6 Times Online Art Shopping Had Me Like Whoa

You may have seen me post this snap over the weekend. L.A.-based artist and MVP Super Nice Person Anna Ullman, whom I discovered on Instagram in an incestuous, design-y way (the best way) via Eddie Ross's feed, sent me this beautiful painting. It looks great against my wall color (Farrow & Ball's Stiffkey Blue) and has this luscious, frenetic energy going on. I'm pretty excited about it.

I feel like it kind of reflects this sea change in the way I'm discovering original art online. Ever since I jumped the hurdle known as the Quarter Life Crisis I have this urge to assert my adulthood in an old-school, Wolf of Wall Street, blue chip Lean-In #GirlBoss kind of way. Art seems like a good way to do that. And it's nice to find that the marketplace seems to be there, waiting for me and all six of my big boy dollars.

There's of course Instagram, where I've seen the work of friends like Cate evolve and where behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creative processes of some really cool people are par for the course. There are new(ish) sites like Lofty and Chairish that allow sellers to upload their unwanted collectibles—including fine art—effectively crowdsourcing great vintage finds. Art seems to be a growing category (or maybe it's fully grown and I'm just now paying attention) for sites like One King's Lane and Serena & Lily, both of which sell new and vintage pieces.

I was inspired to do some hunting around on Serena & Lily the other day and thought I'd share my spoils here. I was happy to find a nice chunk of their inventory selected from Lost Art Salon, a great online resource that sells Saul Lishinsky, one of the artists I talked about in my bedroom makeover. I also mixed in two graphic vintage finds from Chairish and One Kings Lane. And this is so just the tippity tip of the art iceberg! Click any image for more info and let me know in the comments if you have a great site you go to for original art—I want to know your secrets!

A Brief Interlude On Table Linens

Because I can. And also because I want! Telar by Nido recently sent me their new lookbook for a collection of cotton placemats they did and it got me thinking about table linens. Which gets me thinking about a recent episode of Parks and Recreation where April freaks out about becoming boring and old and here I am, single and writing about placemats. It's ok, I still feel young! (Read: old. So old.)

Anyway, my point is that I recently bought this Charvet Editions linen tea towel (above) at Home Of The Brave. I use it for my face because it's lightly exfoliating and just generally luxe without being precious. I like to know that if one day I'm over it I can use it in the kitchen. And right after I bought this some friends of mine were looking for tea towels (we're gay, you know?) and I wanted to be like, "Linen, ladies! It's just the ticket!" but I held back. I have restraint.

But then I started writing this post. So restraint has its limits. If you're a South Brooklyn-er like me and you aren't planning to trek to Greenpoint any time soon (yes, I deem it a trek, so sue me), you should stop into Home Stories in Brooklyn Heights (first photo). They have the most otherworldly selection of all things linen. Like, sexy linen. Fifty Shades of Grey linen. In all shapes and sizes. Ok, thus ends my interlude.

P.S. Oh, but also: I don't feel like bath linens warrant their own interlude, so I'll just tack onto the end here—I upgraded to Coyuchi bath towels after Christmas and they're so money. In charcoal, so they go with my bed linens, duh. They're basically straight out of a goop newsletter. Oh, and speaking of a goop newsletter, if you'd like to buy these towels locally (you do) and ogle some midcentury dressers while you're at it (but of course) you can pick them up at Greenhouse & Co. on Atlantic Avenue.

I Dreamed A Dream Tho

Designers Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran. Portrait via Remodelista.

And in it, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran are dressing me up in their love, aka Lemaire Autumn/Winter '15. (The brand is now known simply by Christophe's surname to better reflect the collaborative nature of the design process, natch.) There's a cape AND a poncho involved, because we don't fxck around.

And then we play records and practice ikebana and Christophe and I rub essential oils through each other's beards while Sarah-Linh burns sage. Duh. More to come later this week or month or year or whenever about all of the ~fashion~. Also, I might literally buy a poncho. Thoughts?

All photos via Style.com.

Slay Mama Slay

Tommy Ton killed it in Italy this season and I'M DEAD. Actually feeling inspired to play dress up again. Oh, also, new urge: I think I need shell toes.

Cartagena Photo Diary

Let's Obsess Over Tiny Houses

Photo © Ava Brackett / Dwell magazine

I told myself I was gonna come back from this impromptu two-week hiatus with a post that had some meat to it, with something to say, but I'm posting about tiny houses instead because THIS IS ALL THAT'S IN ME. Sorry, Internet, but I spent like forty hours collaging together my dream tiny house living room and now you're gonna see it, and you're gonna like it. Well, you may not give two flying fucks about it, but I'm gonna see it, and I'm gonna like it and pin it and pat myself on the back while crying about my life choices. Ready? Let's begin!

Tiny houses are so random, but I'm kind of obsessed with them. Or, I was last week, but I was busy and couldn't talk about it. (Computer broke down, life came to a halt—everything's better now.) It all started with Tiny House Hunters on HGTV, which is a thing. I was shocked that an entire (tiny) home could cost under $50,000, and I was like—I want one! How great would it be to have a tiny house upstate in the woods? I feel like it's a great way to trick guys into thinking they could love you, like, 'Yeah, I've got a house upstate' I say with a knowing wink. And then they get there and see the composting toilet out back and make to run, but it's too late because the plan was to murder them all along and turn their body into organic mulch or whatever it is people do in the Hudson Valley, duh.

Photos © Ava Brackett / Dwell magazine

Anwyay, my point is that I then did some research on small space living and found a few really cute places that Dwell has featured, including this renovated 100-year-old barn in Oakland, California and a surprisingly svelte converted shed just outside NYC. I think it just never occurred to me to not equate small space living with apartments. The idea of building a diminutive single family home (albeit for a ~confirmed bachelor~ such as myself) had never really crossed my mind before.

Photos © Brian Ferry / Dwell magazine

But then I got to fantasizing. I let my imagination run wild. I read about a Le Corbusier-inspired pied-à-terre in Paris that's only 322 sq.ft. Doesn't that sound just perfect? I'll take two.

I brought up tiny houses to a few friends, all of whom confirmed that they're definitely something with which one should be obsessed, though it was noted that my definition of "tiny" is quite liberal. Apparently, tiny houses should be literally tiny—like, 100 sq.ft. I think that's insane. To help clarify the situation I watched the documentary Tiny on Netflix. I think builder and #TinyHouseMovement pioneer Jay Shafer summed it up best: "I want people to get past the idea that a house has to be something in particular...a small house is just a house in which all the space is used well." I'm dtf with that.

Photo © Kent Dayton / Dwell magazine

I still want my tiny house to be comfortable (read: expensively furnished courtesy of an enigmatic older gentleman suitor who, in this scenario, is apparently all about that composting toilet lyfe) and have thusly put together the below moodboard using the compact apartment above to set the tone, except I went for a blue "color story" instead of a red one.

I broke down my pinboards recently (sidenote: this activity is the exact opposite of having sex) because it's 2015 and I'm trying to be a purposeful pinner who keeps track of design references, styles and oeuvres. Which brings us to my imaginary tiny house living room. The enameled desk lamp is Kurt Versen (love that shape); the nude figure drawing is by Helen Sewell Rennie (it was available at Serena & Lily, but it looks like it sold out); the chair is Larsen & Madsen; the kilim is vintage (and Swedish!); the cushions are by Trine Ellitsgaard and the cabinet is Edward Wormley.

So, long story short: yay tiny houses! Who wants to buy me one? Daddy?

Moodboard 0115

Sources, left to right, top to bottom: Lena Emery, Ada Hamza, Weronika Dudka, Mark Borthwick / T Magazine, Matt Hind / Margaret Howell, Scott Hardy.