The Other Duckling.

The Ugly Duckling is a fantastic e-store with a good amount of gems. I could see myself happily buying up quite a bit of their stock. There is a good mix of old and new which is great for folks like me who love their vintage teacups over new ones, but might have a modern looking kettle. There are so many great stuff in store that when it came down to deciding which to showcase, I couldn't. So here we go, all of my choices. I hope that you enjoy the shop as much as I did.

New Work in Progress at Home.

Recently, I've been doing a little sprucing each weekend. I've always thought of home as a constant work in progress. This always keeps you busy and the pride you'll get from doing your own place is priceless. Moreover, it gives your visitors something new to see every time they come by.

A new nook with some books, photos, an anglepoise 75 lamp and ceramics.

This is still in progress. I intend to add a custom made mirror hung above it to double up as the menu for guests when entertaining.

Mondrain Hotel, South Beach, Miami.

Mondrain Hotel is owned by Morgans Hotel Group which was founded by Ian Schrager of Studio 54 fame. So you should expect nothing less than glitzy and spectacular. This is no exception. The maestro behind this is no other than Marcel Wanders. All that name dropping, this hotel must be excellent and it is. They have pulled out all the stops in this hotel, from the grand lobby with its dramatic pillars and staircase to the chandeliers hidden under huge bells, all the attention to detail is meticulous in the most dramatic manner.

However, having said all that, I do love the fact that when you step into this hotel, you feel as though you were transported into a different world, a world that dares to dream big; a world that is bold and beautiful, almost in its own fantasy.

Sale at La Garconne.

I adore the collection at La Garconne, so I thought why not share with you some of my picks from the sale bin. I think these would make great pieces to wear over and over again. Yes they are mainly in my all time favourite to wear colour, black. It may seem like a boring colour but it sure is the easiest to look stylish or elegant in. Good for from work to play.

Alexander Wang Silk Stud Print Dress.

Preen Roberta Dress.

Under.Linge Long Sleeve Asymmetrical Dress.

Proenza Schoulder Draped Bustier Flyaway.

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Rectangle Blouse.

VPL Posh Tank.

Iceland's Volcanic Ash Against The Northern Lights.

I absolutely love this photograph owned by Reuters of thick black smoke rising above Eyjafjallajokull against the beautiful natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights. These green auroras are caused by the emissions of photons in the Earth's upper atmosphere, above 80 km (50 miles), from ionized nitrogen atoms regaining an electron, and oxygen and nitrogen atoms returning from an excited state to ground state. They are ionized or excited by the collision of solar wind particles being funneled down and accelerated along the Earth's magnetic field lines; excitation energy is lost by the emission of a photon of light, or by collision with another atom or molecule.

Enough of geeky information. Enjoy the photograph.

JKL Design.

I've been thinking of art lately. It's one of the things that my apartment is lacking. I'm in no hurry at all to acquire pieces because I feel that what I get must reflect how I feel then and it should be a treat not something bought on impulse.

I love these pieces from JKL Design. It's almost too tempting to request for her to do a water colour portrait of me but that would be rather narcissistic. Although it would be special to me and of course, unique. I love commissioned art.

While I struggle with myself, enjoy these pieces of art.

Tiny Little Chairs.

Fancy having an Eames DCW pendant? I would! For the love of chairs, why not? Tiny Little Chairs is the brainchild a Montreal based Bruxe Design. You can get the chairs in gold, bronze or silver. I love all of them. In gold, si vous plait.

Gamma Issa House in São Paulo, Brazil.

This is my all time favourite house. Why? My dream house would look really private and small from the road leading up to it, opening its space out into the outdoors. It would be like a box and have one of its side glassed and be able to open entirely. It would look simple and understated. Isn't the Gamma Issa House all that already? A big plus point is that it resembles the Farnsworth House but with a lot more space.

It is designed by architect Marcio Kogan in collaboration with a few artists. Gama Issa is a modern sustainable house which despite the concrete block which forms the house has a transparency between the garden, the parallelogram pool that runs along the house, and the interior of the house. The transparency of the house is achievable through the large sliding glass panels which serve as a wall and have magnificent views of the garden and the pool. Natural day light and ventilation are available throughout the entire house.

Marcio Kogan wrote an article about the inspiration of the house:

"São Paulo, January 21, 2002 // text by Marcio Kogan

It is ten o`clock at night. Very hot. I use this moment of rare calm and solitude to design the new house. I look through the window and parked in front of the building is a BMW X5. A young man of about 27 slides out of the car with a stunning blonde fearfully clutching her Prada bag. An almost-black, almost-beggar approaches asking if he can watch the car for R$ 5,00. They go into a Japanese restaurant. On the radio, which I will turn off within ten seconds, there is talk of the most recent kidnapping and a prison rebellion. I read my notes of the first meeting with the clients, a couple in advertising. We spoke of an enormous library in the living-room with double high ceilings, enormous windows opening completely to the garden, a pool 3 x 30m, a kitchen with an orange lunch table in the center, two symmetric marble staircases lit by focused natural light, a precisely detailed work studio, spaces of rare and elegant proportions which always relate to the exterior differently, white textures, an Eero Aarnio ball club chair, minimalism, the 60’s, electronic music, Stockhausen Cage, the latest issue of Visionaire magazine, a recipe for spaghetti al mare and finally “My Uncle” by Jacques Tati.

I think of a single enormous volume wrapping everything: a white box. In São Paulo, we don’t need to be concerned about environmental coherence; it is total chaos, the most absolute chaos. In this city, the world’s ugliest, which overflows energy, vibrant like no other, loved and hated, anything that is projected will be totally integrated into the city. Ah, yes, don’t let me forget an enormous wall protecting the house, covered in natural wood (maybe from the last tree of the Amazon), and which, certainly, will be completely covered by graffiti, giving the final touch in perfect harmony with the environment.

From a humble architect of the third world."