Studio TOTA

my walk to paris

2008-11-26T07:25:00.002-05:00

The children's book, Henri's Walk to Paris {illustrated by designer Saul Bass and written by Leonore Klein / published in 1962 by Young Scott Books} is the story of young boy from Reboul, France, who, after reading a book about Paris, decides to pack up a lunch and head for the city:

Like many of us Henri wants to see Paris.

In Paris, there are thousands of buses. In Reboul, where Henri lives, there is only one bus.

In Paris there are many parks and rows and rows of trees. The Park in Reboul has only five trees. In Paris there are many zoos full of animals for the people to see.

And off I go to Paris for a few days!...how thankful I am. Happy Thanksgiving to all - may it be a wonderful weekend for you and your family~

More amazing photos of this vintage book...

announcing...affordable art fair 2009

2008-11-25T03:06:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Affordable Art Fair New York City 2009! The 2009 Fair has been announced to be in a neighboring building of the iconic Empire State Building. Studio TOTA will be collaborating with the folks at AAF again to design/create the concept and materials for the fair that will take place on May 7th to May 10th of 2009. Above is a promotional postcard that will be distributed to inform visitors of the new dates and new location. Plans are to take full advantage of the building's architectural elements and to be inspired by the art-deco style of when the building went up. More to come from this project...stay tuned!

complexions {joyce theater}

2008-11-24T01:07:00.003-05:00

During the brr~ of the weekend, I went to the Joyce Theater in Chelsea and saw the dynamic modern ballet art of the Complexions dance company. With super cutting edge choreography and costumes, plus brilliant performers {so graceful yet so physically strong!}, I felt that I was getting a chance to see something really new and refreshing. The program of dances were done to music ranging from abstract sounds, to classical Bach, to Ave Maria {this duet performance was short, but my favorite} and to even a medley of U2 songs. The coming of a NYC winter is definitely a bitter adjustment, but it welcomes the diverse and unique arts - and so I'm willing to take up that exchange.
*FYI...Complexions is on stage at the Joyce until the end of the month!

pile of sweets {justin richel}

2008-11-18T04:37:00.000-05:00

I think artist, Justin Richel, was able to capture a dream that I probably often have. Going on with the theme of tasty food, above is his letterpress print of sugary sweets. Below is the artist in action for his larger collection of gouache paintings. The letterpress print and other prints of his paintings {like the bottom image, Precarious Print} are available at Little Paper Planes.

Reminds me, I should go run out to Momofuku Milk Bar and Bakery {that just opened} to grab some of their snickerdoodle cookies...mmm.

dogmatic dogs

2008-11-17T07:06:00.002-05:00

Due to my recent projects, I find myself oftentimes in the 18th-22th St blocks on 5th Ave. Jumping between meetings I "need" to find quick grab-a-bite places and one of those moments brought me to Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System. Apparently they were a street-food cart in the West Village...and due to their popularity, they opened up a mini-flagship location.
The food = a choice of a beef, pork, turkey, lamb sausages or asparagus + one sauce + a hollowed out toasted baguette = a nice little gourmet hot dog package {I had pork + truffle gruyere cheese = mmm}.
The space = approximately 500 sq ft (???...not very big} with a massive communal butcher block counter in the middle with ingeniously space-saving stools that pull out of the counter piece at an as-needed-basis.
The decor = fun illustrations of NYC drawn on subway tiles {same artist as their website} and hot dog "sculptures" set into the wall.
You can sense that the entire experience of the store was thoroughly designed - from the architecture/interior design down to the packaging/presentation of the hot dogs - which is something that I love to appreciate as a designer. And the food was great too, as it was made-to-order and had just as much of a thoughtful feeling to it. Thumbs up from me.

Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System: E 17th St bet 5th & Union Sq West

moving calligraphy {betsy dunlap}

2008-11-13T07:02:00.000-05:00

I'm working on a wedding invite design for some friends and came across the quirky but beautiful hand calligraphy of Betsy Dunlap. I love the girls' names she gives her styles: I like them all but I might be prone to befriending Jill and Amelia first. I know that I would be pretty excited to see an envelope like this in my mailbox - it would be sure to stand out in the mix of bills and catalogs that I've NEVER signed up for {how do I get rid of them?!?!?...already tried Catalog Choice. can't tell if I'm a success story}. Anyways, going off on a tangent - please enjoy Betsy's work! Turns out she has a Etsy store too...

taxi in the cold? np...

2008-11-11T07:14:00.003-05:00

So despite the fact that I keep complaining about the coming winter {and all the way-too-early holiday shopping reminders everywhere}, there are some cute winter-y items that are catching my eye. Above is one of them - bright yellow mittens by kate spade that make it really easy to flag down a cab {might be really handy - pun not totally intended - when you need to escape out of those bitter wind tunnels...} and go to those places you need to go to.
Yes, slowly opening myself up to the winter spirit. Work in progress...

fall harvest menu

2008-11-10T07:10:00.002-05:00

With our bodies still adjusting to daylights savings {it gets so dark by 5pm!!!}, one way to embrace the coming of winter is FOOD. This weekend, I took a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education called Fall Harvest Feast taught by Chef Melanie Underwood. The amazing full menu consisted of: Butternut Squash Risotto; Roasted Garlic Soup {roasted garlics in the upper right}; Root Vegetable Soup; Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin; Seared Duck Breast With Honey and Ginger Glaze {searing in action in lower left}; Beet Chutney; Brussels Sprouts With Bacon; Pumpkin Puree {fresh-out-of-the-oven roasted sugar pumpkins in upper left}; Cranberry Upside-Down Cake {sugar glaze and cranberries in lower right}; Roasted Spiced Pears; and Caramel Ice Cream. In a huge kitchen facility, we learned knife skills, prep tips, how we shouldn't measure or use a thermometer, and more...and resulted in a sit-down dinner together with our classmates. Between the pumpkin orange to the fuchsia beets to the golden garlics to the soft orange butternut squash to the red-brown meats - it was not only a feast to our bellies but the fall color palette was also a feast to the eye. I had true food coma at the end...but it was oh, so worth it.

crystallization {thomas kral}

2008-11-06T10:03:00.002-05:00

Was reading about 100% Design {a contemporary interiors event that takes place in London} and stumbled upon these beautiful measuring cups by Thomas Kral, a Slovakian designer. These pieces are part of his collection, Upgrade,that takes common glass containers {milk bottles, pasta sauce jars, etc} and applies traditional cutting + gilding techniques that you see in crystal glass objects {common inhabitant of wedding registries}. His balance of the industrial material and the fine craftsmanship creates a truly unique collection...see below and his site for more.

election day = change

2008-11-04T07:08:00.003-05:00

So here we are...election day, and we are ready!
As we read the handworked words on this great pillow by designer Shanna Murray {who was inspired by the words of Gandhi}, I am ready to walk over to the voting booth. And for whatever reason it may be for you - your strong political beliefs, the paper you read every morning, the voting ads out there, the hype, whatever - block the time and go out there to make your choice count. Today is the day for a new vision, a new leader, a new chapter...

{On a tidbit sidenote, according to the Empire State Building lighting schedule, tomorrow night the building will light up to celebrate whoever wins the election - blue for Obama and red for McCain...go blue!}

fall weekend in williamsburg

2008-11-03T07:09:00.004-05:00

The temperatures have gone down in NYC but it was still quite a beautiful weekend here...and I found myself in Williamsburg Brooklyn for both days! On Saturday night, I was at the Music Hall of Williamsburg to check out the Hotel Cafe Tour for this year. Just FYI, The Hotel Cafe is a music venue in LA where the most talented {in my little tiny humble opinion} indie singer/songwriters perform. They have been going on tour for a few years now - and if/when they come to NYC, I really try to make it out - and I get to hear some of the emerging talent. This year, I got to see headliner Rachel Yamagata {who just released a new album just a few days ago}, as well as HC regulars, Meiko and Thao Nguyen {thanks for the signed CD and being so nice!}, and new-to-me, Samantha Crain and Emily Wells...all with amazing voices and original sounds.
Sunday Williamsburg was for the NYC marathon! I've been watching the race here for a few years now and I LOVE it {this year, a much growing crowd of supporters!}. Bedford has a incline that lets you see all the racers coming from the south end of Williamsburg {photo below - look at that crowd of runners!}, heading their way up to Queens. My heart goes out to all the runners as I see them give so much to do these 26+ miles - I stand there not being able to help myself but to scream and cheer for everyone. Every year I am moved by the runners {including some close friends}, the cheer-ers, the volunteers, and the energy this event brings about...congrats to all the runners who ran the 5 boroughs!!!

boo! {happy halloween}

2008-10-31T08:08:00.002-04:00

Here's what's orange & black out there on this Friday Halloween day...a bit random but all good stuff!
{clockwise from top left...} Riedzioni Wool Squares Placemats at auto ::: mangosteen soap by fresh ::: peach macarons by Paulette ::: selected books from the Novella collection by Melville House ::: Nike Dunk Highs ::: Flock {silkscreen print} by Good Shape Design::: Marine Bag by Rogues Gallery

Have fun tonite going onto the weekend~

artist bio

2008-10-29T07:10:00.005-04:00

Read this photographer's bio on Dossier that totally caught my attention:

"Justin Hollar's work has never been featured in a one-person show or in any group shows in New York City, or anywhere around the United States or abroad. His photographs are not in any private, public, or corporate collections. He has never received grants from anyone. His client list does not include Visionaire, W, i-D, or self service. If you would like to change any of this...feel free."

How great is that? And then I went on to his portfolio and really liked his work {some samples above}...always appreciate a partnership of talent and wit/humor, hence, my subject matter for today.

animal index

2008-10-27T10:04:00.001-04:00

Animal silhouettes peeking out of your bookshelf - this is Animal Index, a +d product designed Hiroshi Sasagawa. Place a reindeer, giraffe, or pig in the shelf and they will remind you where a book or file was removed. As the indexes are the front half and back half of animals, they look as though they are walking/jumping in and out of your shelf and adds a nice layer of movement and fun to your (my) piled shelves.

ABC3D {by marion bataille}

2008-10-24T08:42:00.001-04:00

After forgetting about an order I placed MONTHS ago, I received my copy of ABC3D, an amazing pop-up book by Parisian graphic and book designer, Marion Bataille. It's her first publication and it's literally a page-turner. A flip of the cover makes an Art-Deco-styled letter "A" pop off of a black background. With a black, white and red print palette, each page continues to reveal the next letter in the English alphabet. Above is a great video that was created when Marion had a prototype of the book - but luckily for us, the book was published without cutting corners and with just as much artistry as shown.

ballerina who loves b-boy

2008-10-22T10:22:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, my friend invited me to see Knucklehead Zoo, a b-boy hip-hop dance group...and I was so impressed by their energy, athleticism and talent! So being intrigued by all this, last night I went to see Ballerina Who Loves B-Boy - a production of dancers originating in Korea and making it across here to NYC at 37 Arts. Set around an innocent love story of a classic ballerina falling for a b-boy dancer, the highlight is the really talented dancers and performers spinning on their head, doing jumping acrobatic moves across the stage, bouncing around in handstand mode, and popping/locking like robotic machines - all with a smile on their faces. Having been super popular in Seoul, Korea and then being a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this high-energy, young co-ed group demonstrates their technical skill while dabbling into the cross-cultural aspects of not only classical ballet/street dancing, but also, a foreign group bringing a hip-hop performance back to where this all originated. Ballerina Who Loves B-Boy is just ending previews and is opening this week, so good luck to the cast and show!

lykke li

2008-10-21T01:54:00.000-04:00

Headed out to my old neighborhood in Williamsburg and caught Lykke Li - a Swedish indie singer - at the new Music Hall of Williamsburg. With her kooky dance moves and original sound and voice, she was quite a charmer of a performer. Singing most of her recent album, Youth Novels, my favorite part of the concert was when she pulled out a megaphone and sang into it as part of her song - and as funny (or annoyingly shrilly) as it may seem, it sounded REALLY good. She's back in NYC in February - I recommend! - but in the mean time, download her tune on her website {under "Secret Chapter"}...

stairway to heaven {OMA}

2008-10-15T17:52:00.002-04:00

Office for Metropolitan Architecture {better known as Rem Koolhaas's OMA} presented their 1st NYC building design for a new luxury residential high-rise, 23 East 22nd Street, just a few weeks ago. I saw the renderings {thanks Dezeen} and I have to say, I'm quite intrigued. As I walk around the city {despite the economy downer} you can see that the skyline is changing here. This building will surely impact the skyline AND streetscape - as this vertical structure seems to challenge gravity and make people wonder if there is waste of real-estate {every sq ft counts = $}. But apparently, this building cantilevers 30 feet over its neighboring building to make up for the lost space. “The form provides a number of unexpected moments that appear at each step – balconies at the upper part of the building and floor windows at the lower part—providing a variety of unit types and features throughout the building”, says OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu. The building is scheduled for completion in 2010 - should be interesting to see the final outcome...

idlewild books

2008-10-13T09:56:00.005-04:00

My sister and her husband are traveling to East Africa to climb Kilimanjaro and explore the safari out there. How amazing is that? So over the weekend we went to a new bookstore called Idlewild Books, close to Union Square. My eyes were opened up to this bright, beautiful space specializing in travel books, international literature, and maps. The fully-shelved walls are organized by country/region {above, you see the very appropriate East Africa section} and then you can thumb through their guidebooks {lonely planet, blue guide, michelin, time out, etc.} as well as a carefully curated collection of literature {fiction and non-fiction} that takes place in that region. So, while you research what sites to check out in Cuba, you can also read about Che Guevara's socialist revolution...or while you look up where to stay in Tokyo, you can also pick up Snow Country, a novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata or read traditional Japanese ghost stories...or while you look up where to explore in NYC, you can also do a comparative read on the history of The Five Points by Tyler Anbinder and The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury. The concept of this store makes so much sense and I love the idea that you can go here anticipating a real travel trip or an imaginary literary one.

Idlewild Books {12 W 19th St. bet 5th and 6th Aves}

old-ify photos

2008-10-10T07:24:00.004-04:00

Vintage photos? Um, no.
But they are photos I took {recently} that were instantly converted to look old and weathered via a tool by Japanese website, Wanokoto. {Yes, I'm in a bit of a Japanese theme this week...} Anyways, the site is in Japanese but it is very easy to figure out, just upload your photo {via the Browse button} and click on the button below it and voila~. It's a new toy for me...so you have fun with it too! Pathway to converting >>
Have a great weekend to you...

creative barcodes {d-barcode}

2008-10-08T12:20:00.003-04:00

Not to be overly generalizing, but the Japanese are oftentimes amazingly creative in updating the old and making the everyday item a little more fun - while maintaining the functionality of it all. So, what's in a barcode? It's used in processing most purchases, as well as organizing inventory - basically, it's pretty significant and needs to be reliable. Japanese company, D-Barcode, spruces up the customer experience by adding a tiny bit of fun to the mundane vertical bars we are so used to seeing, while keeping them completely scan-able. Hanging strawberries from the barcode "vine" for a strawberry jam label...a guy lifting the heavy barcode for the packaging of a energy drink bottle...a barcode jumping out of a pan for a popcorn box...a surfer dude riding a barcode "wave" for a surfer brand tee.
As a designer, barcodes are a headache {...but that fixed-size white box is going to RUIN the design, ugh.}. As a customer, barcodes are to be dismissed {...that thing on the back of the package?}. I appreciate how these tiny additions can make someone smile and make the otherwise unrelated presence of a barcode to have some context to the product it's on. how fun.

vote 2008

2008-10-07T02:06:00.006-04:00

I bring to you some political cereal - Obama O's and Cap'n McCain's - to remind you that election 08 is exactly 4 weeks away. Obama O's or Cap'n McCain's? One has hope in every bowl, the other has mavericks in every bite!
I hope you are all registered to choose the candidate you want in office come 2009. I am thoroughly enjoying the witty products that are coming out of this election {cereals, Tina Fey/Palin on SNL, buttons galore} but with that said, we can't forget to properly study our candidates and decide what needs to happen. Yes, perhaps we live in a state where our vote may not SO matter, but I believe it really DOES in exercising our right and making our voice heard. So...see you at that voting booth...

log bowls {loyal loot}

2008-10-01T11:03:00.005-04:00

Via various stylish blogs out there, I came across these beautifully crafted log bowls by The Loyal Loot Collective - a design group based in Alberta, Canada. With a fine balance between the natural base and the high-gloss painted interiors, these bowls can be a nice addition to any space. Using "nature's leftovers" - waste wood from storms, re-landscaping development, etc. - what a pretty afterlife these log slices are living.

PS. Check out the other witty creations from Loyal Loot on their website {love Monsieur Dressup too!}

down times

2008-09-29T19:19:00.004-04:00

Above is a comic illustration from the New Yorker {more here}. Everywhere you turn, it's about the financial chaos. There is a looming vibe of stress - as we are all affected personally and professionally and are enveloped by uncertainty. I too have a sense of concern and "what's going to happen???" but at the same time remind myself of all the important things I am lucky to have - family, friends, health, and happiness. Perhaps a bit cliche and idealistic but I have to believe that with a good head on your shoulders and making thoughtful decisions, things will work out {eventually}. I always keep a fortune cookie message on me that reads: "You will be showered with good luck tomorrow." I like to think that there is always the next day that can bring a better day. So......we'll see what "tomorrow" brings...

rainy friday

2008-09-26T11:58:00.004-04:00

It's raining lots today here in NYC and it's supposed to be this way for most of the weekend. Not ideal but what can we do...well {if you ask} one thing is to appreciate some tasteful solutions to capturing the beauty of rain. {top image is of a decorative drain grate and bottom is of a kusari-doi, a Japanese rain chain that channels rainwater into a drain}
Enjoy a lay-low weekend all~