Monday Color: Avocado Green

Avocados are riddled with misconception: they are a fruit, not a vegetable despite their location in the produce aisle; they may be high in fat, but it's the good kind; and so on. The bright verdant color of their fleshy insides was once a popular decorating color, then gained the opposite reputation, but thankfully has become vogue again. A child of the 70's myself, I've always appreciated pops of this notoriously retro color, especially in updated ways like the rooms and products below reveal.




















Images above:

1. A darling room, rich in color and pattern, found on a blog called My Best Friends Little Sister.

2. Avacado was a staple in kitchens and bathrooms decades ago, but this updated white kitchen with warm green peeping out of the cabinets is totally contemporary and fresh. (Found in a brilliant post on Decorologist.)

3. In my own home, an oversized, avocado green John Robshaw pillow inspired the palette for a whole room.

4. A practically perfect nursery found on Decor Pad. If you can take your eyes off the awesome avocado and white wallpaper, check out the treatment around the light!!

5. Classic cast iron Le Creuset Round French Ovens in Spinach

6. Ludoli Bedding Collection from John Robshaw

7. Outdoor Shelter Sectional from cb2.

8. Classic By Nature Modern Owl on Natural Linen Front and Damask Print Back Cushion Cover

9. Color Bee 'All My Loving' Lyrics Poster

Etsy Love: Madder Root

Etsy shop Madder Root caught my eye this week as I embarked on my weekly search for handmade home accessories that are as stylish as they are eco-conscious. Fortunately, the pages of Etsy are overflowing with just such creations: housewares that beautify our homes while honoring Mother Earth. Sometimes choosing a favorite to feature on Saturdays is tough, but Maine-based Madder Root's simple yet delightful handprinted organic linen tea towels and cloth napkins simply jumped out at me. Their own company profile says it best:

Madder Root was born out of a passion for fabric, art, lively conversation, cups of tea and walks with the dog. We see creating and doing business in Maine as more than just a job. At Madder Root it's a lifestyle. We are inspired by our state's ocean, forest and mountain vistas and we strive to protect the environment around us with every business choice we make. From our material to our packaging we work hard to find environmentally friendly supplies without sacrificing quality.

Amen!!


Poppy Tea Towel


Sand Dollar Tea Towel


Set of Two Organic Linen Lupine Napkins


Set of Four Organic Linen Pussy Willow Napkins

A Dose of Spring!!

I guess I'm one of those people who is acutely affected by weather so when it's gray outside for the better part of two days (not to mention the relentless downpours), I get a little restless. But these beautiful floral arrangements posted on the eponymous The City Sage blog lifted my spirits and set my sights toward Spring again, a season which may have more gray and rainy days in store, but at least will soon offer mild enough temperatures to coax bulbs of colorful flowers out from the soil and encourage me to ready my beach supplies. Spring is one of my two favorite seasons and these images wordlessly evoke the energy and renewal of Spring at very first glance. (For the full City Sage post, and a few fitting words, click here.)







All flowers from The Green Vase for Martha Stewart Weddings. Photos by Johnny Miller.

DIY Striped Rope Baskets

I'm very keen on these DIY rope baskets featured on Martha Stewart Living's tip of the day yesterday, and seen in a recent issue of the magazine. A lot of the projects featured in the pages of Living are far beyond my novice crafter's skill level requiring tools and supplies regular, non-Marthas just don't have on hand, but this one is fairly simple and requires only a few basics. With planting season around the corner, many of us will have a surplus of empty plastic pots to use as the basket forms and the cord is only around $5 for a 48' spool from Jamali Garden.

My Dream Kitchen

There it was, my dream kitchen, tucked away at the bottom of the Remodelista Daily email I opened this morning. I stared, I salivated, I called Ryder over to share in my awe. Much to my amazement, he reveled with me "Mom, that's an awesome kitchen." I may have lost him, however, when I started in on the perfect proportions, the ingenious mix of 'old' and 'new,' and the beauty of the polished concrete floors and reclaimed wood island.

Feast your eyes on Bay Area architect Ken Linsteadt's execution of kitchen perfect (in my opinion at least). I'm guess if I'm really dreaming here......I'd also like the Marin County home to go with it.....thank you very much.









(All photos above by John Merkl.)

Making an Impression

Elephant Ceramics is an earthy, tactile collection of pottery conceived of by stylist and Manhattan tabletop prop house owner Michele Michael. She achieves the look by pressing traditional homespun linen into the irregularly-shapen clay pieces and then organically drips or brushes on glazes for a raw but sensual finish on every piece. Loving blue as I do, the collection's peacock glazes immediately caught my eye, but pottery puritans will love the white pieces just as much. Crazy thing is that this well-connected stylist and propper already sold out her first batch long ago, so she's back in Red Hook shaping and glazing away to offer up collection #2 in April. Add your name to her mailing list to be notified of availability and then be sure to act quickly!

Monday Color: Black

The only black in my house is the ink in my printer and Pilot Precise pens, and one, yes one, recently purchased 'little black dress'. I extracted the color from my wardrobe completely sometime late in my time as a Manhattanite, when I looked around one day and became aware of the sea of black I was commuting on the subway with, walking the sidewalks with and eating at the cafes with. Eschewing black was how I was going to be different.

And frankly, since my darker angst-ridden teen years came to an end (thank god!), black has just simply failed to express the cheery, resilient, nature-loving optimist inside of me. However, I've dabbled in black from time to time in my design career, and have started to lust after it a little more than usual recently. I thought this newly piqued interest in black at least deserved its own Monday Color post.....and maybe a hanger or two in my closet again someday.






















Images above:

1. Even though I used this nursery in an archived post about yellow, the impact clearly comes just as much from the black wall and black dresser as the cheerily striped ceiling.

2. Black takes on a fresh and modern personality when bright white furniture and accessories are contrasted against it, like in this little girls room.

3. As a pre-teen, I had a mostly black room. My parents let me select my furniture (black lacquer bedroom set) and color palette (gray, black and deep red!). Yes, it was the 80's but my parents should have really seen all this as a more of a sign. If I could go back now, with my design experience intact, and make myself a somber pre-teen hideout, this is the black room I would have created.

4. This guest room seems to have perfect ratios of black and cream, pattern and solid, intriguing art and languid softness.

5. and 6. Animal print, taxidermy, velvet and expanses of deep black seem like inseparable combinations in both of these inspiration rooms from www.hometrendesign.com

7. For a fashionable dose of black and texture in any room, this Gloss Black Faux Crocodile Folding Room Divider seems erroneously billed as a "high quality commercial business office partition" on Amazon.com.

8. A collection of flea market gold frames have never looked better (image from Apartment Therapy).

9. Black and white block printed textiles (like this comforter) feel equally old worldly and modern.

10. Black makes this basic side chair sexy (Bent Wood Chair in High Gloss, from Brocade Home).

Etsy Love: Groundwork

It was love at first sight when I stumbled upon this work, appropriately titled Feathers, by Danna Ray. Then I learned that the aesthetic appeal of Ray's work on her Etsy shop called groundwork is matched only by her environmentally responsible material selection, a beautiful marriage of art and consciousness. A number of her prints are lovingly produced on Hahnemuhle Sugar Cane paper, a beautiful heavyweight paper made from eco-friendly sugar cane and recycled cotton fibers, enhancing their earthy, nostalgic, ethereal feel. Her work is also available at www.dannaray.com.



Departures


Be Present Every Day


Confetti


Ferns

Eco-Illumination

Recycled glass has the heft, the flaws, the richness, the warmth and the purity that newly produced glass just simply possess. I've been sourcing some pendants for a client and continue to be drawn to recycled glass styles for their beauty and also for their eco-benefits. Here are a few standouts from my searches:

Images above:

1. Partially recycled hand-blown glass is etched into a luminous finish in the Bell Kelp Etched Pendants from Token.

2. Recycled brown bottle glass in hand-forged recycled metal circles of varying sizes create warm illumination in the Eco-Luz: Fascination Kolorado Mini Pendant from Bellacor.

3. I love the raw simplicity of the Industrial Filament Pendant from Home Decorators Collection.





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