Inspirations - ICFF International Contemporary Furniture Fair

A couple things from the International Contemporary Furniture Fair that I loved...

in the Deutch Design area, the concept microbus Volkswagen Bulli. The front and rear seats are benches (when was the last time I saw a new vehicle with a bench front seat?) and there is an integrated ipad holder near the steering wheel so you can control the vehicle's entertainment system.  Sigh...just one more sign the Universe is giving me that I must have that ipad! But what blows me away is the Bulli is an electric microbus that is expected to go a 186 mile range!  Oh, and I love the white/red two tone body.

Where is the waiting list to sign up?

 And of course, lovely eye candy at the Johathan Adler booth. This is the visual aesthetic I was raised on so I love the retro inspired hip designs and his pops of wow color! I especially love the lamps and bright blue laquered desk.

New York Moody Rain

Ah, New York. What a fascinating city. The three days I was there for Surtex, (and I'll write more about that after doing some needed follow-up) it was damp, cloudy, rainy and grey. Fog and clouds covering the tops of buildings, everything dark and shiny with the wet reflections of the moody sky. It didn't matter so much as I was indoors all day in the Javits Convention Center, but it did remind me of living in Chicago  and the midwest with damp spring weeks and thunderstorms. I felt cold and wet a lot.

The view from our hotel was the spectacular view I usually have when in New York. Other windows. It is interesting to see the buildings come to life, workers arrive, lights and computer screens glowing... makes me wonder what life would have been like if I had moved here after college. I considered Boston, New York and Chicago and at that time, Chicago won. I love my life and where it has taken me but it is still interesting to be reminded of the other possibilities of where I might have gone.

Monday night Phyllis and I took the subway to SoHo and Little Italy. It was quite empty, probably because of the weather. I had a great dish of pasta (Paglia-something-something-Mamma) and fantastic time walking the neighborhood streets.

New York, you are beautiful in your dark, mysterious, moody ways. But I was ready to leave you and the damp rain. So back to LA I flew last night. Hopeful to be back in warmth and sun. As I walked up to my car in the long-term parking I could see I left the car window down (yikes! I am lucky I still have a car!!) and while I was gone, it had rained. Inside seat and carpet wet and soaked. So I guess I'll be living with my damp, rainy grey New York state of mind awhile longer.