...wondering what I am talking about?

Today I am sharing with you not one but two great spaces which have got imprinted on my mind ever since I saw them a couple of days ago. The first on, is designer Jivi Sethi's ultra-stylish residence in Assagao in Goa.Jivi Sethi's home which is featured in Vogue Magazine, this month is an eclectic blend of antique objets d'art with contemporary furniture. He has styled his home with loads of glass, mirrors & chandeliers. I love the way he had brought in the old goan charm by using antique chandeliers, old wine bottles & loads of floral arrangements:-)Look at the fusion of antique goan wooden cupboard with contemporary glass & lacquer coffee table designed by him:-)
Flowers everywhere...*sigh* Love the way he floats the 'Parijat' flowers with the orange stalk upwards adding colour & texture to the arrangementAnother thing striking is the use of vibrant colours, his home is filled with art from his friends blending in with his own pieces of heirloom from his family home in Amritsar & Delhi.There is something fun, colourful, vibrant & eclectic in this space which reflects the personality of this very creative & stylish designer.

The long-awaited second issue of Colour: Design & Creativity has finally arrived, and it looks fantastic!A sneak peak:

Helen Amy Murray’s surface reliefs on everything from chairs to headboards to walls are just unbelievably gorgeous. The detail is just as amazing as the overall effect.

http://www.helenamymurray.com

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via otsutree.

http://www.andreyi.net

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in trendy red via kraken.

Softness, affection, innocence, and love...
Hues of carnation, fuchsia, cherry blossom, magenta, lavender rose, puce, amaranth, cerise.
Oh the beauty and bliss of being tickled pink...

House Beautiful
(top) Style at Home
At Home with Color
House Beautiful
Steven Miller
Canadian House & Home
Madeline Stuart
At Home with Color
Drake Design
Mrs. Me Bedtime Stories
House Beautiful

Normal Room
Robin Pellisier
Shootfactory
Tom Scheerer
Ghislaine Viñas
Living Etc
Kelley Interior Design
Continentale in Florence
Jane Churchill
Jan Showers
Ikea
Ghislaine Viñas
Artus Hotel
Jeffrey P Elliott
Manuel Canovas
Boligtorvet
Betsey Johnson
Better Homes and Gardens
Home Cheap Home
Living Etc
Country Homes & Interiors

Steven Miller
House Beautiful
Miles Redd
Shootfactory
Ruthie Sommers & Chapman Radcliff

I just heard from reader Casey, who wrote to give me the heads-up about a fabulous floral artist, David Stark, who created an amazing display for the Macy's Flower Show "Bouquet of the Day".
I'm told that most event designers participating in the event chose traditional interpretations of floral decor. David took it in a different direction with a birch paintbrush and 6-foot tower of red carnations and paint cans.
It's a pretty bold use of color in a space dominated by spring pastels. I want to know how on earth he got the paint brush to "hover" like that. Must be attached with strings to the ceiling, wouldn't you imagine?

Have you ever heard of the Macy's Flower Show? Evidently, it's a pretty big deal, with cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Minneapolis participating. It took place over the last two weeks (Sunday, March 16th – Sunday, March 30th).

Here are some pictures from this year's event:
Such edible colors, I love the bright oranges and yellows paired with the more subdued green.
Pink and green-you just can't go wrong with this pairing. I'm sure it was quite amazing in person.

Today , I share with you works of two amazing artists whose styles are so diverse from each other but have touched my heart in very special ways.Neend Meein
Kalyani Ganapathy is an artist/ illustrator, whose work has a profusion of vibrant colours, patterns and has a traditional Indian folk-art feel to it. ponnuku malli poo asai translated 'A little girl likes jasmine flowers'
thothe baag mein pedh ke neeche
paani bharna
Kalyani has started a new venture called 'Kye' which means hand. Here you will find unique handmade products like cushion covers, bags, dinner plates and trays. Do check it out!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Celia
Priya Sebastian is an awesome artist and illustrator who works mainly in charcoal and pastel.
Whenever I see her work I feel 'black' is the most beautiful colour. Congregation Self-Portrait
The most striking feature in most of her illustrations are the 'eyes' of her characters, they seem to express so many different emotions!Yama
She uses colours also beautifully just to give that extra punch.* Sigh*
Cats
Woman
I am still under the spell of the amazing works by these two extremely talented artists. Hope you enjoyed their work as much as I did showcasing them.:-)

(images of Kalyani's work from Jellicle Cat and Priya's from The Plum Tree)

P.S. A special thanks to Masala Chai, who introduced me to Kalyani's work.

Recently I had the pleasure of working with photographer Kate Mathis again.

I met Kate years ago when i first started as an prop stylist assistant and have enjoyed her company and work ever since. 

Many of you may recognize her work from the Martha Stewart product packaging photography. She shot both the craft line for Michaels to the Macy's collection. 

Kate can take images like the simple paper flowers below to the sublime level.

With a discerning eye for composition and impeccable perspective and lighting, it's always a pleasure to be on set with Kate.

Below are a few shots from our most recent collaboration. (Food styling by Megan Schlow.) You can also look at her online portfolio for inspiration.

A beautiful round table and awkward, out-of-place rectangular placemats?
This is sooo ingenious and sooo what I need... placemats that are a perfect fit for a round table! No more overlapping standard mats, or having corners hang over the edge. These clever Wedge Placements fit a circular outdoor table perfectly and are completely weatherproof... from Solutions

Thanks to Elements of Style for this post about how to live a Hollywood Regency dream by renting from Room Service.

Oh My God! THE LIZA ROOM TAKES THE CAKE! If you missed SF20, you can lament your loss by perusing these fabulous images Leah posted at More Ways to Waste Time.

Oh My God Part II: Oh Patricia Gray, thank you for this. At first I thought it was a Chelsea Lately sketch, but it really is Sarah Palin’s office

Home Rejuvenation’s posts blow my mind all the time. I’m giddy over the The Next Generation House by Sou Fujimoto Architects.

I’m just nuts about Mrs. Blandings. I don’t know how I missed this charming Kansas City-based blogger’s writing for so long.

I don’t know how it took me ten days to find fellow, the new online design magazine from decor fellow blogger James Saavedra. Thanks to Habitually Chic for the tipoff.

Check out the list of the most inspiring design books of all time from O At Home magazine. I’m such a dork; I circled the ones I already have, which added up to ten. I was really excited to see Luis Barragan, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown and J.B. Jackson included on the list, but was disappointed that landscape architecture was not represented more.

Bummer! The Farnsworth House, in spite of the plinth it sits on above the ground, is majorly flooded. To make a donation towards repairs, click here. (via AT: Chicago).

Design Bloggers in Print! The New York Times did a huge feature on design bloggers yesterday, and included some of my favorites, like Jennifer Dwyer from The Peak of Chic. Congratulations! Hey, you know what’s weird? Wordpress has the word “bloggers” underlined right now like it’s not a word. It has Wordpress underlined as well. What’s up with that?

• photo from Room Service via Elements of Style

• photo by Leah Hennen at More Ways to Waste Time

• photo from The Anchorage Daily News (Landov) via The New York Times, via Patricia Gray Interior Design

• photo by (I think) Sou Fujimoto Architects, via Home Rejuvenation

• image from Mrs. Blandings

• image from fellow by James Saavedra

• image from amazon.com

• image from landmarks.org

With a heavy blog heart, we are saying goodbye today.

Bluelines is shutting down, but will remain here as an archive.

We want every reader to know that we have been thrilled to share with you all of the things we've loved,
things we've obsessed over,
and things that have inspired us in every way.

We hope you will stay in touch with us through our own blogs and sites.

Much love and best wishes to all.

A lovely new design from as_art_up. See flicker for more great work.

This is by far one of the most amazing stores I have ever stepped foot in... Fan Tan Gallery located in Victoria's historic Chinatown, just steps away from the famous 5-foot-wide Fan Tan Alley. Bette Patrick and her son Alan are the shopkeepers and maintain a superb home décor store. I don't think I have ever seen a more remarkable merchandise display that changes *weekly* (see a post I did back in February showcasing some fabulous examples).
It is always a treat to stop in for a browse whenever I go for a pitterpatter downtown. And Coal the gorgeous cat is sure to greet you at the door, or at the cash register (sooo darling!).

Yes, it is early. But if you have kids in your life you no doubt are already looking at Halloween costumes. Last week I was in Star Provisions, the stylish 4,000 square foot marketplace located in Atlanta's Howell Mill corridor, and spotted all sorts of skull confections.


What the store has assembled is really an homage to the traditional Mexican festival, Dia de Muertos, or "Day of the Dead." This celebration is historically held on the first two days of November and honors family members with elaborate private altars, sugar skulls, marigolds, and good fare.

Whether you are planning a Halloween party or something related to Dia de Muertos, Star Provisions has molds for these skulls as well as the actual sweets for sale. Prices range from $2.50 to $35.
The Atlanta History Center will host a Day of the Dead program in collaboration with the Instituto de Mexico and the Mexican Consulate, on Sunday, November 2 from noon to 5 p.m. Highlights will include storytelling, authentic Mexican food and music, and altars.

Star Provisions is located at 1198 Howell Mill Road, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. (404) 365-0410. Carolyne Roehm designed the girlie Halloween with silver pumpkins shown at top.

I cannot believe that I have found the image above. That's the vintage clothes rack I saw just last weekend at my "secret" source (see below). It is however a far more beautiful image than my humble snap. We've featured the amazingly talented Australian photographer Derek Swalwell before. I just dropped by his site to see if he had updated his images and he has! And they are gorgeous. He's a man with a truly prodigious talent and an artist's eye.

Nothing spells summer like a gorgeous, flowy dress and a majestic, handsome horse... two of my favourite things!
Together?... well, why not?
I love these stunning designs from the spring/summer collection of Vancouver clothing company DACE
(from top: Lucky, Rocket, Maisie... names of the clothing pieces not horses!)

The Port of Seattle has a re-designed logo, and some great commentary about the design is on Brand New.
The old logo was maroon, and supposed to represent cranes, containers and the port itself.
The new iteration is intended to represent air land and sea. They are also supposed to represent the three parts of sustainability: economic development, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship.

As one commenter astutely mentions, it's your standard "eco-friendly palette" at work again.
Here's a snapshot I took during a presentation explaining environmental certification agencies. I was struck by the incredibly similar color palette they all shared.

The update certainly refreshes the brand, but why such muddy murky colors? Perhaps they were chosen to reflect the grayness of Seattle's rainy weather? What do you think?

From Julie:

It takes nerve to add a modernist red box onto a historic 18th-century cottage. NY-based Messana O’Rorke architects make it work with their Ten Broeck cottage addition; via The Slow Home.

Today these little twins had their first official social engagement: a baptism followed by a special luncheon. This reminded me of my own godmother and the countless presents she's sent me over the years following that first christening gift, which was a porringer.

In the image above, it looks like Ruthie Sommers' daughter Eloise has a porringer in her nursery (Domino, October 2008). These modest shallow dishes with flat handles were originally used centuries ago by adults and children to hold porridge. (Pewter and silver versions were often saved and passed down in families.) In the modern era they continued to be used as practical bowls for babies, and in Vogue's Book of Etiquette from 1969, porringers are mentioned as a useful, enduring, and elegant baby present for godparents to give a godchild.

The idea is that the dishes are easily washable, can be engraved, and can be used throughout one's life to hold jewelry or odds and ends. Tiffany's sells the sleek style also shown above, and the 18th-century piece below is from the Brooklyn Museum.


Sippy cups are far more practical than traditional sterling baby cups, but I still think the silver versions are nice keepsakes that make pretty holders for Q-tips or flowers. Other timeless christening gift suggestions from my old Vogue book include forks and spoons, and combs and brushes. Lasting value is the key, so clothes are not traditional presents in this instance -- although fun for godmothers to give later. Piggy banks and classic picture frames can be more affordable, yet wonderful, options.


Anything that the recipient will hopefully save and use one day on a desk or shelf, or for her own children, is nice. The banks shown at the top of this post and below happen to be from Tiffany's. But consider browsing estate sales and antique shops for other similar items. The vintage and antique silver cups are from Beverly Bremer and start at around $100.


BTW: If you are a goddaughter and wondering what to give your godmother, Vogue 1969 recommended the following. I think they've stood the test of time.


Classic, good-looking stationery (G. Lalo.)
Books with general appeal
White guest towels
"Go-with-anything" home accessories such as a letter opener, simple highball glasses, a clear glass vase or a stamp box.


And finally, while we are vaguely on the subject of nurseries, look at this pretty turtle hardware from Anthropologie. I'm not usually the biggest fan of novelty knobs but these might be perfect on a simple two-door cabinet. Wonder if they could be made into magnets for an inspiration board?