Bottna Dinnerware

Marimekko's graphic black lilypad pattern looks as good on this classic porcelain set as it did on a sofa.

Bottna dinnerware from Anthropologie, $22-$32 per piece.

A Little Pruning Inspiration

Gardening in the style of Dr. Seuss.

Every time I watch an episode of Curb Appeal they're ripping out a pair of shrubs like these. And it makes me cringe.

Power to the whimsical pruners.

Via sfgirlbybay.

Art Rogue Mothers' Day Sale

Mothers' Day approaches. This year, give your mom something that won't wilt. Perhaps a little art?

Matt at Art Rogue was kind enough to send an e-mail about their Mothers' Day print sale.

Now through 5/1, an 8.5"x11" print will be marked down to $30 and a 13"x19" print will be marked down to $60

Quad Shelving from Contraforma

The coolest all-in-one media storage shelf ever.

Via Apartment Therapy SF.

Tim Burton Eat Your Heart Out

This umbrella could have materialized right out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. There is something gothic yet dainty about Tim Burton's sets and costumes. The same goes for this umbrella. If I were carrying this, I would fully expect to float away into a gray sky filled with bats. But in a good way.

I can imagine a wall painted with the silhouettes of umbrellas like these.


Bella Umbrella's Pagoda in black with wisteria handle, $96.

Via Chic City Rats.

Cut + Serve Tray

I love thoughtfully designed products like this Cut + Serve tray. It has a built-in cutting board for slicing, a cubby in which to stash your knife, and a way to keep your olives, or grapes, or grape tomatoes away from your crackers and bread.

Via Better Living Through Design.

Modern Firewood Holder

More contrast. This time it's rustic modern.

Remember all those Cabin Chic interiors we saw last winter? They always had the coolest log holders. I'd never seen a sleek version until today.

The Bebop Log Holder from Urban Mode, $395.

Dark Art and Lemony Walls

I'm all about contrasts today. Phoebe at Silk Felt Soil has just posted this image of dark paintings on a lemony yellow wall from the May Domino. I'm bitterly jealous that she's already home reading it. But she has it right when she comments that there is something too peppy about yellow walls.

I love this room because the vintage art is really toning the color down. The yellow frames really make the transition flawless. These dark images would be too much if they had been framed in black.

Just swap out the girly furniture for something a little more subtle, and even the gloomiest of pessimists can enjoy the yellow trend with out reservation.

DUH UPDATE:
This is from the May '06 issue. I was thinking this was from June '07 Domino, which isn't out yet. Apartment Therapy has a sneak peek at the June cover here.

Photographic Wallpaper and Stark Modernism

A bright pink peach blossom wall installation in this 1958 LA bedroom really draws the eye. Created by interior designer, John Janik, and L.A. photographer, Michael Horta, these images are a bright contrast to the crisp white furnishings.

This room is actually filled with more subtle contrasts, like the delicate vintage German lamp bases capriciously displayed without shades. Or the school-house linoleum floors paired with an ivory Hermes blanket.

For tips on how to create your own photographic wallpaper at home, click over to Shak In Style.

Other Cool Items from Sintesi

The Venezia chair.

Cacnews magazine and newspaper rack. This reminds me of a birdhouse.

The Mondo Clothes Stand. I think they mean coat rack? If so, very cool.

Period Table by Brad Ascalon for Sintesi

This beautifully boiled-down take on a classically-turned coffee table was designed by Brad Ascalon for the Italian company Sintesi. It was shown at the the Salone Internationale de Mobile in Milan but remains sadly absent from the Sintesi site.

The table is made from powder coated steel and tempered glass. Hopefully it will be reappearing in Italian cyberspace very soon.

Via Josh Spear.

Fight Back Against Smoking-Belching Vehicles

The next time you are stuck in a Texas traffic jam behind a cloud of stinking black smoke with a car attached to it, you can fight back.

To report a vehicle with dirty smoke coming from its exhaust, write down the license number, date, time, and location where you saw the smoking vehicle. Then call 1-800-453-SMOG or go to the TCEQ site to report the vehicle within 30 days. The vehicle must have a Texas license plate and must emit black smoke for more than 10 consecutive seconds.

Oh So Inspiring: The Satorialist

A few weeks ago, thanks to my friend Pablo, I discovered the Satorialist. It's a blog about fashion on the street. The blog is simply photos of fashionable folks going about their day in the city. This particular photo is from Milan, though most of the pictures are from New York.

As a Dallas resident, the opportunity to see fashion on the street is one I don't run across in everyday life. Here we drive to our offices in the morning and back into our garages at night. You can go an entire day with out walking more than a few hundred consecutive steps.

Plus, people here are very casual. We wear jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops 50% of the time and shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops the other half. Basically, most of us have no real sense of style.

Considering the link between fashion and interior design, I consider The Sartorialist a wonderful resource for decorating inspiration. It's only a matter of time before the colors and styles on the streets make the leap into our living rooms.

The site has been around since 2005, which makes me a late adopter. But just in case you missed it as well, here's the link.

Patio Furniture: More than Meets the Eye

You may have heard about Transformers, the live-action Dreamworks movie, but what about the patio furniture? These Obelisk Chairs, made of woven polyethylene with a powder-coated aluminum frame, fit together to form a sculptural rocket-like cone that is highly unlikely to turn evil and attempt world domination.

Robot jokes aside, the set is quite stylish and practical. Too bad it weighs in at a whopping $8,922. I'll wait for the Target sequel.

Via Gizmodo.

Horse Photos: Online Resources

Thanks to a great post by Terramia, I have finally found some wonderful online resources for equine photos. I've spent some time searching Etsy and Flickr for horse photos for my home without much luck. Sifting through thousands of photos has been too time consuming to yield much success. Luckily, I'm not the only one looking.

Here are some great images you can buy right now:

Mane by Tony Stronberg

From Heart of the Horse by Juliet Van Otteren

Dark Horse by James McLaughlin Way