Hey May! Hope all of you have been enjoying your Spring so far! Currently in Southern California, we’ve been experiencing a lot of “May Gray”, (which is similar to “June Gloom“) but before you know it, it will be back to the normal sunny skies and the return of summer! In the meantime, here are a few amazing things for May:
Bright Bazaar : Dream Decor Book
It’s been two years since Will Taylor‘s first book, Bright Bazaar: Embracing Color for Make-You-Smile Style, and I’m excited to say he’s back with his second book, Dream Decor: Styling a Cool Creative and Comfortable Home, Wherever You Live! This time around, Will focuses on finding inspiration from all over the world and translating that into practical ideas. I’m sure we’ve all dreamed of living in, say, a charming apartment in Paris, or a sunny home in the Hollywood hills of Southern California. Well, even if you can’t physically move there, you can still make your home feel like one of these fabulous locales by taking some ideas and visual cues that Will shares in the book.
There’s examples of “Country Casual”, “Coastal Retreat”, “Brooklyn Industrial”, and even “Scandi Comfort” and more! Whatever your style is, you’ll definitely find some great tips to transform your home. With many people making moves during the summer, this is the perfect housewarming gift or graduation gift to anyone moving into a new space! Will’s book is out NOW! Get it here.
(additional photos by Andrew Boyd, courtesy of Jacqui Small LLP publisher)
High Rise – the movie
Speaking of inspiration sources, there’s a new movie out called High Rise by cult British director, Ben Wheatley, that is a pure visual treat. The story itself is kind of crazy and insane. It’s based on the novel of the same name by J.G. Ballard. Here’s the synopsis:
“HIGH-RISE stars Tom Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Sienna Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Luke Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife Helen (Elisabeth Moss); and Mr. Royal (Jeremy Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building. Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war.”
The book was written in the 70’s and what’s so great is rather than updating the story to present day, the film is set in the same time as the book, so we are treated to all the 70’s rad modern style. The building itself is a brutalist dream and all the sets are gorgeous. Here are some still shots of the sets:
Again, this film gets pretty insane and crazier as the film progresses. I found it very much a dark comedy, and it kind of reminded me of the surreal type of films of Peter Greenaway and Terry Gilliam. Below is the trailer. Check it out!
Charley Harper for Land of Nod
The kids get allll the good stuff!! Iconic illustrator, Charley Harper, now has an adorable new collection with Land of Nod. So. Good.
I think my favorite piece is the zebra rug:
Check out the whole collection here.
And for those unfamiliar, here’s a wonderful video with Todd Oldham visiting Charley Harper’s home back in 2005.
Finally, here’s the latest video “Turning” by Frankmusik. I’ve been a longtime fan of his music, and I love this simple video concept of him just skateboarding around in the early morning hours of a little town. I found it really soothing…