OBJECT Opening! 11.11.11

This is a super exciting news for Seattle.
Charlie Schuck, the mastermind behind OBJECT, which first started off more as  concept popup shops is now becoming a real brick and mortar store in Charlies' new studio in Belletown neighborhood (next to Suyama!)

The opening is today, Novemeber, 11, 2011. Starting at 630pm. L&G will have some selective items in there as well!

..and here's the first OBJECT newsletter!

Check out full event details HERE!

Piggy Mention on Mmminal Blog

Recently came across this awesome blog called Mmminal, and then end up seeing our Chalk Piggy mentioned on there!
It's always so exciting to find a blog we like and realize there's a mutual admiration of each others work!
Another reason why the inter-connected-web is so awesome...

Home Sweet Homestead

Instroducing a new L&G item...Homestead Candlesticks!
We've heard that there's no place like home and got to thinking...does that apply to candles as well as people? Assuming this it does, we've created these sweet wood house-shaped candlesticks out of solid Hemlock and Copper tubing.
This is a combination of our love for wooden blocks, iconic houses, and copper!!

These Homstead candlesticks stems from some of the elements & pallet we're using for our kitchen re-design project (see below post). Even the shape of the candlessticks partially reflects the silhouette of our duplex as well!

 Presented as a set of two, these Homestead Candlesticks add the right mix of homey charm and modern simplicity. Available  HERE!

Almost Finsihing Touches

Finally! We're at the fun part of the kitchen process where we get to start accessorizing!

We gathered something we had, along with some material & color samples to compose this pallet.

One of the main element we're most excited about is the idea to integrate copper as an accent color & material that adds the prefect amount of warmth to the overall feel.

We wanted to use vintage knobs and found these simple standard 50"s copper knobs from Second Use to go with our oak and europly cabinet fronts. It's one of those things where we weren't totally sure if it was going to make everything look too dated or out of place....

But once we put them on, the whole kitchen instantly glowed....it just felt 100 times more special and complete! Who would have thought that something as small as cabinet knobs cab make such a difference!

Here's the special nook for our collection of found glass jars with cork tops. I love how the onions even goes with the whole pallet!

I was especially happy to have found couple of these simple copper light sockets to hang above our island  area! I was actually debating on whether to splurge on these brass ones from Restoration Hardware for almost $100 each for a simple light socket!!
Good thing we waited, did more research, and ended up finding these similar ones from Grandbrass for only a tenth of the price! I should take that extra cash I saved and  buy some bottles of champagne to celebrate this triumphant score!

We're getting SOOOOO close to the finishing line I can smell it!  I'm picturing all our friends and family awaits for us at the end with warm towels and hugs....it's gonna be great! :)

Fresh Molds

Getting ready for the first pour on a new crisp set of pig molds for CITM piggy v4.0. More on him soon!

Kitchen end in sight

We're nearing the finish line with our kitchen and it's starting to feel real nice.
Today we finally got the sink plumbed up and working...no more trucking dirty dishes to the basement to be cleaned in the laundry sink.
We also received our whitened birch cabinet fronts back from the finisher today...they look great!
We're days from presentable overall shots and more details so stay tuned!

I'd Like to Tap That: Escher Wooden House

Amazingly understated home from the outside, yet glowingly warm and delightfully playful in the inside. Just looking at the photos reminds me something like an Escher drawing where it keeps my eyes moving around looking eager to discover more.

House K by Yoshichika Takagi (Sapporo, Japan)

Via Sokosokoashiko

Time for Fun: Mr. Paintbrush

Lately, we been spending a lot of time picking out paint colors for our kitchen. But I also just end up spending too much time picking out colors just for the fun it. Thinking of some new color inspirations~!

Also I've been doing a lot of painting and been drawn to this handsome Mr. Paintbrush...especially with his sparkling eyes, sharp haircut, and warm presence....

think I'm in love with Mr. Paintbrush....

Kitchen Progress Report

Alright, i know it's been a long time since we've updated on the progress of our kitchen. No, we're not done yet but yes we have made progress (unlike in the the past when we say we're doing but we're actually not). It's actually starting to get frighteningly close to a real kitchen...OH-EM-GEEE!

New L&G Item: Rise Over Run Stool

Our newest item, Rise Over Run hanging step stool we recently debut at the IDSwest show in Vancouver!
The idea to make this item came from the need that I (Jean) couldn't reach all the high and tall places...especially in our new kitchen with a floor-to-ceiling-pantry unit!...ooh la la! SO much storage!
And me being a storage maniac that I am, trying to reach to all the empty places to store things made me feel like a crazy 5 year old doing some risky business just to get to a cookie jar...and we all know how that usually ends...broken cookie jars, broken bones...or worst..a broken heart...

So to prevent me from pulling off some silly stunts just to reach the places I need, we came up with Rise Over Run!
This was inspired by the basic construction and elements of stairs in a home. We broke it down and turned it into a mini 3-step folding stool to then be transformed from the functional piece into an elemental abstract shape which can be displayed on the wall.

So the story ends with Jean being able to reach all the high places she needs to, no breaking anything, and a piece that we can appreciate on our wall.  Hurray!

And check THIS quick fun thing I did... gif power! Yeah!

My very first attempt at making a gif animation... oh boy! This is totally SO mundane that it's making some sort of ironic statement?
NO? not convinced?....ok. yeah, me neither...
Just wanted an excuse to make a quick amateur gif clip!

In any case, Rise Over Run will be available online soon! We promise!