ATMOSTHEORY is the one-man design studio of Christopher David Ryan... a Brooklyn-based graphic artist, daydreamer, pseudo-scientist, wanna-be astronaut and untrained intellectual who tends to find inspiration in pretty much anything... especially music, the universe, the human condition and natural phenomena.
There are some films whose imagery is so lush that I discover something new each time I watch. One of my favorites to see again and again is the Chinese film "In the Mood for Love" (original title "Our glorious years have passed like flowers".) Set in Hong Kong circa 1962, writer and director Wong Kar-wai saturates each scene with the textures, colors and behaviours of the time. I could go on and on trying to describe the atmosphere of the film, but instead, let me say this; it is so lovely that you will clench your teeth.
As Le Owner will testify - I like things clean. One way that I motivate myself to do my chores is having tools that satisfy my senses. For example, when doing dishes I start by laying out a beautiful dishtowel. This one, depicting mushrooms is made in France by Le Jacquard Francais, my very favorite of all linen companies. 
Add to that a vintage wire dish strainer. Mine belonged to my Great Grandmother, but you can find vintage inspired versions at Ballard Designs. I like that mine is small enough to fit in my sink basin so that I can douse my clean dishes with boiling water - a trick passed down by my other Great Grandmother, who was a French war bride.
Next I break out my yummy scented dish soap de jour - Method's Pink Grapefruit. I have sensitive skin so I use earth friendly soaps so that I don't need to wear gloves. Oh, and because I'm a hippie. ; ) Click here for other earth and skin friendly dish soaps.
I am now using white porcelain dish ware - I think it sets off your food better than colored or patterned plates and it mixes well with other dishes and linens. When I am done I feel relaxed - warm water, "happy" smelling citrus soap, clean white dishes....a meditation on life's simple pleasures.
Perhaps it is because I feel younger when surrounded by things that show their age more than I do, but I always feel more natural when in a space that has a few "ye olde" elements thrown in the mix. When I was at Penn State I spent many a Saturday combing through local antique stores and now have several collections to prove it; vintage canning jars, maps and birdcages to name a few.
