LustList

Drawn In

drawn in

I can’t wait to get my hands on this book of images from the sketch books of 44 artists and designers put together by Julia Rothman, who is an amazing artist in her own rite! Such a fun and personal peek into the creative process.

Images via Swiss Miss and Amazon.

LustList

The Camera of the Future

wvil

Don’t start drooling yet. It’s still only a concept. Unfortunately. How amazing looking is that thing?

It’s the Wireless Viewfinder Interchangable Lens — WVIL — concept camera by Artefact Group, and it’s basically smartphone-meets-SLR. Some day, smartphones and cameras are going to merge all their best attributes completely, and so far, it seems as if smartphones have done all the work towards meeting in the middle, while cameras– SLRs in particular– have been sitting idly by not bothering to do much in the way of integrating wireless technology.

The WVIL would change all of that. Check out the video for a demo of how it would work, it will blow your mind. The lens wouldn’t even need to be connected to the “phone”-looking part to work, it can work as a remote control…

LustList

Williams British Handmade

luggage

In awe of these limited edition and custom pieces of luggage by Williams British Handmade. There’s not much to say since their website is pretty sparse, but they do tell you they are made with brass frames and the highest quality of bridle leather… as if I wasn’t already convinced.

 

If you’re going to get custom luggage made, you may as well get something out of the ordinary that makes it worth going custom! These shapes are so clever.

 

 

LustList

The Rolling Hotel

rotel

I’m having a major Wes Anderson-meets-Motorcycle Diaries daydream right now due to discovering “Das Rollende Hotel”– “the rolling hotel” concept by Rotel.

Their converted buses have little sleeping cabins like trains, freeing you from having to stay within a day’s drive of a hotel while you travel and letting you traverse destinations all over the world way off the beaten path. Meals are eaten at local eateries or cooked bus-side after finding ingredients at the market.

This has officially been added to my list of trips I need to take at some point in life. The destinations they offer are amazing!

 

LustList

LustList: MOIO Scarves

scarves

Just came across these scarves by French brand Moio and I am seriously lusting after them. Created by two friends, Ionia and Monia, Moio only designs scarves. How fun is that?!

My go-to outfit is a good, well-fitting white t-shirt and jeans dressed up with either some interesting jewelry or accessories, plus good shoes and jacket, and I think these scarves would be a perfect addition to my standard outfit!

LustList

LustList: The Rat Pack Master Edition

the rat pack

Loving the looks of this beautifully-bound limited edition compendium of photos of the Rat Pack in their heyday. The packaging, designed by Progress Packaging, was what first caught my eye, but the photos and content are equally appealing. Published by Reel Art Press, here is what they say about the book:

“Frank Sinatra’s legendary clique defined life in the fast lane throughout the late fifties and early sixties, dominating American culture and epitomising a life of cocktails, love affairs and Hollywood glamour.

A select group of photographers, including Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby, captured the Rat Pack in their heyday. Many of the images they produced have been largely stored away, many even undeveloped. For the first time, access to these shots has been made possible to produce one deluxe, collector’s edition.


The Rat Pack is the definitive book on Frank, Dean, Sammy and co. tearing up Hollywood and Las Vegas with an extended cast including Marilyn Monroe and JFK. Fifty years on from the year many refer to as The Year of the Rat Pack, 1960, and their influence endures. Shooting Ocean’s 11 by day, performing at the Sands by night and sweating out the sour mash in the sauna in between, The Rat Pack includes behind the scenes footage at the JFK Presidential Inauguration and house parties with Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe.”"

LustList

iPod Speakers, Mad Men Style

ryan3

This is pretty cool.  3Ryan Radios, out of Brooklyn, retrofits old tube radios to play mp3s from your iPod/iPhone!  They have an inventory of old radios to choose from, and once you pick which one you want, you can let them know whether you prefer a built-in dock or an input cord, and two to three weeks later, you receive your custom speakers.

In addition to adding a dose of retro style to your living room, an added feature that I LOVE about these is that they “un-digitize” the sound of your mp3s to produce a warmer vinyl-esque sound.  I personally love the sound of vinyl, and had been considering buying a record player but balking at having to re-purchase my music collection as records, so this is a major plus.

And apparently it’s not just some effect that is applied on top of the sound to make it sound like vinyl.  Their explanation is that it breaks the binary code (used for mp3s) down into analog frequency (used for vinyl) so that it truly is the same type of sound as on vinyl.

What confuses me about this is that I’m pretty sure that’s the process that happens whenever mp3s are played over speakers, but maybe they have a more complicated explanation they just don’t provide on the website.  Or, alternately, maybe this is just the quality of sound tube radio speakers are able to produce, but they would like you to think there is a really high-level process they’ve implemented to create this effect.

LustList

Core 77′s Quirky Picks

core77

I know I said I wasn’t going to make a gift guide of my own, and I’m not, (well I kind of am), but I just couldn’t resist posting a few of my favorites from the quirky Core 77.  These were just too fun to pass up. Their gifts are the kind that are so specific that you see them and instantly know exactly which of your friends or family members would enjoy them.

Like the typeface memory game… just like the children’s game of memory, but the cards are each a different font.  Perfect for the typography/graphic design nerd in your life.

My very favorite thing they offer are these customizable fortune cookies!  I’ve never seen custom fortune cookies, and I think it’s brilliant fun.  It would be so awesome to give these to someone without them knowing that they were going to have personalized fortunes…  Their description says it all…

Also click the gallery for the descriptions for the others, they’re all pretty clever!

LustList

LustList: Cire Trudon Candles

cire trudon

Cire Trudon candles are a perfect example of how having a story behind your product can really hook buyers.  I came across these candles (from the oldest wax makers in France!) on the Ill Studio site (they designed their logo and marketing materials, which I love), and wanting to see more, I checked out their website.

On the website, I discovered these enchanting descriptions for each candle and now I totally want one.  I’ve never even smelled them, and that’s the whole point, that they smell good, but I’m completely captivated just based on these identities and stories they give each candle.  I don’t even need to smell the candles, I feel like I’m on a mental vacation just reading their descriptions.

Like the Roi Soleil… “Fragrance of the mirror gallery and the vast wooden floor of the Chateau de Versailles, vapours of wax, candelabras and palace…”  How could you not want a candle that makes your home smell like “palace”?!

These make basic candles, with scents like “fresh laundry” and “green meadows,” look even more quaint than they already were. I have never been drawn to candles like that, but especially now that I know how much better you can do. Why settle for “fresh laundry” when you can have “palace”?

I’m just completely taken with their branding and marketing all around.  The writing is amazing and the design is sophisticated, understated, and thorough.  They even made these pretty booklets (see gallery) about the history of the company and their processes with these endearingly old-fashioned text book-like sketches illustrating their methods.  Oh, and the header fonts were custom-made by Ill Studio for the company.  Everything is perfectly in line with their overall brand image.

LustList

The Guide to Gift Guides

gift guides

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season (and there are many things I love about the holidays) is reading all the gift guides that come out.

I love everything about gift guides– the artful collage layouts that make everything look so appealing (have you ever noticed that everything looks better in a collage?), being able to find the perfect thing for each person on my list, and the interesting themes and titles given to the guides– “10 gifts for the drama-queen glamour-lover in your life,” “5 things your green-thumbed oddball uncle can’t live without.”

Doesn’t it make you wonder what guide someone would depend on to find a gift for you? Like “if you were a gift guide, which gift guide would you be?”  That would certainly be a fun game.

So, instead of adding another gift guide to the blog world, I thought I’d point you in the direction of some of my favorites.  The gallery of screengrabs from the various gift guides goes in the same order as the descriptions below, so you can follow along!  (Just click the thumbnails to enlarge and then click the right arrow.)

Design*Sponge gift guides — The design*sponge guides are entertaining for the variety of categories– gifts involving monograms, gifts sorted by color (seriously), etc.– and for the fact that they all full of lovely, pretty things.  Wonderful for design lovers.

Core 77: Zany things you never knew existed, plus other fun curiosities for people who are hard to buy for but enjoy cleverness.

Hollister Hovey: Full of off-the-beaten-path eccentric ephemera, just like her blog.  Perfect for hipsters or old folks in your life.

Coco + Kelley: Pretty, girly things.

NotCot: They have thirty different guides.  Thirty.  3-0.  So if you can’t find what you’re looking for elsewhere, or don’t feel like sorting through the other guides, this is your go-to.

GQ: Plain old good ideas.  Not too obscure, but special enough.  However, I will note that their guide for what guys should get their girlfriends must have been written by a girl.  One who wouldn’t find it weird to receive a vase from her boyfriend.  I’m just sayin. There a lots of good ideas in there, but some would freak me out if I received it from a boyfriend.  Sure, it’s good to be thoughtful, but there are certain categories of standard boyfriend-for-girlfriend gifts that are common because girls like them and they’re romantic.

Real Simple Magazine:  Cute practical things.  Great for finding things for moms.

And finally, Ginny Branch:  Hers are the two in the banner image at the top, and she has more on her blog.  I love Ginny’s because they feel so personal and thoughtful.  They’re not necessarily things you’ve never seen before, they’re just great ideas you might not have thought of.

Masters and Their Crafts

Roost + Cultivate Wines
bberry

I love photography like the above… that dinner table in candle light… I have an obsession... 

Tastemakers

Katie Ermilio
katie ermilio

Dear Wonderlusters, I’m so excited to bring you this interview with the darling designer Katie... 

LustList

Drawn In
drawn in

I can’t wait to get my hands on this book of images from the sketch books of 44 artists and designers... 

Listening To

Arcade Fire + Chris Milk
creators project

I so wish I had been at Coachella for this. Director Chris Milk, as part of The Creator’s Project,... 

Destinations

Canopy & Stars
canopy and stars

This site is so much fun to browse. Talk about wanderlust. Alistair Sawday, author of the Special Places... 

Interiors

Modern Cottage
canada cabin

Loving this modern cottage in the woods of Ontario. I’m all for cozy, traditional cottages, but... 

Style Files

RRL’s Vintage-y Lookbook
rrl

As Miss Moss said, there have been an influx (onslaught?) of vintage-inspired lookbooks recently, but... 

Classics

Recently on Editor’s Chair…
editors

Click over to Editor’s Chair, the tumblr within the blog, for more.  

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