watched this several times. I'm not going to lie. But if there's anyone that is incredibly in-tune to an atmosphere, it's Sofia Coppola. Here's the trailer for Somewhere. You'll see what I mean.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE.

2010-06-15T11:59:00.001-07:00

If you're in the South End this weekend, and heading to the Open Markets, be sure to take some time to visit Galería Cubana, a contemporary Cuban art gallery.

I went with Nilda a few weeks ago, mostly out of curiosity and mostly because I really love art. There's this additional need in me as well, to know more about the Cuban heritage of my family, primarily on my father and his family - but in any capacity that I can.

The gallery's intention is simple: introduce artwork rarely seen in the United States as well as supporting artists from the island; it's very cool way of strengthening the cultural ties that we have with Cuba. The current show is the work of Orestes Gaulhiac. Gaulhiac was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1960 and is an internationally acclaimed painter and ceramist, who is recognized for his tremendous body of work, technique, and eclectic style. He's mostly influenced by the countryside that he grew up on; the play of colors are kind of magical in that sense, both dark and then bright. It was really wonderful be able to see these pieces. The exhibit wraps up on the 27th, but visit their website for further information about present and upcoming artists that they support as well as coming shows.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR.

2010-06-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

I want to live in their world. Seriously. MOS Architects were chosen this year to design the US pavilion at the Venice Biennale by the High Museum. The result? A rather mysterious one, a suspended cluster of weather balloons filled with helium and that formed a canopy that shades the crowd while representing the outdoor environment that they're being shielded from. It's ridiculously cool. If curious too, go and visit their website here.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE.

2010-06-14T18:52:00.001-07:00

Two things happened to me today:

1. I forgot my keys in my apartment. I didn't drop them. Didn't lose them. I left them on top of the table, right next to where my purse was supposed to be. I know.

2. I had a peanut butter and jelly intervention. Mostly jelly. Which was involves a long story about sixth grade that is just ... gross.

BUT but it was one of those perfect opportunities to show a little of the taste side of PHI. Anarchy in a jar was founded by Laena McCarthy and turns out a seasonal array of flavorful jams, jellies, preserves and chutneys that include Grapefruit Marmalade with Smoked Salt, Hot Fireman's Pear Jam with hints of cinnamon and subtle smokiness from chipotle peppers and the exceptional Strawberry Balsamic Jam. They're all made from local, handpicked ingredients produced from the Brooklyn Grange Farm and jars run from $5-$9. Read more here.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO.

2010-06-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

It's just another Manic Monday! And it's just another week until our photo show! If you haven't already, please RSVP to the event here. We're really excited about seeing everybody there.

This is a Twinkie. I can't promise them at the photo show. But what I can tell you is that photographer Dwight Eschliman tackles the thirty-seven or so ingredients that make a Twinkie by photographing them as part of his project Dwight Eschliman's Thirty-Seven or So Ingredients, which was undoubtedly born out of a love of breaking down objects into the parts that make them and then photographing the component parts. It's kind of a neat way of looking at food and giving the viewer an entirely different way of looking at them, or, well, looking at Twinkie for example. You then have to ask yourself the question:

Would you eat it now?

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE.

2010-06-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

This, this is another one of those cool finds that didn't make it onto the FFs because they completely and utterly deserved their own post. Ye Olde Fashion covers a variety of periods and in fashion, like this Vionnet evening dress from 1938 that I want to run away with. It's such a fascinating look at fashion and design evolution - check it out!

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY.

2010-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's so strange that it's June and it's cooled down so considerably. But we hope that it doesn't stop you from having a marvelous weekend, whatever your plans may be! And happy Pride Weekend! But just before you do, check out some of our Friday Favorites:

JEAN SHIN. This week we talked about Jean Shin's cool use of rolodex cards in her installation Carte Blanche. Shin's work is back again with her piece Transplanted Ornament. It's a collaboration with architect Brian Ripel using decorative metal removed from security gates. It's a featured installation, self-supported and of free-form construction, that you can find at the Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch.

WHY THE MET REMAINS COOLER THAN YOU. The Met is displaying a career retrospective of Leon Levinstein, a photographer whose work in black and white photography went completely under the radar. (His contemporaries include the infamous Diane Arbus.) It's called Hipsters, Hustlers, and Handball Players: Leon Levinstein's New York Photographs, 1950-1980 that feature forty-five rarely-before-seen photos by Levinstein. The show runs until October 17, 2010.

IT'S PAPER, REALLY. Honestly, I keep saying that I can't be surprised anymore - but wow, artist Luise Valdes has built an entire apartment and car from pizza boxes, carboard, paper, and paint. There are moments where there are parts of it that look, at a glance, to be entirely too really. There are other moments where I can think of nothing but A-Ha's "Take on Me" video. But take a look at the photos, they're kind of cool.

ARIK LEVY'S LUMINESCENCE. We love anybody who gets creative with their lighting and there's something undoubtedly cool about the play on intensity and reflection. Levy maintains an impressive list of disciplines, but is best known for his furniture design for global companies, installations, and limited editions. Levy's Luminescence between Fire & Ice is being showcased at the Santa Monica Museum of Art until August 21st.

PAPER AIRPLANES. I have such funny memories about paper airplanes, including one that involved a pseudo experiment with Zoe in the backyard with a stopwatch. Check out this art installation by Dawn Ng. She uses hundred of paper airplanes to recreate and orchestrate an intense wave of emotion, having the planes physically burst into a massive space. It's incredible.

GRAFFITI RESEARCH. This is the perfect example of when worlds collide. The Creators Project has an interview with James Powderly, part of Graffiti Research Lab who developed Eyewriter - technology that allows paralyzed artists to "write" graffiti. There's a video at the site as well!

PAUL HAYES. Paul Hayes is an installation artist that we found on flickr that has some really incredible pieces. This installation is called Cultivated Momentum and you should definitely take the time to comb through the photos. It's incredible.

SHEPHERD'S PIE. Montreal-based designers Thien and My Ta Trung's series Pâté Chinois is concept based around the beloved - and oh my god, one of my favorite dishes - Shepherd's Pie. Says My, "We were in the mood for happy furniture, less rigor and more flexibility. A shelving unit that evolves according to our frame of mind, a chair that transforms itself each season, a sofa that can take endless configurations and looks. In short, furniture that grows and change with time!"

SCALENE, RIGHT? To be honest, I have no fond memories of geometry in high school. Creepy teacher. Math in general. You name it. But this locket from Garnett is gorgeous - the scalene locket is a break from the traditional locket, hanging from a silver chain and you can wear it open or put anything inside the glass frame. For once, the scalene triangle doesn't make me shudder with horror.

(PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-NINE.

2010-06-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

So this Friday Favorite deserves its own entry. Last Sunday before we had our nearly-dying-in-a-tornado-hurricane-weather-phenomena adventure, Nilda and I were wandering around the SOWA Open Market, checking out some of the vintage things. Needless to say, Nilda emerged with an incredible find.

Her cuff is a Kenneth Lane, and it's dated around 1973 from a collection he did exclusively for Saks Fifth Avenue. There's even a special signature inside the bracelet for the collection. And yes, it's that Kenneth Lane. The very Kenneth Lane that designed pieces for the likes of Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn - his pieces can be found in the Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian. His Saks collection, however, was such an instant success that they sold its entire initial inventory in a day. Fun facts? Lane started out as a shoe designer for Delman and Christian Dior and his love of jewelry started as something he did in is free time. Beautiful, huh?

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT.

2010-06-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

BRAVO's Work of Art premiered last night, much to my cautious delight. You know all BRAVO shows are like crack - great for rainy days, sick days, days where CSI isn't going to do it for you. But then, this is the network that gave us Project Runway and say what you will about fashion and the mainstream, but what BRAVO did for fashion is open the door into an entire market of people that otherwise wouldn't be so familiar with the likes of W, Vogue, the impact of YSL and Valentino. It gave an opportunity to designers to step into the limelight in an entirely different way, as well allow major designers to make themselves more personable and not mythological characters that we only know through glossy pages and the occasional, cool, indie documentary.

So what does Work of Art do? For starters, the New York Times kind of digs it. They have some art world giants like Simon de Pury, who serves as a mentor to the contestants, and Jerry Saltz, who is one of the judges. It helps that Sarah Jessica Parker is the producer, for sure. The cool thing too is that these are artists that represent all kinds of disciplines and mediums and all avenues of experiences. They were individually selected by self-portraits, which then turned into their first challenge, if you will, where they were each partnered up and asked to create a portrait of their partner. My favorite? Abdi's. I like Miles' too, but ... sort of have a crush on Miles' cute, cute face, so my glee outweighed what I liked about his piece. There are some characters, some really interesting people - Trong! Trong, in fact, is another big NYC name.

But we have to remember that this is a television show and that this kind of format still has to work because there's a villain, there's hero, we love the judges or hate the judges - personally I want to live in China Chow's closet, but she's no Heidi in terms of being a charismatic host. Regardless of how we may initially feel about the show and what it has to offer, there could be really great things that may stem from this. The question is, now, how will it translate in the long haul? It's too early to tell, but if there's a second season - I'm taking enlistments to get Michelle on this show. They haven't seen anything yet.

Let's keep watching.

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-SEVEN.

2010-06-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Urban Hound is featured in today's South End News! Read here about the hotel and daycare, how Rebecca got her start, and just the wonderful community response that the Urban Hound has. Check it out!

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-SIX.

2010-06-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

(via FFFFOUND!)

Well. The Gallerina Guide to NYC's ugliest buildings. Oh yeah. It makes for a pretty interesting read. A sample? Well, the West Village's Palazzo Chupi, designed by Julian Schnabel, is seemingly inspired by a box of tampons? Yes? Not the kind of cityscape you want to see outside of your window. Read more here.

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE.

2010-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking. SPIDERS! Gross. Can you imagine getting that in your hair?

But don't worry, there are no spiders roaming around and terrorizing people. The picture to your left is actually tape. Yes, tape. Tape as in the thing you use to overwrap your holiday gifts with. Or you know, that package that your grandparents send you and you can never open? That's the stuff, tape not spiders.

The Viennese/Croatian design collective For Use/Numen has installed this at least three different times and uses nothing but packing tape to create these huge, self-supporting cocoons that visitors can climb into and explore. At their last installation, the group also used nearly 117,000 feet and 100 pounds of tape - which is a lot of tape.

Says For Use's Christoph Katzler, "The installation is based on an idea for a dance performance in which the form evolves from the movement of the dancers between the pillars. The dancers are stretching the tape while they move, so the resulting shape is a recording of the choreography." There's video at the source.

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR.

2010-06-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

So the verdict is in. There were lots of emails. There were a string of late night texts. But this is the final pick from our gorgeous photo shoot on Monday morning. Tell us - what do you think?

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-THREE.

2010-06-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

So. Alejandro. It premiered today. I feel like this should be the extent of what to say. Watch it, decide what you want to think - love it, hate it, you'd rather dance to it than watch the video. And let's be honest, say what you will about Gaga, but while MTV continues to murder the music video, this girl's bringing the music video back and making it something else to talk about. For sure.

The video is directed by famed photographer Steven Klein, who's done some incredible work within the fashion world and known for his collaborative work with Madonna. Like Telephone, the video is presented as a mini-epic of the sorts, running over eight minutes long and drawing on both religious and political themes. There are Madonna references, of course. We can analyze and overanalyze Lady Gaga, of course, pinpointing different tributes and style choices. We can simply say it's a great song. But the thing to do right now, just right now, is to watch it.

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-TWO.

2010-06-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Jean Shin's Carte Blanche is an art installation that makes use of masses and masses of blank rolodex cards. It's an examination of life in the digital age, the social network, and how fragile the plane we exist on is. Think a standing house of cards.

TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE.

2010-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today PHI is at the South End Buttery, which kind of acts as our unofficial meeting place. So if you're looking for us, stop by and say hi. We're usually somewhere in the back, monopolizing as many tables as we possibly can.

But with all this excitement about our Photo Show and brainstorming about some cool ways to display our photographers, I've stumbled upon (thanks, tumblr!) the work of Alexa Meade. Meade is a painter based out of Washington, DC who uses acrylics to create a living, breathing painting. She paints directly on human flesh which creates this incredible illusion of a painting. It's an interesting way of looking at art, how one creates and pushes perception.

Also, starting Wednesday is BRAVO's Work of Art. Think Top Chef meets Project Runway meets ... well, this is a BRAVO show. The cool thing about BRAVO is that it provides opportunities for showcasing creativity that we, as a television audience, aren't traditionally exposed. The bad thing about BRAVO? The Real Housewives. Even though I watch it. Everybody needs a moment for mindless television.

The thing is that this show may a really neat and interesting way of allowing art and the art world to have the same kind of exposure that say Project Runway gave to the fashion world when it started. Will it work? I don't know. I think BRAVO has the formula down and the ability to generate the buzz with big names like Sarah Jessica Parker being attached to the series, but the real question is will it find an audience for the kind of longevity that this deserves. Will you be watching?

TWO HUNDRED FORTY.

2010-06-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Samurai Shopper, a great NYTimes feature, dabbled in a little Anthropologie discussion this week. If you're like me, the mere mention of Anthropologie makes me look at my apartment with the same kind of epic longing that Luke and Laura had on General Hospital years ago. Let's be honest, walking into the store is like being thrown into a room of things that you can't have, or could have should you start selling off ... well, let's save that one for Oprah.

I'm always intensely fascinated by anything the store does design-wise. Sometimes it's clean. Sometimes you're distracted by the packs of college girls - and you know they still travel in packs - that come in, after classes and what have you, to spend, spend, spend. Then there's the rest of us who have fallen in love by the allure of not just the store, but that piece that either taunts you when they send the catalogue to your house, right after your bills are paid, or walking by the store and your friend, who has money, insists in walking inside. But the design. It's certainly an atmosphere, whether it's your thing or not, and you're almost left feeling like you've walked into some sort of fairy tale homage, complete with woods and odds and ends that are so shiny but, oh my god, you don't need; then you walk, wondering what exactly it was that you just saw.

A lot of spaces fall into that though. There's this allure of wanting to put too much in a space that doesn't really need that much. We all do that. It's the exciting thing when you're presented with a naked canvas - what do you do? Where can you go bedazzle-crazy? How many candles do you need before you set the office on fire? There's something to say about a great piece too. Just this Sunday, Nilda and I were walking around in the South End - and nearly killed by whatever weather thing happened later that afternoon - enjoying the open market. We saw a lot of great pieces, cool things that you'd never in a million years think would fit, but once you begin to think about them and their personality, sometimes it makes sense.

So do you learn how to pace yourself? Of course. Anthropologie has a knack too for doing these really great, large scale installations as well; which, in the end, seems to drown out the legions and legions of small and eccentric pieces. Learn to edit though. Learn to want to edit. Sometimes saying no is going to be the best thing you do all day.

It still makes me want a lot of unnecessary things for my apartment, let me tell you. But thinking about it now, whatever Anthropologie store it is that you walk into, the mix of pieces that put this atmosphere together has never failed to catch anyone's eye. In my defense, I will say that I like really pretty things and pretty things are really lovely to have. But these pieces work and that's what really makes the store what is. (PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-NINE.

2010-06-07T11:45:00.001-07:00

They say all great super heroes have a great car too and not that we're going to go around, in capes - bedazzled capes at that - fighting crime in the city, but having our car is quite the exciting step. Traveling around the city, or the highway, is going to be a whole new world and new world that's just been made even more official by this. I don't think we'll name it - should we name it? Do we go that route? Regardless, if you do see us around the city, in our new set of wheels, make sure you stop and say hi. New things are abound!

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT.

2010-06-07T11:31:00.001-07:00

We had a really wonderful morning shooting our photos for CRAVE Boston with photographer Renee Trichilo, down at the waterfront and by the ICA. The weather was really fantastic - sun, skies, and a beautiful day. And speaking of photography, don't forget to RSVP to our photo show as well! We'd love to see you there.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN.

2010-06-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

Pssst! Pass it along! Please remember to RSVP to our photo show! We're so excited and would really love to see everybody there.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX.

2010-06-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Finally a Friday feels like a Friday, and June is actually fantastically gorgeous - can't complain at all today. It's such a great day to be able to share some of our favorite things with you, as always it's all about the things that we love and inspire. And if you have a favorite thing, never hesitate to let us know - we're always on the look out.

TRAVELING. AND POLAR BEARS. Small LOST reference and no, no apologies. I feel like this is the most appropriate of appropriate starts. This new Hermès travel belt accessorizes convenience and function in a cool way. It may not be for everyone, but let's face it, traveling sucks. Packing sucks even more and so, why not make convenience cool and stylish. Maybe it's time they make tool belts cool too.

WHEN THE WEATHERMAN IS ACTUALLY RIGHT you need a great pair of sunglasses. Speaking as one of the legions of people with terrible, terrible eyesight, finding that pair seems to hold a little more weight - yes, there's where your mother's supposed to think you're crazy. But there's something too a classic, if not sleek set of frames, like these from Oliver Peoples. It definitely puts into practice the idea of less being more.

TWO OF A KIND. File this under things that you should desperately want to see. Because that's how I feel about it. "Two in the Wave" is a documentary from Emmanuel Laurent that focuses on two of the biggest names in French cinema, Truffaunt and Godard, and their incredible contributions to film history itself. Godard also just showed his film at this year's Cannes, which is another on my list of things that I want to desperately to see. But the NYT has a very cool article on the film that you should definitely check out, if you're interested.

PHOTO HISTORY. While we've been talking about our first photo show, coming up in a couple of weeks, it's also kind of cool to be talking about the latest in Kennedy history - the only photography of Marilyn Monroe and JFK together is now being put up for auction, expected to generate somewhere around $23,000 or more. The photo is from a party, thrown after Monroe's famous birthday serenade for the young President in NYC. ABC has a cool video about the photo as well.

ROLEX TOWER SOUNDWAVE. There is nothing that isn't surprising about design, of all disciplines, and how incredibly innovative people can get. This sculpture stands at the business entrance of the Rolex Tower in Dubi; it's by sculptor James Clar, and it all came together from Clar simply recording himself saying: "Rolex Tower" which transformed into a soundwave. Once that was done, the soundwave was transferred into a 3D modeling program and then completely transformed to create a physical sculpture and installation piece. So cool.

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG. We talked about Charlotte's album, way back when it was released. She's definitely a favorite and so, to touch on her again, her video for her new single "Time of the Assassins" has just been released. If you don't have the album, you should. And if you haven't seen Charlotte in any performance capacity, you should - in fact, I'd start right in the middle with I'm not There. But "Time of the Assassins" is such a gorgeous video, such a rich and subtle play on sound and space and people, transformative even; it goes to show what film, in any medium, can do.

COOL HUNTING. We love Cool Hunting, which is basically design at its best - dedicated to bring the latest and the coolest, Cool Hunting touches on their favorites in art, technology, interiors and installations - and incredibly good at making me incredibly jealous with all their cool iPad stuff.

THE STRANGE VORTEX HOUSE. Aptly appropriate title is aptly appropriate. Sculptors Dan Havel and Dean Ruck have transformed this Texas house into a living, breathing neighborhood installation before the demolition crews dropped in. No, Mr. Rogers isn't going to walk out of the vortex, smile on his face and whistling while he works, but it's a cool way of seeing something that we consider everyday change in such an eerie and interesting way. Check out the photos. They're ridiculously cool.

CATBIRD NYC. Nilda's recent trip to NYC brought us this Friday Favorite, where there are some really amazing pieces. Everything is so delicate and charming, and full of personality. Nilda is getting a custom nameplate made and wanted to share the very cool sketch that she just received. Also, follow their blog!

UMBRELLAS. Everything is full of surprises, useful ones at that. Sometimes we tend to think that transforming something or someone starts when you throw a number of elements together, whether it be objects or color, floral or a series of really great chairs. We tend to forget that a "traditional" object, a tricycle, a plastic bottle, and even an umbrella, holds every bit the potential as everything else. Take the umbrella, for example. As you can see here, it's something that can be easily used as a cool lighting fixture to an installation that sort of blooms into a space. It goes to show you - all details are important and all objects are unique.

(PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE.

2010-06-03T04:52:00.000-07:00

This is really something kind of incredible. By French studio Voss, founded by artists Etienne Rey and Laurent Le Bourhis. This installation works with an array of materials like resins, paper, glass, and polymers, which are used by both artists to play with light, transparencies and reflections, while still conscious of space.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR.

2010-06-03T04:38:00.000-07:00

design yearbook reexamines Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor's early work 1000 Names, which was very much influenced by his traveling through India in 1979, by the small sanctuaries along the side of the road and the piles of pigment sold for cosmetic and ritual use at temple entrances. The use of color is really something extraordinary. Take a look here.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-THREE.

2010-06-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

(via FFFFOUND!)

Yes, that's Nancy Reagan. Yes, that's Mr. T. And do you feel that? That right there is your total bewilderment. You're welcome.

But this entry isn't about Mr. T or Nancy Reagan - although, I have to say, for the life of me, I can't figure out whether or not NR has pompoms on her shoes. And if she does, I don't know how to feel about that either. This entry is about pointing you (pun) in the direction of THE WORLD AT YOUR FEET, a really cool blog that is a photo diary of people and the shoes that they wear. I won't lie and say that I haven't seen three or four pairs that I'd actively like to steal and runaway with, but it's a cool way of seeing people's personalities from a different perspective.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO.

2010-06-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars! Join us at our first photo show on Tuesday, June 22nd - which will feature the photography of some of our local favorites: Michael Lynch, Mark Bryand, Matthew Londraville, and our very own Michelle Gubitosa. The show will take place in the South End, on Washington Street, from 6:00-9:00PM.

Please RSVP no later than June 15th, if you're definitely going to come and join us. We'll keep you update with the latest information, here on the blog, on Twitter, and of course, Facebook. We hope to see you there!

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE.

2010-06-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Designer Roeland Otten has created a collection of alphabet letter chairs, using rotational moulding of LDPE plastic, making the chairs not only more afforable but lighter in weight and sustainable for outdoor use. Check it out - they're all fantastic.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY.

2010-06-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

We hope that you had a wonderful holiday weekend with the beautiful weather that the city had. We definitely did. But let's talk about technology. The Museum of London launched an iPhone app "Streetmuseum" that makes use of its extensive art and photographic collections, using a unique combination of geo tagging and Google maps. It guides new visitors and old through an array of events and locations, all key parts of the city's history. Check it out. (PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE.

2010-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

We at PHI would love to wish you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Whatever your plans are, go out and enjoy this weather. Bright skies. A breeze. It's the perfect kind of backdrop for checking out to relax.

But before you go, take a little time to enjoy our Friday Favorites - as always, things that inspire us, things that we love, things that even surprise us - and this week, there's definitely one in particular. As always though, please enjoy!

CHEWING GUM. While my eternal dislike of chewing gum has forever been solidified by the likes of Willy Wonka, this is something really cool. "Chewing in Venice" is an art series by Simon Decker, showing several shots of Venetian streets covered in chewing gum. It's a coy play on shape and space, and maybe, just maybe, the way you think about gum.

SHARA PORTER. I can't believe Shara Porter hasn't already been a Friday Favorite already. Three of my favorite pieces are from her. Porter has some remarkable things, from smaller bags to clutches (mine, all mine!) and large bags - and she's not limited to any size. Do take the time to check out her work. It's incredible.

SAID THE GRAMPHONE. A good music blog is hard to find. And while they're out there, it's a matter of knowing where to look, how to look, and word of mouth. Rather than talk about irony and metaphors, which is were you usually go when talking about music blogs and the internet, I'd like to point you in the dIrection of said the gramophone, which takes its mp3 posting to entirely different level with really cool commentary and kickass photos.

OH BABS. Somehow, my knowledge of Barbara Streisand has been minimized to a weekly Glee reference and an odd trivia point. We're not calling it a favorite - nothing against Barbara or anything, or anyone who loves her - but we've decided to call it this week's strangest piece of news. Yep. I said. Strange. Not surprising, but strange. Why? Well, Babs is writing a book on design. Seems innocent enough, right? But if speaking in my overall knowledge of her, which extends to her politics and her film career (I blame the week I got my wisdom teeth out), it's just ... it's strange. My Passion for Design is more like an homage to Martha Stewart and her sense of "me, me, me" in her design taste and approach - basically, it's all Babs, all the time. So yes. Strange? Of course. Surprised? Not at all.

WALKING INTO FILM. In a new short film by Toronto filmmaker, Elizabeth St. Philip, the relationship between the fashion industry and the lack of black models is explored. The Colour of Beauty follows model Renee Thompson, and includes interviews with insiders like Lisa Tant and Jeanne Berker, as the subject is examined, through the demands and the continuous change the industry is going through. Check it out.

DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU GARDENING isn't cool, or let the heat scare you away for that matter. The best part about the warmer weather, when it's not trying to melt your face off, is the floors, and the really cool and innovative ways people start to tackle their outdoor spaces. STRING GARDEN offers fascinating conceptual ideas for a space, whether it may be to transform an entire indoor area or just a simple way of reinventing a small patio area by celebrating space.

IT'S INFECTIOUS, BOOGIE WOOGIE. When most of us think design, we think spectacular homes and gardens, interiors, and those really great shoes that you see in Barneys and then haunt you for the rest of your week. Core77 has a really great design feature on reinventing something completely ordinary - in our minds, of course - like a hospital. It's not that we don't measure a hospital as a small and basic space, in fact, it's quite the opposite; but hospitals are subjected to the same kind of thought of say, an airport - too big, too much, and an experience that you never want to talk about again. But this about keeping clean, effective, and ultimately results in a really fascinating and complex series of measures. Read it here.

GUERILLA GARDENING. I don’t garden, but if I did, this might be the greatest thing ever. Although I suspect the reason why this is a favorite is because of the amusement from the tagline “throw & grow”, the idea of gardening mixing with chaos is kind of interesting. Is it organized chaos? Or is it really a gimmick? Can I do the same thing if I toss a bunch of seeds over my head and call it a day? Regardless, it’s a fun way of looking at things, if anything else.

ZARA PICKEN. Picken’s illustrations are wonderfully colorful and really come alive in an exceptionally quirky way. Her blog is brand new, but building and offers both insight and accessibility to her creative process. Definitely check her work out.

THE PERFECT BAG. No, no. It hasn’t been found yet. There’s an ever-growing list, however, of bags that can function as awesomely sexy and chic and carry the small nation that doubles as your daily, necessary things. This bag by Ashley-Watson is a new addition to the list, made from recycled leather. Love the dark, rich brown color and that it’s far from being too small.

ART & LETTERS. There's nothing like a letter, whether you call it a dead form or not, and these stamps honoring Abstract Expressionist painters from the 40s and 50s may add excitement to an otherwise anxious visit to the post office.

(PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT.

2010-05-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

For the Cite Goes America is an exhibition curated by Alissia Melka-Teichroew and Jan Habraken during New York Design Week. Pictured above is one of the pieces, by Stanley Ruiz, a calendar that's nearly ageless. The show itself takes place in a 400 sq ft skeleton house full of current work by an array of really incredible American-based designers. Read more here.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN.

2010-05-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

(via ffffound!)
"Think of and look at your work as though it were done by your enemy. If you look at it to admire it, you are lost." - Samuel Butler.
This site is all kind of cool. It aims at providing outlets to all forms of design, whether it be graphically or architecturally, interior or exterior, art and so forth; it's almost a link hub, which I like a lot, and it has tons of really great, great quotes.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX.

2010-05-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Things that make me universally happy? New Arcade Fire. Things that make me universally happy in the kind of way that chocolate does. The new Arcade Fire album being released on my birthday, August 3. There's a list of maybe five bands that sends me into some kind of joyous, musical coma, and Arcade Fire is without a doubt one of them. You can listen to their new singles, the Suburbs and Months of May here. And pre-order the album on the site as well.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE.

2010-05-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

As you know, we're really excited about the opening of the Urban Hound's luxury hotel! For more, visit their website. You'll great information on staff, photos of their clients, and endless information on the progress of what's new, the buildout, and membership. Also check them out on Facebook, where you can follow them as well.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR

2010-05-26T11:28:00.001-07:00

Startup Quotes is all about business, design, and witty wisdom. Check it out and then follow them on twitter.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE.

2010-05-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Don't let the weather get you down. Or melt you - which more than likely to happen first, before it gets you down, for sure.

A few design tibits:

iPad + Velcro goes to show you that a little velcro goes a long way, whether you're trying to install some abnormally large installation or simply take advantage of the fact that you have an iPad and well, let's be honest, want to show it off.

FIT is hosting Eco Fashion: Go Green which is an exhibit that explores fashion's relationship with the environment. The term "eco-fashion" refers to the work of designers who use, produce, and otherwise promote sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-conscious products. It's still a contemporary practice, a very contemporary practice, but it's something relevant and necessary to explore with fashion's continuously changing face.

And we'll call these magic tiles, which are tiles designed in mind of how to recover heat loss, or energy loss, by being covered in thermo-chromic acid ink that reacts to heat. Read more here. It's pretty fantastic.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO.

2010-05-25T19:49:00.001-07:00

French artist Christian Boltanski's No Man's Land is one of the most ambitious installations that we've ever experienced, here and state-side. It's about exploring our own mortality, incorporating cranes and clothing, and more incredible things, like sounds of human heartbeats, gathered from all around the world. It's a mind boggling concept, heavy on sound and sight. For those of you in NYC, definitely check it out at Park Avenue Armory until June 13th.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE.

2010-05-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

It's Wedding Season for us at PHI, and by Wedding Season, I mean Wedding Season. Being super busy is just a great excuse to use italics, let's be honest. But to keep you readers up to date, check out our flickr page, where you can see some of Michelle's incredible pictures of some of our design plans including an easel installation and the wedding hoopa pictured above.

TWO HUNDRED TWENTY.

2010-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

We've talked about Luxirare before, and how I want to draw hearts all over everything she does, including the incredible photos. BUT let's talk about these edible crayons, handmade healthbars comprised of various fruits, vegetables, nuts and chocolate covered sesame seeds. But that's not it - it's all held together by a melted marshmallow core. And you can draw with them. That's right. Draw with them. It goes to show you that innovation is never limited to size and space, but sometimes, the little things are just too cool for words.

TWO HUNDRED NINETEEN.

2010-05-24T17:22:00.001-07:00

Love this. Joe Penrod makes counterfeit shadows using blue painter's tape. Check out the variety of places and objects. Check out his flickr here.

TWO HUNDRED EIGHTEEN.

2010-05-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Joys of Jumpology is such a great article from the NYTimes about photographer Phillippe Halsman and a really great exhibition that showcases his work from 1940s through the fifties, showcasing some commissions from Life. Read it here.

TWO HUNDRED SEVENTEEN.

2010-05-24T16:48:00.001-07:00

We tend to talk about a lot of things that we love, most things we want to share, and every so often, there's something that we talk about that achieves -- well, we'll call it a comment from the peanut gallery for the time being.

So what do you think about when you hear the phrase "over-design"? Me? I think of a plethora of sequins pasted all over a place they shouldn't be - and I like sequins - and said place may be the color of pepto bismol, which is not attractive. Don't even try to argue that one with me. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.

But sometimes over-design comes in smaller forms, where the idea or object or placement is seemingly standing with good intentions, maybe great intentions, but doesn't really work out. Now, I'll be honest, I love things like this. I get suckered into buying those stupid puzzles (and apps - we'll talk later, Apple!) that you're supposed to be entertained for all of five seconds, frustrated for five hours, and then when you finally solve it, your reaction is a sum of one word.

"Oh."

Design Boom did a feature on the daily stack, a time management tool created by a pair of designers that allows a user to track work flow. How? By creating physical representations of their tasks. It sounds like a really great idea, right? Take a look at the video, where the process evolves into a complicated venture, based on tasks and times, etc. It's an interesting venture, but it goes to show you how in all fields, there's always some sort of form over design and losing the original spirit of the idea.

So again, what do you think of when you hear the phrase over-design?

TWO HUNDRED SIXTEEN.

2010-05-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

My witty story has suddenly been x-ed by the news of a Planet of the Apes prequel. I just don't know what else to say. HOWEVER. It's time for this week's Friday Favorites. And this week's featured photo is a special piece and an exceptionally cool showcasing that there's no age or limit to one's creativity. Check out the cake made by Zoe Sweeney, daughter of Partner Nilda Martin - it's her first real cake design.

NOW IN DESIGN NEWS. Bill Moggridge, the new director of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, is introducing his series called, "Bill's Design Talks" in which he will moderate discussion among designers and museum professionals on chosen tops. The series starts next week, Thursday, May 27th, and will feature a discussion with Michael Bierut, a partner at Pentagram, and one of Pentagram's designers, Yve Ludwig, about their design of the catalogue for the museum's 2010 National Design Triennial, "Why Design Now?"
THEN IT'S ABOUT SENSIBLE DESIGN. These days, it's about being conscious about design and everything green. To raise awareness about energy conservation, German company RWE has a really cool visual campaign, making the waste of energy a physical visible sight. Check the photos out.

TIP OVER. The Tip Over table was designed for G. Borgonovo for Porada and it really goes beyond the idea of the conventional, square table. It has the capability to serve as both a wall mirror and a table, that opens any sort of space for you. It's just a cool way of keep the feeling of a room or area without changing the entire feel.

ART APOCALYPSE. It's an interesting and scary thought, what life would be like without art in our lives. Ad firm Scholz & Friends tackle this question for the German Federation of Craftsmen and their tv spot - it's pretty bleak, far warning, but take a look at the video.

MARKET SEARCHING. PHI favorite Coco + Kelley has a really great entry on hunting through flea markets, etsy, and all things vintage. There are some gorgeous photos highlighting some incredible finds especially a favorite of yours truly - vintage records.

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT TOOTHPICK. I have these wonderful memories of my grandfather and his quirks, like the toothpick he always had after dinner. But I never really imagined putting toothpicks, design, and ... architectural replicas? Take a look at these pictures. Promise you, it'll make you sit back and examine the kind of patience you think you have.
APOTHEKE NEW YORK. Inspired by the history of apothecary in Europe and the artistic influence of absinthe dens in 19th Paris, Apotheke is all about the drama. A cocktail isn't just a cocktail. Check out their website, where you can view pictures of their really, really cool space.

DIFFERENT STROKES. Paol Volpi is an avant-garde jeweler, based in Rome, who transforms an unusual array of materials including industrial and automotive oil filters into gorgeous, fluid, and wearable pieces. It's incredible. All her pieces are both delicate and demure, unexpected given the nature of her materials.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTEEN.

2010-05-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

It's not a confession when I tell you that I love accessories. Ask anybody. And I've seemingly gotten over my feather ... dislike. So take this piece by Remnant Mimic, it has crocheted feathers, chains, more feathers (a charm!), and this great, pyramid stud details.

TWO HUNDRED FOURTEEN.

2010-05-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

Step into the Sensory Box was designed and developed by the studio SUPERBIEN. ILLUSION360 has some fantastic photos from the event. Developed specifically for the company Alcatel-Lucent, Sensory Box offers an artistic and mobile experience in a cubic space that completely illuminates the viewer's experience. Check it out.

TWO HUNDRED THIRTEEN.

2010-05-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

Remember in grade school when you had to write those essays that always started with a quote? It was usually followed by an "examine this." and "please explain why this passage of this obscure, random bit of dialogue is useful to the plight of the protagonist ..." - oh, yeah. That was college.

But Frank Chimero posted this quote from Rob Giampietro -

"Pizza is design."

Now, I could go and says something unapologetically cheesy like "reflect on this." and "please explain why, not using any BRAVO show as an example, this quote is relevant to anything we do..." because that would go over the text limit. But this a great quote, such a great quote, and really kind of a cool reflection of what we at PHI hold as our philosophy. Creativity is limitless and if anything, should be embraced in all capacities and forms. It's powerful and transformative. You can find design in anything. Including that pizza that sitting in front of you because you're too lazy to cook - and will definitely regret in the morning.

So instead of pizza, I give you something even better -

Frank Chimero's Text List is an assorted list of really cool links to essays and pieces that explore the nature of design in all disciplines. What I love most about Chimero's blog is that he always displays a thoughtful approach in what he writes and shares with his readers, and this list is no different - check it out.

WSJ has a really great article on Valentino and the evolving face of the brand, how it is being reinterpreted and branded to face the changes in the fashion industry.

And The Design Observer Group talks about the new film Please Give, starring Catherine Keener, which examines the question of how to live within our means, and all avenues that affect it.

(IMAGE.)

TWO HUNDRED TWELVE.

2010-05-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

idea nomads is a blog that features designs, in all mediums, from around the world, in all walks of life. Take the subways of Tehran, where you can hold onto these plastic handles with beer and soda cans inside. It's a cheeky hint of product placement and a very cool way changing a daily commute. Check the blog out!

TWO HUNDRED ELEVEN.

2010-05-19T11:45:00.001-07:00

We've posted a variety of mediums on the PHI blog so far, from street art to large scale photography installations. New to the list? Woodsculpting. Artist Anthony Santella pulls from his religious and Native American influences to create some stunning, if not eerie take on the ever cyclical relationship between man and nature. It's pretty too. You can view more of his work at his personal site here.

TWO HUNDRED TEN.

2010-05-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Creators Project has a really fantastic interview up with Brazilian designer Muti Randolph. Randolph's claim-to-fame is that he designed the famed D-Edge nightclubs in Brazil, as well as conceptualized and built Galeria Melissa in Sao Paulo. He's especially famous for using a variety of mediums in his projects, melding architecture with industrial design, media and music, and engineering.

TWO HUNDRED NINE.

2010-05-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to approach a room like a puzzle - do all the pieces fit? A great piece, however is this nebula console from Arktura. There's something really intricate about the lines and how they seem to explode - a subtle pun, I know - but it can be used with or without its glass top. Check it out!

TWO HUNDRED EIGHT.

2010-05-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Open letters are a lost art. Letter writing in general is a lost art, but that's another time, another place, and a larger latte during the day, a day where the final episode before the LOST finale airs. I digress.

But you know what I'm talking about. Those letters, the ones that you feel like writing to the universe ever-so often - or, sometimes, at the end of the week:

"Dear Universe,

I know it's the city. But if you're going to stage a drunk guy outside my window, please don't have him sing "In the Navy" at four o'clock in the morning. Maybe he takes requests next time?

Thanks."

True story. Anyhow, Dear Meat is one of those reasons why I love letters, and why blogging is such a unique facet of our lives. It's a daily drop into the open letters that a lot of people write, that you may want to write, and definitely something to make you laugh. Check it out.

(PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED SEVEN.

2010-05-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Photographer Oscar Ciutat's photoseries Caged (2008) is such an incredibly powerful series, where he focuses on the eyes of these animals who are in zoos. Take a minute to go through them - there's something haunting about going through, photo to photo, and seeing each animal as they are.

TWO HUNDRED SIX.

2010-05-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Destino is an animated short released by Disney in 2003, the completed project of a collaboration between Disney and Dalí. The project actually began in 1945, some 50+ years before it was actually completed. Take a watch.

TWO HUNDRED FIVE.

2010-05-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Happy fifth anniversary to YouTube! Thanks for being around for all the Project Runway recaps, the viral vids, the ability to make momentary fools out of CNN correspondents, and being fantastic enough to entertain us through the years. To celebrate, check out the first official teaser trailer for the new Anton Corbijn film, The American. Corbijn, as you may know, gave us the brilliant film Control, which chronicled the rise and fall of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis.

TWO HUNDRED FOUR.

2010-05-17T09:46:00.001-07:00

The problem with spring is that it's universal unkind to my wardrobe, and subsequently, my bank account because the vast array of gorgeous prints and colors, cute dresses, and the perfect sandals. It's like design conspiracy, I tell you. But what is universally dangerous, and exempt from all seasons, is jewelry. Designer Jung Eeun has created a range of jewelry inspired by the drops of wax that candles make as they burn. It's quite cool, and the shapes are unique in every way; pieces come in gold or silver, and I definitely have an enormous amount of love for the gold ring - and I don't like wearing rings - as an sort odd crown, almost reminiscent of Max's crown in Where the Wild Things Are.

TWO HUNDRED THREE.

2010-05-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

I think there's this underlying fascination that, ironically, seems to be a continuous theme in what I've been reading today, but it's with bodies and systems and skeletons and what have you; it's the very basics of how things work, how we and how animals work. The cool thing about this entry (and not what I was reading earlier, which I won't discuss as it's lunch time and that would be too, too cruel ... it does have to do with a particular museum in Philadelphia though ...) is that you can see how this fascination translates when it merges with street art.

There's a really cool show going on at the Factory Fresh in Brooklyn, featuring the works of artist ROA. It's running until the 30th, so you have plenty of time and very little excuses to go and check it out. Especially with the beautiful weather.

TWO HUNDRED TWO.

2010-05-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Somehow, you never know what to expect when rocker kids and in this case, rocker wives come out with their own albums. I suppose that's the nature of the beast and expected skepticism is expected skepticism when you're married to the likes of Jack White. But Elson's album, produced by her husband, comes out the twenty-fifth and from what I've heard so far, it's not something to be passed over completely. The album title The Ghost Who Walks, and the subsequent first video single, also directed by white, is seemingly appropriate. There's something uniquely haunting about Elson's voice and in a really strange, almost romantic and the video is an apt example of her talent. You can check out the video here (yes, I'm just as surprised as you are to find that MTV still knows what videos are) and look out for her album in the coming weeks.

TWO HUNDRED ONE.

2010-05-14T12:35:00.001-07:00

Thursday nights, I've decided, should be a night that I don't watch the weatherman explain to me what kind of weather we're having. Because LIES. Regardless, happy Friday PHI readers! Hopefully, you have something wonderful planned or are simply ready to enjoy the weekend. And as always, this week's favorite things:

SOMETHING NEW. What you need to know about Seven Ply is that they make going green look incredibly cool. They take recycled old, broken, beat-up skate decks and turn it into a great piece of jewelry. Visit their etsy shop.

A ROOM OF YOUR OWN. What I find really interesting about designers is how their work, or rather, their personal taste translates into their own spaces. Norwegian interior magazine Nytt Room examines up and coming designers and their own spaces; it features a look inside designer Julia Edin’s apartment, a cozy peek into a very cool space.

LAMACEK. The Lamacek lounger is one of my favorite pieces from the company. The cushion is made using felt that is made of recycled plastic bottled and backed with a magnetic sheet that provides adhesion to the metal base. It’s also removable from the cushion for dry cleaning purposes. The best part? The lounger not only rocks, but it bounces.
BACKYARD WIND. With the weather slowly approaching something of the warmer variety, we're sure that many of you are trying to utilize any sort of outdoor space that you have. Sometimes it's not just about the plants, the floors, the odd bar, and those chairs that you hate in the beginning, but then love later. Check out the Wind Collection by Jordi Vilardell for Vibia, which features light and airy shades with colors that compliment any sort of outdoor space that you'd like to make yours.
NINA & LOLA. Of course, there’s a circus of boutique blogs. This is the internet, right? And you can absolutely go from one store to another, comparing prices and pieces. So what makes Nina & Lola different? There’s nothing like a stylishly clean blog with simple navigation – you can search by designer, vintage, and other categories as well as pick your currency, which is probably a main compliant I have with other sites. But there’s something really great about a site that understands its audience, who’s reading and where they’re coming from. Check it out.

SAY CHEESE. Let’s be real here. Who doesn’t love looking at gorgeous photos? The added bonus here, in addition to the gorgeous photos, is a really great commentary on photography and graphics, ultimately the perfect example of the way photo blogging should be.

THE VENDING SPREE. We may be a little bit in love here with this about description, “I am going to consume and review every item in my office vending machine and there is nothing you can do to stop me.” This is exactly why the internet is as awesome as it is.
BEEHOUSE LAMP. This is a pretty cool concept. Taking the idea of a beehive, the bee's natural inclination for building, and crystal technology, the designer incorporates all of this into creating the fixture. It's definitely one of those things that we'd love to see lit.

THE DEAD WEATHER. To be clear, there’s not a Jack White side project that I haven’t liked, there’s not a song Allison Mosshart sings that I don’t love, and of course, I’m going to by the new album, which came out on Tuesday. There’s nothing not to love about their sound – a little blues, a little old school rock … seriously, nothing that I don’t love at all. So pick up Sea of Cowards, pick a quiet couple of hours, and listen to the entire album. Some favorites? Blue Blood Blues, Old Mary, Die by the Drop, Gasoline.
KAREN WALKER. There's been a real love for anything vintage as of late - not that it ever went away. But you're beginning to see great pieces and accessories like these Karen Walker glasses, brown and gold detail, cool lines, and great for a really nice day at the beach. They're super fabulous.
(PHOTO.)

TWO HUNDRED.

2010-05-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

Talk about a really cool, cool shopping experience - although, I'm partially biased because I really love Marc Jacobs. But Stephen Jakitsch Architects designed the new Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Milan, including the brand's first cafe and bar, which makes it even cooler and gives you an entirely different reason not to leave the store. It's located in Milan's historic Brera district. Check the photos out.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE.

2010-05-13T10:29:00.001-07:00

Share-a-chair! And avoid big butt jokes. All kidding aside, designer Laszlo Rozsnoki created it by carving a wooden chair in two equal parts, then fitted it with extra legs; the halves then become a chair that can be used together or separately. Check it out! It's pretty cool.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-EIGHT.

2010-05-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

I ... don't know how to feel about this? Ironically, it's funny that I decide to take a break now and update the blog, as I try and work out some language for a project. Stumbling on the P-tree (I know.) may mean (I know.) that the universe is trying to tell me something.

But P-tree (okay, okay, I'm giggling.) is a concept by designer Sam van Veluw that seems to be trying to reinvent the inevitable confrontation you may have with a dirty toilet during your favorite music festival. And you know dirty toilets are limited to just music festivals ... but it's kind of an ingenious concept if you think about it, and unfortunately, I'm thinking about it, trying to provide a way of avoiding that moment alone with the enclosed space of doom. It goes to show you that design takes all aspects of life into consideration. My one complaint? Nobody needs to watch.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN.

2010-05-11T17:47:00.001-07:00

Confession. I'm a complete and utter sucker for art-based documentaries. And HERB & DOROTHY is no exception. The story of a couple, the Vogels, a postal clerk and a librarian, who managed to built one of the most important contemporary modern art collections. After thirty some years of meticulous collecting and buying, they managed to accumulate over 2,000 pieces, filling every corner of their tiny apartment. Check out the site where you can view a trailer and read more information about the extraordinary couple.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-SIX.

2010-05-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

P.S. I MADE THIS is my favorite site this week, full of fantastic graphics, inspirations, and of course, things that they've made. Like this great pom-pom necklace. Gorgeous colors, set for spring. The slogan is pretty great too, " [P.S I Made This] is a movement. It's a call to action to re-image, re-use, and re-invent." And join the mailing list too!

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE.

2010-05-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

A few things before tonight's LOST because if you're like me, you know the world doesn't exist for that hour and few minutes.

But if you're looking through the latest issue of The Improper Bostonian, you may recognize a few faces in the Improperazzi! - our very own Nilda Martin and Sean Sweeney at this year's Greatest Party on Earth. Check it out by picking up the issue!

And running until September 4th is the Dr. Lakra exhibit at the ICA, which showcases the incredible and provocative works of the tattoo artist. Even cooler? Converse is sponsoring the exhibit.

Be sure to check it out.

(IMAGE.)

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR.

2010-05-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

I like to think of Andy Rooney as that crazy, cranky relative that from time to time thinks he's relevant or in touch with something relevant, but not. He's the guy that might sit in the corner of the diner and just scowl at you for blinking the wrong way. But within that ranting and raving about getting old and not knowing who Lady Gaga is, he makes an interesting point about music today. How does one stay relevant?

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-THREE.

2010-05-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I have waxed on and on about tumblr, back in the day, like it was something to talk about on Christmas morning. I still love tumblr, don't get me wrong, and have had to go through several intervention periods where I had to stop looking through the different blogs - like SHOELUST, where I would salivate over shoes that I'd kill to own (but you know, I have to pay my rent ...) and then there are the random craft pages, blogs dedicated to Michael Buble being stalked by a raptor.

But then there are blogs like Hello New York who ultimately show you some incredible images of the city, the kind of image that both serve as iconic and romantic view of the city, whether it be within the city or just passing by. Definitely take the time to go through them.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-TWO.

2010-05-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've always been incredibly fascinated by street art, the way it's always unconventionally placed - it's the how, the where, and the why. It's always amazing to see how an entire space is transformed, which presents an unexpected quality to a lot of work. But these questions - the how, the where, and the why - that are ultimately not answered, but you can't help but wonder regardless. Aakash Nihalani, based in Brooklyn, does some incredible things with size and composition and with color too. I really love how there's this clarity that works with the composition presented. Check out Nihalani's work here.

ONE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE.

2010-05-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

We here at PHI would really love to wish all the mums a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. It's an important weekend, everyone, and make sure that you that you take the time to give a little something to that incredible person in your life.

It's an interesting group of Friday Favorites this week. The stunning photo to your left is from Michelle's personal stash and it's not just anyfavorite, but also a great way to let everybody know that there will be some news regarding a future show. So definitely look out for that.

NEW BRAHMIN. We love these Boston gurus New Brahmin, where you can go to find the latest news in everything fabulous and fashion-forward. Looking for a great local source? This is where it's at. Such a refreshing look at style with quirk and personality - a personal favorite of yours truly. Check out their featured editorial!

ALL THAT GOLD. One day, there will be someone who will be able to explain the deep root of my fascination with gold and sparkles - and the occasional happy medium of both. Like designer Tom Dixon's Etch lamps. Dixon is known for how he deals with the physical and economical constraints of production, being inspired by the process himself. It's a love affair with shape and structure and simply gorgeous.

ART THAT WAS ONCE ALIVE. Well, I don't know. The New York Time's Sciene page is every bit the hit and miss with me sometimes. Then I found this slideshow. Think Ripley's Believe it or Not ... except with an artistic twist? There's some incredible pieces in here, I will say. Fabián Peña's The Impossibility of Storage for the Soul I (Self-Portrait) is pretty incredible as is Marc Swanson's Untitled (Antler Pile), which says so much for interpretation. Check it out. But during daylight. Seriously.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU. As I was only exposed to the unfortunate prequels of the series first, my reaction to Tuesday's #starwars trending on Twitter was more amused than anything else. So happy belated Stars Wars day (get it - may the fourth be with you? I know, I know. I was thinking that too.) and check out Chepo Peña's Space Loteria - a combination of the tradition Mexican Bingo game with illustrated cards and classic Star Wars characters. It's very Lucas, filled with puns and sorts, but pretty cool as well.

BIRCHWOOD OFFICE. Almost didn't want to share these because they're that fantastic. From Netherlands designer Werner Neumann, this armour looks as if it marched right out of a Dali painting or perhaps through the looking glass. The wood detail is gorgeous.

BETTER HOUSING. Often, we tend not to think about how award statues are designed because most of the awards that really stand out in our minds are either entertainment classics - a la the Oscars, the Emmys - or Olympic oriented like this year's Vancouver 2010 medals. But Noah Scalin of Another Limited Rebellion created probably my favorite award trophies of the year. Better Housing Coalition's Groundbreaker Awards honors four incredible people for their contributions to the community in Richmond, VA. Read more about his process here.

d~luxelist. Another great blog to add to your reading list? d~luxelist is responsible for the major of the things that I've fallen in love with this spring. Like French designer Vanessa Bruno's satchel or this silk tee by Bensoni. I haven't found anything that I haven't liked yet.

THE CARTIER LOVE BRACELET. Always a classic, and a gorgeous one at that - The love bracelet is a signature piece from Cartier. The bracelet quickly became popular for its provocative resemblance to a medieval chasity belt.

And lastly, to end on a fantastic note, these birds by PARRA. The not so happy bird is just a charming gift to maybe give this Mother's Day. Check it out!

ONE HUNDRED NINETY.

2010-05-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

So it's like this. Gucci. Gladiator. Fantastic for the warming weather and a stylish way for sitting through a 300-marathon. They're incredibly popular, so popular in fact, that Saks has even put a three-pair per person restriction on the boot ... and a thirty day limit at that.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE.

2010-05-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Another one? I mean, this is the Internet. It gives one too many changes to fans to really show some sort of crazy, fanatical love to their favorite band, singer, and ... Britney Spears. BUT that being said, without indulging in a little overkill, I think this one of the cool tributes to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. A workshop performance by the members of the Royal New Zealand Ballet has become another viral sensation these last two weeks. Check it out!

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-EIGHT.

2010-05-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Think Donnie Darko meets Darwin on an acid trip. There's something ridiculously cool (and scary) about these wallpapers by Carnovsky, a Milan-based duo, that designed these for Italian wallpaper manufacturer Jannelli & Volpi and debuted at the Milan's Design Week. Depending on the color of the light, you're exposed to an array of creepy images which could be really cool for a contemporary space. Check it out.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-SEVEN.

2010-05-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes repetition is good for the soul. There's no doubt that I will be telling people for a very long time to sit down and watch this documentary, particularly if you're from the Philadelphia area. Or looking to avoid the legions and legions of terrible horror films that are outpouring in the theaters.

The Art of the Steal is about the continuous efforts to break the will of Dr. Albert C Barnes and relocate the infamous Barnes collection from its long, long time home in Lower Merion to the city of Philadelphia. To give you a little bit of history on the Barnes collection, the Foundation possesses more than 2,500 objections including paintings from the likes of Renoir, Matisse, Goya, Greco, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, oh god, Prendergast - the list is incredible and these 800-so paintings are estimated (and estimated to be worth about $25 billion dollars). That's not all. The collection is not limited to these names, but grows with the likes of a variety of African artworks, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, and American and European decorative arts and metalwork. The entire idea of it is just mind-boggling and overwhelming to behold.

I think Roger Ebert says it best in his review of the film, "It is perfectly clear exactly what Barnes specified in his will. It was drawn up by the best legal minds. It is clear that what happened to his collection was against his wishes. It is clear that the city fathers acted in obviation of those wishes, and were upheld in a court of appeals. What is finally clear: It doesn't matter a damn what your will says if you have $25 billion, and politicians and the establishment want it." In short, be prepared to have your mind blown.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-SIX.

2010-05-05T16:25:00.001-07:00

Since it's all about being in rare form this week (the Post Office has been momentarily conquered! Laundry getting done!), we'd like to give a shout-out to our incredible reading list of links. Don't be afraid to check them out or suggest some of your favorite blogs as well. And if you're looking for other places to find us? There's flickr, Facebook, and the always entertaining Twitter. There's a lot of exciting things bubbling up for us at PHI, so be sure to check us out everyday, everywhere. (PHOTO.)

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE.

2010-05-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

It's your weekly Urban Hound update! Check out more photos from the project at our flickr stream, where you can see how fantastically things are moving along. Also, be sure to drop in on the Urban Hound's blog, where you can see today's featured photo of our very fabulous Michelle. And get excited, dog lovers, the Urban Hound Daycare & Hotel will be opening July 2010!

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR.

2010-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

A nice moment during the dust cloud from Bear In Heaven on Vimeo.
Bear In Heaven's video for Dust Cloud. Like many people stranded in Europe because of the volcano whose name that nobody can say, the band was force to deal with their immense boredom somehow. Check out the video. We love it.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE.

2010-05-04T15:46:00.001-07:00

The Wapping Project is the kind of space that you walk into, when you first start, and dream about the things that you could do with it. It's located midway between London and Canary Wharf, situated inside the former Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. The photos are beautiful, check it out.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO.

2010-05-04T15:32:00.001-07:00

Favorite part of the year - it's time for the Costume Institute Gala! And as always, 2010 is no different in bringing the ever-so-fantastic and the ... not so much. Still though, there are some incredible pieces and it's always interesting to see who wears what. You can view a gallery here, but some of my favorites? Rachel Bilson wearing Louis Vuitton, Nicole Richie wearing Marc Jacobs, and Diane Kruger wearing Calvin Klein.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE.

2010-05-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Want. Just want. Lavin. Lambskin. Blue marine. There's the color. There's the shape. There's nothing to not like about this bag. It even cheers up the looming presence of 'aqua-pocalypse' - you have to love the news, let me tell you.

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY.

2010-05-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Information is Beautiful is such a great site, written by David McCandless, a London-based everything - author, writer, and designer. He says, "I'm interested in how designed information can help us understand the world, cut through BS and reveal the hidden connections, patterns, and stories underneath." Take for example, the diagram above which shows colors and what they mean in certain parts of the world. So cool.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE.

2010-05-03T09:41:00.001-07:00

In a perfect world, I would be through my third or fourth glass of water. The Post Office would be a pleasant place to go to (and subsequently, they would wonderful enough to give me my package ...) with working air conditioning. Giada, when teaching me how to make cupcakes, would not over-annunciate every other word that she says. Which brings me to this really cool, on-going illustration project that was started, if anything, to celebrate our every nuisances. The best part? Going through each illustration, you can definitely pick out a few that make you go, "Yeah! I really, really hate when that happens!" Check it out.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT.

2010-04-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

We hope you're enjoying the day, the sunshine, and the lack of apocalyptic winds (did you see yesterday, Boston?) because it's simply Friday and there must be some written rule, somewhere that says something about having to enjoy every Friday. And you know every Friday, it's all about our favorite things. There are some really fantastic things on the horizon, so keep looking out for them, PHI readers.

SKELETON FRIENDS. Scott Campbell's first solo presentation of his works in NYC will be a showcase of his unique eye through sculptures, paintings, and drawings. Campbell combines blue collar grit with the very unique, very visceral lore of tattoo culture to tell a story through all bodies of his work. The exhibit is called If You Don't Belong, Don't Be Long and runs from the 29th to May 30th.

ALL NEWS IS MUSIC NEWS. While some of us are believers in the idea that the music video, the good music video, is a dying institution, there are still people that seem to manage to keep it alive. Spike Jonze has directed the new LCD Soundsystem video for the single Drunk Girls. LCD Soundsystem's new album is due out May 18th, but check out the video. It's pretty great.

ICE CREAM. Now, let's think about warmer ties for a moment. Sun shining. You're about eight or nine and much better at getting away with running through the sprinklers, but enough of a kid to still want your ice cream. So Nestle Ice Cream and JWT Johannesburg created a new summer accessory, in that same vein, a hat made from ice cream sticks. It's adorable.

A JOURNEY WITH LOUIS VUITTON. Louis Vuitton is showcasing their Men's Fall 2010 via website through "The Journey of a Man's Wardrobe" where we, as viewers, can follow through pictures and illustrations of the journey of popular photographer The Shelby, starting in Paris.

THE PERFECT BLACK DRESS. There's a little black dress for everybody and everybody for a little black dress. And Style Melbourne is featuring Nevenka's Autumn Winter 2010 collection, called Concrete Jungle. Now, velvet isn't for everyone and personally, I have memories of seventh grade chorus and those dresses that my mother used to make me where as a kid - but wow, Nevenka's collection is fantastic and the black dress? Too cool.
SEDUCTION BY FRAMES. I'll admit that I'm easy. Put something shiny, something sparkly, or unapologetically cool, I'm there and I'm in love. And cool frames? Just another way to my heart. Frames like Herricht's wood ones, which both have this really clean look and almost romantic feel to them - everybody loves a poet, of course. They're pretty gorgeous and something that you do need to check out.

ERASER+ING ERASER. Where was this when I was in in school? No, it's not a ring pop but a stylish way to keep an eraser on hand should you be a pencil lover or a pencil user. Love it.
NICHOLAS K. I think the great thing about the internet, and the legions of odd corners and information that it does provide us with, is that we get to have a peek into the inspirations of some really incredible designers like Nicholas K. Spend some time going through each post - it's time definitely well spent.
TATTOOS, TATTOOS, TATTOOS - are always really interesting to me, as you can tell a lot about a person and their tattoo, and there's always a really cool story attached to it in some way or form. Check out this slideshow, where a dozen ... unique (asparagus?) food related tattoos are displayed. It's fascinating, for sure.
IT'S IN THE WAY YOU LOOK AT ME. There's something to be said about the right lighting. The right cool lighting too. Check out Lighting for Treluce, from designer Marcus Temonto, which is just guaranteed to impress.
ROLF SACHS. The London-based designer recently teamed up with designers Patricia Urqulola and Ron Gillad for an installation that features "various levels of expanded metals" - they're just pictures that you definitely need to see for yourself. Also, visit Sachs' website. It's pretty cool.
(IMAGE)

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN.

2010-04-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Time Wasting Tea Machines aid the process of time wasting, which is the combination of the greatest thing in the world (tea) and well ... let's be nice and call it R&R. But these three devices take the simple act of making tea and turn into something kind of cool.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX.

2010-04-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm ... I don't want to say hesitant because I'm not, but when it comes to body image, I think I'm still learning about how to talk about it. But I haven't been ignoring this story, and you know the story, the one where FOX and ABC pulled Lane Bryant ads for lingerie that feature plus-sized models doing what Victoria Secret's models do best ... wear underwear. And let's be honest, you can figure that for every hour of major, prime time television, there's a VS secret ad or two. It's just the truth.

Of course, it's a polarizing argument. Of course the networks don't comment or apologize or say, "hey, that wasn't our intention ..." etc, etc, etc. But at time where girls, where women of all ages where you're in your twenties or your sixties, struggle with things like weight and size, feeling great about yourself, wanting to feel beautiful and sexy regardless of whether or not it's a great top or that fantastic black dress ... these things don't help. Yes, okay, there's a lot of work to be done regarding food choices and exercise, but sometimes, most times, people don't talk about that additional side. To the point where you hear these stories and you don't get angry, you don't get sad, but you get it. You start to see why it's hard, why it's a struggle to maintain a confidence in your own shape, in your own self. There's no support and when there's the support, it's often angry and jaded, it gets lost in the hoopla of who did what and why. And even the articles, like the MSNBC one, make a reader go "..."

There just needs to be a bottom line declaration. It doesn't make any of this right. It really doesn't. So to FOX and ABC, I've read the comments and the articles, I've even seen the news talk about you too. You made a stupid decision. You should be kicking yourself in the butt.

You need to know this though. You're not going to sell me on what's beautiful to me. It doesn't work that way. (IMAGE.)

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE.

2010-04-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

The stars must be aligning or something BECAUSE BECAUSE Interpol has just dropped new music. I mean, I'm giddy. Go to their site and you'll be able to download Lights which your truly will be listening to for the rest of the week, on repeat, and then over again. Do it.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR.

2010-04-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Gallery Kreo welcomes designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and the very cool, very modern light installations that they have on display. Check them out!

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE.

2010-04-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I still get the giggles every time I see some member of the animal kingdom, thanks to Oprah and Discovery's Life series - which if you haven't watched, I suggest you do ... just be prepared for a lot salad tossing talk from Oprah. No animal is safe. But this is what I want to talk about, what I do want to talk about is Ray Cicin's photography which is nothing short of incredible. It speaks for itself, of course, and if you're not a bug person, I suggest only peaking, but it's a marvel, really, seeing how close he gets when capturing each image. (IMAGE.)

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-TWO

2010-04-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

One of PHI's current, on-going projects is the construction of the Urban Hound Hotel, Boston's first luxury 24hr pet care facility. To see some of the before photos, you can check out our flickr feed as well as check out the UH's blog. We'll be updating you more as well with great photos from the site, so keep checking back!

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-ONE.

2010-04-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Amazing paintings by Norwegian artist Jorund Aase Falkenberg, which is sort of mysterious, where you kind of gives you the impression that someone swiped the paintings.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY.

2010-04-26T13:07:00.001-07:00

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING. HBO's The Pacific is the pseudo-follow up to the 2001 mini-series Band of Brothers. You know, Tom Hanks. Steven Spielberg.

BUT WHY SHOULD I WATCH THIS? You should watch it because it's brilliant, and if you're familiar with Band of Brothers, you know that the Pacific is just as amazingly shot - sometimes colorful, sometimes dark, sometimes amazingly bleak. It follows the lives of several soldiers including Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge, whose memories were used as part of the series. It's brutally honest and sometimes, like this week's part eight, it's very hard to watch. But what makes it different than Band of Brothers? This series dives into the personal lives of these soldiers, how they got there, how they went home, the friendships they made and had to made in order to survive. Of course, as viewer, the extent of what happened to them will never truly understood but as a viewer, as one living in a time where war is very much a part of our lives in many, many ways, it's something that needs to be seen. And it's another reason why we learn that all good shows, with brilliant writing, head over to HBO.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE.

2010-04-26T12:50:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be completely honest. The easiest way to my heart is a really great bookshelf. Laugh all you want, but it's true. One day, when there are enough hours in the day, the world's going to be introduce to the library of books that have that span from my small South End apartment to my parents' basement where, legions of books spread from there to upstairs and into my old bedroom.

But these shelves, created by architect David Garcia, as part of the Archive Series. Read more here - it's a fascinating read.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT.

2010-04-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us at Saturday's fantastic Greatest Party on Earth at AFH's Epi Center. PHI had so much fun at the event with great music, great food and drinks, and overall, seeing everyone else have a great, great time at the event.

Take a look at some photos from Saturday, from before the party started - which you know, of course, if you follow us on Twitter, is a really fun time. It's always interesting too to see the difference between how everything looks in the daylight only to get to really see the finishing touches when the party's in full swing, the lights are low, and it's really a true, almost magical experience.

This year's theme was water, and it great to be able to play with the different interpretations; whether it was through the displays of wildlife, from dolphins to jellyfish, to the importance of conservation, putting to use things like plastic bottle ends to create something as magnificent as the center piece of the Sponsor tent, the chandelier.

Yours truly ended up buying a really great painting for her apartment that hangs over the ever-so fabulous reading chair. It was really great to be there, at the party, and get a chance to support AFH and their great work.

Check out more of our photos at our flickr and we hope to see everybody again soon!