gorgeous sensuality of niche modern

Jeremy Pyles of Niche Modern says: “Do what you love and the rest will follow…” This stunning line of glass pendants came into being in 2003, when Jeremy and his wife and business partner Mary Welch needed to fill the storefront window of their furniture shop with pendant lamps.

Not finding any lighting that struck a chord, Jeremy set out on a quest from Soho to Chinatown, gathering parts to create their own fixtures. Serendipitously running into a glassblower on the street, and doing a quick sketch right there and then, the very first pendant was created. Happy accidents are the best.

gleena in The Wall Street Journal

A great article on handmade tableware by Shax Riegler was published in The Wall Street Journal this past weekend. A gleena swirl plate was featured, which is oh so exciting. I am in great company with many of my inspirations: Edith Heath, Frances Palmer, and Michele Michael. I love what Lisa Neimeth, a featured ceramist, had to say about handmade plates: “it’s sturdy enough to use every day, it’s meaningful and it could become a family heirloom someday.” Indeed!

Shax Riegler has a wonderful book coming out on September 23rd, Dish: 813 Colorful, Wonderful Dinner Plates. It looks beautifully designed in previews, and I can’t wait to get my copy.

8.27.2011

Gourd bowls set for a couple married on August 27, 2011. This simple and elegant type treatment was suggested by the client.

don’t say goodbye to summer yet:

Photos from NY Times, submitted by readers

I love it when The NY Times collects recipes from their readers and posts the photographs in a huge grid. Something very satisfying about that. Since I am still in summer mode, these recipes are just what I needed to chase away the approach of cold weather blues. Roasted Sweet Pepper Soup anyone? Or how about this super easy Bread And Butter Pickles recipe? Yum.

the simple elegance of michael flemming's work and home

This morning I read an article in the NY Times about the home and work of Michael Flemming, a sculptor and furniture maker living in Maine. Mr. Flemming and his partner, Jennifer Wurst, live simply in a small rental house which they have lovingly painted and decorated to suit their minimal taste. Most of the artwork and furniture were made by Mr. Flemming from found driftwood, aged to the perfect silvery-sheen, a color echoed throughout their house. The rest of the furnishings have been salvaged from the dump. With Ms. Wurst’s eye for stylish gray-white simplicity, the resulting spaces are cozy, fresh, crisp, and beautiful.