When Brooklyn’s Still + Company gets together with Sit and Read, great things happen. I’ve seen overdyed rugs used in many different ways lately, but these sling chairs are by far my favorite. Created as part of a collaborative show at Sit and Read Gallery, Still + Company made these custom chairs using Persian rugs…
Earlier this week I ate lunch outside on an eerily warm January day. As much as I’m enjoying not having to not bundle up for freezing temperatures, it’s a little odd to be able to eat al fresco when I should be piling on another coat. But it seems to be warm enough that outdoor…
Over the holiday break, I had coffee with an old friend who recently bought her first apartment. We were laughing about that phase after you save up for and then buy your first home and can’t afford to immediately decorate it. I was trying to help her find a decent sofa under $1,000 and kept…
The winners of this year’s scholarship will be announced today (yay!), so I thought it would be fitting to kick off the day with more fantastic student work. Chris Palmer is studying at Cranbrook and has created some really beautiful furniture so far. I really love his webbed table series- it’s the sort of simple,…
I’ll never forget the day my local Matter store in Park Slope closed. My weekly design destination sadly moved across the river to Manhattan, but it has been on a roll ever since. I’m always excited to get their newsletter with updates, and the most recent one contained some seriously beautiful work. A few of…
There are few things I love more than high quality woodworking. After seven years of blogging and watching trends come and go faster than I can even process, few things stand the test of time like beautiful, natural wood. These gorgeous pieces were created by Geoffrey Keating of Keating Woodworks. A fifth-generation furniture maker, Geoffrey worked…
I love it when larger companies team up with independent designers to spread their work to a larger audience. The designs above and below are the result of Umbra’s Atelier Made partnership, Umbra’s collaboration with smaller European designers to create new pieces that are then distributed by Umbra throughout boutiques and design shops. I really love…
As if I needed another reason to be excited about going back to Portland,* Schoolhouse Electric has gone and given me another one. I’ve been a fan of Schoolhouse Electric’s period lighting for a while now, but I was thrilled to hear about their expansion earlier this summer. I’d heard buzzing among local Portland bloggers…
There are certain colors (typically neutrals) that I go back to over and over again. One is gray, and the other is a classic army green. This beautiful new collection of furniture from Steve Kenn (formerly of Temple Bags) is sourced and made locally in Los Angeles using (washed and softened) US military half shelters…
I’ve been talking about woodworking a lot lately. In lectures and at book events, one frequently asked question is what trends I’m interested in. I think my answer is sometimes disappointing to people because I rarely bring up something snazzy and edgy. Instead, I’ve been discussing my love of high-quality woodworking. After years of writing…
Amy and I are hopping on an early plane to Charleston this morning (thanks to everyone who came out to our event in Asheville last night!), but before we do, I wanted to post this pretty new chair from Hable Construction and Hickory. While I love Hable’s fun, colorful patterns, it’s good to have a…
Normally, I don’t post things that have already made their way around the web, but I’m so excited about the new Dwell Studio furniture collection (their beds are still on my must-have list) that I had to share a few favorites this morning before we get started. The caramel leather pieces combined with all the…
Speaking of London Design Week, bark furniture is launching a new collection called Beacon at Tent London. While I’ve been moving away from furniture with a mid-century feel in form and color palette for a while now, the chipper, friendly quality of these pieces is hard to deny. This may sound odd, but they feel…
I really miss having Matter in my neighborhood. When they packed up and moved to Manhattan, I lost my favorite Park Slope design shop and now live vicariously through their email updates (I don’t go into the city much these days). When I saw the updates about their most recent collection, MatterMade Collection Number Two,…
You know how your favorite music has a way of burying itself deep inside your brain and coming back at unexpected times? In my life, the same thing happens with furniture. I’ll see something, do a double take and then — if it really grabs me — I go back again and open drawers, run…
I normally have to be dragged into fall kicking and screaming. Unlike most people, I have a hard time enjoying the falling temperatures and changing leaves because they feel like a sad reminder that long months of cold dark days are ahead. But one part of fall I can get definitely behind is the change…
Sometimes the beauty of wood makes me wonder why I own anything that’s painted or upholstered. Why would I ever want to cover up something this gorgeous? Well, I wouldn’t. These beautiful pieces are from designer Jeff Martin, who recently finished an apprenticeship with my favorite woodworker in the entire world, Palo Samko. Jeff is…
Sometimes when a trend or style really clicks with me, I’m like a dog with a bone and won’t let it go. Right now, ombré is my weakness, and I find myself saying on a regular basis, “Could we just have it, you know, fade from light to dark, sort ombré-style?” I know I need…
Welcome back to Upholstery Basics, where we’ll be rolling up our sleeves and completing our first project together: a wrap-around seat. Of all seating, dining room chairs get the brunt of the abuse — a little vino here, red sauce there. If you’ve been glaring at those chairs and wondering how to give them that…
It’s about this time every year that things come back to life. Flowers are in full bloom, and kids spend their hours out of school in the pool. You’ve probably completed your annual spring cleaning and noticed that a few pieces of furniture are beyond the capabilities of the vacuum and 409, so isn’t it…
