Now that is some bargain. I get the effect of a new bed without draining the wallet. Check out fantastically talented architect Mina Jivad’s new collection of decals over at Blik.

Her headboard creations are available in an array of trendy colors, so you will have the most up-to-date looking bedroom and be the envy of all those who are just wishing for a new bed.

Pick this season’s popular sophisticated gray, or fall into the 80’s trend with the brights of kiwi and raspberry. Either way, you will sleep well knowing you have a few bucks still left in your wallet!

One way to get started with gardening is to get the Culinary Herb Garden Kit, which includes seeds and growing instructions for eight useful herbs, and plant them in these practical Self-watering Flower Pots by Eva Solo. Both of these are great gifts too.

Tend to your plants like a pro wearing these Tattoo City Waterproof Gardening Boots and using a colorful Calle Gardening Tool Set.

When your plants need water you can turn to this funky Alessi Watering Can, or the sleek Blomus Watering Can in stainless steel.

Be the envy of your neighbors by acquiring a modern version of the classic gardening gnome, like these Urban Gnomes and the rebellious Flamingo-Away.

Below are some ideas for your next quick and easy redecoration.

Wall decals work best on smooth surfaces, and are very easy to use and apply. They are virtually foolproof. If you mess up, they are easily removed and reapplied.

Wall decals do not harm your walls when you take them off, so they are great for people who are renting and want to be able to remove decoration easily with no damages.

If you would like a customized wall decal in a particular shape, size, or color there are several Etsy stores that are willing to help you with making your wall decal idea come through. Check out Singlestonestudios and Shanon1972.

In a previous post I mentioned one of my favorite chandeliers, the Zettel’z 6 chandelier by Ingo Maurer. Here it is again, accompanied by some other wonderful sources of light that would add beauty and functionality to any home.

To begin we have the ever popular Herman Miller Aeron Chair, sold at Design Within Reach. Sleek and super comfy, it is now available in the Titanium Weave. I just love the cool gray look!

West Elm highlights the Tubular Desk Chair in a soft gray felt. Its understated, clean lines have a bit of a retro feel that I appreciate. I could see this contrasting with a cottage-y, curved, wooden desk. It would be unexpected, but that makes it fun!

The Milan Chair from Ballard Designs looks incredibly comfy, it even has a tension tilt mechanism which allows you to rock in the chair! Sounds like a winner to me!

Ikea offers the Patrik Chair which I love in the Fagrabo Red! How fun would it be to pair this vibrant red chair with a black metal sawhorse desk? Fabulous!

Simple, clean lined and classic the Ada Swivel Chair is available at Chiasso. It’s ideal for many desk sizes and at $128 it is a bargain!

Another Herman Miller favorite (could you tell I use to work for a HM Dealer?!) is a “fun” chair, the Caper! This is a small, light weight, easy to move chair which can be used in many different applications. It is ergonomically correct (so there will be no back aches…) and is available in 14 colors.

What type of chair do you sit in? Do you chose style over comfort?

Don’t forget there is still another fantastic option for any design lover on your gift list! A magazine subscription is really the perfect gift, at least for me. I love running to the post to pick up the latest Living Etc, Domino or even W (as we know home decor follows fashion). Below are a few of my monthly reads!

Do you have a favorite design book or magazine? If there are books on your list this year, what are they?

Add a campfire to your coffee table. From left Carl Mertens’ Fireplace for the Tabletop, Table Fire Tavolo, Fire & Ice Coffee Table, and Really Hot fire furniture.

Along with setting up the blog, I have been working on some really great design projects, which I will share with you over the next few months. Now I am back with the promise of regular posts again. So please forgive me and if I may shamelessly plug, take a peak over at CreateGirl, where you will find even more budget friendly home decor ideas and even some fashion finds! OK, back to work.

Across my desk this afternoon came a fabulous email from CB2, one of my “go to” stores. If you write a review on one of their products, you will be entered to win a $1000 CB2 gift card! We all know you like to share your opinion on products, so hop on over; in this crazy economy, don’t we all want to save a little? The lucky winner will be drawn on December 17th…now that would be a great Holiday gift! Below are a few of my favorite CB2 products:

Oh, not to mention all the pieces above are on sale! Have you purchased from CB2? Share your favorite pieces…and happy product reviewing!

My favorite find is from Blik: the “Chair Back” decal! I love all the different styles and they are available in a range of colors! At a price point of $30 for six decals, it’s certainly an easy way to update those once boring chairs!

Next, we have numbers and letters from the Etsy store TastySuite! A fun idea to label each person’s chair with either their initial or a number. You could get really creative with the numbers and subtly let someone know they are #1 in your life. Who knows, by Christmas they could have moved down the list and you could subtly give them a new number. Cheesy, I know, but fun!

I am also loving the Damask Accent pack from Wall Slicks. They are shipped in one big sheet, but depending on the size of your chair, you could use a small 5″ Damask or take a larger one and cut it in half! They give off a more sophisticated feel and could be great to use after on the wall in a hallway or bathroom. That’s the great thing about removable art…you can use it someplace else after the guests leave and the chairs go back in the closet (or under the bed).

Now if a dishwasher could magically appear I would be a real happy city girl!!

In this posting, I will present some beds that may make you wonder if you are awake or dreaming. At the very least you will fall asleep with a smile on your face

The Floating Bed

I would love to go to sleep in this bed designed by Janjaap Ruijssenaars! Actually, I would love to go to sleep in this room… The floating bed is kept off the ground by enough magnets to keep 900 kg in the air. To make sure that the bed doesn’t float away (because of wind or other things that may rock your bed…), it is anchored to the walls by four cables. With a price tag at over a million dollars (yes, that is six 0’s), I doubt this bed will be more than a dream for most of us. But what a lovely dream…

A cheaper version of the floating bed is this round floating bed, which is a little less elegant and suspended from the ceiling.

The Cocoon Bed

The Lomme bed is a little on the science fiction side. I can imagine storm troopers sleeping in these. Well, at least it would match their uniforms. Talking about matching: you can change the color of the light inside the bed, allowing you to color coordinate with either your bedroom or your Star Wars pajama. The Lomme’s color changing feature is intended for light therapy, and it features a unique light therapy alarm clock.

Jokes aside, I do love the smooth and futuristic design of this bed, and the color therapy sounds intriguing, but what other furniture would it go with? The classic Bubble Chair by Eero Aarnio? Maybe this is a challenge for Julieann, the Tastemaker Diaries’ interior designer?

The Rocking Bed

This bed literally rocks! Getting rocked to sleep is no longer an experience reserved only for babies. This is a rocking bed for adults, and any little motion you make will make it rock (think about it…). Luckily for the easily motion sick among us, you can get stoppers that will keep the bed still. The circular lines really appeal to me, but I am not sure rocking is my thing. I wonder if you can get it to roll around the room if you only rock it hard enough? Hmmm…

The Cloud Bed

Is sleeping amongst the clouds your thing? This clean cut wooden canopy bed has cloud-shaped cut-outs, allowing light to peek in at you as the sun rises.

I think this bed is really adorable, maybe something for a young girl or boy’s room?

The Tree Bed

Would you like to rest among the trees? This wrought iron tree bed with a little birds’ nest nestled at the top is quite whimsical and charming.

If you are the decorating type, I am sure you can finds lots of fun ways to decorate the bare iron branches. The rest of us might find the odd piece of clothing hanging off a branch after a late evening…

Central fireplaces are very decorative and cozy to gather around…not to mention the easiest to install. From top left: Atrium Fireplace, Bathiscafocus Fireplace, Fireorb, and T-eye Rotating Fireplace.

Great fireplaces that need no chimney!

Traditional fireplaces are a part of the architectural structure of a home, and not very easy nor cheap to add in hindsight. But despair not, many of the absolute most amazing fireplace solutions do not require a chimney or advanced installation. These clean-burning fireplaces run on green fuels and provide great decoration, lighting, and heat to any room.

Floor-mounted, clean-burning gas fireplaces. From left a Two-way EcoSmart Fire and the Ponton fireplace.

Modern wall mounted gas fireplaces that don’t need any chimney. From left CHIMO Fireplace and Bubble Fireplace.

Do you know of any great looking, clean-burning, chimney-less fireplaces? Please share.

Here are some of my picks for this Halloween, trying to walk the fine line of wacky, tacky, and tasty. If it’s too late for this year’s party, you might be able to pick up end-of-season bargains for next year’s bash!

Trick or treat?

From top left: skull candles, Murano Alzate deep black glassware, Skull cocktail shaker and glass, bleeding candles, skeleton yard flamingos, and bone soaps.

From top left: Haunted Chocolate Castle, Bat-suckers with glow sticks, Costume Kid Cookies, Chocolate Skulls, and Chocolate Coffins.

But I say it’s all about the “It” Accessory. With the economy going to pot, it’s all about using one or two amazing statement accessories to add new flavor to your favorite, broken-in pair of jeans or a “this old thing” dress.

Will you be buying a pair of “It Shoes” like the pair featured above for this season? Or are you with me on sticking with accessories?

Four months ago, I saved a swatch of fabric by Philip Gorrivan for Highland Court Fabrics, almost identical to the pattern in her coat.

For the last two seasons, orange has been everywhere and as one can see by my StyleFeed, I’ve been a wee bit obsessed. Now that the trend has calmed down a bit, I revisit the pattern and find I still enjoy it. This is a good indication I should have it in my home. This pattern would look smashing as pillows with a fat, corded welt to surround it, or even as a bed coverlet with a wide band of winter white border. This just goes to show once again, that fashion and home decor really do go hand in hand!

What have you saved to your StyleFeed that you may have forgotten about and fallen in love with again? Do you like the trend of orange in home decor?

In another lifetime I was completely one of those who worked in a very boring looking cubicle, you know the ones with the gray felt and high walls. This would have been a welcome sight! van der Kley designed Globus originally for the corporate office but than saw there was an interest for it in the home, cafe and other lobby areas. You can now use it with your Xbox or even hook up a tv! The “ball” opens in the center to reveal a comfy swivel chair and a sturdy pull down board for your laptop. When not in use it can be closed, locked and with the convenient casters, easily moved from one area to another! Genius! I just love the sleek style and the comfort factor which might just equal more productive employees! Tell your boss you are really thinking outside of the box, actually I would say “ball”! At the moment it is only available in white, but can’t you just see it in fun, eye-popping colors? I am confident in saying this would make those long lay over waits in the airport much more bearable!

Is this something you could see working in yourself?

You do not need much. A good picnic basket, some plastic containers that are easy to pack, a blanket, an umbrella, and a few picnic chairs. It can be done near a tree by a river, at the beach, or at the top of a mountain after an enjoyable hike.

To give you a few ideas, here are a few of my favorite items. Perhaps you can find some good ones for yourself too. For some ideas on what food to pack, check out my latest post on La Tartine Gourmande.

And let’s enjoy the good weather, time out and picnics.

Plenty of baskets to choose from:

If you decided to prepare deviled eggs, now you have the solution to carry them around easily:

And then you need some plates, forks and glasses, and why not, a colorful container to carry your food:

Blankets

A table and an umbrella:

So is it the weekend yet?

I love The Company Store, their sheets are fabulous and always in really fun colors. Wait one minute, what do I see as I am flipping through their catalog pages? These absolutely fabulous Urbino ottomans!! They are so fun, I especially like the turquoise option. The embroidered medallion on top creates a unique accent. I see this ottoman as a lovely addition in a bedroom, perhaps next to a vanity, or as spare seating for guests in a Living Room! They have a very distinct Moroccan feel, which we’re seeing all over the magazines right now.

This next find is one of my favorites. The sleek Metropolitan Table gives a great retro feel to an otherwise ordinary table! It has an ebony finished glass top which seems to just jump off the surface, and the double nickel legs compliment the octagon shape nicely. All this from Linen Source? Who knew!!

Do you look at certain stores for items other than the ones they advertise? Do you have a secret catalog or website with great finds? It’s always the hidden treasures that get the most compliments, after all!

First, decide what is most important to you. Do you want to have a place to lounge out on a chaise or is having people over for a dinner party the most important factor? In this post, I’ll present some wonderful chair options for creating that outdoor living room.

First is the fabulous Rex chair from CB2. It is available in two sizes, lounge and standard. For a lounge chair which sits lower to the ground and is a bit wider, the price is inexpensive. I can just picture us now….a drink in one hand and legs hanging over the side. The poppy, which is EVERYWHERE right now, is my favorite color. Talk about a sunset!

I absolutely love the vintage feel of Atuto’s ring chairs. Their style is sweet and full of interest. The gentle, delicate klismos back made of sturdy iron creates a nice contradiction. I could see them used in a little garden in the summer and then pulled inside as an accent chair in the cooler months. Lovely!

Smith & Hawken always has sturdy, wonderfully crafted pieces, like this Whitfield chair…I’m in love with the scrolled arms. But to be honest, sometimes they are a little expensive for pieces I’ll use just three months out of the year.

Luckily, S&H is now doing a line for Target. Their Marlton Club Chair is a great option! This is the perfect compromise of style and price, only $169 compared to the $699 version shown above. The cushion is plush and sits comfortably. The only change I might make is to replace the cushions with a fun Sunbrella fabric from Ballard Designs. This Citrus Stripe is on sale for $17/yard; that’s a great deal and it looks very summery!

So go on…soak up the sun in your new chair and use your outdoor space in whatever way your heart desires. After all, it is the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!!

There in the corner sits the lonely chair I bought years ago at a flea market. Of course I had every intention of stripping the old paint and gracing it with a shiny new coat that very same weekend. We all know how good intentions can go; I never got around to doing it. Finally, this weekend I thought to do a bit of research. As much as I love my Ben Moore paint, I felt this chair needed something special and all its own. As I start my internet search I stumbled upon “The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company,” which I am impressed with right away. Can we all say GREEN and free of any VOC?! Love it! To top it off they are a local company here in Massachusetts, even better. The Milk Paint Company literally makes their paint out of milk protein, lime, clay and earth pigment. It arrives in a small package and you just add water to the desired thickness. They state there is a bit of a milky odor when you first start to paint, but as soon as it dries you are left with an antique looking color.

Most of the photos they show online are of very “old fashioned”-looking pieces, but I think in this age of the “vintage” craze, an older looking piece mixed in with some contemporary pieces will give it the spotlight it deserves. In other words don’t get scared off by the pictures, think outside the box!

Fabulous, I have made some progress, now off I go to wait by the post for my “Soldier Blue” milk paint to arrive. I will post some pictures and give a review when it arrives…then again don’t hold your breath, we know how long it has taken me just to pick the paint!!

Among the coat racks found in my stylefeed my current favorite is the Ivy modular coat rack. Besides having great lines and functionality I love the fact that its modular. This allow you to both adapt the size of the coat rack to your needs and to the space it inhabits. If you are a family of 13 you can expand the coat rack so there is room for everyone’s coat. And if your hallway is the size of Taj Mahal you can decorate an entire wall with the Ivy coat rack. No need to hold back!

I also like the curvy and girly Forget-me-not coat hooks by Charlotte Lancelot. They come in white, black, orange, and red.

I have inherited a love for trees from my dad. I do think he would approve of these Hall Tree coat hooks and the Tree coat hanger by Michael Young and Katrin Petursdottir, even though I suspect he would have preferred the prior in wood rather than stainless steel. He loves anything wooden… Maybe Aysia, the Tastemaker Diaries’ in house eco fashionista would agree with him?

Martin Kleinhans’ wardrobe is another modular system for hanging up your clothes. It allows you to organize shelves and hooks as you please on a colorful wall fixture. The smart Hook box does not only provied you with a hook for your coat, but also a box for your gloves and earmuffs, and other items that are hard to hang.

The fun and colorful Pulpo Drop coat rack by Julian Appelius would make quite a statement in a bold hallway, and a row of BASTIS hooks from IKEA would brighten any child’s room at the great price of $1.99 a piece. What kid wouldn’t like to hang their clothes on a dog’s butt?

Mr Mrs Hangup and Fifi & Fafa wall hangers are great examples of his and her hooks. My personal favorite is the latter with their clean lines and not-so-subtle gender attributes. Lets face it, us girls have twice as much clothes to hang anyways.

The HANG wall hooks from Seletti come with instructions, so there should be no excuse for not hanging up your coat. Another favorite of mine: the Footprint shoe rack by Charlotte Tangye come in both children and adult sizes and leaves no doubt what its for.

Fellow Stylefeeder member hzwicker, a favorite on my watchlist, shared this bird coat rack by Icelandic Stella Design with me.

Do you know of a decorative, interesting or fun coat rack/hook/hanger design? Please post a comment and share with the rest of us

Transparent Concrete Walls Anyone?

The last thing I think of when hearing the word transparent is concrete, but despite this, the Hungarian architect Áron Losonczi has invented something as incredible as light-transmitting concrete. He calls this new material LiTraCon, and I can’t wait to see what people will do with it!

Transparent concrete walls requires some planning ahead, and most of us are stuck with already existing walls. But don’t despair! There a lots of ways to make your walls stand out without rebuilding them from scratch.

Light Emitting Wallpaper

The Dutch designer Jonas Samson has designed light-emitting wallpaper. It looks pretty interesting, but his website doesn’t explain the details of the concept. In particular, it doesn’t explain how you make your walls light up. It looks to me like his wallpaper requires entire light walls, in which case, it will involve a considerable amount of work. Let’s find an easier way to decorate our walls shall we?

Wall Stickers, Wall Tattoos, Wall Decals

The wall sticker trend has been around for a while. They offer a fast and fun way to decorate your walls without leaving permanent marks. Great if you are renting a place, or for children’s spaces that need to change as they grow older. Below are some of the wall stickers from my StyleFeed.

I love the seven panel Moroso wall graphic by designer Tord Bontje. It’s typical for his style, but maybe a little too busy for my taste. This fingerprint wall sticker is more my cup of tea: simple, symbolic, and way more affordable. Speaking of affordable, IKEA offers wall stickers as well. The SLATTHULT poppy wall sticker is one of their creations. Why not create your own little piece of Paris by adding this Eiffel Tower wall sticker to your wall?

Paint-by-numbers Wallpaper and Wall Strips

Finally, you’re allowed to draw on the walls! Bring out your inner kid with these paint-by-number wallpapers and wall strips from 2Jane . You are recommended to use crayons or paint pens to fill in the designs, but any paints, markers, or colored pencils will do!

Lights & Shadows

Probably the fastest and easiest way to add decoration to a wall and make it stand out is playing with lights and shadows.

Not as advanced as the light-transmitting concrete wall, but Reveal lighting by Adam Frank creates the illusion of natural sunlight streaming in through a double window and onto your interior wall. The Lumen Oil Lamp comes in several different versions and also brings a little outdoors inside.

Seen any interesting walls lately? Post a comment, I’d like to know

Write it on the Chandelier

Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z 6 chandelier has been on my wish list for a long time. Why anyone haven’t bought it for me yet is a true mystery (hint, hint..). This wonderful chandelier includes 40 printed and 40 blank sheets of rice paper. In other words: you can dress this light fixture with your favorite poems, love letters, pencil drawings, etc. What a wonderful way to leave a message to your honey!

Write it on the Wall

A $1200 chandelier is of course not the only way to leave a message in your home. Chalkboard stickers are somewhat cheaper and can look great in your home office, your kitchen, a playroom, or in the hallway. They come in lots of different shapes and colors, and can definitely be decorative as well as useful.

Write it in the Shower

We have all written messages with our fingers on the bathroom mirror after a hot shower. Chances are, not all of these messages were ever read by others. Did you know that you can use your bathroom mirror as a white board and leave more permanent and visible messages using dry erase markers or Crayolas? If you don’t want to mess up the pretty reflection of yourself in the mirror you can put up one of these frosted glass white boards next to it.

What if you need to take notes while you’re in the shower? (Just admit it, you can get some pretty amazing ideas while showering.) The erasable shower note tablet is the solution to that problem. I’m pretty sure you didn’t know you needed one… but think about it.

Say it with a Bean

Here is a perfect solution for those of you who don’t mind it taking 1-2 weeks for your message to be read: the message bean!

“…each magical Message Bean grows with an actual word lasered onto one side and an image on the other. Simply remove the foil top and bottom of the can (for drainage), and add a 1/2 cup of water to the enclosed soil — in just 1-2 weeks, the bean will poke through the surface, revealing the special message! The bean then sprouts into a small plant that can be kept in the container or replanted. A simple and original way to send a greeting.”

The message beans are available in Happy Holidays (with two stars), Love (with a heart), Happy Birthday (with a musical note) and Thank You (with “Thanks” in Japanese).

Say it the Geeky Way

Us uber-geeks are all wishing we could leave holographic messages like princess Leah in the original Star Wars movies, but until these are commercially available (which they will be, like all good science fiction ideas), we will have to resort to less impressive means of communication like the WavyWand and InfoGlobe.

Say it with M&M’s

I love M&Ms, and my better half, the wonderful Mr A, cannot get enough of them. On top of this my good friend, the lovely Miss T, has inside connections in the Mars company, and keeps feeding our addiction with new and exiting beta flavors of the drug of our choice. Could it possibly get any better?

Yes, it can! You can get m&ms in the color of your choice with your own personal messages on both sides. It’s the perfect valentines day gift, birthday gift, xmas treat, wedding treat, etc. So if you don’t want to spend the money buying me the Ingo Maurer chandelier, then at least get me some candy!

Say it with a Toast

I suspect the following devices were invented right about the time when the first virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich was sold for their weight in gold on ebay. These are toaster/printers which allows you to print messages and images on slices of bread while toasting them. Maybe not the greatest way of leaving a message since the receiver of the message would have to be around to enjoy the toast while it is warm (I’m not sure how excited I would be if someone left me a cold toast), but I can see it being a fun way to teach your kids how to read or to just liven up the Sunday breakfast with a dirty joke.

Leave me a comment if you know of a decorative or fun way to leave a message!

Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen (1958), LC4 Chaise Longue by Le Corbusier (1928)

Noguchi Coffee Table by Isamu Noguchi (1944), Monte Carlo Bench – Eileen Gray (1925)

If you are lucky enough to find an original, and have the money to buy it, I truly envy you. But for those of us who are not so lucky, there are companies offering replicas of these modern classics for a cheaper price, so we can still enjoy owning one.

If you have a favorite modern classic, please let me know about it in the comments

First let me make one thing clear: I am not talking about a regular personalized photo-mug or mouse pad that you can order from any online photo printing service. Think bigger and bolder! I am talking about making your photos the focal point of a room, proudly displaying your best snaps and giving them the attention they really deserve!

Your Photo Blinds

Don’t have a room with a view? Do something about it! Get your favorite photo printed on window treatments like blinds or shades. Balcony Vacations is one of the companies who offer this service, and some of them do customized sizes as well. With the daylight spilling through your blinds and illuminating your photo of a French meadow you can bring a little piece of nature into the city and pretend it’s summer all year long…

Your photo Table

Desktop Design is an Austrian firm that produces tables with photo and graphic surfaces. They provide a collection of high quality photos to chose from, but are also open for you sending them your photo or pattern to include in a table top. Their tables come in different sizes and you can choose between aluminum and wood materials. FYI: their website is only in German…

Your photo Tiles

Tired of those pale pink tiles in your bathroom, or the decorative village motif tiles in the kitchen? Why not replace them with one, or several, of your own wonderful photos? Fotokakel is a Swedish company who transfer high resolution photos onto glass tiles. They offer a library of photos to chose from, but are also open for you supplying your own photos. You can have your photos converted into one tile, or blown up on a set of many tiles. So now you can have your own photo of reef fish, shot while diving in Fiji, covering your shower walls. FYI: their website is only in Swedish…

Your photo Wallpaper

Wallpapers have been in for a while. Why not truly own your walls by marking them with your own photos? There are several companies that offer to turn your photos into wallpapers. Of the ones I have looked at ID-Wall is the only one publishing their prices, while the others say they will send you a quote based on your online inquiry. I personally have mixed feelings about photo wallpapers, but like anything else it can be pulled off with good taste and an eye for composition. It will certainly add character to your home!

Your photo Lighting

According to the Swiss company Anathome these ultra-flat LED panels, covered with prints, veneer, wallpapers or fabrics, will be in production soon. I expect they will let you customize the panels with you own photos. Anathome’s concept is modular panels (Yay, I love modular systems. Its like LEGO for adults!), and besides the announced LED panels they do regular wall panels and other surfaces customized with photos or other types of finish.

Prefer graphic designs over photos? I bet all these products can be personalized with your own high resolution design as well as photos. Go crazy with creativity

You wonder what will their personality be? What will create a laugh, a smile or inspiration? Are they likely to be a sports fan, truck and airplane enthusiast or a ballerina and Disney Character dreamer? As you can see on my StyleFeeds, (both creategirl and jacehome), I have been researching wall décor for a nursery. Here are some of my favorite finds:

“The Gang is All Here” is a favorite from the Etsy store Creative Thursday. Marisa has a great eye and creates such a story with her characters! I have a fondness for Oscar and Lewis, very sweet!

Land of Nod is a great resource for children’s wall decor. I especially like these reproduced vintage advertisements from the 20’s and 30’s. I have a feeling many little boys would love a room full or trucks and cars!

The Modern Traffic Canvas from Modern Nursery has so much movement it would create a theme in any little room. The crisp blue and white canvas is very clean.

The animal “Peek A Boo” collection from Yuko Lau is very fun and great for both genders! Art.com has a broad collection at a good price. I would purchase a few and group them together. The colors are so sharp and great to play off one another!

From Emma Thomson comes “Felicity Wishes”. A piece so lovely any little girl could wish upon a star and believe all of her dreams will come true. Precious!

As you can see, the options are really endless and it can be so much fun to think of a little one’s personality. The only rule is to have fun and don’t make it too serious!

What are your thoughts on nursery room wall décor? Do you think it inevitably influences the personality of the young one?

Since interiors are known to follow fashion, I looked for evidence of the trend and there it was in my mailbox in the form of a Pottery Barn catalog. Have you seen it? I swear it was so bright, it would be visible in the dead of night. How do you feel about this trend of bright, bold colors? Trends always make me a bit nervous, because inevitably there will be a homeowner who falls in love with a photo and looks to recreate it. This can be a good source of inspiration, but I always caution. Questions I would ask are: Is this really your personality? Are you this “bold”? When this trend passes, which thankfully most do, will you then be sick of the room? We all like change and want to feel we are in on the latest, so let’s explore adding a bit of brightness without having to completely commit.

This is a fabulous example room from William Sonoma Home. I like the neutral sofa and by adding splashes of color with the area rug and the throw pillows it will be easy to change out as the trend passes. The darker wood pieces also help keep the bright green grounded. It’s bold, but not overpowering.

In this picture from House Beautiful, designer T Keller Donovan adds the warm orange Marais stools from Design Within Reach. They provide the perfect pop of color to this stark kitchen. I might add a bit of wall décor in the same tone and mix in some yellows just to pull it together further. It’s a great example of going with the trend, but not spending a fortune to do it.

If you want to add just a tiny bit of pop, purchase a couple of these fun vibrant frames from Pottery Barn. I really like the green and blue options; mix in a few silver frames and you’ll have a nice grouping.

For a bold accent in the bedroom or living room, add this green apple pillow from notNeutral. I adore its whimsical nature! If you use it in the same room as the green PB frame, it will help tie it the look together!

A small room like the bath would be an easy place to try out the trend. Add fun towels like these from Garnet Hill. They almost have a fun summer beach feel. All of these options are acting bold without screaming from the rooftops!

How do you feel about the bold colored accents that are out there now? Would you add a few pieces to your home? If not, don’t worry there are many other trends circulating between fashion and interiors. For instance, the more subtle hues of orange, gorgeous blues and my favorite, lovely purples. I will post more on these color trends in the coming weeks!

How fun are these “lighting sculptures”? The artist Jeff Kott’s fixtures are exactly the bit of whimsy I am constantly looking for!

First off, I absolutely love that they are recycled wine bottles and are so appropriate to use in the kitchen, possibly above a sideboard in the dining room, or multiples hung up high down a long entry hallway (the possibilities are endless). Secondly, it seems we are all looking to be more eco-friendly and design savvy at the same time, what a combination here. It’s as if they are art. Two versions are available, the “2 Stripe” or the “3 Stripe”. The 3 Stripe colored option seems to be a bit warmer to me. My favorite is the soothing glow of the burnt orange, yellow and green, I imagine the light dancing off warm honey or caramel colored walls in such an interesting way.

If you don’t have the need or space for the lighting fixture, why not consider the carafe or one of the very cool vases! The double vase is especially interesting and would be a unique housewarming gift for anyone…especially the wine lover!

To top it off (no pun intended), re:modern isn’t just a fabulous woman-owned company; as stated on their website, they donate “a portion of all net profits towards causes in support of the arts, community, and environment”. So raise a glass to reinvented products and to an amazing company!

Enjoy the weekend!

To avoid overwhelming myself, I will just start with the office. Be gone, stacks of magazines which have created a lovely aisle to my desk, you now have a home in these sweet rattan magazine holders by Iris!

Adios to all the tiny fabric samples I have collected, you will now be in the dark in these fun West Elm covered boxes.

All the catalogs I get from every company on the planet (ok I exaggerate…half the planet) you will now be recycled when a new one arrives, but at least you’ll be stashed in these fabulous wine crates (mine are actually from a restaurant down the street but this is a good example by Ballard Designs).

Filing is not very appealing, nor is the look of a traditional file cabinet, so these canvas covered boxes will add color and be a good filing option.

Now to the massive amount of design books I own, it is time you all had a glamorous place to shine. How about this IKEA bookshelf? I love the way the colorful book bindings will pop off the black finish!

For a tad bit of whimsy, I think I will purchase this adorable clock from Pottery Barn. I am all about orange these days! Mix in a few of my own picture frames, vases and trinkets and it won’t be just another boring bookshelf, but an interesting arrangement.

So let’s just see how long this all lasts…..some would say I work best in a little chaos? What secrets do you have to stay organized in your office throughout the year?

Keep a close eye on the Diary, I have many fun home ideas and items to pass along in the next few months, it’s going to be a great year! Now back to organizing. Well, on second thought, maybe I will catch up on all the other Tastemaker’s posts before I move on, the rain looks like its sticking around!

But my ultimate favorites at the moment are the mini cocottes.

I also like the Staub line — a company from Alsace, in France — which offers really great cheery colors, in many different sizes and finishes. My newest one is the two-quart in grenadine.

Then, if I really had the space, and the need for it, I would definitely get this gorgeous one from Lodge.

Not only do I love this kiwi color, but the well-designed handle on the lid is a must. A friend of mine has this model, and I had to refrain from not stealing it when we last visited for dinner. I think they would have noticed!

And then on my next trip to France, I will get a few of these, from a company called Sefama:

Aren’t they adorable?

A few companies sell these bamboo bowls, so it is not choices that will be lacking.

I particularly love this first one from Lekker:

At Joanne Hudson Basics, you can find a different style, in a different finish, but just as lovely. I own a few.

Bambu Boutique has also designed a good selection to choose from, including these stunning low bowls.

Then, perhaps you will also want to use a matching salad server

and a large salad bowl too.

Christmas is only a few weeks away. There is still plenty of time to be good to the planet, and your kitchen too. Who said that winter was dull, devoid of colors?

If she weren’t so darn cute, there’s no way that I would have put myself through that ordeal. Shopping for a baby/toddler can be so much fun if you don’t have to involve them in the process. First of all, clothing is so adorable in miniature sizes. Secondly, toys are cool. And thirdly, decorating for a baby or toddler is so much more fun than remodeling a bathroom (a project from which I am currently procrastinating by re-doing my daughter’s baby room with new funky toddler style).

I spend way more time looking at toys/clothes/accessories and kiddie decor than I’d like to admit—I think partially because I’m a little indecisive, but also because we’re on a one-income budget and I like to get the best bang for my buck. IKEA = definitely, Pottery Barn Kids = notsomuch unless I hit my lotto number. I look forward to joining the fray, sharing my finds, and hearing from you about your great finds too!

This cocktail table from Neiman Marcus oozes glamour. You’ll see a lot of the mirrored look in interiors right now, a throw back to the time of the Golden Age of Hollywood. In a small room, this table could create such depth without having the typical mirror on the wall. The crisscross legs have a subtle wave to them, which gives the heavy top a bit of a feminine touch! I really like the detail of the mirrored tiles along the edge, it just adds to the movement and will reflect any surrounding fabric in a striking way.

In this room, I could see a beautiful ivory-colored sofa with black accent pillows, keeping it crisp and clean. Imagine a black murano glass chandelier above which reflects in the cocktail table; I love this option from Design Within Reach. Perfect, this table will definitely be the WOW piece in any room!

The most popular product on StyleFeeder in the past few weeks comes courtesy of StyleFeeder sebastyne. For those of us space-challenged urban dwellers that need to maximize every inch of space, these stairs with built-in storage make a world of sense. Too bad they’re not available online – they’re courtesy of a joinery company in Australia. Hopefully, some online retailers will jump on this great idea soon. At the very least, file the idea away for future use!

As an interior designer, every job is a different collaboration with the client. I am always scouting in different genres depending on the client, which means I find very cool pieces I wouldn’t usually stumble upon if I was only keeping within my own personal style. To me, there is nothing more exciting than when you find that perfect piece which pulls a room together! I am constantly scouting for that WOW piece either for myself or a client. How can this room be different than any other? As Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different!”

Where do I scout for pieces? The answer is anywhere! Depending on the budget I am working with, it could be a great find from eBay, an independent designer on Etsy, an online specialty shop, or mainstream stores like Crate and Barrel, Target and Pottery Barn. Mixing pieces and pricepoints from different stores creates a look that is unique to the homeowner. I hope to introduce you to pieces you might have zipped by in the store and also bring to light vendors you might not have looked at previously.

Given my background in fashion, each season I look to the runway to see what will be coming down the pipeline for the following season. It is so exciting to see a color or pattern translate into fabrics and accents.

I am not a trendy designer, though – I believe if you design with “trends” top of mind, there will come a point where your look is outdated. I do believe you can have fun when using trendy pieces, but they’re better for accents which can be easily swapped out. What home décor trend are you totally over at the moment?