BEST OF: Outdoor Furniture
06/18/2011 § Leave a Comment
So summer is definitely here! It’s time for sitting back, sipping on your favorite ice cold beer and having a good time with friends. It might help to have a comfy outdoor living room or the perfect sun-bathing loungers to aid those relaxing good times. Below are some of my favorite suggestions that will do the job and make your outdoor space feel and look the part:
IN TOWN: Miami Food Truck Frenzy
03/18/2011 § Leave a Comment
So over the past year the West Coast Food Truck Frenzy has made its way into the streets of Miami. Originating from the numerous loncheras that served typical Mexican dishes in Southern California, the food trucks expanded the concept by creating mini gourmet restaurants on wheels that serve very affordable meals at street food prices. The idea exploded and now they can be seen all over town!
Track the Miami Food Trucks on their facebook page to get a taste of the commotion!
Big names in Miami’s Gourmet Truck scene:
Prices: $3 – $5
Not sure if your craving Burgers or Mexican, well not both at the same time! Thats right Miami foodies, you can get Latin Burger Truck’s gourmet fusion of Mexican and American flavors in a big juicy burger.
Latin Burger Truck $3 – 5
Prices: $7 +
Jefe’s Original Fish Taco & Burgers is a mobile food truck serving the Miami-Dade Metropolitan area of south eastern Florida. The signature food items are, the original Ensenada-style Fish Tacos and the All-American Burger.
Jefe’s Original – Fish Tacos & Burgers $7+
3. GASTROPOD
Prices: $3 – $5
Mmm craving some gourmet American favorites. Well gastroPod has them all, like Sloppy Joe’s (Sloppy Jose), Hot Dogs (Dirty Dawgs) and Burgers. Wanna find gastroPod its not hard just look for their bright and shiny Airstream.
Gastropod
Prices: $1 – $6
The mobile menu will include the best old school eats from Sakaya Kitchen and the popular “Dim Ssam Sundays” brunch. Dim Ssäm à gogo will also use natural beef, poultry and pork, organic dairy and support local farmers like Swank.Dim Ssäm à gogo will hit the streets for lunch, dinner & for late night party goers.
Dim ssam a gogo
Along with many others…
What do you say locals?
Which are your favorite trucks?
Favorite item on the menu?
I want some recommendations!
THRIFT STORE FINDS 2
02/23/2011 § Leave a Comment
I’m big on treasure hunts. I’ve been that way since the age of 3 when I first discovered the concept. Two decades later the treasures have changed but the idea remains the same. To me, being the design junkie that I am, the most exhilarating types of finds are cool furniture and accessories at very affordable prices. In this state of mind I recently visited my local thrift store to see what treasures I could dig up.
The following are images of my favorite items from the visit to Out of the Closet on Alton Road:
Coasters with architectural prints of monuments from German town
Small porcelain vessels with metal latch
Classic white porcelain candlesticks
Pair of red modern faux suede chairs
Polished chrome chair: Needs to be re-upholstered but has a great frame!
Bamboo and wicker chair: I would paint this glossy white or black and call it a day!
This could come in handy for Bonnaroo (Nashville is very close to Manchester)!
Hmm I never read Under The Tuscan Sun but just seeing this made me imagine being in Tuscany so it made it on here!
This was a cool little book with nice old school illustrations
DESIGN TREND: ON WALLS
09/21/2010 § 2 Comments
STENCILS + DECALS
So I was shopping at West Elm this weekend and found a great book on DIY stencils. It featured abstract patterns of all sorts that one can easily use to create really graphic prints on walls, furniture, notebooks, whatever! The possibilities got me pretty excited so I wanted to spread the news.
Most recently I’ve also seen DECALS everywhere I turn since they offer another practical and affordable alternative to wall coverings and art. The site DESIGNWITHAZ provides awesome choices from animal themes to writable chalkboard decals! Check out some of their designs below:
World Is Yours chalkboard decal at $155
Poppies at $23
Lips Mirror at $65
Metro Parisien at $28
16 (5" diam) circles at $28
Tree Cliff at $48
Pia! Pia! Pia! at $35
PS: You can also choose from a variety of 24 different colors, several different sizes, and you have the option to reverse the design.
Other online resources for decals:
Dali Decals – for more general graphics
Blik – for more funky and unique designs!
UH… THE “BLUE” ROOM GOES WHITE
08/23/2010 § 1 Comment
The White "Blue" Room
Ok, ok so the entire past week I was going back and forth between paint samples of the Marie Antoinette blues. The night before painting this room I had this VISION.
Given the programmatic needs of the space (ART STUDIO) I had been playing with the idea of white. However, I desperately wanted some color since I’ve been so blinded by minimalism for the past 5 years. In the end though, needs must prevail and aesthetic choices must follow.
F O R M < F U N C T I O N
THRIFT STORE FINDS
08/12/2010 § 1 Comment
Brass Wall Mounted Candle Holder from India – 99 cents
Your local thrift store provides you with the bare bones of great household goods waiting to be re-found and transformed into design gems. What’s the trick? Recognizing the potential behind the items by learning to look at the core of the items instead of their current finished state.
Questions to consider:
1. Is it an interesting design (the form, proportions, size) ?
2. Is it built in a sturdy way?
3. Is it made out of good material (real wood or metal, authentic paintings, etc.)?
White Melamine Dresser with Brass Detail $59.99
Easy changes that could transform the item:
1. Could it be more interesting if you painted it a different color?
2.What if you upholster with different fabric?
3. What if you just polished the metal?
4. What if you changed the hardware or other pieces (for example: lamp shade, handles, frame)?
Dining Chair from Set of 6 Chairs + Table $220
Be creative and play with different techniques. Visit your local Home Depot to explore the materials offered that allow for infinite possibilities of changes you can make.
