jung eun park

Jung is a freelancer illustrator based in Korea. She loves to observe and draw everything from people, trees, cliff, forest, streets, animals to council flat. She captures ideas from everyday life and bring it to drawings.

Speaking of The Book Society, here are some scans from a really sweet little book I bought on Saturday. Illustrator Jung Eun Park has done some darling drawings of herbs, which I will obviously have to display when I actually have a kitchen.

Here are some more of her illustrations that I particularly like:

Animals
Map: Seoul to London
Park Project: Hand Typography
BLINK: Book Cover

antique weekend

The way I see it...you can never have too many beautiful antique treasures. Whether they're inherited from loved ones or discovered by chance it is always more interesting to decorate using pieces with a past. Taking a hint of inspiration from Sarah Richardson's latest project on a lovely country farmhouse I thought I'd try and incorporate some battered and beautiful second hand items into my own decorating plans. Luckily, the Christie Antique show was in town (well, just outta town) this weekend which meant I was spoiled for choice in the vintage furnishings department. Wheelers and dealers set up a patchwork of tents and booths on this beautiful conservative area to hawk their fine wares for quite reasonable prices - assuming you're a skilled bargainer that is.

From rustic farmhouse tables to worn in church pew benches there were large and small scale pieces of all sorts. My personal favourites included the fantastic old storefront signs, vintage typewriters, multicoloured country quilts and oversized apothecary cabinets full of miniature drawers . At the end of the day I was limited a little too much by my square footage (not to mention my budget) to pick up any grand pieces but I did find a few decorative little items to take home. My favourite find of the day: a pair of white washed deer antlers to mount on the wall or place haphazardly on a bookshelf.

Antique aficionados will be pleased to know the show makes a magnificent return at the end of the summer on September 11th. See you there!

vintage postcards

I picked up these postcards from a little antique store in Insadong last week. There were many to choose from, but I so liked the colours in these two.

the book society

The Book Society is a great little bookstore/project space run by Media Bus. Here you can find a well curated selection of small press and artists' publications, along with a variety of self-published books. It's easy to spend well over an hour here fondling the beautiful covers and smooth pages (even longer when it comes time to decide which ones to actually purchase). The store itself has a refreshingly unpretentious DIY feel, which made for a very comfortable browse. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's only about a ten minute walk from Hongdae, which means I'll certainly be visiting again in the near future.

Location
The Book Society
서울시 마포구 상수동 331-8
1F(#3), 331-8, Sangsu-dong,
Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea
121-829

ming makes cupcakes

Ming Makes Cupcakes is run by Ming Thompson, who... is really good at making cupcakes (and other things). The design on this website is fantastic - and those photos. Oh, those photos. Up in the middle of the night with sore muscles from my first venture into hot yoga, I was just drooling over Ming's cupcakes. It's probably for the best that I don't have an oven or I would surely be making the Sour Cream Apricot Cupcakes for breakfast!

toast it

Toast It is a cork bread-shaped trivet/coaster from Brazilian design studio Oiti, which is run by Patricia Naves.
- Design Milk

Okay, coasters disguised as a loaf of bread? Amazing.

chlorine green

I saw The Hurt Locker about a month ago and took these pictures after exiting the theater.

dream kitchen

The George Tavern, London
The Selby

around the house

Katie and I are both daughters of women who are passionate about their gardens. Ever since I can remember my mother's garden (no matter how small) has been a colourful petaled wonderland. Beyond the foliage there are carefully placed sculptures, gems, mirrors, lights and even a homemade pond full of frisky fish. Even inside every inch of spare counterspace is home to a vase full of freshly cut flowers.

Anyways, soon I'll say goodbye to all of these lovely indoor and outdoor botanicals (along with all of the chipmunks, the pool and the fridge full of groceries) and relocate to a jungle of the concrete variety. City-life certainly can't beat the landscaping and wildlife found out in the suburbs, but my downtown relocation hasn't stopped me from fantasizing about my new urban garden. I'm thinking wicker patio chairs, a bistro table, a piece of reclaimed fence from my mother's backyard and plenty of pots overflowing with hydrangeas and peonies. Maybe even a lavender wreath. The possibilities are endless - or at least as big as my petite little balcony. I'm hoping to recreate something like this, in condo size of course. But for now I'm enjoying the backyard in bloom and the smog free air for a little while longer.

prints and cans

Carlos was testing out display options for his new prints (see more here). I am very lucky to live with someone who can so playfully brighten up our loft.

I picked up these colourful cans and egg cup at a pop-up Swedish antique store on Sunday. The woman who ran the shop was very kind - she gave us one of the cans as a gift because we had visited more than once. I was very surprised/delighted. All of the furniture she had was beautiful - if I was planning on staying in Korea, I would have wanted to buy so many pieces.

sunday

Today I took a stroll in the back alleys of Sinsa-dong. It was really nice to see this little green yard. And I really want to get some alphabet magnets.

jan lemitz

Jan Lemitz, Rooftops, Seoul, 2009

I was flipping through the latest issue of IANN today when I came across Jan Lemitz's spread. I like this series of photographs a lot - with Korean culture becoming more and more contemporary, it's nice to see a slightly different take on the city.

insadong

Insadong isn't a place I visit very often. However, on weekends when the weather's nice, the street is closed to traffic and taken over by locals and tourists alike, giving the area a summer festival feel. There are numerous restaurants up the side alleys (Insadong is a gastronomic heaven for traditional Korean food), and arts and crafts (pottery galore!) spill out from every direction. Lots of art galleries are located throughout as well (although none as quite as nice as those found in Samcheong-dong).

Nestled in between the cobbled streets of Insadong and the big box stores of Myeongdong, sits Jongno Tower, which is worth zipping up for fantastic views of the city through floor to ceiling windows.

Overall, Insadong is a great place to pick up crafty souvenirs/delicious street food, but the overwhelming crowds usually send me elsewhere.