The Cultivated Home

Situated in the quaint Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts lives an amazing accessories store called Black Ink.  We love home accessories, and when we came across this gem we could not pass it up!  Black Ink was founded in 1994 in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston.  Since then they have opened a second store, which is the one we spotted, in Cambridge and the Museum of Useful Things, which besides offering well designed utilitarian house wares and necessities, displays an array of vintage items.  The stores carry everything from kitchen accessories and office trinkets to art books and bath supplies.  Some of our favorites include the Baby Buddha Bowl, which nestles perfectly in your hand for eating on the go or when a table-less situation may arise, the Square Saké Cups paired with the Saké Handbook, Toothpick Bird, the Archie Grand Journals to store all those contacts we come across, and the Floating Ducks (you’re never too old to have a rubber duck in the bath).

Not in the Boston area?  No biggie.  Check out their online shop at www.BlackInkBoston.com.

As designers we’re always looking for ideas and inspiration, be it from a magazine, a flea market antique, or a fabulous piece of art. This summer’s find is on Fifth Avenue at the Guggenheim Museum. The Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward exhibit features sixty-five projects conceived by the architect, many of which are on view to the public for the first time. Take a break from the heat and walk the spiraling hallways of the museum, Wright’s last major work, and glance at the many works presented through animations, models and original drawings. You don’t have to be an architecture buff to appreciate the originality of one of the most renowned architects of the twentieth century.

There has to be something said for Wright’s visions, which express a harmonious relationship between form, function and the environment. So whether you’re looking to impress at your next dinner party with some architecture trivia, or you’re looking for some design inspiration, check out the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit before it’s too late. It’s easy to forget that some of the most inventive and timeless design concepts are just a New York minute away at our favorite museums. For more information on the exhibit and the architect, visit there website.

We are always thinking ahead here at Cultivated Home, so we were excited—and somewhat intrigued—to learn that our friends at Louis Vuitton have taken their fine forward thinking to new heights!

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11’s first lunar landing on July 20th, Louis Vuitton designed a custom-made trunk: the “Malle Mars” trunk.  It opens in multiple places, revealing compartments, drawers, and anything else you might need for a trip to Mars (it has a folding lounge chair).  Adorned with the Louis Vuitton monogram, this luxurious, lunar accessory is sure to be on any astronaut’s “must have” list!

The trunk is currently on display at the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History along with other NASA memorabilia. Hurry over and cheek it out! This piece is literally out of this world!

To see more pictures of the Malle Mars trunk and the Louis Vuitton party held at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday, July 13th, visit: New York Shopping Diary.  Or to learn more about the Rose Center for Earth and Space, visit their website.

The perfect day: visiting a first-rate museum, eating an incredible meal and, of course, shopping. There is only one place to go for all of these things under one roof: the Neue Galerie in NYC. This museum of early 20th century German and Austrian art has held incredible exhibitions of Josef Hoffman, Gustav Klimt and, currently, Van Gogh.

When you are through taking the full tour, make sure to visit their amazing gift shop. Unlike most museum shops, this gift shop actually has an unbelievable selection of textiles, home accessories and furniture. From the Dagobert Peche fabrics to the Josef Hoffman pillows and hardware, this shop offers carefully chosen items which are hard to find elsewhere. Of course, after you are done shopping and have worked up an appetite, make sure to visit the famed Cafe Sabarsky and enjoy a delicious Apelstrudel. Located at 1048 5th Avenue at 86th Street .

Our favorite museum is celebrating the Rococo period.  You can view some of the most incredibly ornate and intricate pieces of design ever created. It would be one thing to show accessories and furniture from the period’s root, but as always the museum goes above and beyond what’s expected.  The Continuing Curve, the beautifully perfect name for this exhibition, starts at the beginning and winds us through different countries and genres (including graphic design) and lands in the present with examples from people like Hella Jongerius. Please also check out the website for a little history lesson on Rococo.

Here’s our favorite excerpt: “Rococo turned away from the constraints of classicism’s geometry toward nature for models, celebrating the tactile as well as the visual, the fantastical over the intellectual.”  The Cooper Hewitt is located at 2 East 91st Street, NYC or by phone at 212 489 8400.  The Continuing Curve runs through July 6th.  Don’t miss it!