Spiegel Kanteen Revisited

Three years ago, I posted about der Spiegel Kanteen in Germany.  Recently they moved to a new building and have a brand new kanteen designed by Ippolito Fleitz Group Identity Architects.  This lunchroom is more restrained than the last but still has tons of character.

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

Most of the action is on the ceiling where they managed to hide all the ugly bits and make it worth looking up.  I love the last three photos.

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

photos via Dezeen - photographer Zooey Braun

Working here would be like being in lunch heaven. The little kitchenette at the place I currently work is small enough to touch both walls at once. Someone once walked in on me while I was holding one cup under the espresso machine making coffee and and filling another cup with water from the water dispenser. I was fairly new at the time so I was a bit embarrassed - and even more when my, "we must never speak of this again", warning went unheeded. I think I have a multitasking problem, it's why I started watching foreign shows. If I don't know the language, I can't do anything else.

Astek Wallcoverings

Instant art wall, anyone?

I really love this wallcovering by Astek.  The have a huge range of wallcoverings and can do anything custom. I actually first saw their work {which is used a lot in TV and film} at the 2010 or 2011 ICFF and I have been waiting for the right project to use them.

The wallpaper above is used to show some of their wallpaper patterns, but would be great for kids artwork.  The drawings can be cut to size and hung in the 'frames' and then changed out when there is something new.  I would have the wall changed from the rustic wood to something a bit more modern though.

Thanks for all your nice comments about my issues with Yahoo {the most evil company in the world, or more appropriately, the least intelligent and least user friendly}.  I haven't gained access to my account yet but I have their phone number and I plan to call every. single. day.  I also have a letter to send to the new C.E.O.  If she can't help the company they might as well close up shop.

Most. Ridiculous. Week. Ever

In the last 7 days {or 14, I can't keep track} I've managed to lose my only credit card, wake up late every single day, and get locked out of my Yahoo email account.  The credit card isn't a big deal and waking up late are annoying but can be dealt with, being locked out of my email that I use for applying for jobs and freelance work correspondence is pretty much the worst thing ever.  Yahoo won't even help me since I can't remember both of my security questions - although I know one and I am able to answer everything else correctly.  I know this is in part because of the security breach last week - which is why I changed my password late at night and thought it was a good idea to not write it down - I'd totally remember it in the morning.

If only I was an ear reader and knew that this position meant "write your password down, fool".

What I can't figure out is why, if someone broke in and stole millions of passwords, that person would be harassing "customer service" {using that term very loosely here} to get into an account.  There are so many easier targets.

Has anyone else had this happen to them or have any ideas?  I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the world still using a Yahoo email address but just in case someone has run into the same thing, I'd love to hear it.  I have work contacts and emails that I now can't get to.

I now am planning on writing a letter and sending it snail mail {oh the irony} to the new C.E.O.  Hopefully she'll straighten things out.  I've never had trouble resetting a password on Google.....

I should be outside instead of inside typing password after password into the computer in hopes that one will work.  Here is what I'm missing.

And Yahoo, in case you Google yourself, please contact me.  Click the phone on the right.  --->

Melin Tregwynt

As the summer goes on, I get more and more tired of the heat and humidity.  I've taken to dreaming of fall and these beautiful wool pieces by 100 year old Welsh company, Melin Tregywnt.  The quality of these was impeccable and I'm in love with that polka dotted pillow and adorable bunny.  They would be perfect in my future Montreal apartment where the winters get to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. 

I realize this could be considered insane but I willingly went outside in -40 degree weather in Quebec City in February one year and then stopped for iced coffee on the way back. I wouldn't want to do it every day but I much prefer it to summer...

Would You Like Some

Iced Hoffee perhaps??  It has been way too hot to be on the computer so I decided not to blog at all.  Thankfully, after all the crazy storms yesterday, we finally have the humidity gone at least.  I've been drinking a lot of iced coffee {though not at the place where David Hasselhoff advertises, I would never get a coffee at a place that is nicknamed Scumbies}.

I actually thought David Hasselhoff was only popular in Germany but maybe he's back?

With my endless intelligence yesterday I decided to walk home from the train about 2 minutes after this microburst went through Arlington.  People were just walking out of their homes when I got there and it apparently happened in about 30 seconds.  This road is fully blocked off - luckily there are only about 4 houses down here.  There were whole trees down everywhere though.  It totally explains why there were people hanging out under the highway overpass.

I hope it cools down for everyone else in the heat wave without the crazy storms!

Anthropologie Window Display - Under the Sea Extended Rockefeller Center Edition

I posted a different, Boston, version of these windows a couple of months ago.  In May, I visited the Rockefeller Center Anthropologie windows and they were a quite different take on the same theme.  According to the sign I found, the windows are trying to bring attention to the disappearance of the ocean's reefs.

{this one is from a Boston area shop}

As I mentioned before, this year stores seem to be using multiple windows for one scene.  This display was no exception {I photoshopped all the people out since they didn't agree to be in the photo but wouldn't move out of the way}.  The ship windows are best viewed from far away before seeing the details.

The windows have cardboard rocks and seaweed {or are they coral?}.  The seaweed/coral is dipped in paint and the barnacles seem to be made in the same fashion as the Boston display - paper wrapped cardboard.

The cute little sea urchins are painted barbeque skewers {or something similar} stuck in styrofoam and painted.  Probably made in the same fashion as their winter displays were.  There is also a bottle cap turtle {and whale tail perhaps?} swimming by.

The other side of the window contains the same elements but also a school of swimming wood shim fish.

I didn't get a photo of these windows together like I did with the ship but this was also a window that used two sections to tell it's story.

More fish.

These giant sandpaper clam shells are great and nearby you can see bubbles made out of light bulbs.

I think these windows are quite nice but I think what would make them even better would be to make these window displays out of found objects.  These items don't look used at all and they change out quite a bit.  If Anthropologie was very serious about saving reefs, I think keeping things out of landfills {and that giant plastic reef in the Pacific} would be a big help.  

Just a thought.

Camilla Meijer

I apologize for being like the weather channel lately {and only talking about things WAY after they actually happened} but at least no one reads my blog to find out if they will get a foot of snow dumped on the ground while they are at work.

As usual, my picture doesn't do these wallpapers and textiles from Camilla Meijer justice.  I am in love with the owl print and the bird print you can kind of see to the left, but my favorite is this pattern. and if you look closely at the book on the floor you can see that I was excitedly flipping though and had found my favorite.  As the last wallpapers I posted on were, these are based on drawings by Camilla. 

I also got a bit of a crash course in British slang during our short conversation and I tried really hard to keep up.  I'm pretty sure I figured it all in the end but I really hope my being slow on the uptake didn't show.

Grow House Grow

I accidentally stopped putting up my ICFF and Kip's Bay images, but there's no time like the present to get back on track.

One thing I noticed at the ICFF was that there were a lot of hand drawn fabrics and wallcoverings.  Grow House Grow was one of these. If I remember the story correctly, they are actually illustrations of stories Kate Deedy's {the artist's} mother used to tell her growing up.

It makes things so much more meaningful than "I drew it because it's pretty" which is not wrong but just doesn't have a compelling story behind it.

Club Monaco Window Display - Hanging Cups

Club Monaco seems to like their tableware. The last display was backwards plates and this time it's hanging cups!  I really like the color blue {almost anywhere is nice} so I also enjoyed the color of these cups.  It's a nice change from the neutral window displays they have had this year.

The birdlike shadows in these images are created by the fake birch trees in this particular mall.

I wonder how many thrift shops they had to visit to find enough!

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone in the States has a great 4th!

I'm pretty excited that the city of Boston has finally done something about all the comment cards I stuffed in the suggestion boxes asking for more glitter in the city.  We got some!!!  Though the glitter panels are hung really high so I'm pretty sure it's to keep people from looking down and realizing how dirty the streets in Downtown Crossing really are.

The 4th of July is a pretty big deal in Boston and this year they brought pirate ships into the harbor.  Officially they are calling them the tall ships but to me, without their sails up, they look like someone will be walking the plank any minute.  If you look at the image below, you can also see the ugliest building in the whole city.  Can you guess which one it is?

Another pirate ship.  This one is trying to look inconspicuous outside the Intercontinental Hotel {I think that's which hotel this is}.

I'll conclude my photo tour of Boston with a condemned building.  There's actually another one on the water to the other side of the pedestrian bridge {right}  that I'm convinced will be the only piece of property in Boston that I can afford.  I was so busy watching the motorcycle cops do donuts in the street and then threaten to run down pedestrians on the sidewalk that I forgot to take a picture.

All joking aside, Boston is a pretty good place to spend the holiday and see the fireworks.  It's even better if you have a porch or a roof deck to see them from and don't have to watch crammed next to 250,000 of your closest friends.  Hope everyone has a great one!

BCBG Window Display - Over the Garden Hedge....

....backwards!

If the humidity keeps up over the next two months the way it has been in June, this is how you will eventually find me. Keeled over with my head in a bucket.  Hopefully I'll be wearing pants that day.

I like that this display by BCBG is both simple and humorous in a small space.  I think that's more difficult to do with mannequins and clothing while remaining creative since it's so easy to just say the space is too small let's just put the mannequins up.  And I'm glad someone has a sense of humor.

Tossed And Found :: Don't Look in the Barn Edition

I was cat sitting for my sister this weekend and found these little end tables calling my name while driving to her house. That was mighty convenient since I keep extra things in her barn, so I sent her a text saying, "don't look in the barn", as if she would find something from a horror film inside. Horror films were the theme of last week, I spent 3 days measuring huge office spaces that were vacant but had empty offices, furniture that hadn't moved yet and creepy noises. I was so glad when it was over.

These tables are also a bit horrific but with some sanding, painting and either new or refinished hardware will be great.  I usually hesitate a lot when painting furniture but there's no doubt these could use paint, and lots of it.

Anyone else find anything good lately?