One of our favorite house tours in recent memory is the Austin home of cute couple Jenny and Collin, who, despite living in one of those beige, cookie-cutter apartment complexes managed to create a bold, colorful and personality-filled home. To say we were surprised to learn their miniscule outdoor areas were given equally thoughtful design treatment would be a lie; we knew they'd be adorable. More

If high-end furniture inspired by surf culture seems farfetched, consider the source. David Saltman called on pals like Carl Ekstrom and Tim Bessell — both legendary surfers and shapers — to help him launch his new San Diego-based collection, Nomad Mobili, made from the same foam composites used for surfboards. But long before that, design was in Saltman's DNA.

More

High design and post-materialism are hardly two words that I would say go hand and hand. Yet, this is exactly how UXUS describes its Not So Fragile furniture collection— as somewhat of a manifesto on commonplace items and their ability to transcend themselves by bearing their ordinariness to an extreme. More

Anyone who has ever taken a figure drawing class has had the chance to marvel at the stark, yet animated design of those wooden artists' mannequins — the way they capture the body's anatomy with succinctness, yet without sacrificing the vibrant quality underneath. This delicate abstraction is exactly why you might fall in love Enrico Azzimonti's Heron lamp, which distils the basic table lamp to its functional essence, managing at the same time to give it an almost lifelike character. More

One way to remove the evidence of my, er, I mean ANYONE'S serious Diet Coke addiction is the recycling bin. That way may be eco-savvy, but the neighbors can count, so it's not terribly stealthy. More

Many solid, old-fashioned rocking chairs are constructed to last for generations. Yet since often these chairs are notoriously clunky and inelegantly designed, even the greenest amongst us might not really want them to. Jolyon Yates' Series 3 ODEChair— which comes in two alternatives, the Savannah Rocker III and Ocean Rocker III— re-imagines the classic rocking chair in a way that satisfies our eco-conscious and design-savvy inclinations. More

I'd been scheming to create a reclaimed planked wall for several years, and finally got my chance when the talented couple behind Ashley & Robert's Streamlined Bohemian asked me to help them design their new Georgetown chocolate shop. More

Wallpaper is the tattoo of the home; sure you can remove it if you really want to, but you should be pretty darn sure when you chose your design that you'll want to live with it for a while. Unlike many decor decisions, there's an inherent added level of commitment involved in hanging wallpaper. Arjan van Raadshooven & Anieke Branderhorst's Magnetic Wallpaper presents a clever and, as a bonus, eco-friendly way to dodge that commitment. More

Joan Crawford's infamous “no wire hangers!” is seen by some as the ultimate sign of mental and maternal unfitness. For others, like me, it's just sound advice. After all, she's got a point: Dry-cleaner wire hangers are bad for the environment, delicate clothing and a certain organizational aesthetic. Can't we just consider Crawford's cry as a slightly overzealous call to get our homes in order? Is Crawford just Kevin Sharkey with a bad rep and cold cream? 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.
More