Kitchen Progress

We decided to put things into high gear last week on our kitchen. I cutoff nearly all contact with the outside world and started calling in those favors from friends we knew we needed to get the job done.

First Jared and Nick helped me face my fear/lack of competence in electrical work and install all new electrical to the kitchen including the installation of recessed can lighting (so awesome to have now!)

Then my step dad Stan and I spent a day installing solid oak hardwood reclaimed from a friend of ours house. It was a total puzzle to put together but will look awesome and match the existing floor once it's all refinished.

Finally, Nick from Piano Nobile helped us cap off the week with the installation of our steel support frame, which looks and feels incredible in the space. We can really start to get a sense of how the kitchen will actually feel and it's such a huge improvement despite being a complete mess. So excited to get drywall in and start on the cabinets!

Heres an overall glimpse of the space:

L&G interview with Rena Tom

I had the pleasure to meet Rena Tom when I went to Meg Mateo Ilasco's "Crafting A Meaningful Home Book" launch party at Rare Device last fall.
Rena is the co-owner of Rare Device and a multi-talented lady with a well-rounded set of skills and knowledge especially when it comes to being a creative entrepreneur.
Her blog, focusing on ways to strategize for creative retail business, is a place where I regularly check out to get helpful tips and honest perspectives from the buyers/retail store owners point of view.
We were honored when Rena asked us to be part of her Profile column on her blog where she regularly interviews creative designers/artists!




You can read the interview here!
Thanks Rena!

A Perfect day in NY

After 5 long grueling days of smiling, smirking, staring, standing, speaking, and more staring at the NYIGF, I finally got some downtime right after the show ended.
and totally had myself the most perfect day....

First, I stopped at the closest Dean & Deluca and paid for an over priced iced latte and one of this amazing carrot cake doughnuts from  doughnut planet and "wrote" a card to Dylan with one of these Utility Cards by Grain. Each card is filled with words all of sorts for every occasion possible. It's more than brilliant!
It took me a while but composed my own phrase "WAHZZ....UP....MY....BOY....FRIEND....I....MISS....YOU....WAY....TOO....MUCH....YEA..."

Then I walked through Highline checking out the new addition, which is even more amazing than before!

I sat one of the the lounge benches and ate one of these deliciously handmade peach elderberry popsicle.

Then I actually got to soak up some sun for at least couple of hours... and as shameful as this sounds (but I'm not longer ashamed) I starting hearing Sheryl Crow's "soak up the sun" in my head out of nowhere!
Normally I'd freak out if that song were to pop in my head at any other moments, but instead I kept my cool...and just embraced it.
I got to read a bit, stared at the clouds, did some people watching, and all the while still humming the song....it was so refreshing.

Then what made it EVEN more perfect is that I met up with Chika & Jesse and got to enjoy THE most perfect dish at Joseph Leonard with all the simple ingredients I love the most....
Just look at that perfect egg sitting perfectly on top of a cute little piece of brioche..next to a perfectly healthy bed of frisee salad topped with perfectly crisped bacon bits....


Can't say that I get to expereince a lot of days like this anymore, but whenever it happens...I just totally love every moment of it...even if Sheryl Crow comes into the picture.

Instant Framing

This was the day we've been waiting for since we started designing a steel frame with Nick from Piano Nobile...we're gonna see the frame in our space for the first time!

I was especially excited to wake up this morning and see Nick pull in with his AWESOME Fuso in our drive way with the frame pieces. Seeing the size of the Fuso, I wished we had bigger pieces to move just so we can see the crane in action, too!!

So remember from our previous post with our Google sketchup of our kitchen with a steel frame?...the frame will act as a load bearing structure between our kitchen and living room so we can open the space up and have an island!

so here are some photos of Dylan & Nick dry fitting the pieces in the space for the first time to see how it all looks and fits....nervous?? I AM!!

Ta-da! Instant framing, done!

It was as simple as lining up the pieces, screw in the bolts and voila!  Totally exciting to see what it actually look like in our space!! I was hopping around like a 5 year old filled with excitement when they were doing all this.

Next on the list....ride the Fuso and get the frame powder coated! Yesssss....

Color Ceramics by Kirstievn

Oh...what subtle beautiful colors...
all handmade by Kirstievn  from the Netherlands.

And I'm really in love with this wall...

 

AmDC Pops up in SF

Wish we're in SF for this!  Kiel from American Design Club is working with  Rand + Statler in curating a pop up shop this coming Saturday, August 27th with bunch of designers we adore.

List of designers includes:
Kiel Mead, Silva/Bradshaw, Emily Rothschild, Fort Standard, Kai Williams + Chen Chen, Annie Lenon + Valerie Gnaedig, Lara Knutson, Jill Peterson, Studioooij, Iacoli & Mcallister, Steph Mantis, Pat Kim, Alexandra Snook, Chuck Routhier, Andie Olive, Mark McGinnis, Grain, R&L Goods, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Michael Cummings, Thomas Im, Marianne van Ooij, Evan Clabots, Seldon Yuan and Annika Jermyn.

If you're in the SF area, go check it out!

Lost In Space

I'm in total awe...

By Esther Stocker

T Time

A more epic time than your typical tea time...

Santigold and Spankrock....having hella of a good time in Alexander Wang's  T collection. Dang.

Woonwinkel Swoon

We're excited when we first read about this new shop in Portland called Woonwinkel (means Home Shop in Dutch) that opened in June.
What's even more exciting is that our Chalk Piggies, Gem Necklaces, Superior Servers, and Mega-Doily rugs of various size are at the store!

It's a beautifully curated shop with things I've only seen from the far and magical place of the Netherlands combined with great independent American designers such as, Studio Gorm, Iacoli & McAllister, Von Tundra, and Chen Chen.

....pretty much a dream store. Perhaps if I make myself small enough I can be a squatter and live in that shop....

L&G and JOIN Friends at NYIGF Aug 13-Aug 18

We can't believe it's already been a WHOLE year since we debut our work at the NYIGF last year...the year went by super fast and we don't really remember what really happened...but all I can say is that this whole experience of having our own studio so far has been more than amazing, and it's been reassuring for us that we can actually make it work! 
...and in finding the need to give ourselves a little pat on our backs, we decided to celebrate a little by getting a cake!
Man...how I love that I can write off things like this as an business expense!

We even used the cake to shoot along with our new items that we'll be bring to the NYIGF this August: New pastel Superior server colors, Vintage Superior cake servers, ceramic Salt & Pepper Pawz, and Terracotta Piggy banks!

So yeah...It's been a crazy year where it felt like so much has happened yet I can barely remember it all.  Does that make sense?....and is that normal?
I think perhaps it's the fact that we're still learning the art of juggling everything and learning how to be our own bosses...and do everything else...to be a designer, product developer, maker, blogger, photographer, sales rep,  accountant, PR, creative director, packer, shipper and dishwasher...
Less assure you that i'm NOT trying to brag....seriously... :P

But all and all we feel...and I'm gonna get a little stupid sappy here...sniff sniff......we feel super lucky and grateful for all the wonderful supports we've been getting from friends, family, press and all of our customers this whole year since we launched our own designs!!  And we feel extra fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group of designers from the Pacific Northwest and to be part of JOIN!

So we're totally psyched for this August NYIGF where 8 of us design studios under JOIN will  be next to other talented peeps from American Design Club and “A+: The Young Designers’ Platform.” We'll all going to join forces to showcase our work outside the entrance to Accent on Design in the lobby area.  

Yes...nothing like partying in the lobby at the Javits Convention Center!! Woot woot!

Check out what everyone gots to bring!

 

New print from  R&L goods.

 

Hex Opener by Iacoli & McAllister 

 

Hung by Grain 

 

Canoe Canvas Pack by Blk Pine Workshop. 

Bows Scarf by PlainMADE

 

2012 Naturalist Almanac by Free Time Industries 

 

SBiR Rings by friutsuper design 

More info on NYIGF: Visit www.nyigf.com

The New York International Gift Fair is located at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 W 34th Street in New York, and will be open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm August 14 - August 17, 2011 and Noon - 6:00 pm August 18, 2011.