Great quote on swiss miss via the always thoughtful designer Frank Chimero. (who has an amazing new splash page - very kinetic!)

5 year old analyzes logos

Cincinnati, Ohio-based identity designer Adam Ladd asked his 5-year-old daughter her impressions on some popular logos. Watch it here.
Unbearably cute (and perceptive!) and for some reason made me cry. :-)

Photos from Xmas in Chicago

Off we go.
I love Porter Airline's branding which was created by former Wallpaper editor Tyler Brulé and his firm WINKREATIVE. Who knew you could make a raccoon look sophisticated?

The exterior of our hotel: The James. I loved their graphic + interior design as well!
(Ofcourse that's why I picked it!!)
Look at that great sideways sign. :-) Very welcoming.

Gorgeous lobby. :-)

Bedroom.
(my bed at home feels very small now....)

Loved this cozy reading /dining nook + this unique liquor cabinet based on an old steamer trunk.

Chicago skyline!

The famous Marina City also known as the corn cob buildings. :-)
Designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg.


First dinner = Chicago Deep dish pizza. Boy was it deep...

The "Chicago Picasso" in Daley plaza.

Chicago is jam packed with incredible public art. This is due to the fact that the city passed a law stipulating that 1.33% of the cost of constructing a building must be devoted to original artwork.
As a result a walk in the Loop area = bumping into incredible pieces by Picasso, Chagall, Miro + Calder. (!!)

The Four Seasons mosaic by Marc Chagall in Chase Tower Plaza.
Dedicated in 1974.



Some close ups.

Christmas eve dinner at mk.

5 stars!
They made the most fabulous cocktails and the decor was to die for.


Here is my cocktail called Holiday Smash .
(My company at the table was smashing too - Groan!)

Thanks so much to fellow blogger Heather Retke for recommending mk + many other great spots.

A trip to Millennium Park

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate aka the Bean.

Frank Gehry's amazing Pritzker bandshell.

A trip to the Chicago Institute of Art

Love love this piece by Toulouse Latrec - especially that ghostly women' face.


Ofcourse many folk lining up to photograph the Institute' most famous piece: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat.

*Curmudgeon Note*: When I witness scenes like this it always makes me think that John Ruskin would be rolling in his grave! The Victorian Art critic despised the camera and feared that the invention of it would lead to people focusing on capturing the moment for the FUTURE rather than LOOKING at what was in front of them in the PRESENT.
I heartily agree.

This was my favourite piece in the Institute's collection:
Green and White my Ellsworth Kelly. Love.


Perfect ending to trip:
Cozy flight home with red wine + latest issue of Canadian House + Home.
Loved this interview with Jenna Lyons of J. Crew (Total mentor!!) written by the lovely Catherine Sweeney. Thanks Kim. xo

Discovery: Edholm Ullenius

They sure look Swedish - yah?

Some IKEA fabrics they have designed.

wow. Just discovered Edholm Ullenius: a graphic design & illustration studio based in Stockholm. Founded by Sissi Edholm + Lisa Ullenius in 2002. They have designed a lot of my favorite Ikea textiles. Clients also include Paul Smith.

A-mazing: 'Outside the box' by Joseph Pelling.

How adorable are these espresso sipping characters?

I like to think "Outside the box"


Animated short film Outside the box by UK based Joseph Pelling.
One of the best things I've ever seen.
Love the illustration, animation and writing.

I'm in desperate need of a Twitter lesson

This morn Munge Leung tweeted this nice note re my blog post and I'm sure I messed up the reply. Still don't really know how to use twitter. Blush.

Munge Leung + Mercatto

Mercattos' great murals and signage by Illustrator Anson Liaw.


Love love this counter made outta reclaimed wood.
(It's on the "make it myself one day" list)


Just loved their mix of worn wood, marble and steel. Very warm.
(The mix of textures reminded me alot of Commute Home)

Great lighting.

The guys.

On Sunday I posted about loving the interior design of Mercatto restaurants and right away Smarty pants Jennifer Flores of Rambling Renovators let me know that they were designed by Design duo Munge Leung. (Alessandro Munge actually presented at the first PechaKucha which Jennifer organized in 2007. Neat!)) In Toronto Munge Leung also designed La Societe plus many other stunning interiors which you can see on their website. If I won the lottery I'd ask them to drop everything and renovate my loft. I know...in my dreams.
Thanks again Jennifer - your design saaviness (sp?) is impressive!

Inspiration: I'm Comic Sans Asshole

Really love this video by Joe Hollier that my friend Graeme sent along to me.
In it Comic Sans, (the most hated of typefaces) gets anthropomorphized + bad-assified.
Love the line "Sorry I'm standing in way of of your minimialist bauhausesque fascist snooze fest" and also "I’m the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes fucking Gutenberg."
The monologue was written by Mike Lacher’s and originally appeared in McSweeney’s.
So funny + inventive.

Design Agency Arcade

Arcade's signage for The Room at the Bay

Tshirts for The Bay

Through the website of a neighbourhood restaurant Delux I just discovered Arcade: a very fresh + gutsy looking Toronto based design agency. Love their work for The Bay and The Room - in particular their lettering. Definitely filed under People I'd love to work with.

Inspiration: Designer + Scholar Ilse Crawford

via Margot Austin's blog found a great little film about Ilse Crawford
Some gems:
"Design amplifies our experience" and
"Benches are great because they make everyone at the table equal"

She definitely belongs under the label People I'd love to work with.

Press: Covet Garden Blog

Photography by Tracy Shumate

The new Covet Garden issue is out and it is stunning! It features the soulful home of set buyer Alex Hooper and design director Paul van Dongen. Beautiful photos with tons of mood + texture (as usual!) by Tracy Shumate. Thanks to Alex + Paul for listing me as one of their favourite artists on the new Covet Garden Blog. Means a lot coming from styley guys like you. xxx

Inside Job WOW

Really amazing. Go see it.


Director Charles Ferguson
His pathological directness is inspirational.
Never before have I heard a documentary maker calmly say to his subject "You gotta be kidding?" or "Excuse me but you can't be serious"

Saw the Inside Job on the weekend.
As the Globe's Liam Lacey writes Writer/Director Charles Ferguson does an amazing job of "skewering squirming lobbyists, government apologists and academic flacks who stand on the wrong side of the public good". My favourite part of the film is hearing Ferguson's bold comments which can be heard off-camera mid interview. Loved that!

Second best part of film is the fantastic opening credit sequence which is underscored with Peter Gabriel's Big Time. I thought I kinda hated that song but it really works in this context.
Highly recommended and sure to inspire you to put all your money under the mattress.

um wow: Schwartz and Sons

Commentary from the Schwartz and Sons' website: "We concepted and created chic/bizarro headpieces, making the model a typographic stand-in for the "I" in the logo."

After poking around a bit I figured out that the brains behind Whitney Pozgay's quirky website is the amazing design firm Schwartz and Sons in NYC. They do incredible work (Fresh, Bold and Funny) and have a dreamy list of clients including Steven Alan, Jack Spade and the fantastic Jane Hotel. Have added to the list of people I'd love to work with.