Anne-Claire Petit

Anne-Claire Petit's food-inspired crochet cushions are further proof that almost everything I love comes from The Netherlands (or Scandinavia!):

Hello, whimsical, colorful housewares in a playful scale! Please come in and sit down. You will look so good on my couch. Some of her designs are available in the US via The Future Perfect and you can see more awesome fiber objects on her portfolio site.

Tout Est Mieux Avec Des Rayures

This tea towel speaks the truth: everything is better with stripes!

(I happen to think everything is better in French, too.) Check out more textiles designed and hand-printed by Studiopatró in San Francisco.

Otomi Ottoman

I love Otomi textiles but I don't own any...yet. This handmade ottoman upholstered with a vibrantly colorful Otomi embroidery would be a perfect start, yes?

Available from Taos-based woodworker Peter Gilroy.

Brace Yourselves for Modern Kitty Cuteness

Cat ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the cat bed bubble:

 

Warm Orange Red Bubble

Warm Grey Stone Bubble

Lithuanian graphic designer Vaiva Nat felts these cat bed bubbles by hand. I can't think of a cat alive who wouldn't immediately curl up in one and it would look fantastic in a modern, cat-friendly house, no? I'm immediately obsessed.

Vibrant Rugs by Sonya Winner

With three cats and a dog, we've simply given up on the idea of having rugs in our house. I guess that's what I find so many I can't live without, like nearly every single design by Sonya Winner:

Are you holding your breath yet? It looks like there's a signature in some of her rugs, which is fitting for the works of art that they are. Everyone else can stop making rugs now, I think Sonya's got it, thanks.

Colorful Throws by Avoca

Here's how Megan, proprietor of North Vancouver-based shop Room 6, describes one of the lambswool blankets she stocks from Avoca Mill in Ireland: "Imagine you had a box of colourful crayons in all your favorite hues. Vibrant pinks, yellows, blues, purples and greens. And then, you spilled 'em." That's a good way to describe a lot of my favorite things, and these blankets are most certainly among them:

Circus Throw

Meadow Throw

Silken Throw

I mean! I included the top blanket in a blog post this time last year, but these are just too good not to have a look at again. Head on over to Room 6 for more good stuff for your home and thanks to Poppytalk for pointing the way.

The Merriweather Council

If you spend time on Etsy, you've likely seen the beautiful hand embroidered hoops by Danielle Spurge of The Merriweather Council. Her signature wishbone stitch and use of color is a perfect blend of a traditional technique and an abstract aesthetic that, to me, is reminiscent of Expressionist painters Joan Mitchell and Lee Krasner. In short, I love them:






When Tony and I attended the opening of Danielle's show Small Lines, Long Tales at Aviary (the gallery opened in our neighborhood by our friend and client Lindsay Metivier), we immediately singled out and bought a favorite hoop. When you can support two creative and wonderful people in one fell swoop, there's no need to mull and hesitate, folks. Aviary is open Thursday through Sunday, and I suggest you visit and pick out a piece for yourself before they're all sold:



I would be remiss if I didn't also mention Kristin Texeira's lovely paintings which are on display with Danielle's work. There were a couple Tony had his eye on, so you better snap some of those up, too!

PS If you're not in the Boston area, buy Danielle's work from her Etsy shop. All photos by The Merriweather Council.

Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010

Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010, an upcoming exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center, promises to call some much deserved attention to the often neglected field of textile design. The show (and catalogue, yay!) will focus on Knoll's contribution to the interior design world through its fabrics and highlight the work of the company's designers, many of them women.

NYTimes

If you're in NYC this show seems like a great opportunity to see some classic textile and product design up close and in context. Three cheers for institutions like the BGC for giving decorative arts and design history its due.

Royal Wedding Mania

Many eyes, including mine, were on London this morning for Will & Kate's wedding. The ceremony and the mania surrounding it was such a spectacle that sleeping through it wasn't an option! The wedding has proved quite an industry, and to add to the argument that well-designed memorabilia actually exists, here's a couple of Will & Kate and London-related Etsy items:

Westminster Abbey pillow by HelenaCarrington

London Type Map by Bold & Noble

William & Kate Royal Wedding Print by TaylorsType

Tote Bag of the Royal Wedding Procession by HouseThatLarsBuilt

Royal Wedding Procession Map Print (detail) by HouseThatLarsBuilt

Royal Wedding Heart Print by GlynWestDesign

Cheers to Will and Kate and now I'm going back to bed!

Colorblock Love, Cont'd

Søren Rose Studio, the design studio behind this tree top chalet, has used the vibrant colors of this bedspread to great effect in a mostly black and white interior:

Images by John Bendsten

And I'd like to move in immediately, please. I've done some digging and can't find any information on the bedspread. Does anyone happen to know who makes it?

Seen on emmas designblogg.

Super Moons

If moons are a trend, it's a serene and graphic trend I can get behind. In honor of the recent Super Moon, a selection of moon-related objects for the home:



I find these Luna Pendant lights breathtaking. Living in the city sometimes means not being able to get a good celestial view, so this would be a great addition to a room you spend time in the evenings. Seen on BLTD and available for purchase here.


This "Enormous Moon Floor Cushion" could be used as the world's coolest dog bed. "Cassie, go to the moon!" would be an awesome party trick. Available from Pedlars, a shop I found clicking around on Where the Lovely Things Are.



Maybe your taste runs less whimsical and more professorial, in which case a Moon Chart print could be a pictoric (and instructive!) focal point for a wall.

Big Stripe Plaid

As much as I might wish to dispense with blankets and other necessary winter items, it's still freezing here in Boston. At least the things I wrap up in can be colorful (even if the landscape isn't), like this organic cotton crocheted blanket from designer Anne-Claire Petit:



It's available from the Dutch shop BijzonderMOOI. Yes, please!

Kaleidoscope Circles Bedding

I know it's technically for kids...





but this kaleidoscope circles quilt from Land of Nod would be pretty rad summer bedding for a color fanatic, no?

Pop a Color Pillow

These crocheted couch and floor pillows by lacasadecotó on Etsy are spot on. It just goes to show that in the right color and shape, crochet can be totally modern.

milkaLOOM

Chamilka, the Australian-based textile designer behind Etsy shop milkaLOOM, starts with handwoven cotton tea towels, then hand embroiders them in brilliant colors and patterns:

Handwoven tea towel

Handwoven tea towel

Set of handwoven pillow covers

Pillow covers, too! Decorative and functional.

Pixel Happy

Spanish textile company Nanimarquina continues to produce fantastic rugs for people who like something a little bit different (perhaps you saw their Global Warming rug series awhile back). They've got some new collections on offer, and two of them are right up our alley: Digit, which is a colorful mix of tufted pixels, and Do-Lo-Rez, a slightly off-kilter, puzzle-like rug.












For more colors and styles, visit Nanimarquina's site.

Still Waiting on Spring

I thought we'd arrived at springtime in Boston because we conveniently hit above 80 degrees during the "don't drink the tap water" crisis last week. How naive.

Suddenly we're dealing with temperatures in the 30s at night again. I've already packed away the winter blankets and coats, but now I'm wishing for more warm textiles to pile on until we really break through to spring (whenever that will be). These throws and quilts would really help right now:

Multi Plaid Blanket



Avoca Circus Throw


Horncastle Patchwork Quilt




Patchwork Bedspread