Oh Joy!

zip cushions

Love the simple shapes of these Zip Cushions by Australian designer Matthew Sheargold...

feeling mini rainbows...

{left to right, top to bottom: alexander mcqueen butterfly dress, ronni kappos charm bracelet, paul smith tea pot, phaidon color library series, rainbow staircase from feb 08 Domino, and orla kiely wheelie case.}

happy friday + a tiny garden

It's certainly been an extra green week of posting here with our little field trip earlier this week. Here's a photo of one of my purchases from that field trip...a tiny garden of the sweetest little succulents in my favorite new swirled marble pot. Since we live in a high rise apartment, I'll have to wait a little longer until I can fill a real live outdoor garden. Have a great weekend everyone..can't believe May is here already.

{marissa likes}: skeem votives

Marissa picked up one of these Skeem travel votives the other day at Terrain, and we both loved the graphic black type against the brightly colored wax. The Philadelphia-based company uses a soy/paraffin wax blend poured into reusable glass containers.

a floral medley for mom

I love to this gorgeous and fun arrangement made by Branch & Small Stump especially for mother's day. The mix of seasonal flowers are arranged in a genuine birch bark tube with a hand-silkscreened pansy puff sachet and message to Mom on the little white cloud of the hand-made mama and baby rabbit tag. All goodies sit on a tray in a bed of fresh wheat grass making for a lovely centerpiece. The San Francisco duo will hand-deliver the arrangements to anywhere in the San Francisco area. Unfortunately for those of us with moms not in San Francisco, we're out of luck...but they are so pretty even from a far.

{via sfgirlbybay}

sweet animals...

...from UK designer Mibo.

{available in the US through 2jane.}

terrain {part 2}

As promised, here are more detailed photos from our trip to Terrain yesterday, particularly of merchandise and display. For even more, you can see the full set of images right here. I am in LOVE with the punch metal lanterns shown above...they are even more beautiful in person and at night! sigh...

terrain...amazing! {part 1}

Marissa and I took a trip over to Terrain at Styer's today (the 4th brand from Urban Outfitters previewed last week here)...and wow...all I can say is we were totally blown away. The fact that we spent almost four hours there says it alone. The new home & garden lifestyle concept turned out to be even more amazing than we could have imagined. The setting is airy, lush, and peaceful with a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The greenery, retail space, and selection of products are incredibly well done. A mix of modern, handmade, organic, sustainable, imported, and simply beautiful items fill the indoor and outdoor spaces. Integrated into displays are pieces from Thailand, India, and Africa as well as locally found objects. The details are impeccable as is the merging of plants into the lifestyle space. The space was a true reflection of the amazing mix of talents that developed the concept and created this space.

A favorite of mine...beautiful packaging with photographic florals on kraft bags and faux bois gift boxes.

We also had a chance to have lunch in the café which happened to open today. Fresh, local food inspired by the current seasons were served in an airy and bright greenhouse style space.

Terrain does have plans to expand to other locations across the country...but for the time being, those of you outside Pennsylvania may just have to schedule a little weekend trip over to the Philadelphia area. You could seriously spend a whole day here alone. Although I took a TON of photos...Terrain at Styer's is even better in person. These are a few overview shots of the 11 acre retail space...stay tuned for {Part Two} tomorrow with more details and photos from this amazing new retail space.

{marissa likes}: art school girl

...especially this perpetual datebook...

karin + camilla...

= match made in design heaven! Check out the new collaborative pieces by ceramicist Karin Eriksson and illustrator Camilla Engman available at Manos. See more photos of the collboration here and here.

beautiful pops of color on neutral ground...

...in Osborne & Little's new Spring 08 collection...

lacy and lovely, gathered and pleated...

...in Jovovich-Hawk Spring 08...

quirky on paper

Printed on heavyweight 100% cotton, tree-free paper with soy-based inks, love these quirky new pieces by Chewing the Cud.

my task lamp obsession

You know how sometimes you get obsessed with one type of something that you just want really badly. For me, right now, it's all about an articulated desk task lamp. It all started with a Thomas O'Brien for Target lamp made a few years ago that was featured in a recent issue of Domino Magazine. The lamp has been discontinued, and I can't seem to find one anywhere. Ever since, my search for a long-armed task lamp continues...industrial, modern but not too modern...like it was used by architects in the 1950's. Anyway, posting about things seems to soothe my current infatuation, so I share with you some of my favorites right now.

{left to right, top to bottom: the original discontinued Thomas O'Brien for Target lamp from Lili Diallo's home in March of Domino, Roost Articulated Nickle Lamp, Thomas O'Brien Selecta Lamp, and the new Ilse Crawford Studio Ilse Lamp due out this Fall from May Domino.}

pale washes of pattern...

...by Japanese fabric company Nani Iro...

in the mood for vintage...

...inspired by a trip to my friend Brigitte's apartment last night {the best collection of vintage furniture & finds ever}...some smaller items from Etsy vintage shops...

{left to right, top to bottom: brass owl book ends from Domestikate, chenille bedspread from Catnap Cottage, creamery tags from Bluebell, 3 keys from My Sunshine, mid-century cutting board from Domestikate, and horse matchboxes from Abigail Vintage.

{marissa likes}: the precision & details...

...in the work of UK furniture designer Gareth Neal....

great infusion of color and detail...

...in Mayle's Summer 08 collection...

{available at Jake in the US}

terrain opens tomorrow!

Some of you may have heard about the new home & garden lifestyle concept in the works, Terrain, the 4th brand from Urban Outfitters, Inc. The first retail location, Terrain at Styer's opens to the public tomorrow in Concordville, PA...just outside Philadelphia. Here's a sneak peek at the new 11 acre garden center blending home fashion and horticulture. I've been hearing bits and bobs of things in the works, so I am sure the space and details will be absolutely stunning. I'll be visiting the new shop next week and will some post more photos then especially for those of you not in Philly...

shadowplay studio + juno

Since I rarely get to see movies in the theater, I finally {finally!} saw Juno last week when the DVD came out. Of course, it was as good I had anticipated, but how cool were the opening credits. Turns out the opening credits were hand-made by Shadowplay Studio in LA. If you haven't seen it, check out the Juno opening sequence here and click here for behind-the-scenes photos of how it was created.

{Images from Shadowplay Studio.}