Thursday, February 17, 2011

design lust: the new alexander wang flagship store

a good friend of mine was lucky enough to attend the opening of the new alexander wang flagship store here in NYC. designed by robin kramer and her team at kramer design group, the store is clean, luscious, luxurious, and welcoming, all at the same time.




all photos courtesy of alexander wang.

yes, that is a fur hammock you see! and according to an article in the wall street journal, alexander wang wants guests to be able to sit on it! (can i lay on it? just once?) mr. wang's goal was to have a space that welcomed customers to feel at home – a very nice home – from its leather couch to its fully-carpeted dressing rooms.

i once visited a friend's home in carrara, italy, the home of michelangelo's marble. his home was covered in marble, from the driveway to the bathrooms and everywhere in between. but there was also comfortable furniture, art covering the walls from artists of all different levels, and the familiar sounds of family. so the marble no longer felt cold or overly decadent, it just felt part of the space. that's how alexander wang's store feels to me. sure, it's opulent, but you can still touch.

hats off to alexander wang and the staff at kramer design group for their vision. now i'm off to pretend that my armchair is a fur-covered hammock. ahhhhh...


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

what's inspiring me tonight

hello all! it's me! in the wee hours of the morning! working! as usual!

i've had a bit of coffee...

i realized just a bit ago that i never post to my blog anymore. because i've run out of time my dears... out of time to research new posts. oh sure, the sporadic, "look what i just did!" post is up, but no more than that.

well, i'm going to try and remedy this situation. yep. since i'm up all night doing research often times anyway, i might as well post up my inspiration!

tonight's post comes from the invitation set i'm doing for my brother-in-law and his fiancée for their SECOND wedding in san francisco. yep, that's right, these lucky ducks get two. the first is in dallas in a few short weeks. but the second and much larger party is in SF, and that one of course needs invites as well.

the theme? central park meets SF meets street food. should be fun. =)

central park trees. by Roopa, via centralpark.com

central park cherry blossoms. by SES, via centralpark.com

love the light in this central park photo. © joel sternfeld, all rights reserved. via the punctum.

central park skyline. © marnie hall, all rights reserved. via biking-in-manhattan.

the painted ladies of san francisco. © JR Ona, all rights reserved. via city-data.com.

the view of the SF skyline from the golden gate bridge. via green car reports.

i just love the color palette of this painting of a SF tree. artwork © tim daniels, all rights reserved. via abbozzo gallery.

the couple is getting married at the westin st. francis. this photo via oyster.com.

lobby of the westin. i love "the clock", as it is apparently called! via buyoutsidethebox.com.

part of the ballroom space. © wendy maclaunn richardson, all rights reserved. via the westin st. francis.

this is part of off the grid in SF. via local savory.