New Year: Soaps, Stationary and your own Copper Lamps

Oh, but the world is getting smaller every year. This is Proof and Company, a purveyor of specialty and uncommon liquors and bourbons. In Singapore, no less. This is from the marketing company that made their product, really lovely stuff from Pepper and Cinnamon here. I absolutely love the fonts used.

I found this lovely site, by a grandmother making organic soaps here, she has lovely nuetral kraft wrapping for her lemongrass verbana and lavender soaps. Sounds pretty amazing and would make such a good gift favour for weddings and such.

There is also this site, which offers hand- made DIY copper lamp classes in Singapore. Who knew we were getting so hip eh? These beautiful, minimalist copper and wood based lamps (for $180 each, including the experience) can be made here.

And lastly, the ultimate in snobbish social stratifying pretentiousness, stationary for children. Wait, letterpressed stationary for children here. Made by Chubby Hubby's wife, and I really don't want to think about the price, this is so that you child can learn to write thank you notes on thick hot-pressed, personalized cards. A sure sign we've made it in the rarified group of First World cities.

Happy New Year all and may it be a better 2014.

An actual house I like

Happens very rarely, but apart from the narrow windows (what is the point, people..) I quite like the simplicity of this one.

 

Brownstone Home, NYC

Beautiful, and comfortable looking too. A little dark for me but love how comfortable the bedrooms look and the little punches of colour, just enough to be elegant and classic.

 

Will Smith's NYC Pad

Apparently this is where Will Smith rented while filming in New York, how lovely. I like how it is fairly sophisticated and yet looks like it would hold up to a family use, particularly with growing kids. Two things I don't like as much, the shabby carpet and the arrangement of all the living room furniture facing out, toward the all-glass windows. Somehow that makes me feel uncomfortable. 

 

When I think Mad Men....

I don't think about the uncomfortable polyester sofas. Oh no. I think of luxurious, Miami-esque throws and furniture with good legs and pops of muted 1960s colour- that awful but can-be-chic linolium green, chenille blue, fuschia.

Why, hello! I love, I love

Not that I can contemplate getting married again, but from time to time, I see these pops of colour and I know, yellow and black and white is my Thing....

Tablescapes from Hock Siong

Hock Siong is a large second-hand junk shop in Singapore, which specialises in hotel cast-offs and rejects. I started going there many, many years ago, when I chanced upon it's two line advertisement in the newspaper Classifieds. Nowadays, they are a booming business with features in every news channel and magazine. I chanced upon their Facebook page and discovered the beautiful shoots that they are doing with the old furniture and some table props, a black Celine trapeze bag here and a few brown glass Aesop bottles, against their old warehouse wall. How beautiful and creative are these? I think I fell in love again and again, scrolling through their beautiful colour and textural combinations, what beautiful inspiration for a modern apartment.