In Between

While I figure out a redirect, please find me here at www.milanshimonolee.com. Thanks for coming here, of all the blogs you could be reading!

New collaboration with Oh Happy Day! 

Jordan of Oh Happy Day posted a call a couple months ago for stylists and crafters to collaborate on a new format for her blog, and I couldn't pass up the amazing opportunity. We met and planned and crafted our brains out and this Big Fringe Curtain is one glorious outcome. Learn how to do it yourself (suuuper easy) on her blog! It was so much fun to work alongside such hardworking and sweet people, right here in San Francisco. My world feels a little bigger and a little brighter.




All photography by Sarah Hebenstreit of Modern Kids Photography for Oh Happy Day
Art Directed by Jordan Ferney
Produced by Ashley Rose Kirschling
Styling by me

To seek the timeless way we must first know the quality without a name. There is a central quality which is the root criterion of life and spirit in a man, a town, a building, or a wilderness. This quality is objective and precise, but it cannot be named. 

– Christopher Alexander

Kurt Vonnegut's advice on telling stories, worth the short listen via Brain Pickings

The past two weekends were rejuvenating in their own ways. Last weekend we drove up to Tahoe and mellowed out in a cabin with our good friends Glenn and Marita. (By mellow, I mean easy, not narcotically). The weekend before that J and I drove to Napa and indulged to the max, wining and dining our faces off in Yountville in honor of our first year of marriage.

We're typically not big on anniversaries, in fact, when the anniversary of our first date came around, I told Jason that if we "do" anniversaries he better not forget even once, otherwise we probably shouldn't celebrate at all. I'm not very good with disappointment :) He committed, and I still have trouble remembering if it's on the 4th or the 6th or the 9th.

We love sharing "firsts". This was our first year of experiencing marriage, and boy, this year was full of 'em! We decided to go all out and we ended up adding to our list. Here are photos of some of the moments between indulgent meals and beeeeeautiful Napa and Tahoe summer weather. Note that the first 5 photos are from Jetsetter website of the luxury boutique North Block Hotel where we stayed. Highly recommended if you're feeling splurgy.

Found him on Instagram and have been kind of obsessed with his work ever since.  See Sergey Shapiro's website for the full beast: http://www.sergeyshapiro.com/.

I was educated in graphic design but I've drifted from that line of work as of late. Honestly it's been a while since I've seen anything fresh, but the work of Marjo Loponen really caught my eye. Seems like he can really do anything with any idea. I'll be watching this recent Helsinki / London / Sydney grad, as should you!

all images via http://www.iamnotyourtype.co.uk/

Let's get back to lettering. The Vaguely is a tactile design studio by Vanessa Hernandez down in LA. She does all kinds of work but most notable is her lettering style, IMHO. Fluid, clean, funky. Keep it up, sister.

As a kid I collected precious things. Precious to me, like stickers, Sobe drink labels, paper goods... and I still have this one sheet of unused gold leaf, never having any use for it, never knowing when I'll need it. Came across this video from Emmadime's blog and not only is this woman's work utterly stellar, it brought me way back to the little things I valued as a young buck, without knowing I still value it today. So, thanks Vanessa, for the moment of nostalgia.

Check a look at this:

 

All 168 rooms of this French-inspired hotel just opened in the Flatiron neighborhood of NYC and I think it's time to take a trip. This hotel was brought to you by the Syndell Group, of course, the same developers that also developed my favorite Ace Hotel. I'll have to dedicate a week of posts to explain why I love the Ace.

I'm on the brink of incomprehension when looking at these beautifully balanced interiors. My brain responds with sounds like "It's like... ch....what?....that's so... wow.... derrr".  What I see is so clearly masculine yet perfectly feminine at the same time. With room names like Classic, Atelier, Grande, Salon, Royale, Atrium it's hard to imagine NOT feeling like a pure European badass in the NoMad Hotel.

I'd recommend starting with this promo video:

I can honestly say I've never before appreciated the beauty of smoke bombs.

Silence/Shapes: "Juxtaposing violence and beauty as a political statement. The need, in the age of information and communication technology, of going back to silence being aware of its presence."

See more of Minelli's work on societal contradictions here.

Photographs by Peter McCollough

My hands, 29 years worn, after changing the brakes on my car, as seen by my Mother who always said I had piano hands.

Makers Gonna Make, by Jude Landry. (via Swissmiss)

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. – H. Thurman

From the website of creative studio Designing Monsters, whose work you should definitely check out.

I'm itching to visit New York again, for reasons like Modern Anthology.

Owners Becka Citron and John Marsala run this half creative studio, half retail store located in DUMBO NY. The POV is incredible. Subway white text on black canvas, vintage lighting and leather, aged patina galore across tabletops and trophies. People say it's a store for men and man caves and masculine but all I see is heritage.

Their creative services range from interiors and graphic design to film and event design. They say they're in the business of storytelling, and that lil nugget is a great starting point to remember for any concept. "We know our first job as designers is to listen. Whether we're knocking out brilliant designs, initiating memorable branding concepts, or promoting the work of the talented artists we collaborate with, we like to think that everything we do takes its roots in our ability to tell really, really great stories."

One of Jason's childhood friends invited us to his wedding in Chicago so we made a mini-vacation out of it, padding the weekend with an extra day on either side. The first day we were out there happened to fall on my birthday, so I am lucky. I get to say that I spent my 27th birthday wandering the Art Insitute of Chicago's vast collection with the love of my life. Afterwards, his brother flew in just a few hours behind us so, we met up and he treated us for dinner and got the party started.

Overall, Chicago is an absolutely gorgeous city. I am so glad we had a chance to take the train outside of downtown too, where the city-of-neighborhoods reputation really shows... The alleyways come alive and fire escapes rise tall, brick everywhere and ivy all over it, architecture in general just beautifully thought out. I didn't photograph too much, I'm trying not to when I'm really enjoying a "first". Next time. Here are my instagram shots from the weekend.