The Homeless In Detroit Stay Warm Thanks To College For Creative Studies Student’s Brilliant Coat

For those of us who are lucky enough to have warm, welcoming homes and a warm heart to go with it, here is a cause worth giving to.  My fellow CCS student/alum Veronika Scott, has designed a coat that turns into a heated, padded shelter/sleeping bag at night.

Veronika’s Elements [S]urvival Coat is self heated and waterproof. The coat is made with wool and Tyvek and can be sewn by someone with no experience. “They can be made by the homeless,” says Veronika. “Hopefully at no cost to them. I need help to empower, teach, and encourage pride within these individuals.”

Veronika has already received some funding from Carhartt. You can read more about her Empowerment Plan by following this link.

Three cheers for one (of many) truly amazing students at the fantastic College for Creative Studies. Yay!

Winter Color Palettes: Paint Your Home With Inspiration From Nature

When we think of winter, we often think of the washed out colors of short, cloudless days that take us inside for warmth by the hearth. Winter colors don’t have to be drab. We can find inspiration from nature’s enduring leaves, berries and ever-green colors. Read More…

Chair of the Week: Eastpak’s Quinze & Milan Built-To-Resist Sofa

I saw this awesome sofa over at Dezeen and had to share it. Eastpak, which you probably associate with their backpacks, teamed up with the design team known as Quinze & Milan, to create this stuffable, totable sofa. Love it!

Check out this link to see it in action. Check out Y-Living to purchase. It comes in a variety of colors – but please choose red. It’s my favorite color!

Y Living gift picks – I’m a guest editor!

Thanks to Y Living for inviting me to help curate their gift picks for the holiday season. I’m very flattered. You can see my gift picks at the Guest Editors’ Gift Picks Page. I won’t give away exactly what I selected (you should check out the page for yourself), but my choices involve a baby, flowers, and a swimming pool. Thanks again to Y Living for the invite. I had a lot of fun.

Drum Roll, Please! The Winner of the Design Hole Giveaway is:

This is a terrific book. I’m still enjoying Rebecca’s tips and inspiring drawings. So, first I’d like to thank her and Random House for donating her book, as well as Manolo’s.

And now, without further ado, the winner is:

Eileen!

Congratulations to Eileen for winning Rebecca Moses’ A Life of Style and Manolo’s New Shoes! I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.

Chair of the Week: Cappelini’s Eco Fish

This week’s chair is a lot of fun.  It’s a Cappelini & Walt Disney Signature collection Eco Fish designed by Satyendra Pakhalé, an Indian born, Swiss & Dutch raised designer who has backgrounds at Philips and Frog Design.  You may already be familiar with his Fish Chair. This version is an even more whimsical version, made completely of recycled plastic. (So you’ll feel good about sitting in it). I thought a bit of fun color would brighten up the shortening days of fall. If you’d like to get one, remember,there are only 99 pieces available worldwide.

image: cappellini

Reminder: Fantastic Book Giveaway

On Monday, I reviewed Rebecca Moses‘ A Life of Style, a wonderful book on discovering and developing your own personal sense of style.  I found it to be inspirational, and I think you will, too.  In case you missed it, you can win a copy of that book, along with a copy of Manolo’s New Shoes! It’s a wonderful book filled with 130 illustrations of Manolo Blahnik’s to die for footwear.

To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment with a short thought about style. How important is it to you? What’s your favorite style? Are you as in to fashion as you are to interior design? Feel free to dish on shoes, too. Short or long – it doesn’t matter. No bibliography is required either.

The contest will run all week and I’ll announce the winner next Tuesday, November 16th. It’s open to everyone living in the contiguous United States (who hasn’t won a giveaway in the last 6 months). The winner will be chosen at random.

Enter now!

Tuesday Review: Pittsburgh Paint’s “The Voice Of Color”

Without a doubt, the number one thing I’m asked to help clients with is color. Everyone knows they like pink or blue or green. But when they look at the thousands of variations of green in any fan deck they get the vapors. Pittsburgh Paints has put together a website, The Voice of Color,  and sets of organized color palettes that make choosing colors for your home a pleasure.

They’ve put together one of the best color quizzes I’ve seen in a while. The Color Sense Game asks questions that are easy to answer and, best of all, cover all of aspects of one’s life. For example, what music do you like? Instead of asking you to choose jazz, rock, etc…, they’ve put together actual samples to listen to. Easy, right? It is. The quiz covers all the senses – taste, scent, touch, etc… Read More…

How To Create Beautiful Holiday Centerpieces (And Other Home Accents) Using Botanicals

I was visiting my friend, Lizz Linabury’s gorgeous home a few weeks ago. She is one amazingly creative woman. I was especially admiring an art installation over her bed made from bell jars and manzanita branches. “Where did you find those awesome sticks,” I inquired. “Haven’t you heard of Nettleton Hollow?” No!

A ran all the way home (not really), and checked out their site. Nettleton Hollow is now my new favorite floral resource. With all the Holidays coming up I thought I’d share some of their products, and brilliant ideas for creating lovely centerpieces. Here we go!

Many of us are opting for a more casual style of living. That includes losing the formal dining room, and entertaining entirely in the kitchen. I love this kitchen – it’s formal enough for Thanksgiving. Wish I were invited! The arrangement of flowers on the table gave me the idea to replicate the look with year-round options. Try dry fruits and pods. They’re soooo much better than silk flowers, which scream “last century!” PLEASE! Don’t use fake. Use dried. I’d choose a better pot than the one shown with the lavender. Check out the terrific pots available at Jamali Garden. Read More…

Book Review: Rebecca Moses Teaches Us How To Find Our Personal Style

“Rebecca Moses’ A Life of Style is a charming personal analysis of that most elusive of gifts . . . style . . . and of how mysterious and captivating true style really is. Rebecca’s passion for all things design and her talent for illustration make this book a unique voyage into the life of a passionate devotee of the art of living!” — Vera Wang

I couldn’t say it better myself. Fashion designer, Rebecca Moses‘ new book, “A Life of Style” is an inspiring read. Read More…

DH Giveaway: We Have a Winner!

We have a winner of the beautiful candle from Baroness von Neumann. First, I’d like to thank The Baroness for donating this attractive candle. I know it will make a special gift for one happy person. So, without further ado, the winner is…

Barbara!

Barbara, send me your  adress and I’ll have this candle zipping on its way! Congratulations!

Interview with West Elm’s Style Guru, Angel Dormer

I read this terrific interview with West Elm’s Angel Dormer on William Sonoma’s Professional site, and thought I’d share it with you on this very busy Monday. Enjoy!

As West Elm’s “resident design and style guru,” Angel Dormer is always scanning her New York environment for talented local artists, cool patterns and hot trends. Her findings shape west elm’s signature blend of vintage modern and limited edition designs. We caught up with Angel on a shopping and brainstorming spree to ask her where her ideas come from.

As west elm’s “resident design and style guru,” it seems like you might have an eclectic, creative role there that’s hard to pinpoint. How are your vision and sense of color used at west elm?

It is definitely not a cookie-cutter role! My full title is Style Manager for Color and Concept. My job is to pull together key concepts and colors that inspire each season. This includes setting the direction for print and pattern. It also involves collaborating with the design team and getting all of our ideas off the ground. This is fun from beginning to end! It is always interesting to see how one idea can grow into something much bigger. We collaborate with artists, and sometimes a little group of painting’s can become a pillow, rug and dinnerware collection. For instance, one of our favorite textile artists painted the artwork for our Watercolor Flower Duvet Cover and Shams that we also used to create the Boho Flower pillow.

In your own words, how would you describe the west elm aesthetic and design mission?

Our mission is to offer people unique, affordable designs that help them create personal and inspired living spaces. We help artisans earn their livelihoods by collaborating with the global crafts community from near and far. We also strive to get a little greener everyday! What’s really rewarding to me personally is finding new talent and giving them a platform to tell a fun story.

To give us a sense of how a designer-at-work operates, can you tell the story of one of the pieces you designed, from inspiration and conception to final product?

I enjoy going to the Antiques Garage Flea Marketin Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. A co-worker and I loved one of the sellers there who did these great collages. We started a conversation with him and eventually had him come to our design office to meet about collaborating with us for our Fall 2010 season. We commissioned him to do a group of artwork just for us and printed it on silk pillows, dishes and wall art. That artist is Mike Miller, and he is featured now in the store, catalog and web. It was great to see how a little Saturday visit to the flea-market inspired an entire season!

The rituals of creative people are always fascinating to us. Do you ever get blocked and, if so, what sorts of rituals do you have to re-inspire yourself?

Getting a good night’s sleep for starters! When I have free time I go to galleries. I am always inspired by art. I also love interior design blogs and magazines, and there is nothing like an afternoon at a museum! Inspiration shopping – getting out there and going to stores and wandering in different neighborhoods in the city – always gets the ideas flowing.

Color is confusing for many. As a color expert, what advice do you have for people don’t naturally have a feel for color?

Color can be a big subject, but have no fear! Color is really personal, so it is best to always begin with your favorites. Start by going through a design magazine and tearing out what you like. Just listen to your heart and go with it. You will start to see a common thread. You can also use contrasting colors to your advantage. For instance, if you favor neutrals and earthy colors, it is always fun to pop it with one bright color

Friday Favorite: Lighting from HIVE

I first saw designs by Kenneth Cobonpue a couple of years ago and fell in love. With his lighting (not to worry misterarthur). I’m attracted to the natural and organic textures. He designs through his company, Hive. Here’s a Friday peek at one of my favorite resources. Read More…

8 Great Basket Resources Plus Some Great Basket Decorating Tips

Decorating with baskets is a great way to put finishing touches in a room. Use a platter style as a centerpiece. Throw some balls in a bowl and place firewood in a tall basket tucked in a corner. Oh, and they’re a terrific way to store all kinds of things in a most attractive way. The major point is – your room isn’t done until the accessories are in place. And baskets are one of my favorite ways to do it.

Here are 8 great resources for finding the perfect basket to finish your room – just in time for the holidays.

1. Serena & Lily

I adore the baskets from Serena & Lily. They’ve taken classic African and Asian designs and tweaked them with modern color and spirit ($68 – $290). Read More…

Tuesday Review & Giveaway: Baroness von Neumann Candles, Dahlink

Let me begin this review by saying that the candle I was asked to sample from Baroness von Neumann is attractive. So is the box it came in. As such, it might make a delightful gift. The scent, Fete is a little overpowering. I prefer a more subtle scent. But that’s a personal thing, right?

I must admit, the Baroness’ “resumé” smells a little well, eau de poisson-y to moi.

I’m sure they’re accurate, but her press materials stress a ready-for-reality-show kind of vibe. Born in Detroit (how gauche!), raised in “Hollywood”, sent to Swiss finishing school following her marriage to the Baron John Von Neumann. He “discovered” her at a party when she was only 18.  (Perhaps Fete is a Baronessian homage to that fateful evening). Her background also includes a stint as a Dior muse, a dancer, and, “international tastemaker”. (I’d love that job title, by the way). Read More…