week in the life
We had a great time last weekend with some friends who visited us after taking their kids to Legoland. Popped up to Laguna to show them a few coves.
This place is paradise. It's so full of life - beds of mussels, coral, plants growing on top of shells, anemones, and crabs everywhere—a reminder of how much design inspiration there is just from the natural world.
I met up with Oren John for a walk around Crystal Cove to discuss the current state of the creator economy. A couple of key insights were how essential negative positioning and contrast are for high-performing videos (think X versus Y), and how most of the more successful creators are multifaceted, i.e., they don't focus on one single thing. Social media remains an incredible opportunity for entrepreneurs and creatives if you are willing to make videos every day.
The wife and I had dinner at Truly Pizza in Dana Point. It was something she had been wanting to try for a year. The standout is the crust portion of the pie being incredibly flaky and bubbly, almost like a turnover or croissant.
Had a pepperoni and also an asian mushroom-inspired white pie, and I'd give each at least a 9. I also couldn't help but notice several very substantial Italian-looking guys in their 60s scattered across the premises, replete with gold chains, inhaling slices - it's hard to imagine a clearer sign of success for a pizzeria than the blessing of multiple neighborhood dons.
We popped by Design Within Reach in Costa Mesa, which is a flagship store for the brand, enormous place. The Ellison Studios FLOAT sofa and giant umbrellas from Tucci were the high points.
I was browsing the web earlier this week and came across these vintage high-back Japanese woven dining chairs. It always strikes me by how expressive certain chairs can be. Finding the right chairs for a dining room is often 80% of the battle.
I couldn't find who made them, but I hope to figure it out. You really could spend a lifetime just iterating on the form of a dining chair. There will eventually be a Hans Lorei dining chair.
On a recommendation from Ashwin Krishnaswamy, I've been thoroughly enjoying this little book, A Dictionary of Color Combinations Vol 1 by Sanza Wada, a Japanese kimono designer.
Whether you are designing textiles, an outfit, or a room, I highly recommend it for gaining confidence in pushing yourself outside the box.
Hope you are having a wonderful summer!
