boutique week: bungalow 9

modern island banners

boutique week is island hopping over to kaua'i today! good design shops are small in number even on oahu so you can imagine my absolute delight upon recently finding an introduction from bungalow 9 proprietor lisa leggett in my inbox. the poipu shop will be celebrating its one year anniversary in two weeks time, and the little emporium has become a favorite of local and faraway design fans for its mix of modern home goods and edited selection of stylish m's and w's wearables.

one of my happiest discoveries are these simple banners with an island spin on the vintage subway scrolls that have been popping up in decorated spaces lately. the typeface has been modernized with a sans serif font and are offered in a kaua'i edition printed on heavyweight canvas in a handful of colorways (orange, aqua and b&w).

the banners are exclusive to bungalow 9 and lisa also tipped me off that custom prints can be made allowing you to display the neighborhoods and island spots that are always in your heart (definitely on my wish list for our home). another idea that i am quite smitten with is listing all the places you have called home as a record of your life's journey so far.

the most delightful galvanized birdie!

if you are sharing my swoon for the island banners, just know that they are priced at $385 and can be ordered via email or phone if you are off-island.

in addition to modern furnishings from italy, bungalow 9 stocks designs from chilewich, thomas paul, lovely linens and tableware plus echo, three dots, hobo bags and sparkle from h|h friends nina kuna designs and misa jewelry. design services and special orders are also offered if you are searching for design perfection.

coming up: linen pillow editions of the garden island inspired banners!

• where: kukui'ula village, 2829 ala kalanikaumaka, suite g141, koloa
• shop hours: mon to sun, 11a to 9p

p.s. lisa also keeps a shop blog filled with design inspirations and shop updates.

photo.phile: daeja fallas

til dawn

after an unintended and lengthy pause, photo.phile has finally returned to brighten your monday! i am incredibly excited to feature kailua's daeja fallas whose work many of you may already recognize. after spending countless hours studying collections to find something new to share on h|h, i began to notice an undefinable loveliness in the debut look books of a handful of emerging hawaii designers who nixed simple product shots for an editorial style campaign.

the one common thread turned out to be daeja who has photographed local labels like sugarhigh + lovestoned to style section staple geren ford. her storylines invite the viewer into perfectly composed painterly flirtations, town and country adventures, and carefree seaside escapes savoring what appears to be a fleeting, but somehow always gorgeous, moment.

daeja's portfolio is a study in the many layers of fashion photography from glossy shoots to quiet b&w compositions, and, on occasion, out-of-focus images and raindrops on glass (which happen to be two of my photography crushes).

l'amant

rainbow & raindrops

plage

{photo.phile notes}

what inspired you to pick up a camera and start clicking?
i honestly don’t remember one specific thing that made me want to be a photographer or the day i started. i grew up in a family of artists, my grandmother is a local watercolor artist and my mother is an art teacher so art has always been a part of my life. i remember as a kid wanting everything i painted to look as real as possible. if tutu was teaching me how to paint a still life i wanted my painting to look EXACTLY like what was in front of me.

i think photography gave me the opportunity to make art exactly as i see it in front of me. the beauty of it is that everyone sees things differently; my photos are only one point of view. it is amazing to look at other photographers' work and to see something as they saw it.

photography muses that spark your imagination?
my all time favorite photographer is paolo roversi. his images are beautiful, mysterious and dream like. in an interview i read about him in PDN he said:

“for me, light is life – and the first light that i see is the sun. so when i think about light, i think about the sun and nothing else. window light is the most important light for me. when i take a picture using window light, i always think about what a long trip the light is making to reach my subject.”

when you look at his images you have the impression that the light has traveled for years to help him create the photo.

favorite island moment caught on "film"?
my work isn’t ever really “caught". i would not consider myself a photo journalist who is able to catch the beauty of the random moments of life like brassai or kertész. most of my work is staged. however, there are many natural moments within a staged photograph.

there is a photo in the series i titled “rainbow” of michelle vawer in a stunning diane von furstenberg dress. just before this shot, it was pouring and we were camped out on the porch of the house we were shooting at in pacific heights. my assistant remembered he’d left something on the lawn and ran out to grab it, when he got up there he yelled COME NOW! so we all ran from the house up to the lawn, michelle with her dress only half zipped up and the stylist zipping as we all ran . . . and there it was, a magical rainbow in this beyond beautiful setting. something like that only happens in hawaii.

any simple tricks to share on how to capture a gorgeous fashion photo?
ask the model to take her hands off her hips. unless the clothing has huge billowing sleeves or a waist where her hands will define something about the dress, the hands on the hips pose is one i sort of wish we’d all forget about.

which camera stays close by for everyday shooting?
no matter where i go i have a camera. i love my old canon AE1. i have to admit that although i have several digital cameras i generally take snap shots with my iphone!

pay it forward with the best photography advice shared with you:
pay attention to everything in your frame from the subject to the tiniest detail.

local delights that are a must in your beach picnic basket?
i am ecstatic that it is summer which means mango, papaya and avocado season!

mahalo daeja for sharing a peek behind your exceptionally lovely viewfinder!

you can follow daeja on her blog as she travels around the islands and world-at-large on assignment. she has also opened up shop on etsy where you find a small selection of photography prints for sale.

paper chase

one of a kind

flicking through my stationery stash this morning reminded me that tina from joie studio recently introduced a few new letterpress designs in her etsy shop. good incentive to jot down a few notes to post in the mail in order to justify acquiring more pretty paper goods. especially since i am just loving the one of a kind note card and its bright combo of turquoise and orange.

the quail's little fluff of feathers perched atop its head is even more charming in a repeat, no?

and, fans of the endangered b&w bear will delight in a peekaboo panda offering which has been pressed into two styles on bamboo paper. eco-friendly and most appropriate for its panda inhabitant!

peekaboo panda

dogwood coaster

individual notes are priced at $5 while coaster sets are $10 so make your way to joie studio's etsy shop to peek all the latest offerings.

and, so/cal readers will have a chance to say hello to tina when she sets up shop during the o.c. edition of unique la's indie market next month.

• when: sat, aug 14th & sun, aug 15th - 11a to 6p
• where: the lab, 2930 bristol street, costa mesa
• tix: $10

p.s. the flat panda note (shown above) is not currently stocked online so convo tina to order.

extra credit: art&flea market

i had an inkling something was forgotten while finalizing last week's scoop but only realized this morning that i failed to mention the upcoming debut of art&flea which opens in honolulu tomorrow night. it has all the makings of a wonderful summer night - indie designers, emerging island artists, bites served up by fresh café, and music played 'til the wee hours for all you latenight owls.

the event was coordinated by a talented trio - aly from mechakawa vintage, nicole from mish mash & tiffany from fresh café (the latest incarnation of the former queen's candy shop space) - with this month's edition featuring added style guidance from anné at rock shop.

a sampling of featured vendors include la pistil, marumaru, sassy lassy, unleash studio and many many more (click here for the official flyer). local makers will definitely want to give it a peek since the market hopes to expand its roster of participating designers for the monthly fair.

• when: thu, jul 22nd -  5p to 9p (market hours); 9p to 2a (after party)
• where: fresh cafe, 831 queen street, kaka'ako
• tix: $6 after 9p (18 & over once market closes)

photo.phile: sarah lee

underwater

i first happened across the dreamy underwater scapes from sarah lee of kona while browsing flickr, and upon checking in to inquire about featuring her photos on h|h, was even more intrigued upon discovering that such an impressive portfolio was snapped in between study sessions, film school projects, and water polo practice.

while the occasional photo may be the recipient of a magical post-processing trick, the vast majority of sarah's pictures are composed within the viewfinder. my most favorite shots are those allowing mother nature and serendipity to meet - whether it be a jumble of waves, an impromptu rain storm, or streaks of light dancing beneath the ocean's surface - and, with a click, capturing life happily uninterrupted.

one look and you will be reminded just why you are lucky you live hawaii!

set my spirit free

cloud nine

dune

{photo.phile notes}

what inspired you to pick up a camera and start clicking?
back in 2003 when i was in 8th grade, i dabbled in video editing, website, and graphic design, and probably because i've always loved capturing and creating things, i became really addicted to it. the first time i put my hands on a dslr when I was 13, i became enthralled with its possibilities, and once i was able to have a dslr of my own a few months later (thanks to my parents who helped me get one!), it all kind of took off from there.

photography muses that spark your imagination?
brooke dombroski has been one of my favourite lifestyle photographers for the past few years. i am absolutely in love with her visual aesthetic and the moments she captures with the insanely beautiful people she photographs.

morgan maassen is another one of my favourite ocean/surf/lifestyle photographers. he is crazy good at what he does, and his photographs have been a source of visual inspiration for me for the past few years as well.

a good site for general visual inspiration: ffffound

favorite island moment caught on "film"?
my favourite photo sessions have always been the ones where i'm just working in the background, capturing natural moments as they happen. just recently, i did a "mom and me" photosession with a friend and her 3-year old son during golden hour at the beach. i absolutely love photographing spontaneous moments and interactions between people, rather than the standard "posed" or fake-candids everyone's so used to doing.

i had so much fun following them around as they played together on the beach and in the water during golden hour. they were so natural and focused on each other, it was as if i wasn't even there - and that's what i love about doing what i do: capturing and accentuating the beauty of life.

any simple tricks to share on how to capture an underwater photograph?
the closer you stay to the surface with your camera, the better. not only does your subject/model's skin look brighter and less pale, but you'll also hopefully catch some trippy surface reflections in the frame.

which camera stays close by for everyday shooting?
my low-res cell phone camera! i use a canon 7d with about 4 different lenses, (10-22 wide angle, 50 prime, zoom, lensbaby), so it's a bit difficult to carry my gear around everywhere i go. i like to keep a balance between my personal life and my photography, and don't want to be "one of those girls" who wears her attention-grabbing dslr like a gaudy necklace and takes pictures of anything and everything, so i refrain from carrying it around everyday . . . but i definitely do need to start taking it with me more than i do currently.

pay it forward with the best photography advice shared with you:
keep it simple (seriously!). don't try too hard. go with the flow. you are your worst critic.

local delights that are a must in your beach picnic basket?
impromptu picnic? i would run down to ali'i drive and grab an acai bowl down at basik acai across from huggos, or grab an avocado jenna roll at hayashi's (if the wait isn't too long)!

pre-planned picnic? i would make some fresh squeezed lilikoi lemonade, fresh guacamole with blue corn chips, and drop by lava java for any kind of sandwich/wrap with their amazing macadamia nut pesto in it. oh, and for dessert: chocolate-covered arare from kona mountain coffee.

mahalo sarah!

you can order up prints and more on sarah's website and she can also be booked for portraits and other photo sessions. definitely click through the gallery . . . especially if you yearn to dip underneath the sea from the comfort of home.

p.s. you can find sarah on flickr and peek her latest photos over on her blog.