Little bird chandeliers: Mathieu Challieres

I came across these beautiful light fixtures made by French company Mathieu Challieres on the blog Famille Summerbelle. I love these bright little birds in illuminated cages. I'd love one in my study (if I had a study, that is.) And the apples! Wouldn't that be a fun fixture for a kitchen?

Artist John Dilnot

The other day as I was wandering around in a London neighborhood near Bloomsbury, I happened upon a gallery showing works by the artist John Dilnot. He's a British artist, characterized as "urbanist" , who creates books, prints and other works from found objects. I immediately liked his work shown at this gallery- cut paper collages in handmade wooden boxes.








Chris Lethbridge describes his work like this: "John Dilnot’s art is the expression of an intensely urban and industrial society, obsessed by its agrarian past...Memories of past agricultural squalor, hardship and poverty have been suppressed in favour of the classic archetype of England, as pastoral Never Never Land. Through the period of the 20th century imperial and economic decline this sense of a retreat into a fantasy as a panacea for contemporary reality has become ever more pronounced."

Lyndie Dourthe: paper fantasy

Lyndie Dourthe is a French artist who is self-described as passionate about paper. She creates lovely jewelry to be worn as well as objets d'art. Her installations are intricate and naturalistic.

Collecting: antique playing cards

Maybe I've never considered playing cards as a cool decorative element, but I ran across these and the colors and designs seemed interesting. They'd be nice in a frame or reproduced on wallpaper, maybe? I never realized the history behind playing cards, but they have been around since the 14th Century. (photos: ebay, World of Playing Cards, with more than you'll ever need to know about cards)

children's cards from Cuba






Spain, '70's


wildlife playing cards from the '70's

Salvage and such: Brooklyn

Last weekend I found an interesting home/style/antiques shop on that stretch of Atlantic Avenue with all the antiques- it's called Darr. What a cool assortment of odd, discarded, decorative and useful objects. One particular favorite was a work table the owner had made out of a steel base and an old, paint covered and worn wood desktop. It was a bit higher than a normal desk, but looked rugged, and I would have taken it home if I had the space. Sure, Darr carries some of the same industrial/steel/midcentury/salvage things you see repeatedly on Atlantic Ave., but the selection is just different enough from the others to make you want to keep poking around the store. I especially love the glass display cases and giant old jars.