Another music post. One of my all-time favorite bands, Metric has a new song out currently and an album set for release in March (nineteenth, I think?).

Help I’m Alive — If I stumble, they’re going to eat me alive. — Absolute perfection! Love the beat and instrumentals to this song. It’s a big strange sounding, but that’s nothing new for Metric. One thing that drives me crazy (and really isn’t a fault) is the structure of the song is confusing. It’s hard to determine the verses from the choruses from the bridge, etc.

Help I’m Alive (Acoustic) — Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer? — Straight up beautiful (except during certain lines, a male vocal repeats lines and it sounds a little stupid, in my opinion). Go and download this for yourself at the Metric website! Also, there’s a little video that goes along with it on there.

Besides Imogen Heap and Lily Allen’s upcoming albums, Metric’s Fantasies is near the top of my list. I am squirming in my seat, impatiently waiting for all this good new music.

That freakin hardware store has come to my rescue! Method has been phasing out their old laundry products (especially their dryer sheets) and making room for the new Squeaky Green line. The only problem is, they pretty much killed off all the old sheets long before the new ones made it into stores. Finally, the only place around me to sell the new laundry line is Lowe’s (the apostrophe’d hardware superstore). Word on the street is that you can find these goodies at Lowes (grocery store with no apostrophe).

Is it normal for 21-year-old boys to get this excited over laundry products? You tell me.

It seems as if all my music posts are about Lily Allen. Meh, whatever. I’m not complaining.

Here are a few extra tracks that are either on Lily’s latest EP or the bonus track section of her upcoming album, It’s Not Me, It’s You (depending on which version you look at).

Kabul Shit — Excuse me sir, is this what we call denial? — A b-side on the The Fear EP, Kabul Shit borrows the beat and synths from The Fear and reprograms them into this sister song. I like to think of it as a continuation, the music and attitude are the same. And the lyrics? Just as amazing. If you like The Fear (previously known as I Don’t Know) then definitely give this a listen.

Fag Hag — We both love shopping for furniture and meeting for coffee. — Alright, so it’s not the most politically correct song, but that doesn’t keep me from loving it. It’s a mid-tempo fun song that reminds me of a transition from her first album to this one, as it sounds a little in between sounds.

Ikea has broken into the new year with a new line of bathroom sinks, cabinets, and accesories. Here are some shots of bathroom setups from the Swedish site. I’m really in awe. I never thought I’d be in love with… you know… a bathroom.

It’s like they knew I had a thing for white/grey tiled bathrooms, birch, and bright colors.

I love the accessories that attach to the side of the sink in these pictures. The little towel hooks that hang off the edge are so cute. Functional, too.

Never in a million years did I think I’d love a 50’s-pink tiled bathroom. As usual, Ikea showed me up.

Check out these, plus a few other new bathroom designs at the Swedish page. Also, check out their little configuration tool that lets you mix and match sinks and faucets.

Sorry for the lack of updates, I’ve had another rather busy week. While still waiting on approval from Sage to use their store for my window display design study, I’ve been prepping and making elements for the installations. Here are a few pics from the demos I set up in my dorm. Try to look past the bad photos, the lighting in here is for the most part terrible and my camera is from the land before time.

I’ll have more details on everything hopefully soon.

PS: my roommate got a PS3 which might have something to do with my lack of posting (I’m addicted to Uncharted). —Sigh—

So tonight while wasting time until Beth got out of class, I was clicking links like crazy on all types of blogs in other languages hoping to come along something good. And I hit the jackpot.

Seeing as how I don’t know Swedish, I’m really not sure what this is. From what it looks, Village is a home accessory store/catalog? Their stuff is VERY Ikea-esque and is soooo Scandinavian it’s not even funny. I love it.

I’m really obsessed with those cabinets with the keyhole for a pull. I need it!!!

Does anyone know more about Village? I’m really in the dark since it’s foreign to me. I just like oogling at the pictures.

Also, I’ve been wanting to post some pictures from the new CB2 catalog. I really love these grey sofas and the lacquered white coffee table.

Products aside, I leave you with two rooms i found on the style files which I particularly like.

To demonstrate that I am actually a real person, and not just some mindless Ikea drone, here are some pictures from a New York City trip with Justin back in early December. Drove to Morristown, NJ, trained in to Penn Station, and spent the day shopping and visiting the Brooklyn Ikea.

Texting like a FIEND. What else is new. And ps—I’m not crying. It was just incredibly cold and windy out. Hence, why I rolled up in a ball while waiting for the Ikea Brooklyn shuttle.

It’s sort of hard to see here, but my phone is JACKED up. The wiring in the hinge has gotten messed up, and the speaker only works when its unfolded less than halfway. So I have to hold it like an idiot to hear who’s on the other end. STUPID.

I think it might be time for a trip up there again. I really want to hit up the CB2 store again.

Now that you’ve all seen enough of the back of my head, I’m prepping for a design entry next…I think.

I’m currently working on an independent study for school involving store window display designs, and while searching for some inspiration, I found these (and a tonnn more) on flickr. They’re Bergdorf Goodman’s 2008 Holiday window displays in New York City. I wish I had known of these when I went to NYC last—I bet they’re even more epic in real life.

If only I had the resources and funding to do intricate installations like these. Actually, I’d love to have any resources right now. I’m still looking for a local business to work with, ugh.

MORE Ikea talk. If you haven’t noticed, I have somewhat of an unhealthy obsession with the Swedish home store. Albeit they are absolutely no where near perfect, but there are so many things about Ikea that I don’t see anywhere else…like these pictures that show how how different a kitchen can look just by changing a few simple elements.

The last two really show how much brighter a white kitchen looks. The lighting and brightness of the backsplash is nearly identical in both, but the first kitchen feels to me, a heck of a lot lighter than the second.

I don’t know if anyone even reads this, but I’ll let you know that I’m still alive (and hopefully posting often). With my last semester of college EVER (…well for now) starting, I’ve been a bit busy, but I’m penciling in time to commentate on all the good things I find, so keep reading. Please? :D

I really really really need these File 920-925 birch plywood magazine holders from NC. So simple and clean, but functional at the same time.

Also, from NC, these Kiiku 470 chairs are adorably minimal.

Ikea PS is releasing a bunch of fun new things in 2009. I really love most of what I see, but what’s going on with the lamps in the second picture? The posts look a little like anal beads, or something… And no, I didn’t know that from a firsthand experience. Originally found on Husmusen.

The next few pictures are from Kråkvik & D’Orazio, which I discovered thanks to the style files. Definitely check out K&D site, and click through all their setups—some are extremely gorgeous.

That’s it for right now. I think…maybe.