sharing is caring.

i wanted to share with you some inspiration that my friends have shared with me today. i hope that it helps spark some creativity in your day too.

enjoy!



// sliimy : womanizer



//the story of bottle water

a little thought can go a long way.

so for my last posting this month, i wanted to share something a little bit more personal, since... a positive outlook is a nice way to approach a new month, me thinks.

a few years ago, while still in school, a friend of mine, ms. amy shimoshige of cowroo design, equal parts funny and talented, came up to me during class and gave me the above little drawing. the style of illustration (mr. chaplin) with the hand-scripted line just made me laugh. it was so adorable. but the thought behind it, whimsical and warm, was what has led me to treasure the gesture since. now i have it pasted on my desk and look at it when i am having a tough day. it reminds me of the many people who have graciously supported me this far, the many wonderful individuals who i have met in my life and that i am not alone during the times when i feel that i am the only one fighting to get up that mountain. it has allowed me to overcome obstacles when i felt like it was easier to just say 'forget it'.

a small gesture, a simple thought of making someone smile and noticing the small details is what i want to strive for in my work... and life. although grand luxuries and oogles of money might make some happy, which i am not saying is bad as we are all different, for me, i want to enjoy and notice all the little things that otherwise can pass by in an instant. thank you amy for allowing me to stop and notice this moment.

// cowroo design

studio {love} : arabeschi di latte (florence)

while wandering through the many websites of random companies/products/images/thoughts/blogs, i came upon this studio, which caught my attention immediately! it was so refreshing to see a group of individuals doing something familiar and yet presenting it in a way that is unique and gives a sense of culture all their own.

arabeschi di latte describes themselves in a way that exudes fun + creativity all in one bundle:

The group’s purpose is to experiment with a new design concept focusing on food fascination and the power of food in creating situations and relationships. Arabeschi di Latte believes in the pursuit of a “daily sense of happiness” through various strategies of participation and alternative functional models that respond to the basic and pleasurable need of social life. Thus far Arabeschi di latte has created actions, objects, images, performances and events for major cultural events such as art, architecture, entertainment, conferences, exhibitions, parties, etc., introducing a modality of light and fresh interventions that each follow a unique concept. Uniting passions, fields of interests and interdisciplinary experiences, Arabeschi di Latte realizes and creates expressive contemporary projects that transcend classification offering a variety of services and collaborations in the creative fields; food concepts, eating events, food design, creative research, consultancy, setting, styling, interior decoration, architecture, packaging solutions, visual communication and art projects.

started by four architects, arabeschi di latte, helped open my eyes to the plethora of possibilities and that no one is tied to just their discipline. after thorougly enjoying myself inside their work + ideology, i think i'm going to go now and start doing some daydreaming... one day perhaps those dreams will become a reality...

// arabeschi di latte

i want : SP.10

i have been very very happy with my janome sewing machine, which my hubby got for me as a present. it sews beautifully and is very durable. but if i was in the market for another sewing machine, i would LOVE to get my hands on the SP.10. simple and elegant, i can imagine it sitting on my studio table as a design element enhancing the visual scenery of the area... ok. that might be much, but it definitely wouldn't be just some machinery sitting on my desk. it is tugging at my designer-heart... and how funny is this that i want it so badly even though i've never even tried it out? ok, so i'll admit it. i'm a sucker for good design. but how can something that looks so good be bad? right?

// SP.10

i want : march shopping list

with march almost over (i can't believe it's almost april!), there were a few things on my shopping list that i did not get a chance to purchase... and i have legitimate reasons for wanting them too! not just being a 'girl' about it. well... i think they are good reasons!

{clockwise from top}:
// unit editions : studio culture (to keep afloat on the wonderful work being done by other design studios)
// tokyo milk : audubon (the packaging is so lovely that i would want it for my collection)
// anthropologie : bag (a versatile bag for the spring)
// creatables : old news (b/c i am a magazine junkie + lugging a LOT of mags to the recycling bin would be so much more easier with this + it's adorable)
// fendi : bag (ok. so a girl needs a lot of choices = a lot of bags)

maybe if i keep looking at these images long enough, they will find themselves into my life...?

i want : 3.1 phillip lim

before if someone were to ask me if i could only shop at one store, what store would i choose and hands down i would say anthropologie. but now there might be a bit of a problem as there is a new competitor in the neighborhood vying for my fashion heart.

3.1 phillip lim spring season is everything that i would love my wardrobe to be right now~ the shoes are adorable, the color palette, just divine. i need to win the lottery.

// 3.1 phillip lim

studio {love} : tea time studio (barcelona)

i have always had this fascination with anything that was happening overseas, well, creatively speaking... and overseas is relative to where one is located, i suppose. but perhaps the curiosity comes from the thought of not quite feeling like i belonged to a particular culture or could identify with a certain country. being japanese-american, or american-japanese, or what ever anyone would like to label me, internally, i don't feel either or. some days i feel strongly about being american, other days i wish i was raised in japan in order to not have an identity crisis.

either way, i've always, somewhere internally, yearn(ed) for a place to call 'home' and to feel that i am actually a part of that particular region. i realized that identifying with a particular culture or location does not necessarily have to do with your ethnicity per se, but in fact, has to do with a connection between your own self reflected identity + the one that is presented in front of you. if the two are on the same path, that's when 'home' is created.... i have yet to find that place.

since studying design, i've used this outlook to examine particular visual cultures to see if there is an overlying correlation between culture + country + visual identity + me. not sure if i've found any one place that visually + mentally work together, but there are particular works designed by individuals/studios that give me a sense of 'home'.

when first seeing tea time studio's work, the color palette, typographical choices, and a sense of serenity gave me a sense of this so-called 'home' in a visual sense. not exactly sure what it is that makes me feel so comfortable when looking at their work, but i do feel myself wanting to hug it... all of it very closely. who knows? you might feel this same sense of 'home' when viewing their work also.

// tea time studio

nujabes : rest in peace

i am saddened today to hear about one of the most influential DJ's in my life passing. nujabes' style of mixing and creating melodies not only painted a picture, but allowed the listener to enjoy such an eclectic mix of genres packaged ingeniously into one song. every time i hear any of his tracks, it makes me think about the possibility of harmonizing different cultures/sounds/thoughts/races into one.

thank you jun seba for bringing such harmony into this world.

studio {love} : commune (jp)

on a quest to find work that's mind boggling, i realized while reading the book by kenya hara entitled, "designing design" that sometimes inspirational design is not always about using the most craziest colors or making something that looks like it is part of another galaxy far far away. in fact, a lot of beautiful design is created by noticing details of existing pieces and tweaking them to present a new way of viewing the piece. for example, in the book there is a project which questions the shape of a toilet paper roll and asks "what if it was designed differently, how would it effect the product itself?" i won't go into details here as i wouldn't want to give anything away, but if you're interested to find out what kind of answer came out of the question, please do read the book. it's quite fascinating.

another designer was once saying that most things if not all things have already been 'created' and therefore, it's nearly impossible to create something 'new' and 'different' as most designers strive to do. i cannot say that i agree or disagree with this point of view, but i do believe that there are many things exisiting around us that if one were to revisit each 'thing' again and again, that there would be many new ways of creating that same object.

with this thought, i have always been mesmerized by design/designers who take this ideology and create something beautiful within our existing visual language. commune, a design studio located in hokkaido japan, somehow takes this idea to another level. their design work is a cross between nature + modern design. understated and yet, glows. it makes me think about life and noticing all the small details. their work gets me -really- excited.

// commune

product*obsession : bolon

while filipping through an interior design magazine, i found a beautiful photograph (above) that made me think about paper art + installation design, which i find very facinating. curious, i decided to investigate more into what this company was about and surprised to find out that it was a flooring company! i've always been a fan of flooring from flor to graphic rugs, but i had never heard of this type of product before... bolon, woven vinyl flooring.

after digging deeper into what this company was about, i was so delighted to find out about how they began and their beliefs towards the products produced.

"... located in the middle of the deep forests of ulricehamn, vastra gotaland, sweden... began in stockholm in 1949, when the grandfather... started to manufacture woven rag rugs using textile waste from the yarn factory and later on became plastic rugs..."

they have a beautifully designed catalog to enjoy while looking at their selection of woven vinyl flooring~ makes me think about other options for covering our cement floors....

// bolon

i want : j crew weddings & parties

with the wedding coming up, there have been so many things as far as preparation is concerned... save the date card, wedding invite, venue, photography, etc. i feel like a foreigner entering into a new country. but, i am enjoying the process and thankful to have friends who have been graciously helping with the process.

since i am a fan of martha stewart (as many of you might already know), i decided to educate myself and bought an issue of martha stewart weddings. i never thought that i would be one to say this as i've never really been into weddings, but now i could definitely see myself truly enjoying the idea of designing invites/cards/etc. for others~ such an important day for a couple and if i could help to create a memorable piece for them, the project would mean so much to me also.

so while flipping through the pages of gorgeous photography, mouth-savoring cakes and beautiful gowns, i came across this photography for j crew weddings. although i've only just begun to dress shop, this made me -want- to go out and find the perfect outfit for the wedding. so romantic and yet flirty. then i proceeded to their weddings & parties site and found so much more that i would -love- to purchase! that white suitcase~ although i'm sure will turn gray instantly is to die for~ and the dresses~~ oh my! i definitely am going to be bookmarking this page for future reference when looking for 'something to wear' to a wedding event.

// j crew weddings & parties

fashion*obsession : leifsdottir

i have been a follower of urban outfitters and their eclectic style of fashion, merchandising, store design, and philosophy for years. but as i grow older, i find myself really loving anthropologie. everything about this brand feels so right to me. i'm not sure why, but when i step into an anthropologie store, my body overcomes with joy. when i receive their catalog in the mail, i look through it over and over again and then keep it with all my other design books. every shoe, every bag, household goods, everything in that store.... i want.

then they had to take it up another notch. that sentence just reminded me of chef emeril lagasse when he adds his special spice to make his food 'magical'. i feel like that's what happened when this amazing company introduced their new line, leifsdottir.

let's just say, i am in love. oh how i wish i could win the lottery. i won't be greedy and say i want to win the largest prize. no. just enough for a spring shopping spree at anthropologie + leifsdottir. that's all. then i would be a happy girl... until summer that is.

// anthropologie + leifsdottir

studio {love} : nick bell design (UK)

during a trip to london, i was very fortunate to have been introduced to some studios through a gracious professor (whom i will definitely have to introduce in another blog post as her work is amazing!) and one of the studios that i had a chance to visit was nick bell design.

their office was located in an old industrial building, which also housed many other creative firms (product design, graphic design, etc.) and the energy was electrifying! i wanted to take a tour of the whole complex! the people who worked there were very friendly and shared projects designed by the studio. the work was very diverse and aesthetically different from what i usually design, which was great as it opened my eyes up to a new way of approaching projects.

one of the identities that they were working on at the time consisted of a logo that was hand illustrated and they explained how difficult it was to try and create a 'tree' logo that looked clear enough when it was sized down. each individual branch had to be retouched and redrawn to create the perfect balance between negative space and the image itself. when i viewed the logo in person, it was beautifully foil stamped into a dark colored cotton paper... the tree looked as if it was floating.

if you have a minute, go pop-by their website as they have downloadable .pdf's of their work that you can view during your coffee break. enjoy!

// nick bell design

i {heart} work : andrea tinnes + typecuts

since my type design class, i have been intrigued with the intricate + precise world of type. typography as a whole, i feel in a way, is like a religion. the more you learn about it, the deeper + more complicated the teaching becomes, but with each step you are enlightened, it feels as if you discovered a golden nugget of life-transforming information. people, myself included, might have never taken a moment to think about the individual letters that create our world of language and how each is designed. each curvature, delicate ornamentation, balance, etc. of a letter is carefully calculated, measured, looked at on a micro and macro level (and many other steps that i probably have no idea about) before outputted into the world.

thankfully there are many wonderful + highly talented type designers out there creating beautiful type, which allows us not only be able to choose from such a vast variety, but also enables one to be able to express themselves through the use of a particular typeface. as you can see, i really love type.

during my senior year in design school, while working on a type face, i was doing research on different type foundries and was introduced to andrea tinnes. i soon found out that i was a fan of her work without even knowing it was her! so shocked, i wrote her an email to tell her how i really enjoy her work and to my surprise, she wrote back to a stranger on the other side of the globe! she definitely won my heart. real, down to earth people doing amazing work. how can i not be a fan? perhaps you'll become a fan too.

// andrea tinnes + typecuts

studio {love} : handbuilt (us)

hello! i hope that you had an enjoyable weekend~ it's a cloudy evening here in LA tonight and the weather is getting quite cold (well, for LA standards that is...) :)

after receiving a message from my alma mater about a design symposium that is going to be happening soon, i was interested to see who would be speaking this year. although all the guests have amazing work and it definitely piqued my interest to attend, handbuilt's work not only made me interested, it captivated my attention for more than my usual five minutes.

beautiful, diverse work and yet there is a sense of cohesiveness~ of course, their hand 'aesthetic' just tickles my stomach.

// handbuilt

i {heart} work : StitchandSew (jp)

good morning! with gray skies covering downtown los angeles this morning, i've been feeling a bit.... modern minimalist. (if that even is a category of how one can be feeling in a day. haha!) anyway, i've always enjoyed work that provokes a feel of nature and/or reminds me that the simplest little details combined together is what can make a product/design/(fill in the blank) stand out from the rest.

StitchandSew (jp) combines this idea beautifully in their products/projects and describes themselves as:

'we are interested in the relation between living and the objects we use everyday. taking that into consideration, we rethink and redesign these items in the hope of a new sense and ideas in life by using besides practical functions of goods.'

i really love their philosophy on how they approach their work. it definitely shows in the execution + makes me want to go 'use' one of their products right away in my everyday life. :)

// StitchandSew

shopaholic : books actually (singapore)

along with it's wonderous food stalls and mix of cultures, i came upon a store that i wished i had found earlier during my trip to singapore this past winter. i love design and although find that most of the work i do is based on the computer, which i do enjoy, my passion lies within hand created work. hand drawn type, screen printing, letterpress printing, etc... you name it, i probably love it if it's analog. that goes with music recording too, but that's a whole different post.

the store that i'm raving about is called books actually and they actually sell books of all sorts, but the thing that got me excited about their store is that they print + produce their own work as well! simple, elegant, and yet has a charm that reminds me of a time lost in our fast paced world. if you are ever in singapore, stop on by. you will definitely be spending some time (and hard earned cash) at this delectable store.

// books actually

fashion*obsession : steven alan

 

during a coffee meet up with a friend, i passed by this adorable boutique and had to go find out what they had. little did i know, this store would be one of my latest finds! steven alan not only had adorable clothing for woman, but men too! although not sure if it's my beau's taste. hahaha~ they carry clothing, shoes, bags, and some other little things. the look reminded me of a hybrid between anthropologie, lucky jeans, some urban outfitters, and burburry. here are some items on my 'must-have' list, but there is so much more so go and take a peek!

// steven alan

design info : design indaba

while looking on different sites researching one of my favorite packaging designers, taku satoh, i came upon this interesting site called design indaba. i even love their slogan: "a better world through creativity." definitely my kind of flavor.

not only do they have info about graphic designers, but also creatives from film, architecture, etc. if you're interested to find out what people from around the world are doing/creating, check out this site! after writing this post, i'm going right back to exploring it some more.