arkotec design lab

 manatee lab

if you haven't stopped into [area] lately, you may have missed one of the most promising design lines homegrown in hawaii of late. arkotec founder christian hastings recently returned home to the islands to pursue his lifelong dream of opening up a multidisciplinary design house via a fusion of old school production ways and modern meets sustainable design concepts.

in a world where far too much is outsourced to faraway lands, the big island-born designer (who currently calls honolulu home) is happily reviving the cottage industry one product at a time. first by producing a tee collection with thought provoking graphics and most recently with the introduction of arkotec's products for people line (sewn by christian's talented wife shandra).

take a peek at arkotec's latest offerings . . . delightfully green pillows, handbags and plush toys handmade with fabric reclaimed from the thrift shop mixed with new textiles for a totally one-of-a-kind look:

quasi

currently, the arkotec line is exclusively stocked at [area], the fab mid-century modern showroom in chinatown, with plans to open up an online shop of its own later this year (off-island readers are welcome to email christian to place an order).

click over to the arkotec website to learn more!

{update | feb 2010: arkotec recently opened up an online shop stocked with all of the featured designs shown above!}

new year's toast

congrats to jeremy & michelle, the design team behind toast, who have recently added shopkeepers to their growing resumé with the opening of their kaimuki showroom. fans will find one stop shopping stocked with all the goodies featured on h|h mixed with more delightful finds.

word is we can expect lots of new surprises in 2009 including this just released orange love fruit to celebrate the year of the ox!

• where: 3434 waialae avenue, kaimuki
• shop hours: m/w/f/sat - 12p to 6p

p.s. click here to take a peek inside the shop.

inauguration day roundup

it's inauguration day! let's savor this moment in history with a presidential roundup of obama goodness with nary a commemorative plate to be found! i only hope everyone gives the man some time to tackle all the issues facing our country and that me, you and everyone else does his/her part to help fix it so that we all live in a better world four years from now.

1 - the obamas get the superhero treatment with this fabulous celebrate change greeting card.

2 - crazy shirts jumps aboard the obama love fest with new tee designs.

3 - kona joe coffee introduces their barack o blend made with beans grown in hawaii, kenya, and indonesia.

4 - secret service won't give you clearance to drop in to the oval office and talk story with uncle barry? invite the president into your home with a custom wall decal.

5 - oahu artist mark chai (who designed these lovely plywood lamps) is making 10 limited edition "light of hope" table lamps from recycled plastic and koa (a portion of sales will go to feed hawaii's homeless). [update: mark just wrote in with news that one of the lamps is currently being auctioned off on ebay]

and, as expected, the official hawaii tourism website has a page devoted to president obama's hawaii.

p.s. to celebrate this happy, happy day, i scooped up 44 of shepard fairey's yes we did stickers just for h|h readers. email your name & mailing address to aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com by fri, jan 23rd and you just may find a presidential surprise waiting in your mailbox.

p.p.s. watch president obama's inaugural address here.

la dolce vita

despite being two weeks tardy, i hope your 2009 is off to a good start and that the new(ish) year brings many happy moments your way!

my fella and i snuck away for a last minute trip back to the islands to visit 'ohana and friends and one of my favorite finds were these fabulous prints from oahu artist pegge hopper (better known for her contemplative portraits of island women). tucked away in the upstairs loft of her chinatown gallery, the la rinescente series is a delightfully retro look at the artist's mid-century stint in the ad department of an italian department store.

being the girl behind this blog, my favorite is scuola's bespectacled brunette, but i love the bright pops of color and vibrant simplicity of all the graphics found throughout the series.

covet one to call your own? open edition prints ($250 to $500) can be purchased at the gallery or online.

• where: 1164 nu'uanu avenue
• hours: tue to fri, 11a to 4p
• fyi: gallery is open late on first friday

and the winners are . . .

2009 menagerie calendar

jackie of connecticut & lisa of kihei who will get to spend the new year enjoying twelve months of joie studio's lovely letterpress!

mahalo to everyone who entered. click over to joie studio's online shop to order up a 2009 menagerie calendar to call your own.

{mahalo tina!}

p.s. my holidays are kicking off a few days early so h|h will be on hiatus to enjoy all the festive winter cheer. hope your holiday is merry and bright wherever you may be.