The Wanderlust Hotel Singapore, My New Ultimate Dream Destination

Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season! I'll be posting my Best of 2011 in the next few days but in the meantime take a look at my new dream destination, the Wanderlust Hotel, Singapore, found via designboom's Ten Most-Viewed Hospitality Designs of 2011. How fitting is that name given that wanderlust is my perennial state? Also very likely a word I'll get tattooed somewhere prominent when I find the right typeface.... Of course I'd rather just find the $$$ to travel to all my dream destinations, but hopefully that'll come around! xo, B.

"The Tsunami + the Cherry Blossoms"—A Staggeringly Beautiful + Incredibly Moving Bit of Hope for a New (+ Hopefully 20,000 Times Better) Year

Happy Holidays from Liquidator Graphics! (+ the adorable Sebo Walker....)

CLASSIC INSPIRATION: A Stellar Interview on the History of the Mighty House Industries

Far from Random Beautiful Boy Loveliness: Chef Dream Husband Alex Stupak for Eater's Sound Check!!!

Lovely Boy Eye Candy: Boxer Zachary Wohlman

This is Zachary Wohlman from freshjive on Vimeo.

Thanks to Fresh Jive for sending this quite lovely boy my way, + congratulations to him on winning his first fight. xo, B.

More Random Aesthetic EPIC SUBLIMITY: Kaleidoscopic Exploding Blazingly Vibrant Technicolor via Novum on Behance

Novum 11/11 – Making Of Cover from Paperlux on Vimeo.

I've just once again fallen MADLY IN LOVE WITH some more—some of the MOST—kaleidoscopic, awe-inspiringly vibrant color + blazingly brilliant printing innovation I've ever seen—this Buckminster Fuller-inspired NOVUM magazine cover from Paperlux, via Behance!! I cannot wax hyperbolically enough about this so I'll let it speak for itself....... xo, B.!

In Love Again: Lustrous work + he's FINE AS HELL—Nendo's Oki Sato

(Pr) Oki Sato from Protein® on Vimeo.

Sonic Loveliness for the Morning: A Giddy Classic from the Always Adorable + Magnificently Brilliant Yukihiro Fukutomi!!!

Random Aesthetic EPIC SUBLIMITY: The Eye-Searingly Lovely + MAGNIFICENT Sensorium Exhibit by the D4D

Sephora Sensorium - Life At First Scent & Lucid Dreams from The D4D on Vimeo.

I cannot get my head around how staggeringly beautiful + eye-searingly vibrant this work is......... This exhibition in NYC, from 10/15-11/27/11, found by Cool Hunting + created by ineffably brilliant firm the D4D for Sephora + the perfume house Firmenich looks absolutely, psychotropically MAGNIFICENT!!! I can guarantee you I'll be keeping up with the D4D on Vimeo + Facebook frequently from now on for inspiration + color! As far as the exhibition, DAMN, I wish I could see it! The soundtrack by Little Dragon here doesn't hurt either......... :))), xo, B.!

FINALLY ON MIXCLOUD! Disc 1 of the First of My DJ Comps to Go Online, Bellissima Idyll!

Bellissima Idyll Part 1 by Eleganthoodlum on Mixcloud

Yes, I've finally uploaded disc 1 of the first of my 13 years worth of the homemade CD series to Mixcloud! One of my favorite sets, an eclectic global bossa selection from 2002 representing the UK, Brazil, Japan + beyond, Bellissima Idyll, named after my two favorite Japanese labels from back in the day..... The sound isn't perfect in a few spots but I still think the selection is—so please listen + (hopefully) ENJOY! Thanks all! xxoo, B.!

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: More Hyper-Lustrous Food Porn from Eater's Stunning Sound Cheque Series

Victoriano Lopez, "Elegance" & "Lomo Saltado" from Eater NY on Vimeo.

Eater's Sound Cheque series keeps getting better with every installment. Dig this massively vibrant new clip, as always set to a radiantly idyllic soundtrack. xo, B.

RIP Steve Jobs

It is a terribly sad day with the loss of the brilliant Steve Jobs but I did have to post this striking illustration that came from a Facebook friend as a humble tribute. I started teaching myself design on a Mac in 1991 + have always + will always maintain that there is NO SUCH THING as digital graphic design or commercial printing on any other platform........ Everything else Apple that I can't imagine my life without for the past 20 years was a bonus........ RIP Steve........... xo, B.

More Radiant + Well-Soundtracked Food Porn via Eater: Chef—Ciano's Shea Gallante, Band—Invisible Days

Shea Gallante, "Lobster Raviolo" from Eater NY on Vimeo.

Sonic Loveliness for the Morning: My New Favorite Song from the Staggeringly Brilliant Tropics!

Sonic Loveliness for the Morning: A Ravishing Set from a Facebook Friend at Jupiter Tuning Center

indian summer earwax by jupiter tuning center

Sonic + Aesthetic BLISS for the Weekend + Beyond: Live Clorofila + Banda Aguacaliente

This is my new favorite clip—pure INEFFABLE BLISS! I'd have given just about ANYTHING to see this lovely spectacle, but I can at least look forward to a DJ set from Clorofila at the Museum of Latin-American Art's En La Noche, also with a first look at the MEX/L.A.: Mexican Modernism(s) in Los Angeles 1930-1985 exhibition, which looks magnificent, free tequila tasting, a multitude of lowrider cars..... + the inevitable promise of many BEAUTIFUL LATIN BOYS. Looking forward to it. xo, B.

Not Quite Random Aesthetic Loveliness: Beautifully Inspiring Documentary on the Resiliency of Japan w/ Pharrell + M-FLO!!!—Tokyo Rising

Not Quite Random Loveliness: The Ever-RAVISHINGLY EXQUISITELY LOVELY José González + More Live Red Hot + Rio 2 from NYC

RH Loft Party: Mia Doi Todd + José González from Red Hot on Vimeo.

RH Boat Party: Quadron from Red Hot on Vimeo.

MADLY IN LOVE AGAIN—This Time With the GODLY BEAUTIFUL DAN BEAUMONT!!!

Dan Beaumont (Jam Factory/Dalston Superstore) - Spacebumps. Exclusive mix for R$N by Theransomnote on Mixcloud

AWE-inspiring + pure GENIUS: Outliers Vol. 1: Iceland

Outliers, Vol I: Iceland from effixx on Vimeo.

I am genuinely reeling from the lustrous, opulent, exquisitely flawless aesthetics of this project, which came to me via The Fox is Black. With some of the most rapturously opulent visuals I've seen in ages + music by Shigeto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tycho, Deru + more, this is set to be BLINDINGLY BRILLIANT!!! Enjoy....... xo, B.

Sonic Loveliness for the Morning: Makoto's 5th Anniversary Mix for Human Elements (Tokyo)

Makoto - Human Elements 5th Anniversary Mix by Makoto-Humanelements

Sonic BRILLIANCE for this Weekend + Way Beyond: GILLES P.'S JAPANESE SENSE MIX!!!!

Gilles’ ‘Japanese Sense’ Mix by Gilles Peterson Worldwide on Mixcloud

Touring the World with Black XS Live Sound........

These Takeaway Shows by Black XS Live Sound are so boundlessly charming + resplendently photographed that I've been utterly rapt making my way through the series........ The Shugo Tokumaru is musically the loveliest + has the most enchanting color, but seeing Polock do a song that I so love ("Fireworks!") on the beach in Spain is in and of itself mightily beguiling...... Yora + Mujeres are both bands that are new to me but that I want to hear much more from........... + are on both counts adorable, especially Mujeres' tousled lead singer, because as everyone who knows me well knows—give me a tousled Spanish boy in a Fred Perry shirt + I'm eternally grateful....... But the two boys that I'm most MADLY IN LOVE WITH out of this lot are the two GODLY RAVISHING close-cropped bearded boys from the Stereotypes!!! Enjoy all....... xo, B.

Sonic Loveliness for the Morning: All About DJ Krush (Used to Be My Hero + I Still Love Him)

It's All About Dj Krush by Beatinspector on Mixcloud

Inspiration + Another Reason I Need an iPhone Already: The Ravishing Virtual Letterpress App

LetterMpress™ for the iPad available July 5th from Neighborhood Sandbox on Vimeo.

First off, I've been pining for an iPhone for a while lately, never to use as a phone—I hate cell phones with a passion—but solely for the ridiculous breadth of miraculous aesthetic possibilities, whether Instagram or the app to shoot video + make it look like 50s Eastman color used for a clip of a market in Japan set to Shugo Tokumaru's "Rum Hee" that I posted a few weeks back. Now this app for simulating letterpress comes via HOW, + it looks + sounds incredible:

"LetterMpress is a virtual letterpress environment for iPad that allows anyone to create authentic-looking letterpress designs and prints.

"The design process is the same as the letterpress process—you place and arrange type and cuts on a press bed, lock the type, ink the type, and print. You can create unlimited designs, with multiple colors, using authentic vintage wood type and art cuts. And you can print your design directly from LetterMpress or save it as an image for import it into other applications."

xo, B.

Pure Sonic Bliss from a BEAUTIFUL GENIUS: Nicolas Jaar in What Looks + Sounds Like the Greatest Show EVER

Ultra-Vibrant Aesthetic Loveliness for the Day: Kevin Dart's Yuki7 in Looks That Kill

Looks That Kill - HD from Yuki 7 on Vimeo.

Lustrous Interior for the Day: Red Bull's London Offices via Dezeen Magazine

Inside awards: Red Bull offices by Linda Morey Smith from Dezeen on Vimeo.

Marvelous + pure GENIUS: Pendulum Sound Machine by Kouichi Okamoto

Pendulum sound machine from kyoueidesign on Vimeo.

Absolutely marveling at this. Via designboom.

Awe-Inspiring Aesthetic Splendor for the Day, Set to My Favorite Song of the Moment

SONIC LOVELINESS FOR THE CENTURY: New KRAAK & SMAAK IN SESSION!!!!

I'll say straight up—this is the best pop song (y'all know what I mean by that—pop in the REAL Burt Bacharach sense) since Saint Etienne's "Nothing Can Stop Us"!!!!! I'm having a near catalepsy here........ in the best way possible........ One more stunner from the session:


This is my bliss for today—though I will say one thing about that old wedding: the London Chamber Orchestra with the cathedral bells sounded rather sublime.... But otherwise fuck that, I'm celebrating new KRAAH + SMAAK!!!!!

xo + love all,
B.

Sonic Loveliness for the Evening: Wyolica Produced by My Dream Boy Kenji!

+ I couldn't resist adding the beautiful Kenji + his adorable pups—just when I thought he couldn't possibly get any more adorable or ridiculously sexy..........



As well as one more sweet Wyolica/Kenji collaboration with lustrous color + my boy looking even more beguiling........ xo, B.

Favorite New Song to Kick My Ass Out of Bed—from One of the Two Albums of the Year Thus Far: NEW LONDON ELEKTRICITY

Random Aesthetic Loveliness for the Morning via the Fox is Black: Lovely Project from BEAUTIFUL Hong Kong Beekeeper Michael Leung

Nokia - HK Honey from The Silentlights on Vimeo.

Awake for an hour + I've already found my first new dream husband of the day....... Thank you Fox is Black for vibrant inspiration once again, + Michael Leung, I think I love you. :)) xo, B.

New Loves: Today's Chef Dream Boy Anthony Sasso in an Exquisite Bit of Food Porn

Anthony Sasso, "Belly with Urchin" from Eater NY on Vimeo.

Much needed GODLINESS: The MOST STAGGERINGLY BREATH-DEFYINGLY RADIANTLY MIRACULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL BOY ALIVE—LUKE PASQUALINO!!!!—IS COMING TO THE BORGIAS!

Pure Sonic Bliss from Japan While I Send My Continued Love to My Brothers + Sisters: Red Bull's EXCLUSIVE MAKOTO MIX!!!!!!!!!

Tranquility + Staggeringly Brilliant Aesthetics—to the Sound of Wim Mertens

It's well-known that I've lived by my love of Japanese film and music since I was 20 at the latest, and for me no other country has produced so many ineffably brilliant artistic gods—the mightiest creative minds of our time, providing boundless joy in a thousand different hues. Seeing the country literally in tatters and in inconceivable further danger, I'm looking for whatever aesthetic inspiration and any sort of calmness I can find at the moment. While working on compiling a post with the loveliest benefit projects by designers and the most credible sources for where to donate (I was infuriated by a piece that said that Verizon and AT+T were taking as much as 3 MONTHS to send donations given by text), and another with a primer of the Japanese music that has defined me for the last 2 decades, this project by Kinetura seemed an apt moment of idyllic distraction. Also it's my first salve in trying to remedy the fact that while I paper my Facebook wall with it, I haven't been posting ANYWHERE NEAR the amount of staggering aesthetic bliss I find daily via Inhabitat on this wall. And if I needed another reason, it's set to a magnificent piece by timeless Crepuscule piano genius Wim Mertens.........

Sending much love and best thoughts to my brothers and sisters in Japan,
xo, B.

Wishing Everyone a Shimmeringly Brilliant Year of the Rabbit!

The Belated First Random Aesthetic Loveliness of 2011: The Adorable + Miraculously Skilled Killian Martin in EPICALLY LUSTROUS Color

A belated happy new year all, once again I know haven't been posting enough (spending too much constantly populating my Facebook wall in random aesthetic shorthand + saving only the finest exquisite luster for the blog—if you'd like more please don't hesitate to send me a friend request. I promise the blog'll be updated MUCH more frequently this year! In the meantime, I found the charmingly goofy Man About Town clip w/ the adorable + miraculously skilled Killian Martin this morning via the brilliant Fox is Black, + as often happens it led me to several INFINITELY FINER clips—these being especially resplendent, in EPICALLY FAULTLESS color, all directed by Brett Novak + scored to idyllic songs by Patrick Watson. Enjoy........ xxoo, B.