Posted by Bluelines

It comes as no surprise to us that our talented blogger Scott Horne would have an equally creative and gifted sibling.

Ken Horne, brother to Scott, studied drawing, painting, and photography in Los Angeles, London, Burlington, and Denver, where he now maintains a studio.

Because his day job as a child welfare social worker often brings him face-to-face with dark scenarios, Ken infuses his art with light and color.

The artist is inspired by nature, society, and modern design. Ken constantly explores and experiments with line, form, balance, and color.

But, enough from us. Let his stunning work tell the story.

What's your favorite?

{ok, a bit wild, but definitely will be an eye-catching and noteworthy piece on the patio or sun porch ~ the yoda sectional sofa from janus et cie}

{seascape woven bamboo pendant found at velocity is simple, soft & entirely lovely ~ it almost has a mid-century modern feel to it}

{this elegant venetian bamboo leg table from wisteria is both chic and refined}

{yum! bamboo bowls & spoons from viva terra}

{sleek and modern, the jimbaran coffee table oval by sueno studio}

{hearty and beautiful bamboo vessel sink at stone forest}

{bamboo stick screen from bamboo54 is perfect for that tommy bahama look}

{bamboo fiber textiles by donghia ~ just one of many examples using bamboo fibers to create functional fabrics for upholstery, drapes and decor}

{contemporary style with island whimsy ~ eric brand's bamboo credenza through thomas lavin}

{solid bamboo chest at ecodesignz is a great beauty for form and function}

{the ornate black throne chair by dan marty design would bring regal and sleek styling to any room}

{the bamboo-inspired meurice chandelier by jonathan adler, actually made of nickel. mr.adler has several more pieces in this line ~ all of them equally as fabulous}

Quazen is a user powered website dedicated to providing you with the highest quality general oriented content on the web. Our community of writers strives to deliver the most coherent and up-to-date articles on a variety of general topics including Recreation, Kids and Teens, Arts, Shopping and more.

I recieved an email the other day bearing some of the best news I've heard in weeks.

One of my favorite culinary TV series, "Two Fat Ladies," is finally coming to DVD!

For anyone who doesn't remember this fantastic British show (which aired back when Giada's decollete was just a glimmer in some TV executive's eye), there's still reason to check it out.

Don't expect healthy twists or 30-minute meals here. Instead, prepare to ride off with Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright (by motorcycle and sidecar, naturalement) around Britain (and beyond) to prepare seriously hearty meals.

How about joining a hunting party in Scotland for a menu that includes roast grouse and venison with blackberries (episode 5)? Or perhaps you'd enjoy making lobster for a sisterhood of Benedictine nuns in Ireland (episode 14). Soused herrings, Welsh rarebit souffle, onion soup with Stilton, fruit tartlets...the list goes on.

These aren't all recipes that you'd likely rush out and make, but that's not really the point. The settings are verdant and the ladies are undeniably charming, entertaining, and passionate about food.

Even though the show itself is dated, it's novel and refreshing to see them, polar opposites of the squeaky-clean, book-deal-sniffing personae of today's food TV stars, preparing honest food without pretension.

Welsh Rarebit Souffle
Ingredients:
    2 large slices of good-quality white bread
    1/2 pound of high-quality, aged cheddar cheese
    3 egg yolks
    4 egg whites
    1 level teaspoon dry English mustard
    1 vigorous shake of Worcestershire sauce
    1 vigorous shake of Tabasco sauce
    Salt and Pepper

Grate the cheese and place in a bowl. Beat in the egg yolks, a level teaspoon of mustard, a good shake each of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toast the bread; whip the egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks. Add a spoonful or so of the beaten egg whites into tothe cheese mixture then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the bowl. Put the toasts into an ovenproof dish and pour the mixture over them. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until browned and risen. Serve at once with a salad or spinach on the side.

Recipe reprinted from the Two Fat Ladies DVD box set, Acorn Media, 2008.

We usually don’t do “ripped from the headlines” types of posts here, but it’s hard to not think about how this week’s economic news is affecting the value of our homes. Personally, I have been dreaming about moving into a larger space to accommodate our growing (and recently crawling!) family. But that would mean putting our one-bedroom place on the market. Suddenly an idea that was simmering in our heads for a springtime “perhaps” has become a “better sooner than later” boil. Are you having similar debates in your home? Or are you thinking of hunkering down and doing a little remodeling? I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we probably need to make a decision in the next few weeks to either stay the course or act fast. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and perhaps enjoy a little company during the crisis. Please share! — Angela M.

From Sarah:

We approach the coffee table category with trepidation: passions run high when it comes to the “drinks table.” We’ve narrowed this post to simple wood coffee tables, midcentury classics mixed with a few contemporary interpretations.

Below: Ligna Coffee Table from Belgium with solid oak top and stainless-steel frame; $2,150 from Lekker Home.

Below: The classic and unassailable Eames Molded Plywood Coffee Table. $799 from DWR; available in ash, ebony, natural cherry, or walnut.

Below: We love the Terence Conran–designed Roller Coffee Table with solid oak top and rubber wheels; $2,250 at Conran.

Below: Solid maple Nelson Bench from Room & Board; available in three lengths, starting at $699 for the 48-inch size.

Below: The Cubic Coffee Table Rectangle of oak veneer with a steel base is $750 at Design Within Reach.

Below: Hans Wegner ch008 Low Table available in ash, oak, or walnut and in several sizes; prices start at $1,640 at Hive Modern.

Below: The Stockholm Coffee Table features a sleek mid-century profile; $199 at Ikea.

Below: The Tiago Coffee Table from Crate and Barrel. Bamboo top with black steel frame for $299.

Below: The soigné Atlantico 010 Coffee table by De La Espada is $1,095 at Bluehouse.

Below: Perfection does exist in this life: in the form of the CT01 Basso coffee table from German-based e15, one of our favorite furniture purveyors. Cut through the red tape and contact our friends at 14Feet for ordering and shipping information.

it’s our third week focusing on australia and our latest regional roundup focuses on brisbane, australia’s third most populous city. today’s line up stars tiel seivl-keevers {tsk-tsk}, mel robson, jason grant {inkahoots}, tiffany shafran, and alex tebb. we’ll be back tomorrow with our final australian roundup so be sure to check back, but in the meantime, click here to check out today’s designers (there are many more below the fold). [thanks again to all the fabulous designers! all the roundups can be found here.] -anne

[aussie porcelain above by mel robson. check out her feature below]

Tsk-tsk

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I’m from Australia. I have lived in many different cities here, but I’m currently living in Brisbane, Queensland.

2. Describe your work
Most of my work is illustrative. I create original artworks or limited edition prints for children and grown ups. I’m exploring a range of themes including matryoshka dolls, birds, flora and fauna.
My works are mostly small in scale so I can finish them!

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
I live in a warmer climate so the outdoor lifestyle does influence my work. I pay attention to the wildlife around me, particularly the birds and I enjoy the colours of where I live. Brisbane is a very light and sunny place.  I’m very close to the ocean and some of Australia’s best beaches, but it is the trees and hills that I feel closest to. I often pick up leaves and pods on walks and take them home to study.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
Melbourne. It is home away from home for me. I lived there on several occasions and it is so full of life. Art, craft, design, good food. But locally I enjoy being in a park near the river, or going to a few suburbs here that have hidden shopping treasures. Also the gallery of modern art has a continual range of exhibitions and displays catered for all ages. It is such an amazing space.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene?
I think here we are influenced so much by so many different cultures and countries. We then somehow take bits of pieces from that, combine them with our surroundings and it becomes quite unique to anything else. There are so many good Australian designers who have emerged over the last 10 years and I really get a sense that a lot more quality design is about to bloom..

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go?
Today, somewhere a little warmer like Fiji! But I really am keen to go to Japan. The history, design and food really interests me.

Check out more of Tiel’s work here and her blog here.

Mel Robson

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a little town called Murwillumbah (which means place of many possums!!), but I now live in Brisbane (right in the middle of the east coast of Australia) and have been based here on and off for the last 15 years or so.

2. Describe your work
I make objects from porcelain. I design and hand make ranges of functional and decorative objects for the home, as well as limited edition and one-off exhibition works. I use a lot of text and imagery on my pieces which I draw from a whole array of sources - old letters, wallpaper, photographs, maps, recipes, sewing patterns, excerpts from old books and magazines etc. I take lots of old things and work them in to new ones.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
I’m probably influenced more by the built environment rather than the natural environment - the architecture, the buildings and houses. Brisbane has grown a lot in the last decade and is a real mish mash of old and new. This doesn’t always work so well but there are little pockets where the old and the new sit comfortably, even beautifully, together.  I like this. Its something I try to achieve in my own work – weaving together the past and the present, integrating them.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
I find that I get most of my best ideas while I’m walking. I like to go hiking, so our national parks are pretty inspiring for me. There is nothing like wandering along deserted trails for clearing the mind and making space for new ideas. At the moment though I walk mostly around my local area, which is an old area of Brisbane filled with charming houses and shops full of character (and characters)!

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene?
I think Australian designers have a good sense of humour and often approach design with a sense of playfulness and wit. We are good at sarcasm and laughing at ourselves and I think this is often reflected in the work of our artists, craftspeople and designers.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go?
Hmmmmm…..where wouldn’t I go?! I’d like to spend more time in Europe, particularly the Scandinavian countries.

More of Mel’s work here, and her website (under construction) here.

Inkahoots

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I was born in New Zealand and now live in sunny Brisbane, Australia.

2. Describe your work
I’m part of design group Inkahoots that includes Robyn McDonald, Ben Mangan, Joel Booy and Kate Booy. Rather than privilege market agendas of commodification, the studio promotes visual communication as an important tool of cultural critique and transformation. The work is visually adventurous with a strong typographic focus, and aims to be daring and searching, not for the sake of newness, but to give expression to a changing society.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
For a long time Brisbane was a politically oppressive and culturally conservative place you needed to escape. So it bred a resilient underground oppositional culture that continues to influence the city. The rainforests, bush, and beaches around Brisbane are incredible. And the scale and pace of the city makes it both a great place for work and play, and for playful work.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
I’m not so comfortable with the idea of chasing inspiration.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene?
If it were a super hero it would be one of those characters with random control over their super-human powers.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go?
Satori.

Click here for more by Inkahoots.

If you've got time to spare and want to hear me babble (on and on) about how I got started with my business(es) and what I've been doing over the past 9 years, I recently did a podcast with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of CraftSanity. I have to say that I actually enjoyed doing this podcast because it felt more like a conversation with friend than a press interview.

I also did a podcast several months ago with Chronicle Books. I was kinda nervous when I did that interview. Okay, why couldn't I remember what I covered in my book?! Seriously. There were some definite deer-in-the-headlights, crickets-a-chirping moments during that interview. Thank goodness it wasn't live. Thank goodness is wasn't filmed. And thank goodness for the magic of editing so that I seem like a competent book author. Um, really, I am!

I'm still getting used to doing these broadcast interviews and I tend to get all self-critical when I listen to myself speak, so I haven't actually listened to either podcast yet. But trust me, you should--you'll either walk away with some quasi-interesting information about me or maybe even some laughs at my expense. Either way, it's good times.