Specialty: Products by art and design students
Price Range: ($$) Mid-Range to ($$$) High-End

Art and design students often create some of the most inventive product designs around. The only problem is that it can be difficult for those students to get their products into the hands of consumers. New e-commerce site Vespoe is solving that problem. More

Specialty: Home store totally focused on fun and quirky items
Price Range: ($) Budget to ($$$) High-End

It's hard to classify Judy Maxwell Home. It's kind of a gift shop but it's also a house of curiosities. It's an art gallery where you can also pick up a lifesize talking Power Ranger. Oh, and you might run into owner Joan Cusack, too. More

The staff at Southern Living Magazine have partnered with Ballard Designs to create what they deem "instant heirlooms." Check out some of the pieces from this new tabletop collection after the jump… More

Arrhenius Melamine Plates
• $12 each
• Huset

I have a stack of melamine plates at home for my son, but they're nowhere as cute as these by Swedish designer Arrhenius. I love that these are playful and bright, but not sappy. 9 to choose from.

If you've ever been to one of Unison's famous warehouse sales, you know that their whitewashed Chicago space is a perfect setting for their designs. This spring, after many requests, husband and wife team Robert Segal and Alicia Rosauer decided to adjust their office space so that they could devote part of their warehouse to a weekend retail shop. More

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The wildly inconsistent and illogical weather patterns in Washington DC lately have me as confused as the poor little shrubs and flowers in my garden. They bloomed early only to be blasted with some sneaky little bouts of overnight frost. But I have put away the winter clothes and embracing Spring, whether or not my garden has that luxury. Here are some botanical-inspired accessories to help us step into Spring in earnest. More

Every year, I'm excited to hit the aisles of the McCormick Center to suss out the hot color story at the Home & Housewares show. Last year, green ruled the roost, in 2010, somewhat surprisingly, it was a very grape-y purple and in 2009, a range of dark, deep autumnal shades were the leading edge. This time around I focused in on just tabletop items and the direction is an interesting one...looks like we're going gray! More

I'll admit that I was a little late jumping onto the Etsy bandwagon. For me, the term "handmade" brings to mind crocheted toilet paper roll cozies and hot glued seashell frames. And while you will still find a wealth of, um, amateurish items on Etsy — many of which are curated for the aptly named Regretsy — Etsy remains the world's largest marketplace of goods crafted by both fledgling hobbyists and skilled artisans. Here is my pick of the best handcrafted items currently available for your home. More

Specialty: Repurposed glass liquor, beer, wine, soda and water bottles become unique sustainable household items.
Price Range: ($$) Mid-Range

What's better than a full bottle of hooch? An empty bottle that has been repurposed, of course! And that's exactly what Bottlehood does — create drinking glasses, lighting and other household accessories from empty beer and liquor bottles.
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