House & Home
As motherhood inches nearer, I find my mind is preoccupied: where to put the crib, what to put on the iPod for our (hopefully short) stint in the birthing wing of Roosevelt Hospital, whether little Pipsqueek will be as boisterous as his/her cousin Lir, the baby’s college fund, where we’re sending the little munchkin to preschool…
I hold a very dear place in my heart for cupcakes. My own bergamot lavender cupcakes were a hit in the East Village when my friend Jodi of Sympathy for the Kettle would serve them up with frothy matcha lattes and endless pots of Ti Kuan Yin. Lately, I’ve had the growing desire to get back into the kitchen and bake up a storm (motherly instincts?)…
The kitchen is such a happy place in our house: full of anticipation, tempting aromas and (mostly) great results – thanks to head chef YZ. I’ve always had quite the weak spot for kitchen supplies but, with my klutzy husband breaking most of the japanese glassware and ceramic treasures of my past life, I realize that my attention should now turn to accessories of a less breakable nature. Already a big fan of beautiful wood objects, cutting boards are a great culinary object to focus on.
I’m not going to suggest I spend my weekends canning or preserving peaches — this isn’t that kind of blog — but I can’t help loving a classic glass jar. Forget the fussy, sticky, sweaty days of making marmalade. Jars are perfect for everyday storage around the kitchen, and for those of us without much cupboard or pantry space, they’re a great way to make the usually-hidden presentable. In fact, a neat row of jars filled with nuts or grains or pasta often adds a touch of dare-I-say rustic charm to a countertop.
As a design geek living with a music geek, I spend my days lost in an endless gaggle of wires: nests of audio-cables, tangled mouse-cords and — what the heck does this attach to!? Three cheers, then, for Pasadena-based design firm Bluelounge, who are single-handedly cutting through the technological gordian knot with a range of savvy clutter solutions…
I’ve always been a lover of quilts – watching my mother create exquisite ones as a child, starting my own collection once I moved to New York City and discovered the East Village Flea and the wonders of eBay, standing awestruck before each Gee’s Bend quilt during the Guggenheim exhibition a few years back…
The history of this company is almost as wonderful as the products they make. Located behind a little church in the French town of Tarn, the Guille family factory has existed for nearly 150 years, and has been churning out socks for about 80 of those…
Totally useless? Perhaps. The envy of any desk trinket collection? For sure. These custom emoticon stamps from Tokyo-based company Gung are ready to crank out more than 2000 Japanese-esque smilie faces…
I’m a big advocate of cloth over paper products, if only that it nurtures yet another one of my collections: dish towels. So, like our inaugural Lo’s List post on the little Japanese cloth squares called Furoshiki (commonly used for gift-wrapping), their textile-sibling, the Tenugui (手拭い), is a shot to the heart…
Oh Santa! I almost forgive you for that flu you plagued YZ and I with this Xmas, what with all the juicy gifts you lugged down our chimney along with it. All in all, the 25th was a veritable indulge-fest, with everything on my list neatly wrapped in recycled paper under the tree…
For some of us, the holiday season is about one thing and one thing only. Ok, two things. Ok, a bunch of things—all nicely wrapped and book-related. Because there is nothing more satisfying than winter reading, whether it’s the classic you know almost by heart, the novel everybody else already read six months ago, or the thriller you’ll never admit you couldn’t put down.
Etsy has to be one of the coolest places for gift giving — simply because most of the offerings on the site are handcrafted and one-of-a-kind. But, with this endless trove of offerings, a bushy-eyed shopper can quickly get dissuaded by too much good stuff…
Hip hip hooray! ‘Tis that time of year again: christmas trees, wreaths, family get togethers, snuggling up by the fireplace singing carols, oh, yes… and lots of gift giving! What better way to kick things off than with the wee ones!!
What is a tchotchke? I would say it’s an object that you just don’t need but, somehow, are drawn towards. In the world of flea markets, antique shops, Ebay, and strange gift-givers, it’s hard to avoid the constant barrage of doodads that are daring you to find room for them in your 4th floor railroad walk-up. As our little house has started filling up with bowls of Italian glass marbles, stacks of vintage flashcards, turn-of-the-century typewriters and so forth, I’m realizing that I must become more strict with my collection curating…
