Nass Designs

Missoni For Target

I’d be remiss if I didn’t write up a little something about Missoni’s iconic zigzag stripes scheduled to grace the aisles of Target on September 13.

Truth be told, my traditional/preppy taste doesn’t lend itself well to head-to-toe bright colored patterns but the little touches for the home featured in this collaboration at a Target price point are perfect for an end of summer pick me up!

But instead of this mass produced Missoni pillow:

I can imagine taking the silk scarf offerings, taking a page from Design Sponge and making my very own Missoni Floral Pillow!

I prefer to plate on white to show off the pops of color in natural foods but I could consider (twist my arm) using the zigzag plates as chargers and the glasses as little vases in an oh-too-chic Missoni tablescape.

How luxurious would my guests feel snuggled up under this Missoni throw during a fall backyard movie marathon?  So!

The bowl, decanter and glass below aren’t recognizably Missoni but are the 3 must haves of the collection for me.  The blown color glass will look perfect in my upcoming bedroom redesign!

Wouldn’t you adore even a bottle of $2 buck chuck if it came in a case like this? One might be so inclined to use the container for things like paint brushes or pencils.  Depending on how hefty the paper is, a fashion forward teen might even like to use this as replacement for her Hello Kitty pencil box!

What better way to battle the end of vacation blues than to easily spot and pick up these bright little bags from the luggage carousel?

And though there’s nothing wrong with my cream and pink beach cruiser, this bike might just be too adorable to pass up!  A Missoni 2 wheeler could count as a family heirloom, can’t it?

Now I just have to dig deep and find the patience to wait for a month.

All 400 pages (you read that right) available at Racked.

Michael Ward: Nostalgic Neo-Realism Meets Southern California

A few years ago, when visiting my friend D, the art collector, for the first time in his home one painting in an unlit corner of his living room popped out like a beam of sunshine.

It was a neo-realistic painting of a Fireworks Stand, the ubiquitous sign that the Fourth of July was just around the corner.  Mesmerized by how the artist was able to capture the bright white heat of a Southern California summer on such a nostalgic every-summer type scene, I positioned myself on the couch during the evening of conversation to unobtrusively obsess over every detail of the work.

I can’t find the picture now (I don’t even know what it’s officially called), except at D’s house and undoubtedly my amateur photography skills would never do the vivid colors and photograph quality detail justice.

While the Fireworks Stand painting is one of my favorites of D’s collection, my love of Ward’s work was reignited when we recently ventured out to the Orange County Fair.  After our fill of food cooked on Barbeques and deep fried in booths, D insisted we find the Visual Arts Building.

As we strolled through the gallery of amateur and professional art, Michael Ward’s distinct style caught my eye once again with his depiction of a corner convenience store titled “Beautify Your City.”

The unassuming beauty of Ward’s work comes from his obsession with suburban Southern California through a lens of clean, shiny, almost naive memories.  For this Southern California suburban girl, Ward is painting my childhood world in the way that I’d like to remember it: free of scary realities of socio-economic classes, poverty and crime. 

Like this corner store, he depicts it exactly as it is with an abstract focus filtering out the dirt, graffiti and time driven building wear leaving this bright and welcoming neighborhood establishment where a 10 year old boy might want to troll in and buy an ABBA-ZABA.

I can imagine his work in every Southern Californianer’s home; a reminder of what brought our families to this sunny little part of the country. Or ironically in some sad place of the world where people think bitterly of Southern California because they don’t know of the small town realities found in this overpopulated, misunderstood metropolitan area.

Michael Ward’s work can currently be seen at:

Orange County Fair: Visual Arts Building
88 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, California
714.708.1500

Tirage Art Gallery
One West California Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.405.1020

Mesa Art
789 W. 19th St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949.548.3570

Edit: Lucky for us Michael Ward sent me a digital copy of his Fireworks piece after I wrote him to ask for permission to use his images!  Here it is:

And information on his upcoming exhibit at 2cc Gallery in Long Beach.

(Source: tmichaelward.com)

Crate and Barrel Tables

Recently, my Dear Husband, J, and I remodeled a few rooms of our house.  After putting in the crown molding, hardwood floors and new windows the house feels like a whole new space… with the same old furniture.

Though I’m not ready to junk all my old furniture, the storage ottoman serving as our coffee table has to go!  It was an interim purchase from Target now full of holes and scratches from untrimmed cat claws.

Naturally, I turned to Crate and Barrel to look at the Taka Trunk but alas, it is no more.  Here are a few tables from C&B that I am particularly fond of.

1. Braiden Coffee Table. I like the weaved exterior, though it might be better suited for outdoors.  Imagine a few globes peeking out from inside the table! $399.

2. Rivet Coffee Table. This is a particularly masculine pick.  I love the roughness of riveted metal bringing textural interest to a room that is a little too traditional. $499.

3. Ginger Blue Side Table. Another good for the outdoors pick, I can see this as a plant stand or indoors as a nightstand. Maybe even as a standout in a Moroccan themed modern decor.  $299.

4. Driftwood End Table. Driftwood is timeless to me as a California gal. It’s visually stunning, like mother nature left a piece of art on the sand. Perfect for a beach theme or even a natural retreat.  A warm and whimsical addition. $399.

5. Clairemont Coffee Table. The clean lines, bronze material, glass and mirrored surfaces make this table the perfect french deco add to a casual high end living space. $699.

6. Avery Bombe Chest. There is little more vivacious in the world of furniture than a Bombe Chest. Though it might be too feminine of a flair for a unisex bedroom, I’m thinking about it in the dining room in lieu of a buffet. Can you imagine the drama? $799.