Design Sponge (Kneeland Mercado)

Very happy to announce that my photographs have been featured on Design Sponge!  I had the pleasure of shooting Joanna Williams shop/studio, Kneeland Mercado. You may remember Joanna from my entry about her physical shop's opening night. I can't say enough positive things about Joanna. She is amazing at what she does and exudes creative confidence. I am inspired by her drive and her sense of style. She also has really great taste in music (The Cure / Echo & the Bunnymen played in the background, while I framed my shots -click click click). Also, she is the most generous & nicest of people. 

Thank you, Joanna!

To see more on Joanna's space & more of my photos click here

In the photo above, you may recognize the little black match box? It's from one of my favorite sites, A Collection Of. Created by Stef & Gilda -without them, I wouldn't have known Joanna. Here is an interview they did with Joanna a while back.

Also, notice the Clare Vivier book? Below was a Christmas gift from my mother. That cozy looking rug? From Kneeland Mercado. My favorite thing is to stand on it with my bare feet - so, so soft.

all images © Ava Alamshah

your friend,

ava

Kneeland Mercado

Thursday night, I was invited to attend the grand opening of Joanna William's beautiful store, Kneeland Mercado. It's by appointment only, and is an extension of her online venture. I've written a bit about Joanna before in my entry, Seattle Bound. She is a very warm & welcoming soul. She also has great taste in clothing & an amazing eye for treasures from around the world. There was a plethora of art books, incense (which for some reason I forgot to pick up and smell // people were raving about the sent, cardamom perhaps?), hand woven Moroccan rugs, the brightest Mexican blankets/dish ware, artist made ceramic jewelry, antique oil paintings from France...giant pompoms (!!!), eye candy all evening! She even managed to get a sitar player. And if my senses weren't worked enough, below is a photo of the most amazing martini I've ever had (infused with lemon & rose water // topped with dried flowers) and dates stuffed with goat cheese. Divine.

This book, Into the Orient, looks amazing. On my list of wants. There are photographs from 1950s Iran that I am very interested in seeing. My father was just a little boy when he lived in Abadan during that time. He left Iran before the revolution, and migrated to the states, eventually meeting my mother at the Glendale Galleria of all places. 

Joanna, surrounded by her treasures

all photographs ©Ava Alamshah

L U S T    W O R T H Y

your friend,

ava

Ooga Booga

  One of my all time favorite stores, Ooga Booga, has a pop up shop in San Francisco that will be ending it's run in the next two weeks!  If you are in town, I suggest you head on over to grab some zines and some records.  November 30th is the last day.  The location is at the Kadist Art Foundation on the corner of 20th and Folsom.

  I first heard about Ooga Booga about six or seven years ago from an article in Nylon Magazine, about the owner, Wendy Yao.  HERE is an article from 2007, about Wendy, her amazing space, and what influenced her to start her business.  Some more recent articles from KCET here and here.  I am happy that I've gotten to meet Wendy and volunteer a couple of times at her shop.  Really glad that her store exists.

 R I O

Mike Kelley's Destroy All Monsters.  RIP

  The shop in San Francisco was great.  I loved the polka dots in the windows.  I happened to be wearing a polka dot dress that day, too.  It's such a happy design.  It felt nice to be the only ones in the store for a while.  We could just hang out and gaze at all the art and zines.  The plant, in the image below, gave me such fuzzy feelings.  Everything is a visual feast, from the potted plant, to the different colored books and zines laying on the wooden surface, to the beautifully woven rug underneath....M A G I C.

Underneath it reads:  Chris Johanson & Jo Jackson, Sic Alps/Awesome, Vistas print, $200

Fruits and Nuts by Laura Owens

your friend,

ava

Images © 2012 Ava Alamshah