we're searching for sheets

: : my wonderful roommate .miss robin. is looking for a new set of sheets. sitting in the big chair in our green living room tonight she asked " where are all the cool looking but good quality sheets? all the cool looking ones are usually bad quality and all the good quality ones are often boring".

I thought I'd help her look, and maybe some of my readers have some hot tips...?

one of my favorites, although a little on the spendy side is amenity's bedding series. they offer some beautiful patterns...now available on bags too [ a little more affordable].

to pee or not to pee....

: : for those of you who don't speak Swedish, the tidy whiteys above read, " don't poop in the Baltic Sea" and on the red ball it says "don't pee in the ocean".

this is related to a discovery that I made this past summer, when I learned that most, if not all, of my American friends pee in the ocean when we go to the beach!! I have since then realized how naive I was on the matter, but for years I have been happily unknowing that while we're all hanging out in the water, playing frisbee, doing headstands, chatting.....they've all been standing there PEEING!! I was appalled when I first found out! so, I decided to conduct my own survey and sent out an e.mail to all my Swedish friends, asking if they also pee in the ocean? I was dissapointed by the results...not Swedes too! although, not as bad as my American friends, about a third of my Swedish friends said they pee in the ocean. there seems to be no statistics available on this subject, but I've heard rumors that about 1/3 of Swedes is correct....and supposively, the Frenchmen are the worst! so, stay away from the French riviera!

while visiting folkform's website [Swedish design company that I spoke of in previous post], I found this ad campaign [images above] that they created for the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The ad campaign is a traveling exhibit aimed at educating the people of Sweden about the environmental issues currently affecting the baltic sea. And informing people about what can be done on both a national level as well as a personal level to improve the conditions of the .baltic sea., where pollution levels have been increasing steadily for many, many years now. and what do you know, one of the top ten things that we can do on an individual level to help create a cleaner and healthier .baltic sea. is to........ NOT PEE IN THE OCEAN!

there, finally, I've made my point! I will continue to use toilets, porta potties, bushes whatever else is available at the beach, BUT the ocean.

folkform

: : as a nice gesture when I was upgraded to a flat screen monitor at work, .doug. set my web homepage to www.sweden.se . they always have interesting articles, but there was one that was particularly interesting as it is so relative to myself and my profession. the article is about women's influence on Swedish industrial design. through the article I connected with .folkform., a Swedish design company started by two young women, .anna holmquist. and .chandra ahlsell. they experiment with adding organic pieces to raw materials, such as masonite. above you can see images of plants and butterflies pressed into masonite boards, and glimpses of the production process.

In the article .anna holmquist. talks about an emotional approach to design.
“Our masonite project is an example of emotional, but also innovative design. Traditionally the Swedish industrial design scene has been very much about functionality and engineering. Now it’s more about bringing emotional and human values to products.”

Read the entire article here.

habitat

: : my lovely friend .maiya. has just bought her own condo!! a wonderful one room apartment in a beautiful newly built apartment structure. so, naturally she's spending the majority of her days daydreaming about how to design the apartment. she mentioned habitat the other day and I realized it was years since I last visited their site. and I found out that they were bought out several years ago, by Swedish furniture giant, IKEA, or more specifically by the IKANO group, owned by the Ingvar Kamprad family [founder of IKEA].

lovely kitchen ideas...and much, much more...

Elle Decor Magazine-The Ultimate Design Magazine

Elle Decor magazine is one of our most favorite design magazines in the world! Its features are always original, whimsical, and totally sophisticated. It also use extensive colors, which is our favorite thing to do when it comes to interior design. Neutral is nice, but color is way hotter!

If you like Elle Decor's style, you'll probably like these...All can be found on the home accessories section at Inside Avenue.

This lamp comes in blue (shown), pink, white and black. We just love the shade.

This pendant is a nice touch of colors for your outdoor room. It is available in pink, orange, white, yellow and black.

This set of print is colorful and fun. It's Asian but not overly so... We love these stools. We've seen them at Mondrian hotel in Scottsdale in white. Shown here in green, they are also available in white, black and blue.


And check out this awesome table! It is also available in a longer version (this one is 30" long, the larger one is 48" long). The table is available in blue, yellow and white.

the search for the perfect watch

: : I feel like I've been searching for the perfect watch for years now. there are so many beautiful men's watches out there...but a poor selection for women. but then again, nothing says I can't go with a men's watch. but my wrist is so small...many of them would look huge. if anyone has any suggestions, tips etc, I would love to know.

.nooka. , of course, have some of the most interesting ones out there. I am also in love with the .chalet. by nixon. perfectly appropriate for women, I just feel like maybe it's a little too much...?

blås & knåda

: : what would I do without my dear friend .tina.? she is my constant inspiration. here are more of her wonderful finds. blås och knåda, a community of Swedish ceramic and glass artists. here you see work by [from the top] .mia e. göransson. .hisaku mizuno. and .magdalena nilsson.

Cool Wall Decorating

When it comes to wall decorating, the typical solutions are a) paint it with different colors 2) decorate with arts or 3) use wallpaper. Once in a while, though, we find a product that we just love...Check out these wall panels from B& N Industries. They are just way cool!

Typically installed in commercial settings, we find these suitable for residential applications as well. Use them in a bedroom or bathroom and voila, instant chic!

Shown mostly in white, these panels are available in different colors (you can see them on the B & N web site). We love the color options.

Check out this blue one:



We like this white one as well:



This one is quite hip...


To see more of these panels, check out the company web site at www.bnind.com.

lisa de john

: : I had the pleasure of meeting [now] local artist .lisa de john. last night...and several other fabulous design gals!!

.lisa. has some wonderful mixed media pieces, the "deer in headlights" being one of my favorites. and also some great surface design. contact her through her website if you are interested in her work.

color explosions

: : lovely .tina. shared some incredibly inspirational work by .jen stark. being a fan of colors....I of course fell in love with her work immediately. her paper sculptures are amazing, an explosion of colors that just draws you in. and her paintings are so wonderful and dreamy.

vimobot

: : finally the mimobots are available as pure vinyl art toys .vimobots. !! there are eight vimobots in each blind assortment, meaning you won't know which once you will get.

mimoco is a Boston based company that launced in 2005. making good use of their local talents, .baron brandt. , a good friend of mine, became their lead designer. and .todd taylor. their mechanical engineer.

Kelly Wearstler-Part Deux

We have to admit, we are totally obsessed with Kelly Wearstler. We think she is a brilliant designer! It's true she gets more press in the interior design world than most, but she deserves it.

If you are a fan of Kelly Wearstler, you probably see her work at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, Estrella in Palm Springs and others mentioned in her book "Modern Glamour". Here are few products that will help you achieve the look...

All can be found at Inside Avenue home accessories section.

White Temple Vase

White Elephant Table

White Venus Bust

Yellow Hollywood Regency Lamp

Asian Horse

White Greyhound

Kelly Wearstler offers a selected product porfolio include fabrics (available through Decorators Walk), carpet (Stark), Wallpaper (F Schumacher) and various other products. A good discount source for Kelly Wearsler fabric and wallpaper is Discount Fabric Resources.com. Kelly Wearstler fabric is made by F Schumacher.

Decorating a Bedroom

We spend a tremendous amount of time in our beds, why not make it as beautiful as possible?

Here are a few quick ideas on how to decorate your bedroom:

-Buy the best linens you can afford. Nothing beats sleeping on good sheets.

-Buy the best mattress you can afford. A comfortable bed helps you sleep better.

-Have good reading lamps. Eye strain is the most common cause of headache.

-Have some fresh flowers and scented candles on your nightstands. Both are very soothing...

-If you must, have a TV, but keep it hidden if you can.

-Get rid of those god-awful electronic alarm clock. There are many nice clocks out there, and did you know you can use your cell phone as an alarm too?

-If your room is large enough, put a couple of comfortable sitting chairs seperated by a beautiful small table.

-A chaise is a great piece of furniture for the corner. Be sure to have a small table next to it to set down a book or a drink.

Decorating with Neutral Colors

We love colors, but we love neutral colors even more. There is something pleasing about coming home to a nice, quiet palette. It brings peace to the soul and gives your eyes a rest.

Here are a few neutral decorating scheme that are quite nice:




A nice use of black, gray and brown. Very masculine and clean-lined.




We think when it comes to bedding, nothing beats nice, white, high-thread count sheets. This bedroom looks like a beautiful boutique hotel suite.

Here's a good source for excellent bed sheets...

Look at this scene. It's one way you can turn a hardly-used corner space into something gorgeous...



With neutral colors, the key is to mix it up a bit. Use colorful accents such as flowers, artwork or home accessories to brighten up. Mix shades of colors, such as cream, beige and white--otherwise it gets monotonous. Finally, layer different textures together.

Image source: Metropolitan Home