I'm so ready for the beach... already

I'm designing for resort season already... for next year!  Can you believe it?  What year is it again?  I can't keep track.  Anyhow, here are some pretty inspiring images - I can feel the sun and smell the salt just by looking at these... mmm...

Images from here

Ikat?

Ikat has been everywhere, especially this summer.  Though summer is over, I still want to be surrounded in it!  It might be my Colorado upbringing, but something about the South-western feel about this pattern that just gets me, you know?  I've seen many variations on interior fabrics and clothing.  And definitely wanted to include it some how in my apartment.

image from here: 1,2,3,4

At first I thought I needed to paint my own and do the whole sha-bang myself, but when I saw these on Etsy, I just couldn't resist.  I still need 4 more pillows, so may be I can get crafty with those...

Fall already???

Usually, I'm clinging onto summer like an ex-boyfriend I don't want to break-up with... but these past few days have been really rainy with cooler temperatures, so yes, I'm thinking of fall. It also doesn't help that my job is to think of seasons a year in advance. The site I visit often for inspiration is Maryam Nassir Zadeh. If I could, I would buy almost every single piece from her gallery/store. Here are some of my pre-fall and [lingering] summer faves for the week and the weekend.

Refurbished shipping containers

On man, oh man... this happens every year at about this time. The weather gets sweltering and I'm on slow mode. It's been so long since I've posted anything, but I do have lots to share in the works. Especially home renovation photos! But for now, I'll share some exploration I did this past weekend. A friend told me about the Dekalb Market in my new hood so we took a slow walk in the sun to check it out. Brooklyn is full of craft and flea markets, especially in the summertime, but the Dekalb Market has an extra layer of creativity... shipping containers! Isn't that great? Artists, craft-ers, and gourmet food and drink vendors showing and selling their stuff in shipping containers turned store spaces. I've always loved the way these things look piled up in rural parts of the country, and this family actually built their own house out of them.

I forgot my camera, so I searched on the net for images, and found these by photographer Leonel Lima Ponce on inhabit.com. I didn't think to look so closely at the construction of these mini buildings, as Mr. Ponce did... pretty amazing. Oh, and I did snag a little gift for myself there by Wada Africa. I got a skirt/top (not shown), but after looking at the site, I think I'll have to get a pair of these pants, that polka dot top, and necklace too!

dotted

I love these dotted ceramics by Matt Merkel-Hess at IKO IKO!