the home of finnish stylist susanna vento

 

 

discovered the april 2011 dwell article by katja lindroos, photographs by petra bindel, titled "fine finnish" via from scandinavia with love. i have always been a huge fan of white painted hard floors and clean scandinavian design, but this home of finnish stylist susanna vento and her family takes it to another level. sick, sick sick styling!! proves that you don't have to have a lot of money and a huge house to make a design statement. their apartment is 660-square-feet and they spent less than $4,000 for the renovation and make-over. it's all about editing my friends. less is more. at least in my book.

photos by petra bindel for dwell magazine.

via scandinavia with love.

garnet hill love

my fashion sense has changed since becoming a mother. the more easy breezy it is, the more i'm game to buy it. i just realized that i have not pulled out an iron or blow dryer for almost a year. guess it's all about cotton and towel dried hair these days. if something is made of a material that has to be ironed or dry-cleaned it's back to the rack for me. the summer preview issue of garnet hill came this week and i'm already in love with a couple of their things. those knit dresses, sandals, and leather bags have me swooning.

left to right and clockwise:

1. gentle souls break-my-heart gladiator sandals

2. latico effie washed-leather tote

3. firenze convertible leather bag

4. eileen fisher organic cotton knit ballet-neck dress

help japan poster

my prayers  have been with the people of japan after the awful devastation due to the earthquake and tsunami. it broke my heart to wake up friday morning and hear about it on the news. w+k studio has stepped up to the plate to help with relief efforts. the print above is sold here and 100% of the profits will go to the red cross. they are asking for a donation of at least $25.

via say yes! to hoboken

feeling green

 

sources:

1. monsoon rug from anthropologie via simple lovely

2. emerald resin body shape cuff by celine via simple lovely

3. ikat cushions from table tonic

4. lime rickeys with cilantro from martha stewart

5. kuhn rikon herb chopper from william-sonoma

6. self watering planters from top3 by design 

7. urubbu avocado print cards from greer chicago via martha stewart living/march 2011 

8. thatch palm blazer from anthropologie

9. pottery from heath ceramics

converted barn in hudson, ohio

have you checked out the new march/april editon of lonny magazine? i did and was so excited to see this article titled, "eclectic ingenuity"  written by shawn gauthier, art direction by michelle adams and photography by patrick cline. it's about a woman from ohio, yes i said ohio (my native state). yoooohoooo! we never see fellow buckeyes featured in any design magazines so i was thrilled. colleen locke and her husband, kevin, bought a 1960's cape cod house with it's 200 year-old barn in hudson, ohio. she followed her gut when decorating  and filled it with contrasts of sophisticated and rugged pieces. don't you love the mix! can you imagine the parties she has in that barn?

images by patrick cline for lonny magazine.

dear spring, please come soon!

the birds are chirping. the rain has come. i see a little crocus shooting out of the ground. all signs of spring. i really need you to come early this year. the girls and i are getting tired of searching for things to do inside. we can't wait to play at the playground and take some hikes by the water. not to mention another hour of daylight. that is going to rock! anyway, i'll make you a big cake with cream cheese frosting and put lots of candles in it for you if you bless us with your presence sooner than later. pretty please!!

image from birch flowers. 

the high line

since josh is a landscape architect we really get a thrill out of seeing urban industrial spaces that have been converted and recycled into public green spaces that the community can use. the high line in new york city was originally constructed in the 1930's to lift dangerous freight trains off of manhattan's streets. it recently has been converted to a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the meatpacking district, west chelsea and clinton/hell's kitchen. the landscape architect responsible is james corner field operations along with architects diller sconfidio + renfro.  these are some of the pictures we took on our recent trip to new york city. and to think that this area was slated for demolition in the 1990's.check out more images of when the park is in it's prime here because i don't think our pics do it justice. 

french rentals

 so after my last post i started looking at the marston house website and saw that they have rental properties in southern france. i mean what could be better, a design team that has bought property in maine and france and fixes them up to showcase their architectural sense and antique finds and then you get to stay in them. it's like a dream come true. usually all the rentals i stay in have to be edited and redecorated the first day we arrive and pictures of the before and after have to be taken so we remember where to return everything to it's original spot when we leave. i don't think we would have to spend any time redecorating these beautiful, soulful rentals.

images via the marston house.

brooklyn artist's home

 

the house of artist, stephen antonson, kathleen hackett and their 2 boys, finn and james, has so many interesting pieces i want to go in and touch everything. what creative genius' they are for decorating their place with mostly handmade and yard sale finds. you should read more about their engaging lives in this new york times article, "in brooklyn, making it up as they go", by penelope green.

oh, and see that leather love seat in the fourth picture down? they found that at the marston house, an antique store in wiscasset, maine that i mentioned in a blog post here. just love that shop!!

photo credit: trevor tondro for the new york times.