Soft Stuff

Since I've had a kid, our tiny world has suddenly become a treacherous place. Whereas I used to see only beauty in my 60s walnut Lane end tables, now I see very sharp corners for baby's head to fall on. Brian, my super awesome golden deer, has needle like hooves destined to impale him in the chest. And of course my tall vintage lamps look ready to rain down sharp shards of glass knives into little Ike's eyeballs. Not that I worry much. Or watch horror movies. Still, I've had way too much time to think about this, so I've decided what I should do is cover everything in padding. Everything.

Yeah, like that. Jurgen Bey is my new hero, because did I mention that I have a spiky snake plant that is sure to spear my precious dude? Obviously I should cover it in soft felt, right?

I also have this killer ornate gold headboard. As in literally killer. Maybe I should replace it with this witty stuffed gold fabric rendition by Alessandra Baldereschi. I plan to lose the cacti, though.

Baldereschi also has dinner time covered with this quilted placemat. Do you think it would be possible to eat with fabric cutlery, as well? To hell with sanitary conditions.

Hopefully he will never be tall enough to reach a doorknob (I plan on raising an elf, and it might happen, because I am not a tall person. And I have pointy ears), but if he ever does get that big, I'm padding my doors, post haste. On the left is a groovy vinyl door via flickr user sgrah, and on the right, a door at the Kenmore Arms.

Kiki van Eijk obviously has small children -- or perhaps even some cats she reallly cares about -- because the lady covers everything in a layer of softness. To wit, check out this rad padded chest of drawers.

She gets major bonus points for making it in black and gold.

This padded dressing table will surely keep baby safe while Mommie Dearest applies her lipstick. Don't worry -- there will only be padded hangers allowed. NO WIRE HANGERS!

Look, Kiki is so concerned with our safety that she ever makes a "soft" teapot. Sadly, it's actually made of ceramic and the softness is but an illusion, designed to induce false feelings of comfort. Damn you, Kiki, I thought you had my back!

Just kidding, Kiki. I know it's a tough job protecting the soft, fleshy parts of of tiny, vulnerable humans. That's why I think I just need to go full throttle, comme ca:

I already feel like I'm living in a mental institution anyway, so this padded cell room I blogged about here might just be the best solution to the problem. Obviously I would have to lock the door to the bathroom, since water and hard floors spell Danger. But Ike's already in diapers and I'm sure he would never know the difference if we kept him in them a little longer, right? I figure that maybe by the time he turns 18 he'll be able to leave the cell room and venture out into the world.

As long as he's wearing his bubble.

catalogue collage

Hello fellow Design Crisis followers, it's Melody of me melodia. I am so pleased to be doing a tiny guest spot here. You design savvy, forward thinking hussies are fantastic. I kinda racked my brain on what to focus on while I stood on this design crisis soap box. I scoured through my unattended magazines and furniture catalogs for some kind of inspiration. Then I came to the realization that I have way too many unread wallpaper, simpleliving, believer, good and martha's lying around. Keeping up with the goin'ons is not easy. Currently our office and my night stand have piles of dogeared magazines.

Books Stacked (Pottery Barn Spring 2006). Collage on paper, gouache, graphite.

Then voilà I came across the work of Leslie Mutchler and her cleaver catalog collages . When I spotted these I immediately had an I should have thought of that moment. What a great way to make creative use of those read and used catalogs we all have lying around.  

 

 

Untitled (Brown Drawers). 2005. Collage on paper.  

White Storage (Pottery Barn Spring 2006)

Baskets (Pottery Barn Spring 2006).

Black Storage (Pottery Barn Spring 2006).

White Storage (West Elm Spring 2006). Collage on paper, color pencil.

Black Storage (West Elm Spring 2006). Collage on paper, color pencil, graphite.

Brown Storage (Crate & Barrel Spring 2006). Collage on paper, color pencil.

Do you have cute makeshift magazine tables? Or are you like me and bordering the brink of being a hoarder?

Best Of A Bird Bunch

Hello Crisis-devotees, I'm Nath of le petit oiseau fame and my collection and obsession with birds is pretty much what got me into blogging, see here and, oh here. So, fittingly, I'd like to show you lots of beautiful birds. How does that sound? Right-ho, then here we go... We've established I like birds and so it seems I'm not alone, birds are all over the interweb like, erm, bird flu.

Owls - the bird du jour, or is the owl a bit over? Not for me, I love 'em. George Nelson designed this owl Zoo Timer clock in the 1950s, inspired by a night of doodling with Noguchi, you know, as you do.

Ostensibly for children, but I say why should they get all the fun? One of these would add a quirky graphic touch to any room.

Or how about one of these owl money boxes by Carlton Ware, designed in the 1960s.

Isn't he super-groovy? I can't think of a more deserving place for all my small change. Three in a row would be so dandy (and expensive)! And, I'd sure like to get my hands on one of these owl mugs, by John Clappison for Hornsea in the early seventies. Try H is For Home or ebay if you'd like to sip your morning herbal out of an owlish mug.

Looking around I came across this place, they sell 'fused light with a naturalist curiosity'. This owl nightlight would make a sweet and soft addition to any child's room or nursery.

For your walls, why not try Able, a design and branding firm outside Philadelphia who also design these handsome posters - here's Edmund - A Passionate Owl.

Perhaps you'd like your owls a touch more realistic, but still with vintage credentials? Look no further than this incredible resource. Ladybird book were a staple of my childhood, they covered a wide variety of topics from hobbies and crafts to travel and represent a social history of Britain in the 50s and 60s and now you can buy these beautiful illustrations as prints of all sizes.

The barn owl here is taken from A Second Book of British Birds, published in 1954. Is it possible to do a post on birds and not mention the mighty Charley Harper? It seems criminal not to. His work has received a lot of recent attention, but it doesn't diminish the power of his work for me. In a style he called "minimal realism", he captured the essence of his subjects with as few as possible elements. And boy, did he.

Birch Bark and Birds - Nuthatches - print available here

We were given this reissued 1974 classic book for Christmas and love it as I do, it's all I can do to resist tearing all the pages out to stick up all over my walls. (I never would actually do this, it would be totally sacrilegious wouldn't it?)

Speaking of walls, wallpaper can be a good way to add an avian accent to a room. We have this in our bedroom.

Weirdly, I didn't realise that they were peacock feathers at the time of purchase. I know, wtf? But, it's okay, I do now.

I like this paper too, it's Daydream by Julia Rothman, it's been doing the rounds in blue, but I rather like the muted softness of the pinkish grey.

This would work well in a bedroom, transforming it into more of a dark and sultry boudoir.. Available here for a very reasonable price.

So, did you enjoy that little fly-by posting? If you're hungry for more, why not follow my blog or check out my shop? Until the next post, then, I'll leave you with a little best-of compilation of some other birdy treasures around my home.

Thanks to Erin and Karly for having me over - it's been a lotta fun!