winter bed

Traditional tweeds + crochet + organic cotton linens + the perfect old iron bed = cozy winter! If you like this, you may want to curl up with: 

Harris Tweed: From Land to Street (Lara Platman), the story of the traditional textile and the expert weavers from the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, who have given it life for generations. 

etchings by stephanie martin

Stephanie Martin's beautiful etchings have a timeless quality--as if they were created in another era. See more of her work here and here. Shown: "Chinese Lanterns" (top); "Icelandic Poppies, Northern Light."

a designer's space

It's not surprising that an interior designer lives in this space. But I love that it's interesting without being overly decorated and seems comfortable for a family. And how about that fabric baby gate with the side zipper (below)? So many charming details! See more of this house here.

bathroom of the week

Such a charming old sink! Interesting idea to add the iron bracket underneath (Photo: Rachel Whiting for GAP Interiors).

a custom monogram

I love Patricia van Essche 's custom monogram illustrations. After you make your design selections, she'll send you the original piece of art plus a digital version that you can have printed or embroidered on anything you'd like. Here's her fun custom order chart (click on image for an enlarged view):

See more here and visit her shop here.

a mountain getaway

Happy Monday! I'm back to the blog after a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. We enjoyed some wonderful mountain walks and great food--I'm still dreaming about the pear and blue cheese pizza and ginger cheesecake from Fresh in Black Mountain. We also hit a few antiques stores. I was tempted by a lot of things but only bought one: an old, blue Ball jar. I've been placing it in different spots, admiring the tint of the glass; it will probably end up in the basement as a container for nails, screws, and hooks (bottom photo: embroidered napkins by Ellen Baker). You see these everywhere now, but I still like it for its nice blue color.

Tip: Find mason jars in bulk (at a great price) here.

We stayed in a c. 1944 house built, with local, found materials by students of Black Mountain College, a remarkable and experimental art school that thrived from 1933 to 1957. Below is an old blueprint of the house (courtesy Lake Eden Events).  

Black Mountain College alums of note include Robert DeNiro, Sr. (father of the actor); Gwendolyn Knight; Cy Twombly; film director Arthur Penn (known for Alice's Restaurant and Bonnie and Clyde); Buckminster Fuller; and Robert Rauschenberg. Faculty and lecturers included Jacob Lawrence, Willem de Kooning, Albert Einstein, and William Carlos Williams. Below: An architecture class (courtesy North Carolina State Archives).

I highly recommend "Black Mountain College: Experiment in Art" (Vincent Katz) for a fascinating peek inside the personal and academic world of artists collaborating, in a small, southern mountain town, to create groundbreaking works and ideas. The stories and photos in the book also dash many popular ideas about the way people interacted in the 1940s and 50s. Since it's now out of print (and pricey where still sold) you might look for a copy at your local library. Also check out "The Arts at Black Mountain College".

{More}

Click here to watch the trailer for a documentary about the school called Fully Awake.

Click here for lots of fascinating Black Mountain College photos on Tumblr.

Click here to see photos from a recent exhibit about the school at the Loretta Howard Gallery in New York.

kitchen + brass love

I love the brass fittings in this kitchen! And how about that subway tile fireplace? And the chevron pattern floors...so many great things going on here!

historic house tour

This c. 1770 East Hampton, NY, home has so much collected style with little treasures hiding in every corner. I love the display of antique oyster plates (above). The fish still life paintings are by Anna De Mauro (photos: Tria Giovan for Cottages & Gardens). See more of this home here.

Below (top to bottom): A collection of lusterware pitchers with a hand-carved mirror; a great pantry-bar prep space with a Delft tile backsplash; the master bedroom features a Colonial-style painted wood floor; the kitchen was added on in the 1850s--the door and its hardware are original to that time. 

a {vintage} storage solution

Love this clever storage solution: Vintage French apple crates from Bailey's also make for interesting display cabinets.

Find old crates at LBrandTerraria, too.

french style in melbourne

I love this family home in Melbourne. It reflects the family's French style and love for old things; the cottage itself is a former school house that they brought back to life. See more at Australian House & Garden (photos: Jason Busch).

{Details}
Kitchen: Calacatta marble counters and Tasmanian cherry wood cabinetry
Painting above mantel: Sarah Fletcher
Garden: Whitewashed timber table from House of Orange

roman shades

I'm considering having a few roman shades made, one for the dining room and two for the master bedroom. Even though DIY projects are on the list for 2012, this project--requiring linings and hardware--would be a little advanced for me! I love the sheer linen shade pictured above (photo: Martha Stewart--you can find a DIY roman shade tutorial at this link, too).

I picked up a few (well, more than a few) samples at Atlanta's Forsyth Fabrics. It's hard to tell from the photo, but all of these samples are 100% linen; some are sheer but all would have a nice translucent quality. I'm sticking with solids since there's not much of a color scheme going in the rooms yet. I'm planning to do the inside-mount style (top photo); click here to see an example of the outside-mount style. Let's hope I can make up my mind on the fabric! I'll keep you posted. UPDATE: See the finished product here.

block-printed textiles

One thing I'd like to do more often in '12 is make things for my home. I'll be taking inspiration from designs like this--a beautiful, block-printed hemp/organic cotton pillow from Home Sweet--and using the book 1-2-3 Sew by my friend Ellen Baker. I love this pillow that Ellen made using a technique detailed in her book.

Fun fact: Home Sweet does it all by hand including mixing the inks and carving the printing blocks used in their work. Check out the Home Sweet blog here.

See my previous post featuring hand-stamped textiles here.

bathroom of the week

So nice and simple. Love the brass fittings of course. Found here.

inspired by: penland school of crafts

I'm dreaming of a relaxing time in the mountains sometime soon. I like going in the winter (if snowy roads permit!) when things are quiet and calm. One of the first road trips my husband and I took together was to the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina. It's a beautiful, remote campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains where craft lovers come for workshops and residencies in all sorts of media--from photography to clay to glass to textiles. We went during a break in classes, so we had the campus all to ourselves (we did spot a chicken or two, though). There's inspiration--both natural and human-made--everywhere you look there.

Lucy Morgan established Penland in 1920; today it comprises 400 or so acres of interesting old buildings, studio spaces, a gallery, and gorgeous views. Learn more about Penland here. Visit the Penland blog here.

Above, top to bottom (photos 2,6,7,8,10 via Penland; quilts photo by Robin Dreyer; all others by me/Will): campus entrance; The Craft House, c. 1935; me with a fuzzy expression at the Penland Post Office; Railroad by the Toe River; a bust in the field, artist unknown; The Barns studios; The Craft House porch; water tower, letterpress and print studio; campus view; puppet show on the knoll; quilts at The Northlight Building.

natural beauty

I recently blogged about botanical prints, but couldn't resist doing so again after coming across these beautiful watercolors by Austin-based artist Wendy Davenport Whatley. Click on each image to enjoy the special details of her work and her unique take on natural specimens. Prints are available at Whatley's shop, Things of This Nature.  Visit her web site here.