bltd

Seattle designer Erich Ginder is one of my favorite contemporary designers, and also happens to be one of my favorite people to talk to about design. He’s known for his Ghost series coat racks (Ghost Antlers and Ghost Tree) and his Warez Rose wallpaper and Dot/Dash pendant lamps. Here’s a look into his holiday gift list:

1. Dezeen Book of Ideas, $28.00

2. Pewter Oil Lamps, $198

3. Magnifying Glass by Maison Martin Marigela, $95

4. Fredricks & Mae Brush Cone, $42

5. Kuvert Bckpack by Stephan Diez

6. Extra Long iPhone Cord, $4 on Amazon

7. Deb Baxter Crystal Bomb, $330

8. El Mil Del Poaig Olive Oil, $153

9. Clear Creek McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, $50

10. Like a Valentine: The Art of Jeffry Mitchell, $50

Thanks Erich!

Lindsay Pulsipher is known for her roles as Roseanna McCoy on the History Channel’s mini-series, Hatfields & McCoys, and as Crystal Norris on HBO’s True Blood. She also has the lesser known role as being one of my BFFs and nicest person ever. She sat down with us to give us her holiday wish list.
(more…)

Take a sneak peek into the Holiday wish list of Jonathan LaCour, foodie, computer programmer, design lover, VP of Engineering and Product at DreamHost, and my boss!

1. Art Deco, Geometric, Nature Inspired Art Prints from Jane Rovers. $32.00.

2. David Weeks Cubebot, starting at $25.00.

3. Art from Michael Cina. I especially love the Biolumin series.

4. Classic Safety Razor Set
Shave like John Wayne and Steve McQueen, or don’t shave at all. $240.00.

5. Hardcover Solid case for iPad Mini from DODOcase. $40.00. Totally gifting myself a gray one of these, if my iPad Mini christmas wish comes true (hint to my wife).

6. Titanium and wood rings from Jewelry by Johan. $236.00.

7. Ontario sustainable wood sunglasses from Proof. Starting at $90.00.

8. Lazerwood Keys for Apple Laptops. $45.00.

9. Japanese cast iron skillet
Old southern cooking meets sexy minimalist japanese design. Does it get any better? Just add bacon. 5,250円

10. Whiskey Lover’s Tumblers and Whiskey Stones
Have a question? Whiskey is probably the answer. $62.00.

11. Salt Traders Gift Crate
Pack of three gourmet salts in a variety of flavors, for the foodie in your life. $30.00.

12. Modernist Cuisine at Home
The cookbook of the century now comes in an affordable home edition. $105.00.

Duane King, creative director of Huge/KingCoyle and founder of Thinking for a Living, was kind enough to submit his wish list for our annual gift guide series.

Duane was also named one of Fast Company’s 50 Most Influential Designers in America.

1. Chup Sedona Sock in Charcoal

2. Hard Graft Flat Pack

3. Norse Projects × Hestra Ivar Glove

4. No.1 by Form Us With Love

5. Areaware Animal Boxes by Karl Zahn

6. Outlier Slim Dungarees

7. D.S. & Durga Burning Barbershop

8. The Hill-Side Selvedge Thin Stripe Chambray Scarf

9. Apolis + Matteo Linen Pocket Square

10. Makr Scout Field Bed

11. Good Worth & Co. Best Wishes Key

12. Naked & Famous Slim Shirt Polka Dots Blue Base

13. Old Faithful Shop Brass Cage Lamp

14. Blu Dot Copper Real Good Chair

15. Reigning Champ Crew Neck in Alpine Black

Thanks Duane!

Here are some of my favorite gift ideas this year. Some are on my wish list and some are gifts I’d get for some my favorite people.

1. Personalized Nude iPad Case, $139.00. Can be personalized with initials.

2. Tall porcelain jar, $35.00. Part of my dream dish ware set. (See #14 below)

3. Geometry Earrings, $168.00.

4. Wolf print, $40.00, by the insanely talented painter Corbett Sparks.

5. Faribault Virgin Wool Lodge Blanket, $134.00.

6. Stone Grey Watch, $195.00.

7. Lines Print, $25.00.

8. Thermos 16-Ounce Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler, $25.00. It seems impersonal, but this travel mug keeps drinks piping hot for 9 hours and would be perfect for your favorite commuter.

9. Shield Embossed Wallet by Comme Des Garcons, $200.00.

10. Waxed Canvas Pouch, $29.00

11. Tulum Black & White Wave Pouch, $65.00. I love the florescent pink zipper detail on this graphic black and white cotton pouch.

12. Labyrinth Cashmere Scarf by Yarnz, $205.00.

13. Geometric Magnets, $20.00.

14. Modern Place Setting for one, $200.00.

Holy what the what? Domino Magazine is planning a comeback? This is the best news ever.

Cool new address book for Mac: Cobook

A good reminder. For the love of all that is holy…don’t send novels over the Internets.

Craziness. Turn a Dropbox folder into a Blog. Scriptogr.am

I’m loving this colorful striped, zippered pencil/make up bag. The lines make it slightly architectural and the colors are perfect for spring, which is right around the corner.

I’m in the midst of remodeling a 100 year old craftsman home, which means I’m pouring through several hundred design retailers in search of craftsman appropriate fixtures. Which also means I find fixtures that I love but are definitely not craftsman appropriate. This makes me cry a little inside. Here’s a modern fixture that I would love to put in a home one day. It won’t be this current one…but hopefully I’ll be living in an anthracite box where this freestanding shower would fit perfectly.

(more…)

This week I had the pleasure of seeing Edward Tufte speak at a one day course in Los Angeles. Heralded by The New York Times as “the Leonardo da Vinci of data,” Tufte is an innovator in information design and data visualization, specializing in transparency and clarity. The emphasis is on disseminating unbiased, accurate content to your audience and to do whatever it takes to do so.

Beautiful Evidence is one of four books that is handed out at the course, each book is beautiful, with charts and diagrams that had all the design nerds salivating. I recommend all of them. The other books are “The Visual Display of Quantitive Information”, “Envisioning Information” and “Visual Explanations” and can be found here or at Amazon.

(more…)

Less than a week until February 14th. Do you have something for your Valentine?

The Indie Pendant is a hand-made, satin brass pendant which you can customize with a special date, your loved one’s name, or anything else, up to sixteen characters.

I’m obsessing over 1970′s vintage leather right now, and mainly this arose out of living with a man who is allergic to my cat. My wool Bottoni sofa is a virtual sponge for cat dander, and my poor boyfriend can’t take it any longer. We looked at new leather–but if you buy a high quality piece it will cost about as much as a car. So, on to Ebay I went. I scored a cool 70′s Italian leather piece from B&B Italia for a song. There are similar listings on auction sites for around $8500, but if you’re not in a hurry, you can wait it out and get a good price like I did.

The Noir Pendant lamp, which is a powdercoated black matte metal shade with a beech wood cap has a weighty, architectural look to it. With its large scale, the fixture would be most suited as an anchor for a dining table or perhaps a kitchen island.

I’ve been looking for a table for my entry for things like mail, keys and other remnants from a long day of work. At the time, I wasn’t able to find anything, so I had something made by a local craftsman for under $300. It’s a nice sturdy piece, but it doesn’t have drawers, and that would definitely keep that area tidier than it is looking now.

This piece by WestElm is actually almost exactly the same size, but it has the drawers that I’m now wishing my custom console had. Constructed from solid mango wood, the piece has a nice muted look.

I’ve finally found the perfect bag for both day-to-day commuting and air travel.

Here are a few of the things I love about it:
1. Interior side pocket fits both my MacBook Air & Kindle perfectly.
2. Exterior side pocket allows for easy and secure access to wallet, keys, phone.
3. Comes with a waterproof cover(!)
4. It’s a perfect carry-on sized bag.
5. Side handle makes it easy to pull in and out from under airplane seats
6. Bag interior lined with soft material to keep all your gadgets scratch-free.
7. Configureable interior compartments with velcro dividers–perfect for keeping things in order.
8. It’s perfectly unisex.

(more…)

We at BLTD are united in opposition against SOPA and PIPA. The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act would, if passed, set a dangerous precedent that would greatly impact our collective freedom of speech on the internet. Call your Senator and tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA.

Go here to find out more:

(more…)