{design: new covers by coralie bickford-smith}

. . . may always love the gilded, art-deco inspired f. scott fitzgerald covers best, but the new designs by coralie bickford-smith for the penguin hardback classics series are every bit as chic and ultra-stylish with their pared-down, graphic appeal, and of the many new designs, favourites include the elegant gold chains of jane austen's mansfield park and the pretty horses of charles dickens' hard times . . .


{images: via the terrier and the lobster}

{style inspiration: knotted belts}

. . . this morning's walk with the dog was already quite blustery, calling for a belted cardigan, a favourite combination at this time of year, and especially if the belt is beautifully and artfully knotted, as these from rilleau . . .

created out of necessity during the second world war, when metal production [along with petrol and sugar] was diverted to the war effort, causing the unavailability of metal buckles, [normally made of brass, nickel and iron or steel], these knotted belts also have no rivets or stitches, and each is cut freehand, without a pattern, and hand finished -- wouldn't they be lovely against pale pink cashmere?


{images: rilleau leather via n'est style; shown from top, the tapered belt & the knotted belt}

{favourite five: designer reiko kaneko}

“Art has no end but its own perfection.”

- Plato

To create the perfect piece of art requires a number of variables to be in order -- in the world of ceramics, for instance, the potter must manipulate matter, energy, time, and space -- and with that, can produce an infinite number of potential works of art.







So many factors are a part of what will result: there are countless ways force can be applied, limitless possibilities of what shape will evolve out of clay, and the timing, duration and intensity of the heat all play a role in the outcome.







And so it is with life -- there are many factors, like the time, place and the energy that we invest -- that play a role in creating meaningful and beautiful lives.







Ceramics and home accessories designer Reiko Kaneko certainly has merged beautiful ceramics with a beautiful life. Born in Britain, Reiko spent her childhood in Japan, and continuously draws on influences from both British and Japanese cultures, blending the two in the pieces she creates.







Having studied Arts and Design at Central St. Martin's College, Reiko specializes in ceramic design and supplies bone china design. In 2007, she established a design studio in London’s East End, where she creates the most exquisite home accessories and fine bone china tableware -- gorgeous pieces like her renowned boat, which was first launched at the famed Maison & Objet show in Paris earlier this year.







Featured on the pages of publications such as Vogue Living, Elle Decor and Marie Claire to name a few, Reiko has become one of the top designers in ceramics today.



This week, she imparts her:

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{top five favourite pieces of advice for young artists & designers:}



1. I find the more I learn, I realise how little I know, so my first piece of advice is to always keep trying, experimenting, and learning.



2. Use all the tools available to you -- for instance, YouTube and google are great senseis, or teachers -- don’t underestimate them!



3. Rome wasn't built in a day, so be faithful to your dreams.



4. Live every day as if it's your last, but also live as if you'll be alive for a very long time.



5. Above all, enjoy everything you do -- a lot!

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p r e v i o u s f a v o u r i t e f i v e s :

* food editor & author: donna hay

* photographer: debi treloar

* painter: janet hill

* jewelry designer: suzie gallehugh

* artist: michelle armas

* jewelry designers: megan & moira flynn

* actress & writer: shiva rose

* jeweler: camille eddera

* artist: kimia kline

* actress & fashion muse: chloë sevigny

* floral stylist, part 1: denise porcaro

* floral stylist, part 2: denise porcaro

* fashion photographer & illustrator: garance doré

* interior designer & architect: nina freudenberger

* entrepreneurs: rent the runway

* designer: rachel ashwell

* interior designer: tricia foley

* photographer: romina shama

* jewelry designer: cc skye



~ laily

{eco chic: transglass}

. . . if you have been reading for a while, you will remember the wonderfully dramatic and startlingly lovely table center-piece of clear wine bottles flickering with candlelight, utterly perfect for lingering dinner parties that last long into the night . . . and here, along the very same elegantly eco-chic lines, hand-cut carafes & matching tumblers, fashioned and polished from wine bottles into wonderful works of art . . .





{design w/conscience: tran­Sglass®, designed by studio tord boontje and emma woffenden & available at artecnica}