This past holiday season, one of the best gifts I received was a Patch NYC candle. I love the votive label and accompanying matchbook, both of which feature Don Carney’s signature line drawings. As I was admiring the candle last night, I was reminded of the collaboration between Patch NYC and Astier de Villatte.
To create the collection—which includes ceramic serving pieces and notebooks—Carney and fellow Patch NYC designer John Ross spent time in Paris working with the talented team at the venerable French firm. In addition to re-interpreting classic shapes, they developed new silhouettes that were inspired by crests and shields. The pieces are available at the Patch NYC shop in Boston’s South End, as well as other specialty stores worldwide.
{ Photos from Patch NYC }
by Alexis on December 10, 2012
The holidays are the perfect excuse to go all out for dinner parties and family meals. But I often end up focusing more on the food and the table ends up an afterthought. This year I’m finding inspiration in our “Table Talk” piece in the Holiday Gift Guide, and planning to be a bit more deliberate. Meg put together three beautiful concepts—Rich Revelry, Pretty in Pink, and Winter Wonderland—and built table settings for each. You can see the finished settings below, but we also animated them in a short stop-motion so you can see how each came together. Whatever type of meal and table you’re planning for your holiday celebrations, I’m sure you’ll find something inspiring in at least one of these!
We’re still having trouble believing that it’s less than a week until Thanksgiving! Before you know it, it’ll be time to brave the crowds at the stores, set up the gift-wrap assembly line in the living room, and prepare the house for dinner guests and out-of-town visitors.
And that’s where our special, digital Holiday Gift Guide can come in handy! In addition to pages and pages of gift picks from some of our favorite bloggers and shopkeepers—for everyone on your list (hopefully!)—we’ve assembled plenty of original content, including:
- Delicious recipes that will make hosting friends and family a little easier this year
- Exclusive downloads as well as DIYs that will add that special, personal touch to the holidays
- Decorating and entertaining ideas for a festive home and tabletop
- Special discounts with over a dozen fantastic shops
- And more great features, along the lines of what you’d expect to find in our print magazine
The Holiday Gift Guide is only available online, and designed to be viewed on your screen or printed out (if you’re so inclined). It’s a project that we’ve had a lot of fun putting together, and we hope you enjoy it!
{Cover illustration by Lab Partners}
I definitely have pottery on the brain these days; a lot of the pieces that I’m attracted to are essentially functional art. Take these mugs by ceramicists and sculptor Peter Shire of Echo Park Pottery, which dates back to 1972. Dragging myself out of bed every morning would be a little easier if my reward included sipping tea or coffee out of one of these slab construction, handmade vessels. (The colorful splattered motif was apparently inspired by Sam Francis’ paintings.)
In San Francisco, you can marvel at an array of Shire’s work in person at Gravel & Gold, which is where I first became obsessed with these mugs! And if you’re in Los Angeles, Shire has listed three dates—December 2, 3, and 4—on which he’ll be selling his pottery out of his studio on Echo Park Avenue. (Psst … I love this video on Shire, his crafts, and his cups.)
{ All photos from Echo Park Pottery }
Last year, during a week-long vacation on Bali, I squeezed in multiple trips to Jenggala—a pottery and ceramics factory/showroom located not too far from my hotel in the Jimbaran Bay area. (They also have a paint-your-own-piece program, which is a great activity if you’re traveling with kids!) While I was able to tote home a few souvenirs from Jenggala, I really wish I had been able to bring back more of their wonderful designs.
With the holiday season fast approaching, I started thinking that it would be awesome if I could buy some Jenggala ceramics for friends and family. And I was thrilled to find a U.S.-based, authorized dealer: Bali West Imports. Now I can get my Jenggala fix without sitting on a plane for 12 hours! I have a feeling that there are a lot of people on my holiday list who will be receiving some ceramics this year.
{ All images from Jenggala }
