apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

While in Austin a few weeks ago, we spotted an interesting choice of landscaping material right outside of Aviary: recycled glass. We love the sustainability factor, as well as the look of the mixture of blues and greens with just a bit of amber thrown in. Unfortunately, we didn't ask the owner of Aviary for further information (he was so friendly, we're sure he would have given us the scoop); but, we think it may have been a product called EnviroSCAPE.

Although hanging plates on a wall isn't a new design idea, when we saw this photo posted in abchao's Flickr photostream, we just had to share. For those of us hoping to update our dining rooms for the holidays, this project is easy on the wallet yet has such a polished look.

One of our favorite local artists, Kelly Lynn Jones of Little Paper Planes, passed along the details of this special event taking place next Tuesday, November 11. Although folks in San Francisco will be gathering at Dolores Park at 11:11am and 11:11pm that day, this is something that anyone, anywhere, can participate in. So what is it exactly?

We can see why Oprah loves Chicago-based decorator Nate Berkus. He's as talented as he is charming. (Did you see his apartment in last month's Elle Decor? And that recent episode of Oprah during which he decorated an entire house for the homeowners in New Orleans?) Now, on top of his many accomplishments, Berkus is launching a new collection with HSN. While some products have already made their way on to the site, most won't be available until Monday, October 13. But we got a peek at some of the goods ahead of time.

It's a commonly asked question: Should I go with an IKEA kitchen or not? We have friends who've gone this route, and also know people who are considering doing so. AT has tackled the subject before (including here and here).

We found an IKEA kitchen renovation on a Dwell blog that Terry, a San Francisco resident, undertook. The before and after is quite impressive. Except for the rice cooker, toaster oven and refrigerator, everything in the revamped space is from IKEA...

For years, we perceived napkin rings as being a bit stuffy — the kind of thing our mothers and grandmothers would incorporate into a formal table setting. But these ceramic rings by Perch! have us seeing napkin rings in a new light.

Okay, so we know that a lot of you out there have opinions about the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters that frequently show up in AT house tours. (See the 74 comments in this Good Question post just last week.) But what do you think of The Poster List's take on them?

We are big fans of screenprinters Rob Ryan and Jason Munn. And we are also love the idea behind the British website that asks, "If you could do anything tomorrow — what would it be?" Put them together and we can't resist. Rob and Jason contributed this month's prints to the site's online shop, and they are fantastic. (That's Rob's above, see Jason's below.)

Seeing AT:Chicago's post yesterday about vintage suitcases on Etsy reminded us of the tables we recently came across at an Anthropologie in New York. With the addition of a set of table legs, the suitcases became cool pieces of furniture. (Bonus: They were on sale when we stopped into the store.) It's also easy enough to make one yourself.