My Mind is Officially Blown

It's official.  I can completely and totally stop perusing the internet for any more art or design.  It's all over.  My mind has been blown and there's no topping it or going back.

Are you sitting down?  Seriously.  Get ready for me to tell you what's happening here:

So, here's the deal:  Cuban photographer Abelardo Morell creates these images ON WALLS via a little process you may have heard of called camera obscura.  Ok ok, backing up:  Morell blacks out the windows of rooms then cuts a small hole in the fabric he's used to shut out all the light.  That pinhole is used to expose the window's view onto the opposing wall.  He then takes a picture of the projection using a large format camera.  The film often takes up to 10 hours to expose.  Yeah.  It's bananas.  I don't even know if people say that anymore but I feel it's appropriate here.

Ok.  So I might maybe not shut down the blog tomorrow, but it's going to be a long long time before I stumble upon something this mind-blowingly good again.

UM, PS. How amazing are the views from each of those rooms, by the way?

Hot Stuff

My new summertime mantra is: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Sure, it's a little cartoonish, but were there ever finer philosophers than Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny? Those homies knew how to cut to the meat of the matter. At any rate, the heat may be abating a bit, and there's even rain in the forecast. Things are looking up, so much so that I can finally look at colors other than icy white or soothing lavender without spontaneously combusting. So here's my ode to hot orangey red -- tempered with a lot of crisp white. Because I still can't stand to look at a solid red wall. Things aren't looking that far up.

Did you catch that Fornasetti double feature? And I'm finally coming around on the magic of flowers to totally transform a room. Also, I need a snow leopard bench. Stat.

Last but not least, this is what my backyard redesign shall look like. In addition to fabulous topiaries, becurtained verandas and killer sculptures, I am hatching a plot to air condition the outdoors.

For more hot red fabulousness, read this post at A Dreamer's Den.

It's officially summertime, gang -- so I am over and out. I'm pretty sure a pool somewhere is calling my name.

[AD Russia, Hallie Buton, Keri Russell via Elle Decs, Roger Davies, Mali Azima]

For All You Lavender Lovers Out There

I'm just not a pink and purple kind of girl, (although my rather extensive childhood collection of My Little Ponies may provide evidence to the contrary), but I have to admit that lavender is occasionally stunning.

Also, I love the lighted panel insets on the stairway. Also also, I think I really like Fornasetti, especially after seeing this rug in person at ABC Carpet (it's incredible!). But mostly also, I like the cooling effect of white with lavender. Because, while I usually favor neutrals and warm tones, just looking at red makes me sweat right now. It's so hot I don't even want to turn on the lights in the house, for fear of raising the ambient temperature to HOLY SHIT.

What I meant to say was: Have a fantastic weekend, ya'll!!!

[AD Russia]