My dear friend Janette always has the best baby tips (she’s even launched a baby essential e-course for design-conscious parents!). And even though I’ve passed the registry phase (my updated picks here!), she just shared with me the most genius tip for feeding your baby in style…
Sure, an important role of many designers is to keep their finger on the pulse of their respective industry. To research and trend-spot and forecast, noting which fabrics, colors and silhouettes are rising to the foreground – and alternatively – which might be fading quickly before next season’s threads hit the mass market. But what
There’s no shortage of designers inspired by nature (take a peek at these Ted talks for a few goodies). And I totally get it. There’s just something beautiful about organic processes – the growth and decay and change that surrounds our daily lives. The scent of hot, wet pavement after a summer storm. The first hint of a spring breeze as the winter thaws the ground below. And, for Jungeun Lee of Studio Koya’s latest collection titled Nuue, the silkworm’s diligence in creating a unique, one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
As a mother of three, leading Australian stylist Megan Morton couldn’t find inspired options to occupy her own children’s small, curious and creative minds. Sure, she was used to coordinating photo shoots and sourcing props and trouble-shooting endless last minute snafus. But when it came time to wrangle her littles in an engaging, art-inspired fashion,
The concept of heirloom toys has always seemed kind of impossible, you know? Could a single toy actually survive the chewing of babies, throwing of toddlers, forgetting of children? And with the quick sifting of trends and color schemes and “of-the-moment” patterns, how could you ensure a timeless, classic design?
Fredericks & Mae can. And has.
A few days ago, I was perusing the work of Karen Barbe (an amazing textile designer / photographer based in Chile) and came across the sweetest story that paints a perfect portrait of growth, innocence and the art of discovering talents anew:
In the morning, you smell of Strawberry Puffs and possibility. We nurse and cuddle (a bit) before your brain tells you that, hey I’m a baby, it’s time to move up and move out. And you do. You are so close to walking that I’m googling weird things like, “What happens when baby walks?” and “What did I forget to babyproof?” and “How to slow time?”
A few weeks ago, former Associate Editor of British ELLE Decoration and Top Design judge Amanda Talbot sent me a heartfelt note with a link to her new book, Rethink: The Way You Live. She thought it might resonate with me, as I’ve slowly morphed into this odd, thinky design blog where I’m asking a lot of questions, searching for answers and trying to figure out how design applies to my life now. I don’t know if I’ve properly put this into words here, but I’m in this weird space where I see so much value in design, but am also seeing a lot of the cost. Consumerism, materialism, keeping-up-with-the-Jones-ism. I mean, these concepts have been around for years, yes. But for some reason, I’m feeling the weight of it in a bigger way. Something in my heart is stirring…