The Vegetable Museum

From the Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery by Ju Duoqi:

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Pickled Cabbage

Van Gogh Made of Leek

The Kiss of the Radishes

Napoleon on Potatoes

The Scream of the Sweet Potatoes - Something to MUNCH? Heh heh hehhh

Liberty Leading the Vegetables

The Last Supper with the Gingermen

But STILL, she has not used purple yams. I really hope she will at some point, bc I'm really craving some purple yam right now.

passiv haus

This is the Passiv Haus in Darmstadt, Deutschland.

"The concept of the passive house, pioneered in this city of 140,000 outside Frankfurt, approaches the challenge from a different angle. Using ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows, the architect engineers a home encased in an airtight shell, so that barely any heat escapes and barely any cold seeps in. That means a passive house can be warmed not only by the sun, but also by the heat from appliances and even from occupants’ bodies."

It only costs 5-7% more to build. Currently being attempted in Berkeley.

From the NY Times.

weiss

Cleanlining in the 1930s sought a stripped-down look reflecting Depression austerity. It trended toward "a finish of white, the most sanitary color1” for psychological appeal. - Apple, anyone?

And then there are different types of white. Warm v cool: White is warm and inviting when with a touch of yellow or pink. Cooler with bit of blue.

This is a neighboring house. What do you think? At first, because the finish almost seems transparent and matte, the white looks unintentional and the facade looks unfinished. But I love it.

In Ornament and Crime, architect Adolf Loos equates the progression of culture with the elimination of ornamentation. His argument for modernism does not suggest that modernists have denied style, but that man has become sophisticated enough as to not have sensual associations with ornamentation. A lack of decoration not only decreases the price and manpower spent on an object, but also increases the intellectual power and highlights some other art. In this sense, the matte white finish of this home's facade serves to highlight the skill of woodworking; the old, ornate Victorian is a home for Loos's modern man because it sophisticated enough seek elimination of ornamentation.

I like that the entryway is natural, dark wood set up by black stairs. Says what's important.

In line with SF stereotypes, of course the wreath is a peace sign.

Mural wallpaper in a white space with darker recesses. Weird that this is a bathroom. I wish the room was ten times larger, the bookcases floor to ceiling, and the mural of course much more expansive. This would make a much better living room/library than bathroom. The chair demonstrates.

Think another reason why people default to decorating w white is bc symmetry is not necessary at all. But if you are the sort who can maintain a "sanitary," white home, then you must be mildly ocd/like symmetry.

Btw, there is a White Company.

1 Meikle, Jeffrey L. Twentieth-Century Limited, “Cleanlining.” (1979)

Cabbage Chair by Nendo

I posted this paper chair from the MoMA a while ago. Didn't cite and so I didn't remember the designer's name (only that it was japanese).

But it's being created and sold by Nendo!

Made with pleated paper reinforced with resins, it's shipped in a roll and peeled away layer by layer. Nendo Inc. says that 'the cabbage chair fits active, optimistic and forward-moving "21st century people", the kind of people who, to borrow a concept Miyake expressed during a meeting with us, "don't just wear clothes, but shed their skin".'
The last line is a little silly and I'd imagine the result of some tragic translating.

The chair at MoMA

commute

This airport business is starting to feel regular - it's a commute now. Am headed home after flurry of travel changes due to snowstorm that created some sort of Smith/Narnia.

There's a place called Bell'occhio on Brady St. and Market that I want to check out in person when I get home. Found their website and didn't realize that they're in San Francisco. Looks like curios central!

They carry this Matte Black Oilcloth - fabric that is effectively a blackboard. V cool, eh?
Think paper a wall or a sliver in your kitchen/dining.

lucy is a boss

the heist at harry's

The Harry Winston store in Paris

The Harry Winston store in Paris was taken over a few weeks ago by four men, three of whom were in blonde wigs and apparently pretty convincingly fem. It was all over in 15 minutes. It must have been GLORIOUS! This NYTimes article chronicles what Hollywood dreams of. Mad cool!

Some highlights:

"Defense lawyers for some thieves who have been arrested insist that the name Pink Panthers is an invention of drama-loving law enforcement authorities. But investigators say there are about 200 members in the group — linked by village and blood — and they blame the group for scooping up jewels worth more than $132 million in bold robberies in Dubai, Switzerland, Japan, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Monaco. They live all over Europe, with some working in mundane jobs as hospital cleaners, waiting to be summoned for the next discount flight to a foreign capital, they said.

The group’s fugitive ringleader, Dragan Mikic, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years. He vanished from prison in 2005 after sliding down a ladder as his accomplices attacked the watchtower with machine-gun fire.

That cool cleverness, boldness and speed are the hallmarks of the ultra lux robberies, which lead investigators to speculate that the Pink Panthers are casting for ideas from the crème de la crème of movie thieves — right down to hiding a signature $657,000 blue diamond in a jar of face cream, as one did for his girlfriend.

In Dubai, masked members of the gang were blamed last year for ramming two Audi automobiles into the window of a Graff jewelry boutique in a gleaming Wafi City shopping mall. They scooped up $3.4 million of diamonds and then bolted away in the same cars — in a daylight heist that has become a YouTube classic with more than 200,000 hits. Later, they burned the cars to erase their traces. "

Ahh this blows my mind so cool.

party density?

AT did a post on 'party architecture.' Proportion of people and sq footage in order to not have a lackluster party. But the table below, for realies?

"People make a party. But how many should you invite? The right density--the number of people in the room--depends on the type of party, and, to a lesser extent, the mood you want to set. This table suggests the right number of square feet per guest.

Divide the square feet of your party space by the number to get your target number of guests. Only include rooms where people will congregate. Why does a party often end up in the kitchen? (Answer: As a party distills to a core group people instinctively keep the density up by moving to a small room.) "

I wouldn't.

As Eric Theodore Cartman once said, "It's my hot body - I do what I want!"

yarn ball wreath

Joanne - designs usually imagined for the frumpy, the gaudy, and the prepubescent, but I can't help but like this yarn ball wreath. Stryrofoam ball centers. Cute, no? I think this would look nice with two or three similar colors and more reflective baubles. A range of sizes would also be nice.

spoonflower

There's a clever company called Spoonflower that prints anything you want on cotton for $18 a yard. Pricey, but leaves you thinking why you didn't create this business.

Spoonflower has a Flickr page w customers' past designs.

Featured on AT.

This made my day!!:

Jojo misses EMILY MOCK. 1:25am
- 12 Comments

Richel Kumar at 1:25am December 8
What about Richel Kumar? :(

Jenna Hwong at 1:59am December 8
WHAT ABOUT JENNA HWONG?!

Sean Luong at 2:00am December 8
what about sean luong? :[

Richel Kumar at 2:02am December 8
You should just change your status to Jojo misses Emily Mock, Richel Kumar, Jenna Hwong and Sean Luong. That or Jojo misses everyone and RICHEL KUMAR! I prefer the last one.

Jojo Ho at 2:02am December 8
SHEEEEES ON THE FREAKING EAST COAST! i have rights!

Jojo Ho at 2:03am December 8
hahah

Richel Kumar at 2:08am December 8
Well, Richel is in San Francisco. And she has to be at Lowell.

Jojo Ho at 2:10am December 8
haaha! maybe if you updated your blog as much as you commented on my status, i would be slightly more inclined to miss you. haha

Richel Kumar at 2:11am December 8
Oh wow, I am sad now. I think I will just go to sleep. Thanks Joho. :(

Jojo Ho at 2:12am December 8
better blog about me before going to bed!

Emily Mock at 1:24am December 9
OH MAN THIS IS GREAT!

Richel Kumar at 1:24am December 9
Oh wow, Emily! OH wow! I am jealous!


:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is not to be egalitarian, but I man I miss you too Jo.


And let this be a lesson to all - you should update your blog as ridiculously often as I do. Because then, people will get all these annoying alerts as to how ridiculously often you update your blog and cannot help but think of you ridiculously often (hope I do not sound painfully lonely)!
And lastly, bitches can't hate!

s+p

I douse my food with pepper at nearly every meal. School salt and pepper shakers are dead fugly - typical restaurant depot. But look at these bad boys!

Taste down to a science. Chemistry salt and pepper $18

Wind-up rolling salt and pepper $38

Banana bros salt and pepper $36

This is also from Chiasso. Romeo and Julienne cutting board! Lawl!! Make this yourself though. So easy!

And the favorite, from MoMA. I nearly bought this. Certainly looked at it for a long time. But decided against the $29. What do you think, worth it in utility and pc-ness?

New York, Part 4: MoMA

Picasso. Two Nudes (1906)

Picasso. Three Musicians (1921)

Paper chair

Eames!

Stefan Sagmeister, as below.

George Lois: The Esquire Covers

Sorry - didn't annotate.