While static electricity might not top your list of criteria to avoid when purchasing new carpeting, it definitely clocks in as an added bonus to ecohaus' recycled fiber carpets. The brightly colored carpets give new life to plastic soda bottles on their way to the landfill - on average, each square yard of carpeting contains polyester fiber from about 40 two-liter bottles. And, according to the National Association for Plastic Container Recovery, ecohaus' soda bottle supplier buys more recycled bottles than any other company in the U.S. I'll drink to that.

I'm wary of anything "retro" -- makes me think of chrome-and-glass 50s diners -- but Grandin Road's steel outdoor furniture collection is totally charming.  Especially this glider ($299) and side table ($99), available in patriotic red, white and blue:

I picture them a on cement patio in a campground full of Airstream trailers.  My family had a trailer when I was but a wee deal hunter.  Not an Airstream like I wanted (hello, therapy), but we took it down to Fort Wilderness at Disney World in the summer of '87.  I stayed inside watching Amadeus on TBS to avoid the mosquitoes.

I'm looking at this furniture + accessories site Plantation LA (found through a commenter's blog, www.cococozy.com) which is pretty amazing just for the sheer volume of merch they sell.  Like, I scrolled through 25 pages of vases. And a while back another commenter asked where they could buy a circle-in-a-square side table he'd seen in Domino. It's here:

Very Aero but it's $595.  I think the better deal is their Campaign Side Table in ebonized wood with nickel details for $195 each:

Lots of other stylish stuff, plus they sell to both Average Joes/Josies and to the trade, unlike Oly Studio and others...

I have been pondering this Capsule Light from Mio. On one hand I am drawn to it because it is funky and hip. On the other hand, it conjures up images of 60's shag and resembles a prescription pill. What do you think? Made with 100 percent wool and locally sourced materials, the Capsule Light's contrasting color shells work to direct and diffuse light, which creates an alluring glow. Renewable, recyclable, and compostable, this mod fixture also uses compact fluorescent light bulbs (if you don't know why that is important, get all the earth-friendly-facts about them here) and here. If your pad is cool enough to pull this off, you might want to pop one.

I went to see Tim Walker's exhibition at The Design Museum in London yesterday. If you are not familiar with his fantastical work you are in for a treat. He is one of England's most creative photographers and the exhibition is pure unadulterated joy. His interest in photography started when he was working on the Cecil Beaton archives at Sotheby's and you can see the inspiration, there is always fun, humour, a play on scale and one huge dollop of eccentricity all in the most unpretentious and totally original way - there is a sense of the absurd, fantasy and a bygone ere of ultra England. I am not sure I need to add any more but just in case you haven't realized, I loved every minute of this enthralling exhibition. If you are in London between now and September GO GO GO down to Tower Bridge. It feels like a trek (mostly because it is) but it is so worth it and you can have lunch at one of the restaurants along the river - like Conran's Pont de la Tour.

PS: IF YOU ARE A FAN ALREADY THERE IS A WONDERFUL BOOK 'TIM WALKER PICTURES' AVAILABLE ONLINE AT THE DESIGN MUSEUM.

Any strong feelings on FLOR tiles? I've waffled on these before, specifically to Becky "Bina" P : "Ooooh don't use them.  They're corny." Her: "You said the checkerboard was a great idea!"  Oops.   I did love them in Julianne Moore's  stylist's kitchen (sweet job much??) and I think it's the solid color factor.  Crosshatching stripes like these just look wrong:

Yet the solid texture "Coir" tiles are fab:

Like in Hinson & Company showroom at the D&D.  So why are they among the most expensive ($24.99 per tile or $9.29 per square foot)?  The cheap ones are called "Working Class" -- I'm deeply offended -- and have this heathered look:

Great for a playroom but I still prefer the natural fibers for anywhere else.

With summer heating things up I am about to spend lots of time at the beach with my kids, but junky plastic pails and shovels are really unappealing to an eco-mom. Most of them contain phthalates (banned in the EU) and Bisphenol-A (BPA - an endocrine disruptor). That is why I was so excited to find Green Toys! These super cute sets, which even include a sand castle form, are as adorable as they are durable. They're made from post consumer recycled plastic (mainly milk jugs), don't have any of the icky aforementioned toxins and operations are strictly domestic - from material sourcing through to shipping. In fact, these toys ship out in recycled paper products instead of traditional plastics and films. Green Toys are available in more than 400 stores nationally; to find one near you, click here. P.s., they also have sweet tea sets (my daughter's birthday present), indoor gardening, sand and dining kits!

Panicking about those scaly legs coming out into the open? Get yourself online to This Works for a bottle of Skin Deep Dry Leg Oil. Everyone in London is swearing by it and I am now too. It also smells really good, that aromatherapy, herby, yummy, clean smell.

I know I sound like a broken record saying "Paint it white!" over and over, but this mirror ($349.95) would look so much better ...

... painted! chalky! white!  Agree?  Reminds me a lot of the Dessin Fournir mirror seen here (second one down).  But they use real gold leaf and ZGallerie uses something akin to antique copper.  That's cheap and weird.  Flat white paint with touches of grey or a little gesso would obscure the color AND the lack of fine craftsmanship.  Because the scale (54" high) and design are super pretty.

With summer fast approaching I'm always on the lookout for sustainable ways to entertain outdoors. How much do I love these ocean blue parfait glasses made  from recycled bottles? They're the "perfect" vessel for delicious concoctions of organic seasonal fruit and yogurt. If it's too hot to play the pastry chef,  just fill them up with an icy cold beverage at your next soiree.  Available at VivaTerra.

I hope I am not boring you with all these flowers, but I went down to Petersham Nurseries the other day, to shoot it as part of a story I am doing for the magazine. You will also see more on them in the August issue.  It is the most heavenly place and the shop is hugely inspiring.  Don't you think this is a chic way of having tulips out.  Sadly the only way really to get this look is if you have them growing in your garden, but if you do get out there, cut a few! Doesn't this look like a painting? 

I loved Kate Townsend's "Wicker Revival" cravings page in this month's issue and I love this outdoor Crochet Table from CB2:


It's sort of wicker meets chicken wire (another weakness) meets dreamcatcher ... but chic dreamcatcher.  Totally agree that they work indoors -- a pair in front of a modern sofa would look smart, or maybe one on each side of a low platform bed. $49.95 each.  My wicker splurge is this Marston & Langinger Geisha Chair, in today's dollars probably more expensive than an actual geisha.

I just love pinks. They have suffered the wrath of the style snob, but I have always rather loved them. These ones are especially pretty, I think they look like porcelain frankly and they are so incredibly well priced. I paid a pound per bunch for these (this photo shows 4 bunches), and the little vase cost £6. Even with a weak dollar and an expensive London (where I am at the moment), this is such a good deal. I also love this new florist, Scarlett and Violet at 76 Chamberlayne Road - right at the top of Ladbroke Grove. If you ever need to send flowers in London, contact them, the bunches are so loose and gloriously natural - as though they have been picked from a meadow. I really love what they are doing at Scarlett and Violet.

So the Pottery Barn Outdoor Spaces catalog just arrived and inside are these CHICENSTEIN candy apple red wire mesh storage cubbies labeled 'Catalog/Internet Only.'  Au contraire, PB!!  I don't know about you but this kind of thing drives me bonkers.  Is the item so new it's just not on the website yet?  Or did it never exist?  Reminds me of when the A&F Quarterly would show up with some Chad wearing the perfect pair of floral pants (this is back when I had a collection of floral pants).  I'd call customer service and they'd be all "oh that item never went into production."  See my pending lawsuit against them and Bruce Weber for the incurred anxiety/body dysmorphia ... BTW the Pottery Barn on Houston St. in New York has closed and will reopen as a Hollister and the giant DKNY mural will be replaced by their tween Lolitas.

Okay. My whole point is a that a search for "wire" yielded these metal peacocks:

Now, I think the votive holder is the height of cheesiness (not a fan of votives/votive holders at all), but when the cheese stands alone I think it's pretty cool.  Thoughts on this big bird? Sitting atop a tall bookcase? Spray-painted peacock blue? Tut tut.  On sale for 99 bucks, Internet/Catalog Only.  Right.

I'm all for applique-ing trims on plain curtain panels but PBteen has gone and done it for us:

These Suite Ribbon Drapes Curtains come with pink, green or chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon sewn onto three edges of the 52-inch wide canvas panel. I could've done with just hem and leading edge (closest to center) but you could fold and pin the the outside ribbon to hide it.  Sounds silly but I think the boxed-out effect looks best on Roman shades!  But I love that these come in 9ft lengths for $99.

I love filling my beautiful antique lanterns with candles, but melting petroleum isn't exactly inviting. In reaction to that realization many soy solutions are heating up the scene. Not to be outshined, the celebrity community is rapidly entering the eco-space. Sandra Bullock has just launched her Bessence candle collection, using a soy-based wax to replace the customary petroleum-derived paraffin, utilizing lead-free wicks and combining plant and flower essential oils to create four luxurious scents - that way you get 50 hours of clean burning pleasure. The packaging, besides being beautiful, is made from recycled materials with non-toxic inks

One of my fave clients (we call her "Kiki") showed me these kiddie beds from JC Penney last week:

Pretty amazing that you can get a twin size upholstered headboard WITH A MONOGRAM, foot and side rails for less than 300 bucks, right?  The stripe and polka dot options look hideola, but a solid cotton duck with a three-letter contrast monogram could be downright adorable for little Wingspan or Banjo.  P.S.  Go see Baby Mama!! 

I don't mind telling you that I have never been terribly organized when it comes to keeping my Heart Strings safe. While I was in Tobias and The Angel this week (a delightful shop that you will read more about in my Shopping London story - in the August issue) I came across this nifty way to keep them under control. Thought is was worth sharing.

I LOVE summer but I HATE mosquitoes. What is a nature loving, blood-protecting girl supposed to do? Bug Off! has come up with a multitude of ways to arm yourself naturally against pests. Using ingredients such as blends of citronella, rosemary, lemongrass and geranium essential oils (all of which are Mother Nature’s insect repellents), Bug Off! makes it easy to put down the deet. They have wipes, soy candles, spritzers, soaps, oils, shampoos and a bug rub that contains shea butter. And for that tiny spot you may have missed (and there’s always one), Bug Off! makes a Bug Bite Soother. If you are visiting a tropical locale (take me please), you really must stock up. When I’m covered in bumps, the tan just doesn’t seem worth it!

I saw these cute little vases sitting on new lacquer trays in Pearl River's store window:

Upstairs in the 'Pearl River Home' store-within-a-store the trays were marked an unreasonable $49 but the little lotuses were $13.50.  It's hard to tell from the pic but they're much more delicate than anything you'd find at West Elm or Target, with a thin lip and  pleasingly opaque glaze (no crackle/luster ugliness).  Would look great with a single peony or chrysanthemum. 

I sat opposite a girl at dinner last night called Louisa Guinness. She and two of the other girls at the table were wearing these beautiful rings that looked like Anish Kapoor voids, round rings with concave centers. So of course we start chatting about them. It turns out Louisa is a jewelry designer who has started a collection of pieces with big name British artists. These cuff links are designed by Tim Noble and Sue Webster and are called The Bastards Got Me. Marc Quinn has made a frozen strawberry pendant in white or yellow gold with 54 diamonds for seeds, and there are pieces by Sam Taylor Wood, Gavin Turk and Antony Gormley.

The jewelry is not that easy to get hold of--everything is made by hand either in the artists' studios or at Hatton Garden so the productions are small. However, it is not impossible. Louisa's website shows all the artists that she works with and includes the jewelry that inspired her collection, pieces by Max Ernst and Calder for example. The jewelry is available to order at Ben Brown Fine Art on Cork Street in London but take a look at Louisa Guinness' website where you can also contact her directly.

Had he not already had a side table, I would have gotten this for my son's nautically inspired room. It would also be chic in my tasting room...if I had a tasting room. I feel like writing about the reuse of wine barrels could be a little cliche, but if you like slightly rustic wood, this could be just the table you are searching for. After a couple years doing its job of imparting complexities unto fermenting grapes, these barrels generally find themselves tossed in landfills. This side table, handmade in Georgia, is a great example of finding a creative way to get the most out of something valuable - oak. What results is a well-crafted, salvage piece that honors the curvature of its predecessor.

I'm a sucker for obscure household products with cute packaging, like this "Renaissance Wax Polish":

Greek key, lion's head, New York magazine type.  But what does it do?  So much that Amanda (who opened the info packet in the mail today) kept murmuring "this is amazing ... amazing" until I turned down SkyFM All Hit 70s at my desk and was like "Mmhmmyeahwhat?"  She brought it over and suggested I blog.  Developed by researchers at the British Museum in the 1950s, the wax cleans and restores almost ANY material-- wood, metal, even paper -- with a combination of natural and man-made waxes that won't harm original finishes.  Works so well that a gal named Her Majesty the Queen appointed Picreator Enterprises Ltd. (its distributor) Official Supplier of Products for Restoration and Conservation. $15 for a 65ml/2.25 fl.oz. tin at restorationproduct.com.

I am in london doing a shopping story for the magazine. The thing that has struck me more than anything is how green London is, i know this isn't exactly news - there are more parks in london than any other city in the world but there are also so many flowers everywhere. I think we are not just a nation of shopkeepers, but more specifically, florists. I am staying at Number Sixteen Sumner Place, a divine hotel on a smart, residential street in South Kensington - they have knocked the gardens of the four buildings taken to make the hotel together to make this long and very green garden where can have breakfast. It is really charming and amazingly the weather is too.