It comes as no surprise (but we are thrilled!) that the Petunia Pickle Bottom Scout bag was selected for Fit Pregnancy’s 2009 Buyers Guide. This special issue is half normal Fit Pregnancy mag half baby gear guide so if you see one of the these two covers you know you have the right issue. Congrats, PPB and thanks, Fit Pregnancy!

This month Fit Pregnancy listed the Petunia Pickle Bottom Scout diaper bag in their “2009 Buyers Guide.” Yeehaw PPB! What better timing than now to get to know the creators of the heavily sought after bags. Meet the dynamic trio who started it all: DeNai (founder), her husband Braden, and close friend Korie. Their PPB bags are all over the place and coveted by celebrities, moms, dads and Ali.

This q&a has a lot to it so put the little tyke down for a nap, grab a drink of choice and enjoy the interview.

Right off the bat we have to explore the Petunia Pickle Bottom name. Where did it come from?

We can thank my dad for coming up with the silly, sentimental name. He’s a Biologist, but I half joke that he should have been a jingle-writer. When I was little he played the harmonica and made up little sing songs, one of which the phrase Petunia Pickle Bottom was born. There’s always a reaction of “Petunia huh?” but that’s why it works. People remember it. The best of course is when we get junk mail at the office addressed to Mrs. Petunia P. Bottom.

Speaking of names, the product names for many of your PPB bags certainly point to travel and the world. You don’t see many products with names like “Sightseeing in Sumatra” or “Moon Over Macau” lining store shelves. Tell me a bit more about the inspirations for these bags.

The bag naming is inspired by personal travel, favorite spots, or something I like to call “faux traveling.” Faux traveling is hopping on Google to check out far off places, research hidden gems to discover the perfect name that strikes the mood of a certain fabric I’ve created. There are 3 of us who do the naming in the office and you would be surprised just how much time and energy we dedicate to it—it’s often a scene of great debate.

Overall I’d say my silhouettes are inspired from various aspects of life. I spend a lot of time researching archival photos—I especially love it when I happen upon an antique store with a big bowl full of black and white photos. This picture into the past is a real treat and I find it very inspiring. Travel is also a common place I find inspiration—some of our best designs are fashioned from seeing the world with fresh eyes. The bag design could also be as literal as a vintage piece of luggage we’ve found or the function of the bag itself can help form the shape of the piece. The Cosmopolitan Carryall is definitely reminiscent of a vintage doctor’s bag. When the first sketch was complete it sort of reminded me of Doc’s bag on “Little House on the Prairie” (am I dating myself here)? It’s obviously made its own metamorphosis since those early stages but I think it lives up to what I call the vintage modern approach. A lot of our bags have also been designed to suit a specific part of “life with baby” in a fashionable way. Sometimes we will work backwards with a laundry list of “what” we would like the bag to achieve then move to the type of silhouette that might marry with that function.

I am always curious about work spaces. What is your office like?

As for our office and work culture, we’re pretty lucky. We have such a great team of people and feel like one big family. We occupy a space of a reclaimed 1900′s brick building that is Read the rest of this entry »

Did you catch the post where I showed you Barbie Benton’s home, The Copper Palace in Aspen? I’m wondering if Wallpaper* caught it too, as the April issue is chock full of transcendent photographs of Bart Prince’s organic architecture. I LOVE this plan of this ambitious house (wow, can I really call it a “house?”). It looks like some sort of alien insect with a horn for a nose:

All I can think of when I look at that is that some masochistic drafting teacher in a foul mood might force his/her students to draft this:

This month’s Wallpaper* is a must buy. I’m so glad the magazine is cool and meaty again.

photos by Nikolas Koenig for Wallpaper*

Here are a few articles/websites that caught my attention today I thought I would share with you:

1st Dibs is getting some Competition via Fyndes.com. Thanks to Decorno for the tipoff. Love this yellow vintage Steelcase sofa:

Historic Preservation is in jeopardy.

The Civil Rights Center in Atlanta will be green. Why it is downtown and not in the Old Fourth Ward baffles me – there seems to be enough room where they have torn down the projects. I think I’d rather pair my visit with The King Center than The World of Coke.

Some jerk stole Mr. Monster from a preschool.

Katie Brown is a thrifty and resourceful decorator. Here’s another fun interview with her from the Berkshire Eagle. Her website is chock full of how-to projects. I want to go to there…and move in:

Hop over to The New York Times for the full glorious slideshow, photographed by Phil Mansfield. I want to go to the Berkshires so badly right now after looking through his gorgeous shots of her enviable views and light and cozy house!

I was leafing through a 1958 H&G and this ad cracked me up:

The entire theme of the magazine was all about how to be modern, yet it was still very family-oriented and full of features about picnics. It was so very Mad Men; I can picture the readers just leaving their trash on the ground when they were done picnicking. Obviously the modern part only regarded aethetics, as this girl is still wearing a poodle skirt and Bobby socks. It’s an interesting ad; clearly people were desperate to be considered modern, yet are grasping desperately to the past. The very transitional time is clear in the aesthetics down to the smallest detail.

A few other gems from this issue: