bicycle paintings / taliah lempert

Starting Tuesday, I’ll be living in Fort Greene in Brooklyn, before moving overseas to live in Munich for an indefinite amount of time. Bless my boyfriend, who is a benevolent supporter of my independence and suggested that I explore NYC by bike. This may seem like a perfectly sane idea, except for that I selfishly cherish the continuous breath that circulates my body.

Maybe I’m being unreasonably paranoid, but from my experience as a self-righteous pedestrian, my impulsive maneuvering quirks would probably get me killed. I need practice on sympathetic streets, and promise to be less of a pussy in Germany.

For now, I’ll reserve the risk by simply staring at these ghetto gorgeous bicycle paintings by Taliah Lempert. All paintings and prints feature bikes that have been worn in by a constant presence of place.

a tribute to trousers / old town clothing

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Let me get geeky on the appropriate terminology on trousers for a moment. They generally mean “pants” in the UK and in North America, are referred to in the traditional sense, as tailored pants, with belt-loops and a fly-front. Old Town Clothing designs their trousers so that they charter the characteristics of both definitions: clean, classic and yet still casual.

For no other reason than to publish two examples of product design, the Lightweight Denim Orford’s and the Tan Medium Weight Drill’s are trousers that I adore.

What? Models are just hangers of which clothes are hung from. Hangers with fine English buttocks.

nouvelle cabinet / lima de lezando

German-born Lima de Lezando is a multi-disciplinary designer, dabbling in industrial, furniture and graphic design. Lima describes himself as a “creator of emotions”, and his designs reflect that of today’s present world. Within his presence, he observes an integration of modern design and classicism.

Being that he’s only 24, it’s humbling to realize that age is nothing but the result of time of which is not applicable to talent.

With my recent decision to leave Vancouver for not one, but two countries, I have sold off or left behind all of my furniture, décor and electronics. As an advocate of constant change, to be cleansed of your materialistic clutter is nothing short of liberating. I also now have the opportunity to seek objects that resonate with me instinctively, and am grateful to be with Tom, who trusts my taste and shares in my love of design.

These Nouvelle stereo cabinets are a refined reflection of the 50’s, and showcase a style similar to what I’ll be searching for to adorn our flat in Munich.

treasures & pleasures

Located on 2nd Avenue in NY, Treasures & Pleasures specializes in sourcing and selling estate, costume, and fine jewelry, along with vintage watches and purses. You can also find them at the Brooklyn Flea, which is a market that, amongst other things, I fell madly in love with when I was in NYC this last November, (see: apples & americanos).

Hierarchically, it’s clear that I’m crushing on the Koret Black Calfskin Umbrella Handle Purse. I can’t say that I’ve seen one quite like it before, and am immediately visualizing myself walking across a street of grey, broken brick, en route to a café in London. I have a silly and yet sweet imagination. Don’t laugh, though, as I’m rather skilled at constructing my visions into realities.

chris dent / illustrator

Love, American Style

Chris Dent has a talent for visually lifting a city’s skeleton, and then applying a depth of detail in his illustrations to reveal its suggestive soul.

Captivating his love of architecture, metropolitan cityscapes and environments, his precise pen work showcases a style solitary to his own.

Busy, beautiful and refreshing.

alex & chloe / bauhaus rings

Although I’m not drawn to diamonds within a solely classic ring design, I do love when classicism mingles with obscure design elements.

These Bauhaus rings from the ‘Black Diamonds’ Collection by Alex & Chloe, rebel against the standard rock by striking a sombre and yet stunning chord.

The sterling silver is oxidized by hand, producing each piece distinct from the one before it, and revealing a reflection of the incomparable individual and the relationship that it is made to represent.

a sweet swell of time

Our lives dilate daily, stitching stories through time in between. And within it all, we carry on as creatures of compassion, despite how difficult and complex we may often times be.

Our definition of love is subjective, but our desire for it inhabits us collectively. Through our vigilant layers and the harsh hesitancies that can often times hold us back, when love seeks us out, we surrender.

Without love, life lingers in limbo, desperate for a distraction.

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Happy Birthday, Tom. My love always.

logjam house

In conjunction with the current coldness & the charming & yet desolate month of December, it felt appropriate to share an architectural design of a house located at the northeastern end of the Rio Blanco River Basin in Colorado.

This is the Logjam House, designed by Antoine Predock, in association with Jon Anderson Architect. In an anomalous area riddled with ranches & farms, the house was created as a retreat, rooted to the forest surrounding it.

The internal structure bares high ceilings, a glazed catwalk & wooden crisscross beams connecting through walls & resting on concrete columns.

Images courtesy of Antoine Predock Architects

apples & americanos

Photo courtesy of Tracy Collins

All the words ever written about New York weigh heavy in humility against the ones written here, but the way that I saw the city was exclusive to the emotions that evolved within it. They are my own.

It was my first visit by way of an invitation that became intimate through a mind free from expectation & in liberation to explore. I arrived at 6am & driven directly to Brooklyn, to a short & sweet love affair with a loft at 66 Water Street in DUMBO. I had made only one request in that my introduction to the city was genuine in discovery of its hidden gems.

Our first destination was The Standard Grill in the Meatpacking District, where we sat at the raw bar & had a buoyant lunch consisting of beefy oysters & crisp, gin cocktails with lime. I left my seat in search of a bathroom, where I discovered several crates of apples stacked against a cornered wall & took two for our walk over to the Highline. The sun was then beginning to sulk & its reflection against the buildings made for an illuminating transition of metallic colors. As the evening evolved, we agreed on The Vinegar Hill House for dinner, which ignited my curiosity after reading Frank Bruni’s review on it in the New York Times. I was sold – both aesthetically through its online presence & by the agrarian foods of which it promised. The wine list inflicted a slight sense of temptation also. & so we went, but departed without dinner or drinks as it was too crowded, too loud & too long of a wait for us to linger. One to reserve for a repeat rendez-vous in the city. The end destination of the evening was ideal: a split medium-rare burger of blue cheese & caramelized onions at Maggie Brown’s.

Saturday was a subtle day with a sun as warm & sweet as one seen in the first week of October. I was lucky. We grabbed two americano’s from The Coffee Box & jumped on the subway for another slew of stops to Brown Café. We ordered baked eggs with tomatoes, asparagus & manchego, & a quiche with roasted peppers, caramelized leeks & gruyere. A nostalgically charming restaurant with gracious service & a gratifying meal – I could not have asked for better out of my brunch. We broke away from the Lower East Side & uptown towards the MoMA for the Bauhaus exhibit. I could not cultivate any chemistry from the first phase of the exhibit, which bore a manifestation of medieval structures & framed textiles hanging from walls. I was done in finally once arriving at the influence of Mies van der Rohe at Bauhaus. I adore him & admire the direction in which he diverted architecture to at that time.

The remainder of the afternoon was draped over time, consenting to its stillness while we lounged shamelessly in Sheep’s Meadow. Yes, it was as sickly sweet as it sounds & I loved every moment of it. We walked over to The Boathouse in Central Park, which boasts a Bostonian feel with its wooden structure, predominantly leather décor & a football game gleaming tactfully in a corner overhead. We sat at the bar & ordered two gin martinis & a dessert plate of cheese, fruit & crisp bread. Forget about the diluted disappointments that I often get in Vancouver & welcome well-made & aggressive martinis that are forceful to the senses. One was always enough, although we didn’t always stop there.

I fell in love with Blanc & Rouge in Brooklyn, where immediately upon entering, felt betrayed by British Columbia both in terms of cost & selection. Intimate & nonchalant with chill & knowledgeable service. Throughout the four days, we bought a 2007 Guidobono Nebbiolo, a 2007 Poppy Pinot Noir from Monterey County & a 2007 Petit Sirah from the North Coast. All different, delicious & under $20 USD. The loft is also blessed with Jacques Torres, & so we would occasionally select a variety of chocolates to attend to with the wine. Life, she is hard. You have to bury yourself in these moments when you get the chance & bury beautifully I did.

The minimal maintenance of calories from the chocolate cultivated cravings for sushi & sake, which lead us to the Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn. We ordered a wooden box of cold Junmai with hints of pear & a scattered selection of sashimi & rolls. It was ignorant of me to believe that Vancouver probably does sushi best next to Japan.

Sunday morning started with the Farmer’s Market in Brooklyn, where we bought two apples & a black Russian rye with raisins & walnuts. Placed perfectly next door was the Brooklyn Flea, where I decided that I need never to shop anywhere else but there. I think I may have actually started skipping. Grand Central Station & the train to Garrison came thereafter. An hour traveling through New York & for what felt like skimming across the Hudson River in the sunset, we arrived & made dinner of a Warm Salmon Salad Niçoise for Stefan Boublil, his wife, Gina & their two adorable kids, Leelo & Zoel. We sipped on Dolcetto & Nebbiolo whilst discussing the various dimensions of life.

It was cold & cloudy on my last day there, which felt appropriate for the occasion. Back at the loft, lunch was simple & shared with silky slices of San Daniele over Petit Sirah & a following americano. En route to the airport, we stopped to have dinner at Luze, where we sat at the bar & shared a trio ceviche, an entraña & our final gin martini together.

I was surprised to have had all my stereotypes shattered so swiftly. I thank my gracious boyfriend for averting me towards an angle of New York that is both raw & intrinsic in its being. New York City is a beautiful beast.

fifth town artisan cheese factory

Artisan cheese & aesthetic design are not a predictable pairing, but somehow it feels appropriate for a company in practice of classic craftsmanship to blend its standards with that of sustainable architecture.

Located on twenty acres of agricultural land in Ontario, Canada, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Factory has won numerous awards for not only their creation of sheep & goat’s milk cheeses, but also in recognition of its Platinum LEED accreditation under the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design program. They are Canada’s first & only certified LEED dairy factory.

Their cheese collection consists of fresh, washed-rind, soft-ripened, hard & limited edition cheeses. My palate is particularly drawn to their lavender chèvre, maple chèvre, their Isabella & Lemon Fetish, which harnesses a creamy & natural citric zest with a red fife flour on the rind.

A panoptic awareness for not only its product but the environment of which it is made, is a synthesis of principles that will, in my opinion, carry on through time & the changes within it.

Courtesy of Lapointe Architects

Courtesy of Wood Works Ontario