modhabit is back!

Between a killer semester at Parsons, and working 40+ hours a week, there's been no time for blogging. Something just had to give and sadly, modhabit was it. Now that the semester from hell is over, there's plenty of time for hunting down designey goodness. And, as always, I've got wallpaper on the brain. What else?

My friend Jane loves the exquisite, hand-painted work of de Gournay (above). I mean...who wouldn't? The stuff is gorgeous. But, sadly, it's as spendy as it is beautiful, and very few of us can afford to spend thousands on wallpaper, including Jane. So, what's a girl to do?

DIY it! Pictured above is just one of the many lovely designs available at The Stencil Library, a fantastic British source where one can find stencils of every conceivable variety, paints, and even tips on how to design your wall. A weekend of work (and perhaps enlisting a creative pal) is all it takes to get classic style without draining your entire decorating budget.


I particularly love this stencil, which can either be combined with others like it to create an entirely original room, or used on it's own as an accent. And, if chinoiserie's not your thing, there are hundreds of other designs available, from traditional to modern.

This David-Hicks-ish design would be great in a hallway or powder room, or even as a low budget backsplash alternative. The only limit is your imagination. Enjoy!

burke decor--at a discount!

Today's a lovely day for modhabit readers--Elise from Burke Decor has been kind enough to offer a 10% discount! Just enter the code "GETIT" at check out, and you're all set. Burke Decor offers a wide range of fun accessories, furniture, and other assorted home goodies. Should you be a very very lucky soul indeed, you could purchase this:


I seem to be in an animal-themed mood lately, design-wise, because I am way into this incredible polar bear shelf from iBride (makers of these much-blogged-on trays), available at Burke Decor, natch...I am not sure where in my home this pretty bit of insanity could live, but it sure is fun.

Of course, Burke Decor offers more than just crazy (and expensive) animal-shaped bookshelves. I'm loving the uber-girly white bedding pictured above. Were it not for the (often odoriferous) little red dog in my life, I'd be all over it. Perhaps she doesn't need to jump in the bed so often after all. Hm. The current bedroom of my dreams pairs that bedding with one wall clad in this quirky wallpaper:

Unfortunately, the model's legs are not for sale, nor are her shoes, which is more the pity. Ah well. Click here and enjoy the discount!

perch!

I'm loving the new Zooey chandelier by Perch! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name). Really cute over a kitchen table, in a small entryway, or even in a child's room, and available in a range of fun colors. Click here to get yours.

right again!

As I posted earlier this week, Ann Marie and I were debating the "next big animal" on the design front. She's voting squirrels, and it seems she's right. Here you have it: Jonathan Adler's insanely adorable squirrel ring box. As I am forever leaving my beloved ring in various places every time I take it off, I think I can 100% justify it's purchase. Who's with me?

Richard Schultz at ICFF

Spotted at ICFF, strong geometry from Richard Schultz's new Wing Collection. My photos do these chairs no justice whatsoever, so please do click here to check them out online.

ICFF kids

I spent Monday at ICFF with my good friend and fellow design junkie Ann Marie. What a day! There were a million things to see, some familiar, some brand new, almost all fabulous. I'll be posting my favorites over the next few days.


While the show had no official theme, the order of the day seemed to be children. We saw booth after booth offering mod children's furniture. While there was an awful lot of repetition in the basic design (white combined with walnut was everywhere), there were a few standouts. Most interesting were the offerings of Bloom, whose transparent Coco rocker had us both smiling.



Dwell Studio's collaboration with The Shade Store was another standout offering with a child-friendly twist. We especially loved the drapes in Dwell's popular Gio pattern. Ann Marie predicts the pattern's squirrel will become the next big design obsession (something's got to replace owls, right?), but I'm pulling for the snail myself.


Anatomic Factory's milk gone bad lamp won us over for best kid's room accessory. When the light's out, the lamp appears to be a regular milk container. Turn the light on, and fun/gross characters appear. We loved it, and suspect that certain adults in our lives (Jim, I'm talking to you) will want one too.

in progress...

(click to enlarge)

Here's the culprit behind my lack of posts...or, at least, it's one of them. It's an elevation of my ultra-girltastic cafe design, and it is very much a work in progress. What do you think?

corked!

The current green movement in design makes me smile. If we're going to bring more "stuff" into our lives, (let's face it: we are), then it might as well be nice to the environment. Kids seem to understand this better than anyone. So, for the tiny green warrior in your house, how about this great little cork chair? Handmade in Long Island City, NY by designer Daniel Michalik, it's formed completely of reclaimed cork from bottle stoppers, and uses a non-toxic binding agent to keep it all together, so no scary off-gassing here. Click here to bring one of these blocky beauties home for your little one.

birds gather

I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people ever, mainly because of my huge family. In particular, my cousins. We're an interesting bunch. In our ranks, I can count artists, designers, hockey champs, guitar hero experts, one triathlon-running chef, more than a few (seriously) genius-level smarty-pantses, and, yes folks, an actual gator-wrangler. Did I mention they're also all really good looking? So, when one of my cousins (this one by marriage, but a cousin never the less) started making jewelry, I just knew it would be a great success.



Heather Fagan, designer of Birds Gather, is the cousin behind these gorgeous pieces, all available on Etsy. Every piece is made from actual birch bark, and so no two are exactly alike.


While I am partial to the cuffs (I own one and it seems to magically go with anything I wear), my new favorite is this necklace. I love seeing the detail of the bark. Really pretty, and not one tree gets hurt in the process. For more info on Birds Gather, click here. To shop her collection on Etsy, click here.

pottery barn. no, really. pottery barn.

Remember when Pottery Barn actually made things you really, really wanted to buy? I am not sure when I first grew bored with their style, but it's been a long time since I felt any excitement or inspiration from them. What used to be a fun, easy place to shop took a bad turn and became boring, staid, and repetitive. However--their latest line has some really interesting choices, such as the apple green print sofa pictured above. Could Pottery Barn actually have gotten their design mojo back?





Above, two great duvet sets. The right-on-trend green ikat caught my eye, but it's the black morrocan tile pattern that I'm loving the most. It is also available in a sunny yellow. I am thinking of mixing the two colors together to bring a much-needed crisp springtime look to my bedroom.


Finally, how cute is this settee? Again in the morrocan tile print, and also available in the same apple green as the sofa pictured at the top of the page.

clive + sunshine at rose and radish

San Francisco gallery/shop Rose and Radish is a reliable stop for unique handmade gifts and home accessories. I am loving their latest featured goodie, these ultra-cute animals by Clive + Sunshine.

Each animal is made to order, and best of all, if you have a piece of fabric with sentimental value, Clive + Sunshine will create a one of a kind animal out of your material. Your child's christening gown can become a giraffe, baby elephant, monkey...or whatever animal you like. I am suddenly wishing I still had a some of the insane red and white fabric that was all over my room as a girl. It would make a fabulous camel. Click here to learn more.

a whole lotta!

I love Lotta Jansdotter. Her simple, organic, geometric designs really speak to me, and I cannot get enough of her book, Simple Sewing, which is loaded with adorable, truly easy projects even a beginning sewer can take on. I've been waiting for ages to be able to purchase her fabrics, which were previously only available overseas. But now, we can all get our Lotta fix online! For the moment, the collection is limited, but Lotta's blog speaks hopefully of a bigger line to come in the fall. I can't wait. Click here to purchase.