Special thanks to todd, store designer in los angeles, who contributed the following words and photos.
We began this concept of counter culture windows as a simple collection of high dining tables and barstools accented by spray paint poetry written on a back-drop of fabric and mirrors.
The patterns–with a clashing florescent paint color–added kind of that apocalyptic or anti-establishment or “counter culture” look we thought would be eye-catching.
After executing the first two windows the third one was becoming trickier. It was hard to see any detail in the barstools because their seats were at eye level and they all looked like a bunch or metal legs.
Then I decided in order to show some of the seat top detail I should just angle and stack them into that sort of installation jumble that YES has been done before. Although, with the spray paint this window kinda just turned into this a hotel room that a punk rocker has trashed–with the fabric working as tacky wallpaper.
Man do we Love LA!
“in order to be irreplaceable one must always be different”
-Coco Chanel
“my fault, my failure is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them”
-Jack Kerouac
“I love Los Angeles,
I love Hollywood,
Everybody is plastic, but I love plastic
I want to be plastic”
-Andy Warhol
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Special thanks to curtis, catalog art director, who contributed the following.
So many have requested information about the paint colors we use in our catalog photography that we keep a running list for quick reference. Below are the key colors used in our spring catalog–all from Benjamin Moore.
BM 2024-40 yellow finch, page 11
BM 2121-10 gray, page 16
BM 2124-50 bunny gray, page 8
BM 2013-20 orange nectar, page 31
BM 2021-20 lemon, page 30
BM 2152-40 golden tan, page 52-53
BM 2008-20 claret rose page 41
Last but certainly not least, and since there are scores of whites out there, decorator’s white.
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It all started with a little buzz on January 15th 2000 when we opened the first CB2 store in a quiet neighborhood on the northside of Chicago.
Honestly, none of us knew what the heck we were doing–which probably made it easier than knowing the challenges we’d face as we grew. But on January 22nd, it ended with a little bash as we partied there for the last time. Word got out to previous team members who came to reminisce.
And for happily married couple Sandy and Joaquin,
it was a chance to celebrate the moment where they met 10 years ago.
We congratulate everyone for their heroic efforts to get CB2 off the ground. To everyone who helped us test and experiment in our “lab”, without you we wouldn’t be where we are today.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and look forward to seeing you at our other locations!
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From Jodhpur to New Delhi, heavy duty trucks of all kinds jam the roads of India decorated in colorful and symbolic art. With kitschy images of everything under the sun–from stylized sunset scenes and Bollywood movie stars to flowers and religious symbols–these handpainted rolling metal canvases enliven the dry landscape as the driver’s take pride in their personal statement.
This funky and functional storage tru(n)ck is handpainted by original “truck artists” with birds of freedom, the sacred lotus and “OK Horn Please”.
It is truly a small piece of national tradition that helps sustain its artistic creators and will instantly transport you to the roadways of Mumbai.
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On a recent buying trip to New Delhi, we ventured into Old Delhi looking for a “one of a find”. Other than walking, a rickshaw is the only way to travel so I and a guide hopped on and rode thru small alleyways until we found a metal shop they knew.
We went thru small rooms on four floors that were littered with lanterns, bowls, traditional sculptures and puppets–there must have been thousands of metal items. My head was spinning like a kid in a candy store.
On the top floor we saw stacks and piles of beautiful brass bowls–all different sizes and some filled with wooden mallets. My guide explained the beautiful story of the singing bowl and knew instantly we had discovered a “one of a find”.
This bronze meditation instrument is hand-hammered and hand-finished of pure bronze in a centuries-old Himalayan tradition believed to date back to the pre-Buddhist 10th to 12th centuries.
Now almost a lost art, this Himalayan singing bowl is handcrafted by village craftsmen in the West Bengal region of India, bordering Nepal and Bhutan.
To experience the bowl’s mesmerizing harmonic overtones, hold the bowl with your fingertips and arm slightly outstretched. Hold the the tip of the wood mallet and slowly spin it around the metal rim a few times to release a magical frequency. Namaste.
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We mixed business with pleasure on our recent trip to Old Delhi when we went grocery shopping with a friend. We were mesmerized by one of the oldest shops selling spicy munchies.
While a team cooked up savory treats, the man in charge took and weighed your order. Everything was packaged to measure–and calculated using an age old scale and the original version of these London weights.
And even though it was terribly hot, we were so hungry we snapped up some spiced cashews for the road.
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