Recycled Retreat

This is a new Texas retreat made from recycled shipping containers. I've seen the acres of shipping containers in the ports of Hong Kong and China, so perfectly uniform and not unlike little mobile home parks. This is the high-end for a container-- beautifully outfitted and positioned in the West Texas landscape, they almost look heroic. I love the innovation that these containers have inspired-- I remember an art exhibit in NY a few years back all made of stacked containers. The first photo is my own in one of the busiest ports in the world. Read the full article here.

Partners & Spade

In the spirit of Kiosk, there is now Partners & Spade, a new store I want to visit in NYC. This is really a curated thrift shop-- a gallery of the cool everyday-- a pop art flea market. The brainchild of Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti, you can find the odd and interesting here. And you can even hire the stylemakers themselves-- they offer services from making you a finch aviary to creating a "post confidence trophy" for anything you wish you'd been recognized for in the past. Put it on your shelf. No one will know.

And like Kate Bingaman-Burt, they've illustrated their inventory with this intriguing line drawing. Don't you love line drawings? So, there's really no choice but to pay them a visit and see what a "Framed Yellow Book" or a "Flood Scene Book"or a "Pink Paper Hat" really looks like. Go to 40 Great Jones St, (between Lafayette and Bowery) 646-861-2827.

Karen Walker Paints

The inspiration for this new paint line came from the Bauhaus school, whose concept was to "create and combine colours from an emotional point of view rather than a technical one, to group colours in a way that tells a story rather than simply matching them tonally." The combinations are perfert-- makes me want to repaint our whole house-- and I love the way they've presented them. Stylist Katie Lockhart – who has also designed the interiors of Karen Walker’s stores – collaborated with sculptor and artist Gidon Bing to produce a range of mini-modernist, Bauhaus-style homes complete with miniature furniture and artworks. (PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW WILLIAMS)

Area Rug Bug

I think rugs are very difficult. You can rarely find one that isn't the same old same old and when you do, it's usually trying too hard. This rug, from Area Rug Bug is a nice subtle change from the overcolored and overdone. The non-symmetrical design would make any room more interesting.

Design on the Cheap

In today's NYTimes, there is a great profile of this young British couple who transformed their house on a budget of only $10,000. The results are sleek and sophisticated, and highly creative. An awesome space made even more impressive by their resourcefulness. You really can do a lot with a little.

Lucky

Every now and then, Kari and I find an estate sale that is so exciting we can't believe our luck. Saturday, we saw this one. This couple was so stylish, so moneyed that they could furnish their house with the best the era had to offer. There was no slouch merchandise here-- I couldn't believe the fine quality of this sale. Besides the furniture and housewares, there were terrific vintage clothes, monogrammed linen tablecloths and napkins, jewelry, etc. It was quite a treat to see what this couple had "curated" over time. Perfect pitch-- very inspirational.

Marimekko Interior Collection

Marimekko always hits the right note, and its new interior collection is really exciting. I love the table with a removable tray for the top, providing lots of storage and a cool shape to boot. But their new patterns by artist Sanna Annukka are really terrific. I've featured Annukka here before and her art is a perfect match to the Finnish company's aesthetic.

Lushpad

Lushpad is a great online market place where you can post ads for items you want or items you have to sell. Extremely well organized and presented, Lushpad is worth a look even if you're not in the market: they have resource information on trends, manufacturers, and design biographies-- even a great short film about modern American in the 1950s. This is mid-century nirvana and a great resource. They have a store in Phoenix if you're in the neighborhood!

ReadyMade + Modern Craft

Kari and I are so excited to be featured in the December / January issue of ReadyMade magazine. Photographed by Brian Ulrich, whose work we've admired for a while now, with text by Kirsten Jerch, the article talks about Modern Craft and includes many pictures of our house. Thanks everyone!

Another Reason to Go to Houston

Chrissy, a great friend of mine and one of the most resourceful people I know, is Executive Director at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston. Being quite connected, she sent me this info about a big Mid-Century Modern sale that two of Houston's biggest dealers are holding this weekend. Both dealers participate in Lawndale's Modern Market every year. Pictures here are from previous Modern Market sales at Lawndale (Photo credit - Katy Anderson). The sale features items by EAMES, G. NELSON, WORMLEY, ROBS JOHNS, GIBBONS, SAARINEN, KNOLL, H. MILLER, LANE, DREXEL, AMERICAN OF MARTINSVILLE.

In the HEIGHTS, 1220 W. 19th street (KM452U). Take Shepherd to 19th street in the Heights, make left on 19th and you will see warehouse on the left Saturday November. 22, 9 - 4 / Sunday Nov. 23 11 - 4. Call 713-478-3293 for more details.

Pieces

Lee Kleinhelter is the force behind Pieces, an Atlanta interior design shop. The great finds for the boutique are found in markets from all over the country. Vintage Swedish deco chairs, driftwood wall sculptures, cork lamps,etc. she also carries some contemporary favorites like Hable Construction and Jonathan Adler. “I search for items that are unique and can be updated to fit in many environments”, says Lee. “I want to create a space that inspires people and is available not only to the trade, but exposes the public as well." Great eye and an interesting mix of vintage and new.

ModHaus

If you're looking for vintage housewares, textiles, or furniture, ModHaus is a great online shop with reasonable prices and a decent mid-century inventory. Run by Shannon Aaron and Sue Jacobson in Boston, the owners have a great eye for interesting finds.

Place Space

Place Space by Todd Oldham is an innovative new design series that explores brilliant, unique places and the obsessive people who create them. Published four times per year, this magazine includes pull out posters, postcards, and an essay by such luminaries as Michael Graves, Amy Sedaris, Camille Paglia and Cindy Sherman. Volume themes include: Going inside iconoclastic filmmaker John Water's home, visiting the surreal recreation of the Flintstone's Bedrock City, exploring the off-kilter off-campus housing of art students at the Rhode Island School of Design, and seeing the inspired design oasis of "Camp Nest." Recently named by Wallpaper Magazine as the "#1 Design Masterpiece to Treasure for 2008." You can get yours here. $20.

Muji Homes

Love the "undesign" of Japanese retailer and lifestyle guru MUJI? Well, they've expanded their empire aesthetic to include prefab houses, starting around $150,000. The MUJI homes (so far only built in Japan) are based on the idea of small space and minimal living (like their products). Their rooms feature an open layout, embrace simple functional forms, and aim to be affordable. You can see all their homes and download PDFs of the plans on the MUJI blog.

Liza Phillips

I met Liza a few years ago at ICFF and thought she had a brilliant idea: small individual rugs for your stairs. Maybe you've seen things similar in the past, but the rich beauty of Phillips's rugs are really outstanding. From her site: "Our hand-knotted rugs are made by Tibetans in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The wool is rich in lanolin oil, which is important both for the absorbtion of the dyes as well as the plush texture for which Tibetan rugs are famous worldwide. Our manufacturers hand spin their wool and use traditional vegetable dyes or eco-friendly Swiss Ciba colors." Phillips comes by her excellent taste naturally, her grandfather was Duncan Phillips, the art collector and founder of Washington's Phillip's Collection. A great idea really well done.

Victory Vintage Home

I'm always looking for pieces that are unique but still lend some authenticity to our modern house. We've largely furnished with pieces from IKEA, West Elm, Crate and Barrel, etc, but the vintage pieces we have really hold the lot together. Victory Vintage Home has great vintage pieces from the 50s and 60s that are very reasonably priced compared to most online shops. They're located in Georgia and I assume they'll arrange shipping for you. Great items. (I want the blue web chair.)