Tina Tarnoff's Paper Silhouettes

This is just one of many interesting examples of San Francisco artist Tina Tarnoff's papercut art. This is called Marie Antoinette and it was inspired by the real-life extravagance (nonsense?) of her hairstyles.

Tarnoff's favorite subjects -- all done in black & white silhouettes -- include dancers, jazz musicians, pastoral scenes and more. They're worth a look.
@ Etsy, $65
[via Shelterrific]

Porcelain Pear Bud Vases

In our opinion, these porcelain pear bud vases are voluptuous, timeless and can be used in a thousand different ways. We especially love seeing them against wood, say lined down a dark wood table or on a displayed on a teak shelf.
@ Abitare, $15

Anthropologie Doily Rug

Rich plum color. Delicate vintage-y pattern. Eye-catching shape. This rug is pretty much perfect. But if you're considering it for a smaller room, there is a caveat. It has a 12-ft. diameter, so expect it to have a major presence. It seems like they do sell a smaller version, but it's not currently available online.
@ Anthropologie, $1098.

Chic Car Trash Bags

It's so nice to find a good-looking solution to a daily annoyance: Car trash. These fabric bags -- which hide disposable plastic bags -- are a huge step above the blah vinyl variety. They've got adjustable straps to fit any car and come in a variety of pleasing patterns.
@ Etsy, $19

Gianna Rose Soaps

These guest soaps would make a perfect hostess gift, even if they are far too pretty to use for washing up. Still, we'd love to see the birds and eggs perched in any guest bath we visit.... as long as they had a real-life soap option handy.
@ Layla Grace, $26

Alicia Bock Photographs

Alicia Bock's photographs remind us of all that is right with the world.

These are from her Sing A Song Viewfinder Collection. The images from that series feature soothing, sun-bleached colors and blurred borders. Grouped together, they create a film effect that could be played up depending on the frame.

She's got a lot of other work on her site and on Etsy. These are just a few examples of rich and wonderful collection. Various sizes of her signed work are available, from notecards to 12"x12."
@ Alicia Bock Photography, from $5-$65

Kartell's Take Table Lamp

Kartell's Take table lamps are small, hip, colorful and downright adorable for such a modern look. They come in the same colors as a roll of Life-savers, plus a few more.

We love the translucent acrylic-like look, which makes the colors dramatic, but not at all overwhelming. And did we mention that they're quite affordable?
@ YLighting, $119

Long Lumbar Pillows

Sometimes all an uninspired chair needs is a pop, and these lumbar pillows definitely add energy. They can do a lot more. Use a pillow to harmonize clashing colors, create a layered look, update a room and give your room a seasonal makeover. All & all, they pack a lot of design savvy in a small, skinny package.

From top:
Global Ikat @ West Elm, $29

Hayley @ Pottery Barn, $39
Persian Ice @ Anthropologie, $100
Coptic @Room & Board, $109

Jaune Papillion @ FCL Style, $199
Suzani Gold @ Target, $15
Sadie @ cb2, $35

Cloud Paper Sofa

Who needs a silver lining?

The prototype of this gorgeous Cloud Paper sofa, by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, was (understandably) one of the darling at this year's Milan Furniture Fair. And yes, it is actually made from paper.

For those of us with dogs, cats or humans who have a tendency to destroy paper products, a fabric version by Moroso is already in the works. The texture will be similar to the paper, and made to evoke clouds and flowing water.

We would love to see slipcover versions -- made from durable and machine-washable microfiber -- that capture that same floating- on- air feeling.

Fabric Storage Boxes

Aren't these fabric boxes sweet? The designs are created with appliqued fabric, some of which are hand-dyed by the artist. Lined along a shelf, a row of these boxes -- especially the birds on a wire -- would look pulled-together, without that overly perfect, polished look.
@ Etsy, from $18.

Key Organizer

Maybe a spot of color is the key to keeping keys organized and handy. Five color-coded key chains + five velcro dots = no more misplaced keys.
@ Charles and Marie, $60

Simplified: Jewelry Trees

Jewelry trees are an ideal solution when it comes to keeping necklaces, earrings and such stashed in an appealing way. Here's a round-up of some of the options we like.

From top
Aluminum @Uncommon Goods, $70
With tray @Red Envelope, $60
Petite magnolia @Wrapables, $66

Vintage stand @PB Teen, $59
Dogwood @ Urban Outfitters, $42
Snowbirds @ Wrapables, $44

Gourd Glass Lamps

These pretty glass gourd table lamps just turned up at West Elm, and we can think of more than a dozen places around our house where they'd make a perfect statement. And at over two feet tall, they'd have enough presence in a big room. In natural and charcoal.
@ West Elm, $179

Mercury Glass Hurricanes & Tealights

Mercury glass is so darn pretty with an antiqued finish, like these hurricanes. It also looks great with a hobnail pattern. Both the chipped finish and dimples diffuse the shine & scatter light in interesting ways. We'd say that both are timeless pieces.
@ Mothology, from $11

Mod Podge to the Rescue

We recently stumbled onto a clever site that is bent on saving random and boring things around the house, one bottle of Mod Podge at a time.

For those who were never in Girl Scouts or just don't craft, Mod Podge is the glue-y stuff that dries clear and is used to decoupage just about anything.

Here, courtesy of ModPodge Rocks, are a few surprisingly Mod Podge-able things:


1. Prettify a step stool. If you're so over looking at black rubber tread, try covering it with a pretty fabric to make reaching up to a high cabinet so much sweeter. [via Groovin' with the Grizas]




2. Cover a clipboard with tea labels. Or wine labels. Or just about any other pattern or theme that comes to mind.

3. Posterize a chair or two.



4. Make adorable switch plate covers. (Or if you'd rather just buy one, pop by a la mode for a great selection.)

5. Drape plain tea lights with thin, semi-transparent dress patterns.

Sink into a Livingstone

Nook, our sister site, just wrote about Livingstones, soft sculptural pillows that are made to look like they just washed up on the beach. We can think of nothing better than to sink into one of these (or a pile?) with a good book. Utter bliss.
@ Lola Home, from $135

Transglass Champagne Dish

These lovely champagne demi-bottles are a creative way to stash pearls, watches, earrings, sunglasses and other baubles.

Designed by Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden, the tranSglass® material is made from recycled champagne bottles as part of their Design with Conscience collection.

The glass has been polished to soft luster. Chic, pretty and eco-friendly? We'll drink to that.
@ Greenergrass Design, $50

Cole & Son Wallpaper

Cole & Son, the famous wallpaper makers based in the UK, are behind both of these wallpaper styles and each has become a classic.

Tema a Variazioni is based on the hand-drawn images by Italian designer Piero Fornasetti. As anyone who collects his plates knows, rows of famous faces look absolutely stunning on a wall.

The Woods wallpaper, which was launched in 1959, brings the outdoors in with high style. We've seen rooms where this paper looks soothing or dramatic, but either way it's gorgeous.

Cole & Son can be tough for regular people (meaning non-designers) to find in the US, but we've tracked some down for you.
@ Rose & Radish, from $195/roll

Dress Up a Rustic Kitchen

We love the way that these scoops are both rustic and modern at the same time. We also love the hand-hewn textures visible i dark Asian wood.

These scoops were used at bazaars throughout the Far East to scoop measure grains & spices.
@ Pottery Barn, $49.

A Rose is a rose is a fabulous pendant light

This is must be what they mean when they say 'romance is in the air.' This gorgeous drum shade pendant lamp is an overhead explosion of white roses. To us, it looks incredibly modern. To lovers of all things shabby chic, it must look like a classic. Designed by Maura Daniels.
@ Shabby Rose Chic, $190

Peek-a-Boo Curtains

At first, it looks like a nice, natural poplin curtain with some diamond detailing near the top.

Then you realize that the diamonds are orgami-like folds in a Japanese-inflected pink & gold pattern.

Pull them shut, and there's a flurry of movement as white panel insets that are splotched with pink flowers flare open for an instant before they settle back into quiet, peeping folds.

Altogether, these Hidden Edo panels are unassuming curtains that harbor very pretty surprises.
@ Anthropologie, from $158.

Mirror, Mirror on the Sidetable

Side tables - basically by definition - are wallflowers. They're often bashful pieces of furniture that let flashier items take center stage.

Not so with this gorgeous tea table. It comes in two finishes: mirrored (a favorite way make a room glow) or black glass (mee-ow!).

Chances are, these tables routinely take center stage in a room. No one puts baby in the corner.
@ Modern Dose, $390.