The Beach Shack Project: featured artist

I think I have made no secret of my love of all things coastal. As such, I absolutely flipped when I saw this necklace posted in my Google reader this morning:






{image from The Beach Shack Project, taken from Cafe Cartolina}


I can't tell you how many hours my family and I spent collecting sea glass and Willow wear along the coast... As a young child, it was like finding treasure. I still have a glass jar filled with sea glass and pottery in my home, and it is one of my most-prized possessions.

Just reading the artist's mission statement is pure bliss: "My work stems around a central idea of taking objectionable elements and altering them so they then become objects of desire." That speaks directly to what draws me most to coastal and rustic decor styles. Of course, I wouldn't call the objects that fill such rooms "objectionable" - but awkward, battered antiques are often what many people would call "trash," not "treasure." To see this premise executed so perfectly in jewelry design just amazed me! Something I would never have thought of, myself, and covet in just about every way possible!! (I mean, effectively, this artist just took my favorite thing in the world and turned it into something unbelievably beautiful - that you could wear!)

All I can say is run - don't walk - to check out this artist's amazing work! I'm really beside myself with awe!

Lady of Shalott

I capital-L Love this image from May's Anthropologie catalog. It strikes such a summery, relaxed chord - but also an almost magical one. I can't help but think of Waterhouse's "Lady of Shalott" (or Tennyson's poem by the same name, for that matter).




{image from Anthropologie}


Even the candles look like fireflies.

Suzani

I just can't seem to get away from Suzani prints. Not that I want to! It just seems that whenever something new catches my eye, lo and behold, once again it's a Suzani!




{from World Market}



My newest love is this cabinet from World Market, which I spotted this morning on Cafe Cartolina. I didn't even recognize it as a Suzani pattern until I clicked the link! Clearly, I am not the only one drawn to Suzanis...




{My cat, lounging beside one of my new pillows, which my aunt made for me with fabric from Lewis & Sheron. (And, wow! It looks like they've sold out of this fabric!)}


Since the overall impression of my pillows is so pink, I'm not sure I'd put a table like this in my living room. However, I'm in desperate need of some bedside tables... Hmmm! Better start saving my pennies!

Cute storage that won't break the bank!

I just discovered Way Basics, a company that offers simple modular storage designs. To be completely honest, I clicked on their link expecting to see the usual cast of overpriced characters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only do the storage pieces come in a variety of exciting colors, but they're actually reasonably priced! (At least compared to any competitors that I've seen!)








{images from Way Basics}

Apparently, each cube is peel-and-stick assembled, no tools required! (This puts them at an advantage compared to equally well-priced Ikea, in my opinion. I love Ikea, don't get me wrong, but after nearly a full month of assembling new furniture this past January - thankfully with the help of friends - I think my wrists and forearms are only now beginning to cease their aches!!!)

Check them out!

Incroyable!

I have never before seen anything like the Tamara Roof Chair and Loveseat being offered right now at Home Decorators Collection (a site I just discovered, unfortunately, otherwise I'd have purchased a thing or two for my new apartment! interesting to note: several of the furniture pieces featured here can also be found at Target).






{images from Home Decorators Collection}


When I am furnishing my ancient and mad Parisian apartment, filled to the gills with dusty old books, specimen jars, rusted tin boxes, and antique curios to both delight and bewilder, you can bet that these two unique seats will settle right into the decor - bien sur! (Preferably in a room that has some very moody dark blue "fairy tale garden" sort of wallpaper!)

Although I didn't particularly love the movie, I can't help but think of The Dreamers when I look at this furniture. Somehow, they echo each other's mood.

Thanks decor8 for pointing me to the Web site!

Furniture *LUST*!!

If I haven't mentioned already (-cough cough-) my extreme affection for decor which incorporates various winged things in nature, let me put a fine point on it now: I adore it. As a result, my lust for this piece by FOLKFORM is just about out of control.




{image from FOLKFORM}

Materials listed are: Masonite hard board, 32 real butterflies from Adam Stechs collection, birch wood. How cool is that?!

Thank you Poppytalk for pointing it out!

Basic Grey

I'm late to the party (again!), I realize, but I just discovered Basic Grey papers and I am in LOVE!









I'd been thinking for a while that I might cover the glass panes of my new Julia cabinet with decorative paper (perhaps origami paper), to give myself the freedom to store things in a cluttered way inside and to bring a bit of colour in with all the black and white furniture.





{image from target.com}


I may still do that, but now I'm thinking these papers might make gorgeous mats for wall artwork! I'm thinking of perhaps alternating styles as outer mats and also as interior mats, just peeking out beneath the plain mat in front of the art...









Only trouble is, I can't decide which designs to choose! At only about 70 cents per 12" sheet, it's hard to pick!

'stache

Random Etsy search for "mustache."

Shadowplay by Adam Frank: featured artist

(No, not Ad Frank.)

New York artist Adam Frank has landed on something so simple and obvious - and yet so overlooked - it's genius: lighting which focuses not just on what it illuminates, but on the shadows it casts. Shadows are the central aspect of both his Reveal and Lumen creations. (I prefer the Lumen, myself!)





(I am actually very surprised at how extremely affordable the Lumen series is in comparison with so many over-priced art objects scattered throughout the design world... I say grab one before he catches on!)






{images from adamfrank.com}

Tweet!

I *love* this headboard! If I were designing something like this for a child's room, I would make sure the little birdhouse opened up somehow into a little "secret" cubby.




{image originally posted on Lily G online}

Eureka!

A while ago, I fell in absolute love with the Brunschwig & Fils' fabric "Dzhambul." Unfortunately, it tends to run a bit expensive...

However, I just found a less expensive fabric called "Suzani," which I think is very very close to Dzhambul. In fact, I have to say I think I like it just a little bit more!

Anyway, I just had an epiphany. My aunt is a crazy fanatic quilter. She's already offered to make me a runner for my new dining table (she's way more excited about it than I am!). It just occurred to me that I might be able to ask her if I could purchase the fabric, have it sent to her, and ask her if she would be willing to make two pillow shams for my new sofa (I figure I'll pick up some big pillows for that purpose at Ikea). This would be PERFECT!



Love!



p.s. You know what I think would be kind of hot? Instead of a normal pillow sham, two somewhat-more-rigid-than-your-normal-sham square panels of fabric, one for the front and one for the back, tied together artfully at the four corners (so, obviously, there would have to be some kind of under-sham). Could be gorgeous, if done well!