Japanese Porcelain Bowls

Look at these interesting porcelain bowls by graduate student Atsumu Izumi from Tama Art University in Japan. This series titled “Disappearance” focuses on the fragility and weakeness of ceramic pieces. I love the imperfections, especially the illustration like stilted legs.

The Mushroom Death Suit

“We want to eat and not be eaten by our food right?”

I just had the strangest Ted Talk experience. Artist Jae Rhim Lee  started The Infinity Burial Project where she plans to minimize the effect of death on our environment by having the human body be consumed by a unique strain of mushrooms rather than naturally decomposing and harmfully effecting the planet. This far out concept involves the deceased body to wear a mushroom death suit that activates the eating mushrooms to decompose the body without leaving waste behind. What do you think? Progressively environmental or creepy?

Me and Terry Gross

I found this hilarious scenario by illustrator Eleanor Davis on her blog a couple of months ago and I am convinced she’s been stalking me and drawing about my life. This is pretty much exactly how I feel about NPR Fresh Air host Terry Gross. Anytime, she gets controversial or rude responses from her interviewee, I get super protective and also internally shout “Don’t let him talk to you like that, Terry!” Glad there are other devoted fans out their also creating imaginary friendships with this woman.

Whimsical Styling

Maybe I’m supposed to be a stylist. It seems to combine all of my scattered work history together. Set dressing, print, photography and design. I came across Dutch stylist Wenda Torenbosh today and I’m in love with her work! She has been featured in various Dutch publications such as Elle and her aesthetic ranges from childlike fantasy sets to dark and surrealistic. I especially love her work where kids are placed inside a Van Gogh like impressionist painting for Luna Mag.

A Little Moment in Antwerp

I wanted to take a picture of this pretty street and this lady with a a bright yellow balloon got in the way and made the moment that much better.

The End of Book Design

One of my favorite podcasts is Design Matters with host Debbie Millman. She has great way of prefacing each interview with a hilarious story about herself and she always chooses interesting people in the Design field to talk to. I heard a really interesting interview with book cover designer Peter Mendelsund recently about the future of e-books and the declining need of book designers. The end of print is not a new phenomena, the decline in newspapers and magazines are a fact of life but I really never thought of the decline in beautiful book art. Sure a kindle shows the cover of a book for a split second but then it disappears into a file and the text is the only thing that remains. There will be no purpose for bookworm designers to read novels and spend months reflecting on the meaning of the words and how to best relate it to imagery. I’ve always thought of book stores as a little gallery where designers and artists are able to visually showcase whats hidden behind the cover. I’m curious/nervous to see how the future of books will change book design in the coming years.

Ohmine Sake Design

My oh my! I’m half Japanese and I’m sad to admit that I don’t love sake. I can tolerate it but I don’t go out of my way to order it. Even when I worked at a sushi restaurant and had access to free sake, I didn’t abuse those opportunities like a normal college student. This packaging by Swedish designer Frederik Neppelberg however, has me drooling over these Ohmine Junmai Ginjo sake bottles. I’ll probably take a couple of sips and carefully display them in my living room but hey, atleast it got me looking.

Romka Magazine

The sixth issue of Romka Magazine is now out! This is especially exciting because my boyfriend Arun Sood’s photograph is featured and the person depicted is my good friend Andre D. Singleton. Romka is a photography publication dedicated to publishing only images of really meaningful experiences. They are less concerned about perfect techniques and more about the individual story behind each photograph. This specific photo brings back a lot of memories for me. It was the year a bunch of us international students lived in crazy shipping containers and bonded over excitment to be in this new city.

In Arun’s words:

In 2009, I moved abroad to study in Amsterdam. Despite not knowing anyone upon arrival, I was lucky enough to move in with three great flatmates in the legendary Flat 51. Our flat became a social hub with regular parties, music and an all-round good vibe. This picture of my flatmate Andre was taken from my room and peers into the common area. It immediately reminds me of the flat’s vibrant atmosphere.

You can learn more about Romka or order a copy of the publication here.

Colors of Okinawa

Photos via so87

My latest obsession with pinterest led me these beautiful photographs of Okinawa, Japan. This is where I spent my childhood years and I’ve been itching to go back for there for six years now. Isn’t it pretty?

Zoe More O’Ferrall

I stumbled upon the illustrations of Zoe More O’Ferrall in this issue’s Elle Decoration. You can certainly recognize her London roots in a lot of her work. Classical and decadent outlined buildings yet messy and playful at the same time. Check out her graffiti tagged  piano for Mumford and Sons below.