Blu Dot : Strut Table




Yesterday was our first full day in SF and I had a couple design stores I wanted to check out. In all they were a little disappointing (they basically had all the same stuff as at home) but I did see this cool, long dining table from Blu Dot. Luckily it's available in white or robin's egg blue because I could never, ever have a hot pink object. It's lacquered steel, which would be great for wiping up spills-- and pet fur. And since we've been discussing doing white lacquered cabinets in a new kitchen it would be a perfect complement.

A bunny:


For the past two weeks I've been longing for Timothy the bunny, who is up for adoption from a cat shelter somewhere in Pennsylvania. He and his brother, Filbert, are about 3 1/2 months old now and I think would fit in well with our menagerie. In fact, Timothy looks quite a lot like Artemis (except for the gigantic ears, of course).
Bri says we don't need any more pets but she's obviously wrong.

Octahedron Vases:



Bri always says I don't need any more vases (OK, I do have a slight addiction to them; read whatever you want into that), but I think she is wrong this time. These Japanese molded stoneware bud vases from Garnet Hill look like origami creations. And they're on sale.

Luigi Bormioli Conica glasses:



I spotted these new Italian handblown geometric glasses in the Australian shelter magazine Inside Out, which isn't quite as good as the British LivingEtc. but is better than most American books. They are 12 1/2 ounces and would be perfect to replace all the Crate & Barrel glasses we've broken over the past few years. A set of 4 is only $15 at Amazon.com. At the price we can afford to continue to break them.

Arte dining table by Desiron:


I've always wanted a long dining table so we could actually have dinner parties with more than one or two guests. This Desiron table is available with a maple top as long as 8 feet. Now all we need is the new apartment that will fit such a thing.

Hanging Pearl lamp from Felt Studio:



This white lamp shade is made from wool felt. Crazy, since it looks more like painted wood. Felt Studio, founded by Canadian artist Kathryn Walter, makes fashions, home goods and practically anything else you can think of from industrial-grade felt. It sounds sort of bizarre but the results look great. The shade is cheap— only $250— and it's super eco-friendly since made mostly from waste material.

A cool deck:


Over the past few days we've been looking to buy a dilapidated Cobble Hill building with friends (as you may know from Bri's mention). The back garden is small and horrific shape (like the rest of the place) but it can be fixed much, much easier than the interiors. I've already decided for everyone that this decking by designer Ethan Ames (see this post) is what we should have. The stainless strips make the typical suburban deck look cleaner and more contemporary.

More Confidence:



Sometimes I look at GMB and wonder how on earth he became so confident. He exudes self-assuredness, so much so that it's a little on this side of pompous. I know that's often the case with teenagers.
Unfortunately, I was never like that at 15— or 30.
I have moments when I know I'm just as talented as everyone else, just as attractive and worthy, but that lasts only moments. Most of the time I surely think people must be thinking how boring I am, or how huge my ass is, or how I am not very ambitious. And I feel like shit. It makes me feel very average, in the very worst sense of the word.
The problem is that I don't really know how to go about gaining confidence. I think that if I become successful enough, then I will gain confidence. Or if only I made more money I would realize that surely I must be a clever guy. But of course I'm smart enough to know that kind of thinking gets you nowhere.
So, what's the secret to becoming a confident person? Does it just come naturally to some and those of us without it are out of luck? Or is there something like a 5-month, 5-step plan to being bold and confident?

Engraved correspondence cards:



Whenever I need to write personal letters I never can find the right type of paper. We have monogrammed cards from our wedding which were designed by a graphic designer friend and are super cool, but aren't exactly appropriate when I'm writing a note that is just from me.
Solution? These thick gray cards from Chelsea Paper. The name can be done in this soothing harbor blue, or a sleek white (or the typical black). Too bad they cost nearly as much as a pair of Gucci loafers— $375 for 100 with envelopes.