I’m a sucker for good packaging. In grad school, I would take trips to my local high-end grocer and spend hours perusing the aisles, trying to convince myself I didn’t really need the expensive walnut oil.
If this hot sauce had been there, I would have undoubtedly found a reason to purchase it. I love the simple glass containers, letting the color and texture of the sauce come through and essentially be the identity of the sauce. The wood veneer labels and wood stoppers finish it off nicely, reinforcing a kind of earthy feeling.
The numbers are the spice level (the Scoville Scale, which I had never heard of, but sounds quite useful), and there’s a book that talks more about the sauces and their uses. 
I love that the bookmark has an itty bitty container of sauce. I imagine my girlfriend (a sauce addict) sitting and reading the book, sneaking little nips from her sauce flask. Wincing a bit as it goes down, and saying in her best western impersonation, “That’s good stuff.”
The designer is Stephanie Hughes, and the rest of her portfolio is worth a look. I particularly like this project for the Pacific Science Center. Icons that appeal to kids (and geeks) in clean lines that appeal to adults. I want to see the Megatron exhibit first.
I also think this redesign for MySpace is great. Goodness knows they need it. Sure, it’s been tweaked lately, but I think an overhaul might be warranted.
[ via designvagabond | all images via Stephanie Hughes ]
I love these illustrations by Blanca Gómez. Design is Mine featured this typographer image the other day, and I just had to peruse for more.
I just love the idea of a typographer going to work every day, carrying a briefcase of letters with him. I imagine he would also pick up a croissant along the way to enjoy while he looks at his letters.
We saw a guy riding one of these bikes while we were down in Atlanta a couple months ago. I wasn’t fast enough to snap a picture (he was really moving!), but I hear he rides it around frequently. Similar to the gent in the illustration, he sported a monotone wardrobe with a bowler hat.
I also am quite fond of these mustachioed cupcakes. It gives them an air of distinction, don’t you think? Perhaps it also keeps them from being eaten. Who would eat a cupcake with a moustache?
If you’re interested procuring some of these delights, head over to her etsy shop.
[ via Design is Mine | all images via Blanca Gómez ]
Check out this delicious space from FreelandBuck in L.A.
This small, 1100 s.f. sliver of space packs more punch than George Foreman (but with considerably more grace). Using a series of light scoops and modulating baffles, the linear journey through the space is composed of a series of expansions and contractions.
The result is a magnificently choreographed passage through pockets of activity. The pattern you see on the wall is a highly abstracted view of the Alps, an image that invokes the traditionally alpine, rustic nature of the gourmet grub’s ingredients.
This type of patterning is familiar ground for FreelandBuck. A visit to their website immediately reveals the highly patterned nature of their work. It is the type of ornamentation I find particularly compelling – a modern design, relevant through the abstraction of an image or concept that is particularly engrained in the space’s use.
[ via ArchDaily | all images via FreelandBuck ]
Please excuse me as I wipe a bit of drool from my face. However, I’ve just happened upon another wonderful store overseas, Analogue Life. The name in itself was enough to draw me in, but the brilliant selection sealed the deal. They’re based in Japan, but will ship to other countries as well. Simply dreamy…
“Whether mass produced, or handmade by artisans or craftsman, the emphasis is on simplicity , functionality and plain old good design.”
[ via Remodelista | all images via Analogue Life ]
After reading through a recent ArchDaily post on a sublimely simple farewell chapel, I hopped on over to architecture firm Arhitektura Krušec’s website. As I was perusing, I noticed that their work seemed to be a delightful cross between what I think of as characteristically Russian and Scandinavian architecture.
Russian architecture to me always evokes images of the late Stalinist period – cold, brutal and boxy – while a mention of Scandinavia whisks me back to Alvar Aalto’s early days – those curvy bastions of early modernism, with their rich materials and wealth of wood.
Mix those two together and, in my head at least, you might come up with something like the Biotechnical Faculty building in Ljubljana. And perhaps that is a rather accurate depiction of what happened, as the architects had to work with the existing context of the University’s campus.
The ranges of texture in the building’s facade rescue it from what could otherwise be a rather brusque front. Seen from afar, the concrete pillars create a somewhat playful pattern, while the wood bands just beg to be touched.
While it may not have been intentional, the building seems to be a metaphor for biotechnical work. The lights in the lobby, in addition to creating a wonderful pattern, could be the delicate tendrils of a plant (or the embryonic sacs from a future world, if you prefer the sci fi route). The framed views of the hallways mimic looking down through the lenses of a microscope, gazing at some miniscule portion of plant matter.
Head on over to their website to check out some of their other, even better projects. I’m quite fond of the pilates center.
[ images via Arhitektura Krušec ]
One of my favorite TV shows is NCIS. I’ve installed a virtual Gibbs in my head who is something of a moral guide. I’m currently working on refinishing our patio furniture, and have decided to do everything with hand tools, because that’s the way Gibbs would want it. After all, he did build a boat by hand in his basement.
I’m sure that Gibbs inherited most of his tools, and their rustic look is a patina that was built up with age. My tool set is starting from scratch, but I believe Garrett Wade might be able to help me find tools that will both stand the test of time and look gorgeous.
Here are some of the tools Gibbs and I would like in our workshop:
Measuring:
Cutting:
Drilling & Fastening:
Cleanup:
[ all images via Garrett Wade ]
