Juliet Totten from Poppies and Posies lives in New York City along with her sister, Ellen. Juliet is a collector, and many of her favorite objects come from her grandparents. When she was little, Juliet’s family lived in Syria, which explains the gorgeous textiles around her apartment. The eclectic décor in her room is brilliantly…
The times they are a changin’ around my house, and I think I have a new favorite color combination: navy blue and Hermes orange. I’ve always been more of a cherry-red and grass-green type of girl (or a butter yellow and gray lover), but this combo has been popping up everywhere lately, and it makes…
I think at this point it goes without saying that stripes are pretty much my favorite design detail. Ever. Of all time. I even considered getting a striped tattoo at one point (Don’t panic, Mom. I didn’t do it.), before realizing it would end up looking like a barcode rather than a pretty group of…
I wanted to wrap up the week with pieces from the Gift Fair that stayed in my mind the longest: bust cards from Yellow Owl Workshop in San Francisco. I’m a sucker for neon anything, so these electric pink and blue cards from Christine were at the top of my list. Topped off with some…
“Chardonnay cake over a buttery, fresh ginger graham-cracker crust, filled with lime curd and topped with lime frosting and sugared lime zest” is the new standard against which I measure all cupcakes. I am not even sure why I bothered to eat cupcakes before now. This tantalizingly tasty treat is one of the most popular…
Usually when people mention the word “salad,” it doesn’t stir up great emotions in me. This week’s recipe from Georgia-based food entrepreneur and cookbook author Gena Knox was all it took to convert my appetite. Her recipe for kale and apple salad with molasses vinaigrette and sugared pecans is the right mix of savory and…
If it were totally up to us, we would be living on a farm or rural homestead in the middle of nowhere, spending our days foraging for mushrooms, milking our goats and gathering pine boughs from our backyard. But the reality is that we live in cities, and when one of those cities is Chicago,…
Mesh feeder from Songbird Garden When you or I learn that a storm is on they way, we fortify our pantries with provisions, make sure extra blankets and batteries are on hand, and stock up on candles and bottled water. We tune in to the Weather Channel, hang on to the words of local meteorologists,…
So here we are in the thick of a frigid East Coast winter, and for many of us, it seems like the ice, snow and gray skies might never end. As usual, this time of year has me dreaming about my native climate in Southern California (I might have mentioned?) :). One of my favorite…
Good morning! Man, it has been one of those weeks, and I am definitely ready to kick back and celebrate with a little TGIF fun. One of the things I need to work through this weekend are the photos and press kits we took from the weekend’s Gift Fair at the Javits Center. So before…
I don’t have kids yet, but I can still appreciate a great nursery when I see one. Such is the case with this lovely owl-themed nursery from Brian and Kristy Hoffman. Brian and Kristy decided to keep the gender of their baby a mystery, which required some inventiveness when it came to designing the space….
I love it when Before & After projects combine several old items into one shiny new design. These two pieces from Elle are both great examples of this; I’m particularly impressed with the transformation of an old fan faceplate into the base for a lovely Capiz pendant lamp. Elle’s creativity is inspiring me to go…
Expert scavenger and DIY genius Karen is back again with this simple log table design. After seeing a log table she liked in a magazine, Karen decided to take matters into her own capable hands and make a quick and easy budget-friendly version. We’ve included the instructions after the jump, but to view the full…
Like Grace, I have a weakness for a crisp, clean stripe, so when I saw the fabric Laura chose for her seating makeover, I was instantly won over. The blue chevron looks wonderful against the sage green wall, and I very much appreciate Laura’s decision to use the pattern for the cushions as well as…
If I could cover my entire life in stripes, I probably would. And ticking stripes are just about my favorite type around. So when I saw this beautiful ticking-stripe wallpaper design from a new Australian company called Moore & Moore, I was sold. Founded by Lynne Testoni and KT Doyle, Moore & Moore creates classic…
Growing up, I really hated quilts. They smelled funny, were torn and reminded me of my Grandma’s basement. None of which were helping me cultivate what I thought was (and now realize was the opposite of) the coolest high-school room ever. But now as my thirtieth birthday grows closer and closer,* I find myself going…
I’ve never been much of a watch person. I am, however, married to a major watch-lover. AC loves watches the way I love swatches, so I understand and appreciate the urge to collect them. And if I was going to start wearing watches, these designs from Mr Jones Watches would be at the top of…
Today I have the real thrill of introducing you to the blonde darling behind the blog Design Love Fest (where type and images totally make out). She’s also the art director for Rue Magazine, a leading online shelter and lifestyle magazine that I am absolutely addicted to! Bri is also the branding guru behind rockstar…
There are so many different ways to express feelings of love on Valentine’s Day: some are sweet and sentimental, others are bold and celebratory. For kicks, I’m thinking I might want to surprise my loved one with an amazing and decadent love fort, like this one from designer Justina Blakeney. Justina is the woman behind…
With February now here, I thought I’d share a little project you can make for your Valentine. I picked up a few vintage typewriter ribbon tins from my local flea market for a couple dollars each. You can find them quickly online, but by keeping your eyes open at estate sales and flea markets, you…
