cuckoo for coconuts

a peek inside . . .

a little monday morning design eye candy for you compliments of one of my favorite island blogs - cuckoo for coconuts. i originally spotted designers conn brattain & john giordani on design*sponge a few months ago when they shared a diy tutorial with d*s readers. intrigued, i immediately clicked over to their blog which chronicles their move from nyc to maui along with the year long rehab of their property and the day to day goings on of life on the valley isle.

hints that conn & john's diy aesthetic extended beyond the remaking of over the counter shelves with grasscloth (genius!) only piqued my curiosity more, and when they shared the news that their maui home would be showcased in readymade this summer, well, i became even more enamored of this designer duo. (the story of tending to a lost baby bird, now known as kekoa, only made them more endearing.)

conn & john's cozy 800 square foot home is a showcase of how a small home can be both livable and stylish and is filled with mid-century elements and subdued tropical touches. personally, it's refreshing and way more inspiring to get a glimpse inside a real island home lived in 24/7 and transformed with a little of the owners' elbow grease instead of the ubiquitous millionaire honolulu penthouses and ocean front hawaii estates that typically dot the pages of national & island design glossies.

gorgeous grasscloth shelves!

conn & john

what i didn't discover until the issue hit the newsstand was the extent to which conn & john committed to making their haiku home as sustainable as possible. not only do they tend to their very own farmers market in their backyard (tempting readers with yummy photos of homemade jam) but their home is totally off the grid powered completely by solar panels. and they have gone a step further since freshwater flows from the taps compliments of water catchment tanks which capture rain falling from the skies.

snap up your very own copy of the jun/jul 08 issue of readymade now or click over to the digital edition to take a peek (more photos here).

{many mahalos to conn & john for all their kokua!}

{photo credit: readymade magazine (1/3) & cuckoo for coconuts (2)}

kat uno designs

geisha on moped

at times blogging can feel like you're in a self made bubble but occasionally a note of encouragement lands in my inbox which confirms there are others out in the world who love the same modern island designs as me. recently, i received happy news from freelance designer kat uno who made a design connection of her own while shopping at alliway (after discovering the ward boutique on h|h - yay!).

originally from maui, kat landed on oahu to study art at uh manoa and earned her graphic design chops while working for a local company after graduation. she has since hit the freelance scene balancing work, school (studying web design), and the launch of her paper goods line.

when i first started h|h a few years ago, girl about town illustrations were everywhere online but no one quite captured life of an island girl as fabulously as kat who blends her lifelong love of design with the culture surrounding her. kat's illustrations are fun, flirty and filled with all the sweet details that make life in hawaii oh so internationale.

tropical sunset

i love sushi

you can scoop up kat's note cards at alliway as well as in her newly minted etsy shop which will soon stock a menagerie of handmade amigurumi designs (custom work is also welcome - convo kat for details).

keeping up with kinohi designs

quilted floral

the other day i dipped into my stationery stash happy to find a few remaining thank you cards left over from my wedding from way back when. while a graphic designer friend pitched in to create our invites, the thank you notes came from kinohi designs who was first on the scene with modern island wedding invites that i swooned over and coveted very much but, alas, were beyond my budget.

when i clicked over to see what's new with kinohi, i discovered that designer jennifer tanabe has quietly shuttered the custom paper goods side of her business to focus on other projects. luckily, she continues to offer her charming designs in a fresh mix of island motifs via wedding paper divas and tiny prints, an online print house that helps you craft semi-custom invites and announcements to celebrate life's big moments.

beach stones

baby fern * under the sea

all of the designs are digitally printed to keep the cards at an appealing price point for personalized stationery. and, if you find the perfect card but the sample text doesn't quite do it for you, just remember that a few clicks will allow you to tweak the wording to better reflect your event.

sustainable design open house

tara from design within reach recently sent along word that the ala moana studio will be hosting a sustainable design open house for the malama learning center on thursday evening. the kapolei campus is envisioned to be a spot for lifelong learning and a gathering place for lovers of the arts, culture, and the environment while being a model of sustainable architecture for hawaii.

a design competition for the center received over 200 submissions and architects from eight inc., the honolulu/sf/ny firm that created the winning proposal, will be on hand to discuss their plan. it looks to be a lovely modern open air campus that thoughtfully combines natural elements while incorporating sustainable standards like powering the campus with solar energy, recycling gray water, installing a green roof, and siting buildings to take maximum advantage of trade winds (when possible) to attain leed certification. cheers to that!

the non-profit center is still in the planning stage and looking for donors and volunteers to help make the dream a reality.

the dwr open house will also feature an expert on the green roof concept plus installations by guest artist bundit kanisthakhon of tadpole studio.

• when: thu, jun 5th - 6p to 8p
• where: dwr, ala moana
• fyi: light pupus & drinks will be served

stepping into summer

hope your holiday weekend was pleasant! to help you ease back into work mode, i gathered up a little eye candy to welcome back summertime. today's inspiration: a roundup of pretty doormats that cheer up this utilitarian staple with a dash of modern island style.

1 - add a touch of whimsy to your doorstep with a school of flying fish.

2 - delicate cherry blossoms dance across the entryway.

3 - stomp your feet while saying "she sells seashells by the seashore" 3x fast!

4 - anthropologie's partridge-esque mellow hummingbird design sings with color.

5 - greet guests with a tropical shower of chrysanthemum blossoms.

6 - finally, a grassy lawn with zero maintenance.

or, get crafty and whip up your own doormat design with a little help from martha stewart!