I'm baaack.

I love my blog but I've sure been neglecting it badly. It doesn't matter if the only one who knows that is me (and maybe my sister Margi, my loyal reader). But like renewed vows at a silver anniversary, sometimes a recommitment is in order. So I hearby do solemnly swear to write every day, to channel my findings from the eco-friendly design world back out into the universe, for better or for worse, in busy times and in down times.

And now a sneak peak at one of the things that's kept me so busy: a playroom I'm designing for a TriBeCa condominium building, filled with reclaimed wood paneling and eco-friendly polyesters from KnollTextiles with cradle-to-cradle gold certification for low environmental impact. Add graffiti-inspired signage, vintage arcade games, and cozy reading alcoves, and I'm hoping it will be an urban escape high on style and fun, low on carbon footprint.

Table Matters (one of the zillion things I've been up to)

So sad, but no time to blog these days. However, I had to jump on and boast a bit about a reclaimed wood table I just designed and had commissioned for a design client in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The creative and talented Spiro Hamezopoulos made magic out of the dingy wood planks and vintage table bases I dropped off at the doorstep of his shop. A few days later and this beautiful table and set of benches emerged.



The fluffy-approved end product.


My client's are still renovating their Brooklyn home, but this table makes it feel so much more like home.


Reclaim wood, lightly sanded, and gently finished = stunning!!


A glimpse at the wood before Spiro got his hands on it.


An in-progress shot.

All work, all play.....

Oh my poor dear neglected blog, I miss you so!! But I'm spending all my time mothering and designing and playing and Etsy-ing, so my chances to sit down and post are few and far between. But my son's been extra good tonight and has just sat down to an hour of the Fox Soccer channel, so I thought I'd throw up some of my fun research for a new commercial project I just landed. I'm designing the playroom at a TriBeCa development called Warren Lofts, following the inspiration of the imaginative suburban backyard playhouse for the design of the space. I'm finding a plethora of exterior shots that have me waxing nostalgic about the playful escape I never had, but only a few interior shots, so I guess I have to ride on my own imagination for that. I'm thinking wood-clad walls, lots of nooks and crannies, and stickers. The developer mentioned a vintage arcade game and I'm dreaming about the retro fabrics I'll source for the custom upholstered pieces. Here's what I've found so far (with the very last image going on the "Don't" list!!)

Wide Angle

Anyone who knows me, knows I've been dreaming of owning a very old home with original extra wide plank floors. There are a multitude of other specs on my dream house list, but these floors are a MUST. And after a stroll through a 1863 Center Hall Colonial upstate yesterday with the original floors in tact under carpet and some other modern overlays, imagining the afternoons I'd spend sanding and refinishing them to their intended glory, the dream has re-morphed into obsession. Take a moment to obsess with me, eh?

Monday Color: Cheerful & Bird's Egg

Straight from the Benjamin Moore paint books, I bring you the combination of Cheerful and Bird's Egg for this week's Monday Color post, for no other reason than these are the two colors I'm combining in a nursery I'm currently busy designing. Pure multi-tasking. Enough said.

The nursery is for a little boy and his sister, who will be arriving any day now. Because he's a toddler and already opinionated, we let him choose the dominant blue color. And because the client didn't want traditional gender colors, we brought in pops of bright Cheerful for "her "color. Read on to see some of the elements we'll be using as well as some adaptations for adult spaces.


An eclectic living room designed by actress Julianne Moore.


A cute bedroom found on Fabulessly Yours.


Same color palette, but all grown up.


Mixing in pale green makes this living room the epitome of a fresh Spring day.


I adore this sophisticated mix of aqua and yellow found on The Lennoxx.


One of the 'inspiration' nurseries I used to coax my client into this bright color combo.


The medallions on this pale blue and yellow rug for my client's nursery bring in a touch of tradition (we're going for the 6' round version from Walmart.com).


The organic cotton from Birch Fabrics that we're making into custom crib bedding and a duvet for the twin bed.


Two of my favorite Feistaware colors.


I wish there was a way to work this Ikat Duver Cover from Urban Outfitters in, delivering toned down versions of the blue and yellow in a fresh wordily print.


Aqua seas under warm honey skies are transportive in this photo from The Gingham Owl, on Etsy.


A generously sized aqua and yellow ceramic vase from Lamps Plus.

Etsy Love: Austin Modern

Austin, TX has been all over my radar recently.....with its up-and-coming neighborhoods splashed across the pages of my beloved design magazines, its continuously solid crop of Indie bands on steady rotation on my iTunes, and in discussions amongst several of my friends who have been contemplating moving there. And now, from my cozy little home office, I'm busy sourcing vintage industrial table bases for a Brooklyn client and where do I find the perfect pair?!? Austin Texas' eponymous Etsy seller Austin Modern, of course. Austin Modern's Etsy Shop specializes in 20th century vintage and architectural salvage, some vintage fashion accessories, and a quaint little section for quirky altered vintage dishes that have me swooning. Here are some goodies that I'm particularly admiring:


From their array of altered vintage plates, I love this slightly eerie Masonic Lodge Plate with Altered Anatomical Eye Image.


Their Vintage Industrial Tripod Table is an absolute beauty.


New staplers have zero style compared to this Vintage Scout Swingline Stapler.


These would have everyone talking at your next summer bash or fondu feast: Set of 12 Tiki God Party Picks.


For the audiophile/history buff who has everything:WWII Air Raid Siren retrofitted to play iPods and iPhones.

Spring temperatures have been upon us for weeks now (did we even have a Winter this year?) and now the trees are starting to catch up. On my drive to the city the other day I noticed the bright greenery of a field of Weeping Willow trees beginning to sprout their seasonal foliage and it was stunning. Of course I couldn't stop and take a photo on the Grand Central, but the image stayed with me in my mind. Here's a few inspiring shots of electric green Willow trees (my favorite tree species, by the way) officially ushering in the brand new season.