blog GAMIL: an insider look at design » Travel

Paris + Ohio = Macaron Joy

ty — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:44:48 +0000

Pâtisserie of Lite

If you have not been to Paris in the past 100 years or so you have been missing out. Macaron’s (not to be confused w/ coconut macaroons) are the signature confection in The City of Light. Composed of a delicate pillow of meringue, almond and silky sweet fillings in a myriad of colors. You may even wonder if the city’s nickname was inspired just by this delight.

Pistacia Vera assortment

Never fear! In Columbus Ohio, Anne Fletcher has made a crossroads between US(a) and Les Parisiennes at her lovely Pistacia Vera.

Door to door dessert.

Only recently have I known of this wonderful shop. Interested in my product, The Teastick, Anne contacted me for pricing and I casually mentioned the macaron desert I am marooned in… and just today, I received this elegant box of assorted macarons in the mail. Totally unexpected! I have now become the hero of the office (sorry Beth). My advice to you, if you are not travelling soon to Columbus (or Paris), is to get online and ship yourself an assortment from Pistacia Vera and become the hero of your friends and family. Thank you Anne and happy steeping.

6 Billion Others

beth — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:42:27 +0000

6 Billion Others: Portraits of Humanity from Around the World is a project completed in January 2009 (?), by Yann Arthus Bertrand and is translated into a website and a book. See and interact with faces of people from all over the worldand watch and hear mini biographical excerpts from these people, answering questions like “What does love mean to you?” “What do you hope to teach your children?” “What does happy mean to you?”. It is a project that recognizes the universal life goals, desires and needs of people across the world as well as the cultural differences, opportunities and sometimes heartbreaking challenges that come from individual perspective and living in one place or another.

Gamila at the New York Gift Show

aly — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:50:13 +0000

This has been a big year for Gamila: We’ve released new Teastick products, designed more for next year, rethought packaging and have taken to the road for higher profile tradeshows like the New York Gift Show (NYIGF). We were pretty excited to be selected to exhibit in Accent on Tabletop – a section reserved for premium tableware.

It’s not only pricey to rent booth space, but staying in New York isn’t too cheap either. Thankfully, we met a lot of new customers and got great feedback on how existing ones are using our products. I was able to see Ty and Chad’s great skills on working a show. It is tough mentally and physically!

It was exciting to see other North Carolina companies well represented, including our friends at Vietri and Blue Barnhouse. Overall it was a great experience, and we were happy to see the market look like it was finally rebounding a bit.

Royal/T: Japanese Style Cosplay Cafe, Shop and Art Space

britt — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:50:46 +0000

Today I wish I were in the LA area and I wish I were here… Royal/T. Royal/T is LA’s first Japanese-style cosplay (costume-play) cafe. But that isn’t all… It is also an Art Gallery focusing on Japanese Contemporary Art (the gallery art rotates every 4 months) and a Shop that is curated with rotating artist made goods and design objects that supplement the gallery show.

images from royal-t.org

seen on green wedding shoes

Int’l Home and Housewares Show ‘09

ty — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:51:45 +0000

While looking for some images to post from this years IHA, I ran across CORE 77 ’s toon-a-riffic review.

My most common reaction to the sea of products was : Really?

It is always apparent when a good company runs into pressure to design without inspiration… baguette ‘bag’ anyone?

Sometimes I think we should spend more time drinking and eating rather than carrying around all this design baggage. Thanks Lunchbreath and Fueledbycoffee.

Aerial Shots of Tulip Fields

britt — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:28:26 +0000

It seems like it has been forever since we have seen the sun here in Raleigh, so this morning I looked for a little Spring cheer. I found just that in the northern Holland Tulip fields. What a great color inspiration for these dreary days.

photos from DailyMail

MaxMara in Milan

aly — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:42:53 +0000

Loving the styles this chilly spring in the shopping areas of Milan. This jacket by MaxMara was a really striking piece.

This dress also showed some nice sensitivity to textile pattern design.

The MaxMara line is probably the best known label owned by the Italian Maramotti family based in Reggio Emilia, a city that gave birth to one of the most progressive childhood education methods.

Tea on the go… Colonial style.

ty — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:40:26 +0000

While searching for travel tea sets. I came upon this beauty on ebay.

After 5000 years of tea brewing, I have to wonder if modern design materials speak to the timeless pursuit of tea.

Admittedly, we have taken our shot but at least fascination follows function in our attempts. Keep on steeping…

Google Google Mars.

kelly — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:49:28 +0000

Really, do it. It’s amazing, even if it has no street views yet.

NASA and Arizona State University have joined forces to compile unbelievable images of Mars. It includes beautifully colored elevation maps as well as visible and infrared views. Google Earth 5.0 now features Earth, Sky and Mars options with 3D terrain views. Not to mention Google Ocean with complete with trips below the surface. Wow!

East German Apartment: an inadvertant 1988 time capsule

beth — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:44:12 +0000

In the city of Leipzig, Germany, an architect found an abandoned apartment that the tenant hurriedly left…in 1988…the last days of the Iron Curtain. The entire apartment was exactly as the owner had left it, with shrivelled bread rolls in the cabinet, a pot with dried up food in it on the stove, a wall calendar displaying August, 1988, and numerous East German brands of food, cigarettes, beer, etc that are now considered collectors items. The apartment had no private toilet, only one on the landing outside, and a zinc tub was stored in the bedroom waiting for someone to bring hot water to it for a soak.

The apartment showcased the less than elegant lifestyle of a typical East German. Unfortunately, the time capsule was not saved, as the entire block was being refurbished. Hopefully, it was thoroughly documented. I couldn’t find many pictures, but I’m sure we’ll see them all in some future book or documentary…

See a writeup here.