Invitation/Annual: HOME

Home, what does it mean to you? A discussion by our features, narratives and short stories, along with photo essays, and product reviews on must have home goods. We invite you into the lives of those inside the creative industry.

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Hi, this is Kenta and Eli, the founding editors of Invitation/ Annual. We’re extremely excited to share with you our first issue ever! We know it’s going to be an interesting adventure from here on forward and we appreciate all of your support, all of it. Invitation/Annual is all about exposing creative people. This is done by providing them with a space to share their perspectives through stories and work around a new theme with every issue. Our first issue is on ‘Home’; something that is near and dear to the both

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The Team: Kenta T. Naoi - Founder, Editor in Chief Elijah McKinnon - Co-Founder, Managing Editor Evan Keith – Director of Business Development Issue One: On Home Features: Rena Tom Johannes Seeman and Miguel Cabra of CASA/HAUS Fabien Zadno aka Young Fabes Jensine Eckwall 880 Upham House Kenny Sing and Shayne Sierra Juniper Ridge Meghan Lunne Fog Line Contributors: Margaret Jacobsen Brandon Bloom Peter Stark Hanna Susannah

index ‘Home’ , a prose (words by Peter Stark) ... pg 6 ‘Home’ , a poem (words by Evan Michael Keith) ... pg 8 ‘Homeless Again’ , an essay (words by Kenta Thomas Naoi) ... pg 9 A Sunday with Shayne and Kenny (Words and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi) ... pg 12

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‘Home’ (words by Peter Stark) A Sunday with Shayne and Kenny (Words and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi) Feature 1: Fabien Zadno (Words and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi) Photo Essay A: Creatives at home. (Words respective contributors and photos by Margaret Jacobsen) Feature 2: Rena Tom (Words and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi) Photo Essay B: Intimate portraits of artists in their creative spaces.

(Photos by Brandon Bloom) Feature 3: Casa/Haus (Words by Elijah McKinnon & Kenta T. Naoi and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi) Essentials, Through the Senses (Words by Elijah McKinnon and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi) Feature 4: Jensine Eckwall (Words and Photos by Kenta T. Naoi)

Invitation/Annual Subscription Bundle

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I/A copy right and contact info etc.

‘home’

by Peter Stark

a prose.

I don’t remember much about my first move, but I imagine my things were only a small portion of the things packed into a U-haul. Four people driving south to escape an excommunicated fifth. Aside from a waterbed shaped like a Lamborghini and a few clothes, I couldn’t have had much else to pack at five years old. I know there were presents, freshly opened the day before, the day before my actual birthday, back when I was 4, and home only meant one place.

When we arrived South where the dry heat would bake me with a desert character- for years- I am told I went swimming. I had been given a swimming mask and floaty arm things that I refused to take off. There is a picture of me sleeping in them so it must be true. I wonder what I was dreaming about in that picture, nose smashed in the soft plastic of the mask, arms splayed out to accommodate the inflatables. Was is it a nightmare? Perhaps of my only memory of when we were five: my dad coming home drunk, angry that my room was messy and breaking my lap-sized chalkboard over his knee? Or had my dreams, like my body and all my things, moved on?

I don’t think I could possibly have been dreaming of the future, of what it would mean to grow up in the desert, to have my mom gone all day at work, to have seemingly unlimited freedom and only my conscience to limit me.

Maybe I was just splashing around in my dreams, unconcerned that this move had set me in motion, and that I would keep in motion.

Move after move. Accelerating with surprising frequency. Holding on to very little.

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Before my second move my family started collecting change in a jar.

Every Monday we counted it, our savings for a road trip. I protected that jar even when we were faced with eviction. If we were going to be forced to move again, why not drive across the country before driving across town to a new house. Besides, travel was freedom and freedom meant choice and there were still three other people on Earth that chose to be together with me.

So my mom bought a tent, we could travel cheap and we could live in it if it came to that. It was tan and green and taller than it was wide, with the fresh factory scent of artificial fabric, and large mesh windows that could become walls by zipping them shut. On the first evening in the tent, I laid on the creased and wrinkled floor, looking up at a silhouette of a Joshua Tree, breathing deep, and feeling calm. I was at home.

I can still fit my entire life into a few bins and suitcases. I’m moving for the twenty third time in my thirty years on Earth. My family eventually laid roots down, but I outgrew their stability and kept in motion.

On beds and carpets, bamboo floor, and backseats of cars, hammocks, picnic tables, and lawns, I have laid, looked up at silhouettes, breathed deep, and felt at home.

‘home’

by Evan Kieth

a poem.

Stuffy nosed running home Slow walk in.

Smooth air curls around my ears; it sings with hesitant jitters.

Pulling me in, I lay sweetly about.

Another worry lain to rest with small puffs of laughter and still embrace.

Shallow eyes in shadows gaze upon shoulders lowered for sake, of forgotten futures haze.

Lethargic potions rattle and shake inside pockets of space within my mind.

Searching for the bits of joy scattered about; hoping earlier memories whisper innocent hope of those once shared.

Closing eyes dash under blankets and reach back to find dreams which have never left.

Before my second move my family started collecting change in a jar.

Every Monday we counted it, our savings for a road trip. I protected that jar even when we were faced with eviction. If we were going to be forced to move again, why not drive across the country before driving across town to a new house. Besides, travel was freedom and freedom meant choice and there were still three other people on Earth that chose to be together with me.

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‘Homeless, Again’ or San Francisco, that one ex-girl friend I can’t seem to leave behind.

by Kenta Thomas Naoi an essay.

It’s been 11 months since I decided to leave San Francisco in search of the next city to call home. I would move to Seattle, or Portland, maybe sneak myself into Vancouver for a while, I thought. I had just graduated university and I was free, no significant other, or job to hold me back. My lease ended in December, so I packed my bags, and after celebrating one final birthday with my close friends, I boarded an airplane, hungover, and barely functioning off of an hour of sleep. In fact, I almost boarded the flight to Las Vegas until the flight attendant told me my ticket was for Seattle. So there I was months ago to this day, and now its been two days since moving out of San Francisco … again.

Something about the city constantly calls me back, it wants to seduce me with its ocean waves, Sunday brunches, parks and a community of designers and tech nerds all working for a start up, my people.

It’s a city built off of weird, a liberal city with very conservative undertones. If you stay there long enough you start to notice it all.

The longer you stay, the closer you get to calling San Francisco your home, you get attached, codependent almost, and Oakland, the East Bay that you grew up in seems like a world away, the bay is an ocean that no one wants to cross. Why would you? You have everything you need here. I’ve been in San Francisco for five years now, and though this is not nearly as long as some of my friends, San Francisco has forever been claimed as part of my identity, I feel like I can do that now, like walking drunk from Market to Twin Peaks, taking the bus with my board to the beach, witnessing most of the festivities in SF at least once, to then wanting nothing to do, but curl up and read a

book, work long hours, and maybe go to Dolores (if I’m up for the two bus rides), has allowed me to say, yes, I am from San Francisco.

But then now, here I am again, 6 months after moving back into the city, realizing that Seattle wouldn’t cut it, I find myself missing my friends from my trips, and yearning to move somewhere more secluded and less ‘cool’. Call me a hipster, but the swarm of people moving to San Francisco is giving me anxiety, and this is exactly the point, I have taken so much ownership of San Francisco as ‘my’ city that I forgot how I was just another person who wanted to drink the koolaid 5 years ago. And though it was the back up plan to New York City, I truly love it here now, and fuck you New York (ok, you’re cool, it’s okay, or wait, I guess we’re supposed to hate on LA).

For me, when life starts to make too much sense, when going to a Yelp event to ‘network’, but really to eat their pizza, and Bi-Rite ice cream is the first place you take all of your out-side friends, it’s time to move, or at least get out for a bit. My friend asked me if I was over SF. Of course not! How could I be over the place I grew into my adulthood, and who knows, I can’t confidently say that in two months time I won’t want to find myself a one month lease in SF, before heading out to NYC or Amsterdam or Berlin, but for now, I did the math, and for the amount of money I pay in rent to only hangout in two neighborhoods and spend most of my nights tired from work to even fathom the idea of going out or seeing people socially, I could travel, couch surf, and pursue my dreams. SF is too comfortable, yet you live pay check to pay check to live a certain lifestyle, glorified, while gentrifying certain communities, and so forth, it doesn’t make sense to me, for now.

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Start ups run the city, and where as I used to joke with people and guess that they worked for a start-up, has become a reality, and now it’s lost it’s pizzaz. So this start up guy, is taking his hipster idealisms, that start ups should be about hacking culture, innovating lifestyle, and fighting as the, and for the under dog will pack up his silly ways into a suitcase and be nomadic for a while, at least the next two months. With that said, sayonara SF, and the community I have been apart of, I’ll be back, but as an ‘out-sider’. I can all ready feel you calling me back, stop, I want to see other cities.

MAKING A HOME A Sunday with: Shayne and Kenny, a San Francisco designer couple.

Shayne and Kenny are recent transplants, having graduated from Cal Poly San Louis Obispo, the talented designer duo now calls San Francisco home.

When stepping into their small, but cozy, apartment located somewhere in Lower Pacific Heights, you immediately smile with the over whelming coolness of the place, you nod to yourself and think, ‘... of course two designers live here.’ The facing windows bring in a beautiful soft light that coats their well curated furniture. Along the corners of the living room are sleek shelves stacked with designer books and magazines.

Everything is clean and well placed with a very minimal and modern aesthetic.

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Making a home, means making things in your home for this creative couple. Shayne and Kenny’s beautiful home in San Francisco features everyday accessories and pottery handcrafted by the two designers.

Shayne’s jewelry is all made in her living room.

Though the space itself has a wonderful quality to it, what makes this couple’s home so special is how their love for craft resonates throughout. The vases are placed gracefully on the tables and shelves that furnish the rooms. And all of the dishes inside of the home are handmade by Kenny. There is no denying that he is talented.

To say they look like they came from Pottery Barn would be an insult to his craftsmanship. If you ask him about the process, his face will light up, and he’ll most likely show you a video of how they made a DIY kiln in an apartment complex parking lot back in SLO. The man knows what he’s talking about. From the form to the finish, Kenny fills their home with something so personal, beautifully crafted everyday products made for the home by the homemaker. There’s something just so 16

wonderfully special about that.

The home of two makers is a home filled with love and personal touch, something that can’t be fulfilled through a catalog.

Shayne who has been designing and crafting beautiful jewelery for herself and friends recently launched an online store.

Her inspiration comes from practical accessories with an asymmetrical aesthetic.

Hanging by her window side are these exact gems.(see above image) What makes this home feel so special is that to them, making a home means creating the everyday objects with a hint of personal touch.

Shayne is a multi-talented designer who believes in jewerly that’s unique in it’s asymetery.

Shayne Sierra

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Kenny Sing

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Shayne is a multi-talented designer who appreciates jewelry that’s unique in it’s asymmetry.

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All of her products are handmade. The materials are sourced locally.

Kenny shows us the bowsl that he made. The colors are beautiful and vibrant.

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Side by side, his creations sit.

people

Fabien Zadno

home is where you grow up.

Autumn in the city bring a confused Summer, one that reminds us that seasons tend to skip around, and micro-climates is a very real thing to consider when choosing to wear shorts with a pea coat when traversing from one neighborhood to another. It is in this unsteady steadiness that Fabien Zadno spends his time, where he calmly and proudly calls home.

Fabien, who also goes by ‘Young Fabes’, is an aspiring Hip Hop artist - a poet whose feet feel solidly rooted within Bay Area soil. To him, home means everything; a place of inspiration, where friends and families converge, a resting ground for the weary soul, from which he hopes to rise as a ‘star’ of some sorts, and he’s got what it takes.

Fabien’s music is largely influenced by introspection, the messages he conveys through his music is both universal in its topic and localized in its experience. Having been raised by his French mother and Persian father, his music is delivered in both French and English, a homage to his upbringing and his mother’s native tongue. The sounds produced in his work are a recognition of the Bay Area history combined with the classic Hip Hop, ‘boomblat.’

When asked about home, Fabien will tell you, ‘...it is where you grow up.’

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The Arsenal game is too much ... fun.

Cruz, exploring the alley ways of San Francisco, hiking Mission Peak, rooting for and against Bay Area teams, and eating at all the hidden gems (taco trucks) of Oakland and Berkeley.

His narrative is similar to so many who grew up in this ‘Silicon Bubble’. Growing up in the Bay Area meant diversity, it partially meant you Having recently sold his childhood home, were the majority ‘minority’, and it meant you his parents now live a few miles north of San often came from an immigrant home.

Francisco in a house by a lake. He told us that though his house in Fremont will always be a Fabien grew up spending time in France where big part of who he is, his house is not his home. most of his family still lives. He frequents his Home will always be wherever his family is, mother’s maiden country honing in a sense of home with every visit. It is in these experiences and his family has always been there for him. that he finds comfort and familiarity, two imFabien’s childhood was spent moving from portant traits to calling something home, whethNewark to Fremont. In every way he is a true er it be an entire bay area, a city, or a house.

Bay Area kid. He grew up surfing in Santa Fabien is a man of value, and his values lie within the people that helped him grow, the spaces that feel nostalgic, and the experiences that made him discover. In so many words, home is where his heart is and he left his heart in the Bay Area.

Fabien watches the Arsenal game with his house mantes. A Saturday ritual.

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The house is filled with cheering, booing, and laughter.

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In some way we could say Fabien was meant to be an artist, his upbringing valued creativity. His parents wanted him to pursue a good education before settling into a life of art, alone.

fall more and more in love with the art of freestyle. As he met more of his kind, freestyling led to writing, a past time he took up to express his feelings. As his years in University came to a close, he had written so many words and had received his fair share of great feedback; all of His mother is an artist and his father, a which led him to consider if he could pursue music enthusiast. Fabien explains to us his Hip Hop as a career, something he has always earlier years spending time at his mother’s wanted to do. studio. His mother would always give him a pencil or a pen along with a notepad to Fabien would work on his craft when he had draw on. His father would always share his time off from work, but one day decided that musical joys with Fabien and his brother. he wanted to pursue his music full time. Since He grew up listening to music of every then, he has been working nonstop; writing, regenre and cultural background. cording and producing with his growing team.

Though he is still at his early stages of his muFrom an early age, it was important for his sical journey. Fabien’s passion and hard work, parents to instill a sense of wonder and ex- along with his undeniable talent, is telling of a pression. When asking whether or not his successful future. parents support his artistic path, he tells us that like most parents they want stability Today Fabien calls San Francisco home. and sustainability for him, but they also Though he spends most of his time working on understand his passion and want hims to his music, he gathers every Saturday with his be happy. Creativity in the Zadno house- roommates and friends to root for the Arsenals. hold didn’t always mean drawing or mu- They are dedicated in their cause, screaming sic, it meant seeing the world differently. at the tube, jumping up and out of their chair Perhaps this was the greatest gift he could and pacing while biting their nails. It is here, have received from the lifestyle he was within the house he shares with his friends, that brought up into. he is starting to create a new home, one that is inspired by his friends and family.

His parents are hard workers and Fabien is grateful for the way he was able to see If home is where you grow up, and then he is the world as a child. When asking Fabien looking to grow a little longer in this city of fog about his beginnings with Hip Hop, he and wonder, where you can get lost traversing mentioned his brother and how he would through the windy and hilly roads, but often introduce him to new music. It was during times, you must be lost, to be found. this time that he fell in love with the sounds and words of Hip Hop music. During his high school years, Fabien was a Hip Hop lover, freestyling for fun with friends, something he didn’t think much of. While attending University, however, he began to

Margaret Jacobsen presents a photo series: creatives at home

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photography

Margaret Jacobsen is an extremely talented photographer based in Portland, Oregon.

For this issue, we asked her to contribute a photo series documenting creative individuals in their favorite spaces at home. The following images are what transpired from this conversation.

Brian Connolly Founder of Stuff Out of Things

Instagram: misterconnolly Site: thingsoutofstuff.com

Dinging room

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Aaron Hall

Owner at Dig A Pony, Program Director at XRAY fm, Publicity/Management for Ural Thomas & the Pain

Instagram: aaron_d_hall Site: digaponyportland.com

I’ve been at this place in SE Portland for almost four years.

It gets plenty of good light to keep the plants happy and is otherwise full of small reminders of family, friend’s artwork and old furniture.

Brooke Weeber Illustrator

Instagram: LITTLECANOE Site: www.brookeweeber.com

I love this room because its cozy, homey, and a great gathering space for family, friends, and our feline friends. In the winter you can light up a fire and snuggle on the couch and in the summer you can throw open the window and watch the sun set.

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Justin Morris Graphic Designer

Instagram: justmorris Site: http://www.justinmorrisdesign.com/

I love my living room because it gets the best light in the whole house and it’s where I get to showcase my most favorite art and treasures. The living room is the heart of the home.

Jessica Latham

Painter/Gallerist

Instagram: J_breedlove_L Site: www.duplexcollective.com

I love my living room because it gets the best light in the whole house and its where I get to showcase my most favorite art and treasures. The living room is the heart of the home.

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Maryanna Hoggatt

Artist and Illustrator

Instagram: leetlewolf Site: www.maryannahoggatt.com

Our living room is big and airy, and our couch is super comfortable, and after working in my studio all day I like to watch movies.

Halley Roberts

Outdoor Photographer, Adventurer & Designer

Instagram: halleyroberts Site: halleyroberts.com

I love my living room because it contains so much of Santa Fe, where I'm from. Each cactus and tapestry reminds me of the high desert even when the sidewalks outside are drenched in rain.

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Crispin Argento

Owner/CEO of Pino Portland

Instagram: pinoportland Website: www.pinoportland.com

Balcony

Justin Hawkins

.Designer and Entrepreneur

Instagram: hawkinsjustin Site: fondasis.com

Living room. I have really enjoyed designing out this space and its got a great feel. Especially with the fire place, its ability to gather people together is my favorite.

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Xochitl Adriana Jaime

Stylist/Writer/Maker

Instagram: xochitl_adriana VSCO: xochitl_adriana.vsco.co Site: xochitaladriana.wordpress.com

(My bedroom) is the place in my home where I go to sit with a cup of tea and a book or some magazines to relax and get inspired. I have made it a simple and cozy space without distractions and I keep work out of it so I can be intentional about it being the place I can go to recharge. (Dining Room) Our dining room table is the place where I get work done; it’s not uncommon to see materials for my latest craft strewn all over the table or to find me with my computer and a cup of coffee getting some writing done. With it being connected to the open kitchen, it is also the space where my roommate and I chat about our days while the other cooks or we sit and talk about our days over a meal or a glass of wine.

Genesy Rogers

Model and Wardrobe Stylist

Instagram: genesyncopdx Site: www.genesyrogers.com

My bathroom is one of the only places where I can be in my natural element. I have time to focus internally, and be liberated by my beauty and flaws.

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Jason Leonard

Musician / Illustration / Video & Animation / Vintage Poster Restoration

Instagram jasonleonard Site: www.jasonleonard.virb.com & www.affichestudio.com

This is my studio room in my house where I spend a lot of time practicing, reading, and working on projects. A couple years ago I tore apart and redesigned this room from the ground up, which was really fun. It’s nice being creative in a place surrounded by inspirational and sentimental things that I’ve collected and built.

the Field Trade is all about meeting brands, designers, and pioneers that have stories to be told.

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SO, what’s your story?

www.thefieldtrade.com @thefieldtrade

people

rena tom home is where you find comfort.

Rena Tom, founder of Make Shift Society is soft spoken and friendly. As you walk into Make Shift Society, you feel a sense of comfort, as if you’ve walked into a friend’s living. In this common area sits Rena, her eyes gazing intently at her laptop with her face illuminated by the pixels glowing against her skin. Her smile is welcoming, almost familiar, and there is something about her that is contagiously ambitious. She houses an energy that makes you feel so connected. If you asked her about home, she would tell you that it is the place where you feel the most comfortable.

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Donuts hang out at Make Shift Society.

As you enter Make Shift Society, a co-working space catered to the creative professionals, you will notice a large wooden table to your right. People are gathered in both solitude and camaraderie. DIY styled chairs, with coat hanger tops, and mismatching legs accompany the narrow wooden seats.

To the left of you, by the open window letting in warm sunlight, sits a comfortable couch the color of lime. Next to it sits a small coffee table the color of dried walnuts and a small plant furnished neatly atop.

As your eyes wander forward, you notice the white bookshelves stacked with design books, how-to guides, and magazines like Off Screen and Upper Case. You notice there is a kitchen to the back, a bicycle or two, and a whole other room with three tables. When you walk in you discover an additional couch, a coffee table with large books and a dentist chair that smells of a past life. There is a smaller room designated for meetings, and a ladder that leads up to a loft the size of one person.

Along the walls are photographs, lettered quotes with positive outlook, and illustrations.

Though the space is small in theory, you will never feel a loss for places to tuck yourself away to write or design, edit a photograph or send a few emails. In an industry where many people work in solitude, Make Shift Society provides makers from different industries with the opportunities to build community and create a home away from home.

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Rena Tom is a woman of many accomplishments, a highly driven individual, she circles a diverse network and Is always looking to connect people and help others.

Though she has, and still does live life professionally, as a shop owner, a consultant, writer, maker, creative entrepreneur, and connector amongst many other things - she never planned to do these things; they all happened so organically.

Make Shift Society resembles a living room of sorts. With mix-matched pillows facing the street.

During university she studied engineering, and when her studies with engineering began to bore her, she took up writing, along with any other course that would help her keep her mind off of the demanding subject. After graduation she began working for a technology company coding and doing basic development. It was during this time that she stumbled into design.

Eventually she moved to New York City with her now husband, as he attended graduate school at Colombia University. While in New York City, Rena opened up Rare Device, a small boutique shop that featured cute gifts from paper products to jewelry and accessories. Though she loved New York City, the fast paced lifestyle began to wear slowly away at her Californian ways, and she eventually moved back to San Francisco, where she would open up Rare Devices San FrancisThese chairs are unique in its DIY quality.

Rena Tom right after she found out her Kick Starter was funded.

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co with Lisa Congdon, a San Francisco based illustrator. Though they would eventually sell Rare Devices, this was the beginning of something larger. By this time, Rena had circled into so many communities that she wanted to create an opportunity for these individuals to connect. It was this idea, a concept for a collaborative environment where creative professionals could come together and be in proximity to other artists, designers, makers, and entrepreneurs. Thus Make Shift Society was born in later part of 2012.

To Rena, home is where you can be the most authentic version of yourself, and in many ways Make Shift Society serves as this place. Rena, who lives in San Francisco with her husband, son, and dog, feels that Make Shift Society, in many ways is only one side of her idea of home. It is the place where she can be in a community, but to her it is about finding the balance between being in the public eye and having a place to retreat.

She describes her house as a back facing unit with a calm and quite energy, as much as it can be with a three year old boy and a dog, where the only way to reach her is by her phone or email. In contrast to her busy schedule and her work with Make Shift Society, her house is her retreat, a place where she can sit window side in her comfy seat to catch a moment of relaxation, before she goes right back to work. Her house is where she can be herself, a place of comfort where she can be with loved ones and make a home. She finds it necessary to have a home away from home in the respects that she has a space to share herself with other like minded individuals, but also to have a place where she can be in solitude, to think and have moments with herself.

Rena Tom’s idea of home is one that resonates with her peers. In this way Make Shift Society tends to attract people who show up a few times during the week when they need to balance out working from home, alone, or in coffee shops with having the opportunity to be surrounded by creative energy, to strike up conversation, and make friends.

When you walk into Make Shift Society, you can feel this idea of home resonate throughout, from the furnishing to the way it functions and the people who inhabit it. Rena is a truly beautiful individual who has created, and still does create a sense of community and camaraderie with everything that she does; perhaps driven by this idea of home, a place of comfort and authenticity.

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The interiors of Make Shift Society

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All of her the co work space are books for designers and crafters.

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Brandon Bloom presents a photo series: intimate portraits of artists in their creative spaces.

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photography

Brandon Bloom is a filmmaker and photographer who is originally from Southern California, who has relocated to San Francisco. We asked him to capture intimate portraits of artists in their workspaces. Workspaces aren’t often limited to the actual space a painting gets drawn or a poem gets written.

For many artists a workspace could very easily be the place they feel most comfortable creating. The following photo series explores this definition.

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Casa Haus home is how you define it Somewhere in West Oakland, in a building that resembles a warehouse more than an apartment complex, where the concrete contrasts against the metal gate and pottery scatters to the sides of the walkway lives Johannes Seemann and Miguel Cabra. Johannes and Miguel are two IDEO designers who under a shared idea of home decided to purchase property together. Their home, a concept they refer to as Casa/Haus, is a word play paying homage to both of their roots, Germany and Spain. To the duo, home is how you define it, and how your definitions of home will translate into how you interact with that physical space.

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CASA HAUS

Casa/Haus is open, a minimally furnished space with thick wooden floors, and plants that adorn the corners of the room. It is more like an open studio space awaiting it’s purpose, left to be defined by the individual who decides to utilize its free nature, rather than a room in a house. This is partially the charm of Casa/Haus, the feeling of infinite potentiality to how it’s living quarters can be used, and to both Johannes and Miguel, that is what they hope for, a space that is constantly in transition, rather than arrived.

Large windows reach from the bottom of the flooring to the tops of the walls, curving into a half circle as it peaks, allowing for an abundance of natural light. There is a small kitchen tucked away by the entrance, and a large wooden table that looks conducive to dinner parties, meetings, and an expansive selection of places to work.

Where the two compliment one another in value, they contrast in personality. In an almost humorous way, they describe themselves as the opposing stereotypes, an extroverted German and an introverted Spaniard, and though neither are really one or the other, their cultural background and personal aesthetics show in the way they choose to create their individual spaces.

Casa/Haus is, at it’s core, divided into four sectors: the first is the kitchen, where they share most things including food and drinks, the second and third are the bedrooms that face one another on opposing sides of the flat and finally the shared common room. Each room transitions from one to the other almost perfectly; which of

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course is intentional.

The method to their successful and harmonious partnership is, they tell us, the very deliberate amount of space they share with one another.

They trust one another and respect each other’s boundaries as well as lifestyle choices. For over two years they have managed to create a home that felt individual, yet unified.

The two share a very interesting philosophy on home, as a place to define, but when you leave a space undefined, something beautiful happens, creativity flourishes. Miguel and Johannes explain that in most homes people have all ready defined their spaces; a kitchen to cook, a living room to watch T.V., bedrooms to sleep and so forth. A garage on the other hand, though a place to store vehicles, often can take on multiple definitions, such as a woodshop, a place to practice drums or even an office for starting a business. In this way, the duo leave the common room left undefined. They love the potentiality that is left untouched by allowing the space to remain as open as possible, both in idea and in physical space. In this way, the two have created a home that is in constant transition. The two can host yoga on Monday nights, the occasional figure drawing workshops during the weekends and even gatherings with very experiential takeaways; something that “the duo” enjoys organizing.

Before deciding to commit to this alternative lifestyle, the two lived separately in San Francisco for three and a half years. The decision to combine their living arrangements and share a mortgage was nerve racking, but they listened to their gut, and found ways to enjoy this experimental arrangement. To the two, the

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Miguel works on a easily portable work bench.

decision to collaborate in this way came from the question, ‘... what else are we doing?’ They wanted to have a place that they could work on their personal projects outside of their time with IDEO. Their desire to find space where they can live comfortably, but also, the pursuit of personal passions was a motivation in their decision.

This is what ultimately led them to establishing Casa/Haus.

What is interesting about their lifestyle is not just how they choose to share the space, but how their individual spaces reflect their personalities and cultural backgrounds. Miguel, a self proclaimed introverted Spaniard, dawns a room filled with colors, vibrant reds, and a personal office where he designs and works on his art. Originally an industrial designer, he now works for IDEO as a food designer. Because he tends to travel often, he has been working on a

Miguel’s working space over looks the entire first floor and main space.

portable meditation bench (as seen above). His office overlooks the shared space, and his room is warm and cozy.

Johannes, a business designer for IDEO and an entrepreneur, demonstrates a completely different living arrangement. His room has an airy minimalistic aesthetic, with projectors that shine upon a thin white screen that sits against a large window that looks out into the night sky. The space feels airy, and almost Helvetica, chic and reminiscent of his presence. As the extroverted German, he works on projects out in the common room, spreading out his Post-it notes, laptop, and documents, pacing back and forth, and sitting at different parts of the table to channel different types of energy. He mentions that this helps him visualize his problems from different perspectives. By moving around the space, he is also able to approach the problem

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at hand from different angles.

In regards to home, Johannes, mentioned that you choose to either grow “wings or roots,” to be a “bird or a tree.” It seems that at Casa/Haus the overall energy is that their home is more of a nest, rather than anything planted for these two birds. They are constantly traveling for work, and looking into new cities to own property and explore. For now though, the pair are happy where they are, a home that is in constant transition, where they can also base themselves while being in constant transit from city to idea, lifestyle choices to social circles.

Home to Johannes and Miguel has been about how they define it, space and the experiences that take place in it. In a sense, it’s almost how you define yourself inside of the space. Miguel mentions that home to him is his history, it’s everywhere he has lived prior, all the experiences that have led up to who he is today, and how that all manifests in his day to day. To Johannes home is where he feels the most safe. It is where he is most comfortable sharing his thoughts, and

The little peanut man hangs out in his little peanut chair.

pursuing his life choices. At the end of it all, the two look around and they notice what they have created. They realize that they have decided to share their lives, and that they have managed to do so as two individuals

Food is an important quality of home for these two.

This magazine is Powered by

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#direction #strategy #developement We author design. www.mudente.com

Essentials, Through the Senses words by elijah mckinnon

I have always considered home as a physical space. I like to think of home as an idea, a concept. When we strip away the paint and remove the furniture we are left with the bare bones of the foundation. These four walls are what allow us to create a space that is an extension of ourselves.

What I find to be incredibly amazing is how we as individuals all define our home life immensely differently. The common thread that connects our thoughts and ideas to home are rooted in our core senses.

What does home feel like?

What does home look like?

What does home taste like?

What does home smell like?

What does home sound like?

Although they are very general, these questions have led me to a very interesting discovery; I define my home life essentials, through my senses: touch, taste, scent, sound and sight. In an effort to explore this concept I invited Kenta (Founding Editor) Over the past few weeks I have spent a over to have a little fun with some of my lot of time thinking about my home life, favorite home products. in particular, the essentials, those elements that I feel stand alone in my everyday routine. I began to ask myself the following:

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Fog Linen they were producing about 10 core products... now they have become a major influence as a global lifestyle brand.

What does home taste like?

I was stumped on this question for a while but after a little thought and a few snacks I realized that home should taste fresh...Hear me out. I love snacks. I would go as far to say that I live for the snacks. More often than not you can find my pantry or fridge stocker with a bunch of scrumptious small bites. Cool. Now I want a snack...are you hungry? How about some pears, apples, crackers and cheese...Oh and tea. Yes that sounds lovely.

1.1

What does home feel like?

Home is delicate. It is temperamental. It is a warm space that creates comforts familiarity.

Home reinforces security. I’ve always loved entertaining, to be honest; I think that hosting runs deep in my blood. I scored this amazing tumbler and planter at a glazing workshop hosted by San Francisco ceramicist Meghan Lunne at Steven Alan, a local retailer. They are perfect for everything! (Don’t these sliced apples look great?) So, it’s safe to say that I’m all about functionality. I enjoy products that tell a story but allow me to create my own narrative...I stumbled upon Fog Linen products at a small boutique in Brooklyn, NY of Atlantic Avenue a while ago. Founded by Japanese designer, Yumiko Sekine in the earlier nineties the brand has evolved immensely. When I first discovered 1.1

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1.2 and 1.3

What does home smell like?

I’ve always been drawn to natural fragrances. My fondest memories of my childhood home were all of the fresh scents that would perforate each room. Scents like pine, oak and cedar that would welcome you at the door. It instantly established a since of comfort. My mother and sister were huge fans of essential oils. One of my favorite fragrance brands Juniper Ridge is based right across the bridge in Berkeley, California. They have such an amazing story. Known as the worlds one and only wild fragrance company to be comprised of hikers and backpackers that distill cologne and fragrances from real plants, bark, moss, mushrooms, and tree trimmings found hiking in the the backcountry. I mean...these guy’s are truly fucking amazing. I really enjoy investing in the process of products. It’s simple. They go camping. They crawl around in mountains. They get dirty and spend and I quote “whiskey-fueled hours geeking out over the scent of wind off a glacier.” Their philosophy is a true example of a sustainable business. Oh and I forgot to mention...10% of their annual profits are donated to various wilderness groups!

What does home sound like?

It’s kind of crazy to think how much I rely on sound to set the tone, environment, and energy in my apartment. I love living downtown. I love the sound of the people and the cars. Today we’re listing to one of my favorite mixes to listen to in the early afternoon when I’m hanging out: Moon Boots- Backyard Boogie Mix (Soundcloud Mix available on our site).

What does home look like?

Home is alive. It is thriving off of both the good and the bad energy. It wraps you up and becomes an extension of you. For me it is simple. I need plants; in particular, I need happy plants. There is something magical about living vegetation.

Featured Products in Order: Featured Products in Order: Juniper Ridge: http://juniperridge.com/ 1.1 - White Sage Campfire Incense: $10 Scent notes: earth, sunlight on varnished desert rock, spicy resin.

1.2 - Desert Pinon Incense: $10 Scent notes: sweet pine, resin, desert campfire, chiminea.

1.3 - Inyo Cabin Spray: $65 Scent notes: Sun-varnished rock, leather, sagebrush and Desert Cedar sunshine blowing out the mind-expanding blue sky Big Sur. 1.4 - Cabin Spray: $65 Scent notes: Driving down the coastal highway along 500-foot ocean cliffs and through misty Redwoods, the smell of wild Sage and sea mistin the air.

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Meghan Lunne: http://meghanlunne.com/ 2.1 - Ceramic Tumbler: $32 Hand made in San Francisco 2.2 - Ceramic Small Planter: $42 Hand made in San Francisco Fog Linen: http://www.shop-foglinen.com/ 3.1 - Linen Napkin: $14 100% linen / made in Lithuania 3.2 - Linen Coaster: $30 (set of six) 100% linen / made in Lithuania

1.1 - Meghan Lunne

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1.2 - Meghan Lunne

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1.1 and 1.2 - Fog Linen

Jensine Eckwall home as a place you become Jensine Eckwall, an illustrator based out in Brooklyn, NY is both talented and intelligent.

As you follow her to her home near Prospect Park, her steps are quick. You enter a large building that almost looks more like a school or a hotel than an apartment complex. A few doors open, a few flights of stairs and you enter her room; warm, cozy and some how so familiar.

Her bedroom sits opposing the door and alongside her walls are drawings, posters, and other trinkets that speak volumes of her character. She appears soft-spoken, has much to say and will do so in an articulate and opinionated tone.

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To the left side of her room is her workspace - a drafting table accompanied by a smaller desk that holds her laptop and a shelf that holds her supplies and tools. In front of her are renderings of illustrations that she is working on.

As a child she has lived all over, from Europe to the East Coast. She feels that home was never a particular place, because she was always moving. She attributes this lifestyle for why she is so comfortable with the idea of impermanence. People come and go from her life, and time passes. Though her family finally settled in Connecticut, her home is now New York City.

In this way, she defines home as the place you become. The place you grow into yourself, and leave your mark.

Jensine was never great at drawing, she tells us. She was never the eight year old who could draw an impeccable bird, with pen and technique on paper, but she was always interested in aesthetics. Beautiful things drew her eye. As a child she was enamored by Japanese animation and manga, how a master like Hayao Miyzaki could create such moving narratives out of characters like Totoro, weird, odd, and cute. As a student in high school she would take drawing classes, but never felt connected to any of her class mates, or the circumstances at hand.

structure, especially if you tend to work from home. She jokingly tells us that she owes some of her work effort to her roommate, who is just as serious as her about her own work, but tends to be more diligent from time to time. She mentions at times she’ll walk into the kitchen only to find her roommate working, and that would make Jensine feel like she should be working too, friendly competition.

When asked about home, Jensine smirks, she mentions that the idea of home has very much defined her. As a child she moved around quite It was however, when she visited the School of often from parts of Europe to the East Coast Visual Arts, SVA, for an exploratory program, where her family would eventually settle in that she fell in love with the school. She would Sandy Hook, Connecticut. eventually go on to attend SVA, graduating with a degree in illustration, much acclaim, and the Because she moved so often, she associates her start of her freelancing career as an illustrator upbringing to why she became more introvertin New York City. Whereas she felt she wanted ed, invested in ideas, rather than people. She to be a comic artist in the past, she now enjoys found herself tending to activities like reading, her life as a freelance illustrator. She tells us, rather than playing with friends, because relaillustration work is interesting, because it’s for tionships were so fluid. She has a strong sense some one else, there is a deadline,an idea, and a of impermanence that she feels okay with. narrative, that you consider when drawing.

Her family eventually settled in Sandy Hook , Her work is dream like, it has a very soft el- Connecticut, the sight of the mass shooting, a egance, yet strangely intellectual, almost dark. town she now feels very proud of for the way To Jensine, your illustration is as good as how they handled the entire situation. She tells us smart you are. It is about a moment that trans- that the town really came together, they needed lates a story, the bigger picture, a portal into a each other, and though the entire situation is world accompanied, often by the words that surreal to this day, with her having taught secsettle next to the images. ond graders drawing in that same school, she is loves her home town even more now, because Though life as a freelancer is liberating, it does of the sense of community. comes with its ups and downs. She believes every freelancers tends to have some level of guilt When asking her whether she considered Conand anxiety, something that pushes them to get necticut home or New York City, she tells us up every morning and keep working, because both. Connecticut is where her family is, she of how easy it is to do nothing when you don’t feels very much herself with her parents, but as have an office or a studio to go to. Being a free- most adults know, you feel a sense of regression, lancer means creating your own schedule and experiencing parts of herself that she no longer 94

Jensine illustrates a little something.

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Jensine’s room is filled with beautiful imagery.

associates with as an early twenty something living in a large metropolitan city. She likes having Connecticut be a place she can go back to, especially when New York City starts to feel a bit too much, but she always loves coming back to Brooklyn, that’s where her friends are, the people that she can count on outside her family back in her home town.

She works mostly in water color and guache.

Jensine now defines home as the place where your stuff is, but more importantly than that, home is where you have people you can count on.

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Her bedroom as a whole.

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Facilitated Conversations with,

880 Upham

I’ve only lived at the Upham house for two months, yet when I’m out for the evening and ready to turn in for the night I say, “I’m going home.” No talk of heading back to the house, or going to bed, just going home. Something about this house invites it’s residents to claim it as more. So when I heard the theme for this issue, I knew that my roommates would be the perfect people to ask, “what is home?” A date was set for a potluck and discussion. Six out of nine roommates and four close friends took part in the conversation.

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A COMMUNITY Rory: The environment here promotes people having internal drive in the sense that you can be confident here in making a contribution and it’s not out of the ordinary you see a lot of other contributions which gives you this internal motivation, where it’s not necessarily someone else saying “hey, step up your game” it’s wow this is just a really inspiring community and people are doing stuff and now I feel motivated from within to contribute as well.

Tessa: Yeah, this home is a community. Like - that’s why it’s so much different than – like - a family or housemates, I think that’s a really good way to describe it.

Hannah: Yeah, I think of how resistant I was to contributing when I was growing up, like doing chores and whatnot and it was always with the idea that this is my home, I should be able to do anything I want to and I don’t want to that, I don’t want to have to clean.

So it’s cool coming to an idea of home that includes wanting to do some of the things I don’t want to do just because it feels good to be a part of my community. I feel like my mom would have appreciated me coming to that a long time ago.

DEFINED SPACE Diana: My mom actually moved from the house that I grew up in and moved to a new house, but she set it up exactly like the old house was. Same furniture, same everything everywhere— place mats, rugs. It’s a very different house, but just because she created the same atmosphere, I feel so completely comfortable there.

She also adamantly claimed a bedroom for me to have. Even though I only spend a couple of weeks a year there so far. I have a bedroom and she wanted me to decorate it the way I wanted it and I was kind of like “you know, this can be the guest room. I don’t really care how it looks.” But she really wanted to feel like it was my house also and for me to feel like that, yeah, my home also. And now I really do and I really like that and appreciate that I have my own space.

I end up retreating into it when I’m there which is great because I like the freedom to retreat, as Rory knows. We’ve had this conversation before. I guess that’s part of what home means to me: the freedom to retreat and not be judged for it. at least that’s part of it, definitely not all of it.

Tessa: Home is definitely a defining factor of who you are like what type of house you grew up in and then now in college when you live with so many different people it’s like so different like depending on the people you live with your social scene becomes so different or just like what you do on the daily changes a lot. So it’s interesting saying your mom is defined by her home and she wanted to replicate it and keep it the same even though she was moving. I totally do that with my room actually. I’ve had the same decorations! I’m just realizing this!

Diana: I’ve noticed this. I can find your space really easily, because it looks exactly like it always does.

Tessa: I’ve had the same posters since sophomore year and it feels comfortable.

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REFLECTION OF CONTRIBUTIONS Rory: I think this house reflects the community of people who have come through this place.

In that, the artwork and the features are very eclectic and you can tell that it’s come from many different people and perspectives and that’s a comment that I get a lot, “who does all of the art in here?”. I don’t have a quick answer other than “everyone.”

Diana planted the garden in the front and Kim is the one who’s the most excited about the chickens and it makes sense that she contributed by painting the coop really awesomely.

Kenta: So why do you call it the DIY house?

Hannah: I think I’m the only one who calls it that. [laughter] It’s because everybody does stuff. The chicken coup was built. Gabe’s building his room in the shed right now. Kim built her bike today.

Tessa: When I moved into my room I had the freedom Rory: [Even if] not everyone has made, necessarily, a direct contribution that will be this lasting thing (like a garden or a painting) while a person is living here they’re making a contribution to the environment and the mood and the community itself.

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The magic which is the Upham House backyard, filled with gardens and DIY projects.

OWNERSHIP AND INVESTMENT Rory: I think two very big factors to turning a house into a home, or a space into a home, or a city into a home, are taking ownership in that place and investing in it. Weather that investment is toward social systems that work for you and your roommates or toward open door policies and opening vestments in a garden or cool furniture or putting in the time to paint something for the house. I think the investment and the ownership that comes with that is very important for me. Which is why I’ve become very attached to this house and to San Luis Obispo, because I’ve invested a lot of time in building my network and my community here, as well as building that community and social structures and the built environment of this house.

WELCOMING Rory: For the longest time it was just guys. [...] Then kim started moving in.

Kim: Because my housing fell through...

Tessa: That’s sort of like my housing, it in a way fell through...

Hannah: Right, our housing fell through!

Tessa: Wait but that’s the wrong impression, because I’m stoked to be here! [laughter] Kenta: It’s the house that people go to when their housing falls through, I got it.

Kim: No! We’re so welcoming, we won’t turn you down!

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HARMONY Sam: The place where I can easily offer the most help is what I define as a place that is homey.

But never necessarily a home because home also has a bed. So I can feel at home but it’s not the space I designate as home. It’s two different ways of being. One is the place where I feel like I am truly fulfilled and the other one is the actual place where I can rest my body.

It’s like mind, body, and spirit. One’s for the body the other is for the mind and the spirit.

Kenta: Do you feel like there’s a place that converges?

Sam: Oh definitely, that’s working on harmony. Harmony between my five different essences.

But I think that’s what I strive for and respecting space. In a big way maintaining that harmony is understanding how open people are within that space. So right now I’m entering an open space because I’m not a part of it. I’m sitting on their couches, but I’m not really entered into their home. I’m always a guest. But it’s like respecting that, I can still feel at home but that’s just internal.

For me to get harmony between mind body spirit and my other essences then the other person needs to have that other connection, that openness. Which is where you get the true harmony.

Home for my body is only a bed. I’ve had my home be on the street before on a couch, many different places but it’s all just resting and just understanding that my body as it is needs energy and needs recuperation and it needs to be flowing at an optimum with sleep.

So that’s only for my physical body.

But the my mind, my spirit, my other essences, they have different yearnings, different ways of pulling out other homes. I think spirit’s is connection. Definitely having other people with open lock keys and fitting in and having other people with a skeleton key on their spirit just allowing it to connect with anybody. Or almost a skeleton key just allowing spirit to connect with most people. It really is enriching for my spirit. Mind and intellect, I don’t really know.

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Thank you for checking out Invitation/Annual. As always, we’re looking for contributors (for both print and digital). Please feel free to reach out to us, and follow us on Instagram @Invitation/Annual.com

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