Woodson & Rummerfield interior design studio is an amazing resource for modern interpretations of period furniture. I have recently been wooed (or cooed) by their recycled/recyclable wallpapers, like the Victorian-inspired Bird Cages. Silkscreened using low-VOC vegetable-based inks and dyes, choose from White & Lime or Pink & Ivory. These designers of the new PETA headquarters in Los Angeles play with the fabled romanticism of an empty bird cage without clipping any flights of fancy. But there are lots of other whimsical papers to please a variety of aesthetics. And while you are on the site, make sure to take a peek at their Hollywood glamorous furniture as well.

My dear colleague Melissa "Mimi" M. recently asked yours/hers truly for suggestions on stylish and inexpensive curtain rods.  Good question!  Hand-carved water gilt curtain hardware from Joseph Biunno is stunning but will run you about as much as a hybrid car.  So I told her West Elm had some good modern options, but what to do for a more traditional room?  Turns out there's a site called CurtainRods.Com selling all components in a variety of finishes as well as unfinished wood.  I think this oak leaf finial could look cool on a 2-inch fluted pole in their white finish or painted a glossy, pop-y color (only $18.50 for a pair -- pardon the pics):
  But I also might do away with finials altogether and use straight wood poles (available in 2-inch or 1 3/8-inch diameters) and these unfinished wood elbows, or what decorators call "returns," for $13 each :
Sleek but substantial and you can stain or paint in any color.  Oh, and their simple rings with eyelets are only $12.50 for 4.

While we are having this conversation, I thought this might be worth putting out there.  Love the idea of this hanging in a kitchen. I found it at X21 Modern in San Francisco.

So the poll for hanging a stuffed fish is pretty tight, but more of you are saying NO.  I wasn't sure myself, although, I am a bit of a "never say never when it comes style questions - I have voted yes, twice!

I am in Chicago shooting the next shopping story - thank you all who gave their favourite places. I have been to nearly all of them and loved, loved, loved SCOUT as you promised I would.  So, what is the first thing I see when I walk into Larry Vodak's fantastic shop - this enormous sail fish hanging on the wall.  He has such flair, of course it looks great.  I think the trick is the fish needs to be big to carry it off, there is no point showing off a small catch, and again this proves that even the most questionable taste can be made really chic.  If you want to join the vote click here.

Determining scale is the hardest thing about shopping for furniture-n-stuff online.  I'm not on a 1stDibs budget or anything close, but let's take a look at this Vega Mirror from Ballard Designs, on sale right now for $179.99:

Even with the cheesy orchid and liquor bottle I'd still have no idea that it's 44.5 inches in diameter (why not chuck all the junk and put a Coke can front and center??). Anyway that's BIG, and the right scale to hang over a sofa or console table.  Dinky mirrors are a major pet peeve of mine ... an ordinary 30-inch wide mirror on a empty wall looks sad and unconsidered.  I'd paint the Vega's frame chalky white and pair with some blocky, modern lamps.

DIRT takes candles from dirty to clean in one fell swoop. With 100% soy wax from organically grown soybeans, not only do they burn longer than their paraffin conventional counterpart, but don't emit noxious soot into the air. Coupled with aroma essential oil blends that are free from synthetic fillers or diluters (not to mention phthalates!), DIRT CANDLES snuffs the average flicker with unique and complex scents. I'm currently loving one of their newest additions, the Nitty Gritty, which contains organic soil, ripe tomatoes, fresh Mediterranean sage and hints of Malabar grass and celery seed. Doesn't sound like the ambiance you're looking for? Don't despair; you've got nineteen more amazing bouquets to choose from. Encapsulated in recycled glass and paper, DIRT delivers.

We have a lot of sayings in our little decorating dungeon--er, atelier-- some of which can't be printed here, but one fave is an affirmation from the boss that begins, "I do love a ..."  For example:
"I do love a toffee treat."
"I do love a glazed chintz."
"I do love a clean surface."
Last week he declared "I do love a galvanized garbage can" :

Awful pic but the design is so delightfully Oscar (the Grouch).  I love shiny galvanized metal but these also look great painted in solid colors or in contrast stripes on the indentations.  Wish some finagling I could also see one sans top as the base for a round breakfast table as it's 29" high.  $41.18 each!!

Studio 1a.m. in Chicago is both eco-innovative and conceptually imaginative. Take the post-modern This Table Will Self-Destruct. Each time this table is constructed an additional "pixel" is removed from the design, where the tabletop is considered the "grid." And they'll keep building the table until they've removed too many pixels for it to be of practical use. Talk about getting in on a limited edition, artistic endeavor. Each one-of-a-kind creation is made from a concrete blend using slag and fly ash - industrial byproducts. The base is made from reclaimed Walnut. So far, 25 pixels have been removed. If it is your thing, you better act fast. 26 seems much smarter than 62!

I have been looking at other blogs recently, and being a big Polaroid fan, I headed to this one, My Polaroid Blog.  It is a total delight.  Jen is a prop stylist in California and her pictures are these ravishing ethereal images that I find incredibly appealing and inspiring. Worth checking out. She has several other blogs too. I am so impressed by the quality of people's blogs and the time they find to devote to them -- especially more than one, am in total awe.

I was away last week and it is amazing when you time a trip to coincide with the clocks changing, because you leave town in the winter and return to spring. I don't know what it is about the clocks changing that brings on the daffodils and the budding of the trees so punctually - it is as though they are on deadline.
I got directed somehow over the last week to this lovely blog called {Frolic!} -- a name which feels so season appropriate. Firstly I would like to go and live in that vase of Lily of the Valley, and secondly this site is full of lovely things that you will enjoy escaping to while you are knee deep in paper at your desk.

The effluents produced in the textile industry are awful - potentially containing hundreds of chemicals, the most prevalent of which include ammonia, methanol and toluene - all dangerous to human and environmental health (according to the EPA). One way to ensure the fabrics that drape throughout your interiors are of a cleaner derivative is to select a company that respects their weavers as artists and are genuinely committed to sustainable practices. Lulan does just that. Using natural fibers with low-impact dyes, all of their ethnic-inspired deep hued designs are created by hand from start to finish. Visit one of their showrooms in Charleston, South Carolina; Las Vegas; San Francisco; or access their diverse plethora of fabrics online.

I've just searched every Urban Outfitters location in Lower Manhattan for my size in this pair of Levis.  No dice.  But in the sea of acrylic scarves and springtime military gear I noticed a beautiful quilt:

My main gripe about Urban's home stuff is the drab colors: too grayed-out or too literally 1970s.  Not here -- I love this bright red, indigo and sky blue combo on a white field with a yellow stripe on the reverse. The whole effect doesn't so much remind me of the Gobi or the Mojave as it does Prada  Spring/Summer '04, when Myooch did ombre and Venetian postcard prints:

I love! How cool would this quilt look in a sky blue bedroom with red and indigo ombre curtains?  $100.

I have just been sent an email about Edith Wharton's estate which is facing foreclosure unless they raise $3 million by Easter Monday. These pictures above show the incredible restoration that the house underwent between 1997 and 2006. It seems such a huge shame to lose this wonderful piece of American Heritage from public hands. To donate to the fund you click here.

The newest from Izzy Design comes the Audrey collection of striking storage units that have countless possible configurations. Made from post-consumer recycled materials with non-VOC paints, the Audrey is GREENGUARD certified, meaning it's ensured to not compromise your Indoor Air Quality. Consider how important that is given that people spend 90% of their time inside on average. To get organized in healthy, modern, eco style, Audrey may be just the one for you.

I couldn't even keep a goldfish alive through the weekend (true story) so kids aren't exactly on the horizon in the Olsen tenement.  Plus I'm barren. But thank God for Amanda, who has two little baby geniuses of her own and reads blogs like Mighty Junior.  Today she linked me to these adorable galvanized metal pails:

So bright and shiny and available in 13 colors from Bucket Outlet -- what a goldmine -- at only $9.15 for a 10-quarter.  Just like B.O. says, they're ideal for kids' craft projects, gift baskets, planters, ice buckets, table decoration, shower gifts, Jack and Jill's precious agua ...

Am off to Chicago next to search out the cool stores for our story on the city.  Your comments are always welcome and I'd love some direction before I leave on the 24th March.

As you may know I'm a sucker for almost anything with a Greek key -- I say almost because there are too many uglified versions of this motif!  For instance the stock key molding I saw at Gracious Home was not only pressed wood, the detail wasn't crisp at all.  More like a 60s-Vegas-hotel furniture effect.  But today Office Comrade David ("Killer D") sent me this beautiful Molding Greek Labyrinth from Enkeboll Designs (via HomePortfolio):

Loving the high relief in solid maple and classic(al) design accentuating the horizontal.  MSRP is $123 for an 8ft length (check for local retailers).  I don't necessarily think it'd take Norm Abram to chop one down and glue pieces over the hokey top and bottom parts of this Ikea bookcase, then paint the whole thing glossy black.   

OK OK, now for something a little safer. I have just come back from a trip to England where I went to see the Interior Decorator Robert Kime at his barns in Wiltshire.  The barns are sadly not open to the public but he has a wonderful shop on Kensington Church Street, and a website.  Apart from his fantastic antique textiles, own line of fabrics and wallpapers, and furniture, he also has a great selection of lighting.  I am in the middle of decorating a house in the country and one of the hardest things I find to source is good lighting, especially wall sconces and picture lights.  Robert has an excellent selection, like these library lights which you can attach to the tops of bookcases.  If you are looking for metal lights check this site - there is a comprehensive and very smart selection.

The creation of Environment Furniture, a company who uses sustainable products and environmentally responsible processes is based on the philosophy that style was born from nature. Environment Furniture exploits the possibilities, without exploiting the world around them. Pieces evoke a sense of history with robust character yet also convey clean, modern warmth (I know, not often used in the same sentence). They are a combination of strong and regal materials with an array of naturally rich colors. The modern Peroba collection, celebrating Brazilian Peroba wood coupled with responsibly harvested mahogany, is comprised of beds, tables and accent pieces. The materials they use play a leading role, often driving the initial design itself, so collections are constantly evolving. Check out their somewhat cumbersome site to download the latest virtual catalog (another way to branch out and show your love for the trees).

Well spring ain't sprung yet, but I just wandered back to ReproDepot.com and got inspired by these fun Japanese prints:

From the top: Notari Sweet Pea in red, She Is Cosmos motif (?!?) in yellow, and Jinsenji Wavy Stripe in black. All have BIG repeats and are only $8.50-$9.50 per half yard.  I'd acrylic-back the Sweet Pea to use as wallpaper and mount the black stripe on a canvas stretcher for something a la Franz Kline. She Is Cosmos? Well I see her more down the center of a big French armchair or comfy Bridgewater.

I have decided that there is a definite shortage of attractive stools, both eco-friendly and eco-inconsiderate alike. That is why I am nuts about Acronym's indoor/outdoor stool made of reclaimed walnut hardwood and brushed stainless steel. These square seats are a deeper shade of green, as the reclaimed top uses the castoff from the manufacturing of reclaimed flooring, connected with low VOC glues. Available from one of my favorite eco-commerce vendors, Vivavi. I have been told that one might need a seat around when the $1200 (bar or counter height) price tag registers, but a high-design eco-abode takes a little bit of eclectic imagination. Skimp somewhere else.

On the corner of Bank and West 4th is the new Marc Jacobs store. Some are getting their knickers in a bit of a twist about it because he has so many shops already, and the little hairdressers that was there before.....blah blah blah, yeah yeah yeah.  So the bad hairdresser has gone and a troupe of young, charming and hilarious people have arrived all working in Marc's shop selling things one might want rather than a bad Hillary Clinton hairdo.  (I have got it wildly wrong, for which I am very sorry. A glib and flippant remark has taken center stage in a post that was not supposed to be about either Marc Jacobs or the small hairdressing salon that was there before. It has been incredibly foolish and short-sighted of me. My intention was to shine a light on a young girl and her blog that I found to be charming and charismatic. Sadly I managed to cast a rather nasty shadow over it, for which I feel quite devastated. I am not for a minute a champion of small businesses being pushed out by greedy landlords looking for larger corporations to take their place. I was brought up in a shop where my mother had to fight similar landlords. I am a huge supporter of small businesses, and they have been the almost exclusive focus of my articles since I have been a writer. I am really incredibly sorry for the offense caused and hope that it is possible for the level of upset to calm a little.) I can hardly pass the door without one of them saying hi or waving from inside. Now isn't that what we are afraid of losing when the neighborhood gets swanky.
Here is Ginny:

She has started a blog My Favorite Color is Shiny which is so charming. It's mostly about the goings on on the corner of Bank and West 4th, like a man carrying balloons or the guy sitting outside the vintage bookstore across the street.

or things that she thinks are pretty...like the 'jar of good thoughts'
.
There is something so utterly appealing about seeing a record of real local life from a corner shop on one of the prettiest corners in NY.  Who would have thought that LVMH would ultimately have been responsible.

File this one under "Doesn't Take Much," but I am totally over-the-moon-gaga-excitified by this pot trellis from IKEA:

Forget plants, I see wall adornment that puts West Elm's interlocking squares to shame! For $2.50 EACH I'd buy about 30 in one color and glue gun 'em onto my walls and/or ceilings in the octagon design seen here. A perfect way to liven up feature-less new construction (like so many of the dismal rentals I looked at last month).  Spray paint them to match any room? Absolutely.  It looks like they're only sold in the stores ... has the Red Hook Ikea opened yet? 

Maybe I am obsessed with bath sheets, but Organic Style's classic twill towels are definitely worth obs