Hey guys. I'm going home to my parent's farm in Westminster, MD to see my sister before she moves to Tampa for grad school. Believe it or not, my parents don't have internet, well, they've tried, but the service is iffy. So enjoy your weekend! I leave you with pictures of our farm, Chestnut Creek. Talk to you all on Monday!




Early morning fog from the pond out my parent's front door.


Our tom, a heritage turkey. Sadly he was lost to some hungry foxes.


Rainbow over the woods


A gorgeous Maryland sunset.


Behind the chicken coup


A pair of geese guarding their nest


Giving my naughty dog Cody a bath. He hates them but doesn't seem to realize that if he didn't roll in mysterious poo, then he wouldn't need them so often!

Inspiration for an orderly home

The Shakers are masters of order, simplicity, and practicality. I've had a pretty stressful last month dealing with a break-up and getting ready to move, so looking at their interiors has a calming, decompressing effect on me. ahhh. I think one can definitely learn and borrow from the shakers, and you don't need to stick with rustic furniture and accessories--you can apply their decorating philosophy to what you already have. What are your thoughts?





(first three images from marthastewart.com)



image from ukhomeideas.com


image from www.simpsondoor.com


The small Brooklyn firm called Uhuru blend modern style with the Shaker philosophy.
Images from www.core77.com


Image from lifeiscarbon.com
Sara Szyber from Stockholm, designed these modern Scandinavian shaker-style tables


I've been coveting these awesome shaker salt n' pepper shakers, and now they're on sale!
www.shakerworkshops.com



This table to me is a classic. One day when I have more room I will buy a kit and make one. It has the rare capacity to look great no matter what style you love! It can be traditional...it can be modern. Also from www.shakerworkshops.com



Office Chairs' "Bells and Whistles"

Are you ever confused by the names and features that are included with office chairs? Let us try to clear it up for you...

Pneumatic Seat Height Adjustment - Regulates height of the chair relative to the floor.

Tilt Tension - Controls rate and ease with which the chair reclines for different weights and strengths of users.

Knee Tilt (Option below) - Allows user to recline at slightly more of an angle than conventional tilt.


Dual Function (Option below) - Seat and back angle adjustment independently from one another.


2-to-1 Synchro Tilt - Allows user to recline while keeping the seat cushion relatively level to the floor.

Adjustable Lumbar Support - Allows user to move support to the area that applies to their particular lumbar.

Please feel free to fire any questions my way!

Garden inspired ceramics

I went to college in Providence, RI surrounded by many great designers, and I try to keep an eye on what the art community up there is doing. My most recent discovery I had to share with you! Asya Palatova is a ceramicist who founded "Gleena" in 2002. Her cups, bowls, plate, vases, and other vessels are wonderfully delicate and lovingly crafted. I absolutely love the illustrations she uses, which often include shells, plants, and beautiful script. Being instantly drawn to handmade objects with an organic look and feel, I could easily have a whole cupboard of her work. Check out her website, or go to her Etsy store for more.









Beautiful designer portfolios

So every now and then I go on a hunt for some interior designers unbeknownst to me for some fresh inspiration, and to stay abreast of what's going on in the interior designosphere (yes I made that up). Here are three that I really liked, and thought you might too.

Anthony Todd
Anthony Todd also has a boutique in Greenwich Village.


...that's a pretty amazing color on the wall








I really love these tray tables by the bed...anybody know where they're from?



Antonia Hutt


I love the art in this room



...wondering if that swinging chair is actually comfy





Anne Coyle


...a great example of designing with books. I'm going to have to try this sometime.

My subscribers are back!

Thank you all so much! My subscribers have reappeared. I really appreciate your help!

Awesome texitiles and decor from Allegra Hicks

I was lucky enough to run across Allegra Hicks last week. They specialize in fashion, homewares, furniture, gifts, and interior design. What I fell in love with right away was their textile patterns, which are delicate, organic, and simply beautiful. Many of the patterns come in a variety of colors and span across many items, such as curtains, pillows, rugs, album covers, and even wallpaper!












Aeron Chair Celebrity Sightings


We learned last week that Jack Bauer sits in a Freedom chair, so this week we figured we'd comb through the archives to see which celebrities sit in the world famous Aeron chair. Designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick, the ergonomic Herman Miller Aeron chair has seeped into our popular culture and has become the symbol of professional influence and power in the work place. Featured on television shows, in big-screen films, in best-selling books, and even in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Aeron chair is undoubtedly a modern masterpiece to be marveled. Here are 10 places the Aeron chair can be spotted.

1. ) Medical genius Dr. Gregory House on the award-winning Fox Network television series House has an Aeron chair in his hospital office.

2.) God is sitting at his desk in an Aeron chair on the animated television series The Simpsons in the episode entitled “Thank God It’s Doomsday.”

3.) Claudia Jean Cregg, The White House Press Secretary on the NBC television show The West Wing, was frequently shown in her very own Aeron chair.

4.) In an episode about “chair envy,” The Aeron chair was featured on the Emmy Winning and Golden Globe Nominated NBC television sitcom Will and Grace.

5.) The Aeron chair is seen in the New York office of Dunder Mifflin in Season 2 of the hit NBC television series The Office.

6.) In the 2006 spy film Casino Royale, the character M, played by Judi Dench, has an Aeron chair at her desk.

7.) In the 2004 psychological thriller film Hard Candy, the character Jeff Kohlver, played by Patrick Wilson, sits at his desk in an Aeron chair by Herman Miller.

8.) The Aeron chair makes an appearance in the 2006 film Keeping Up with the Steins about a wealthy Jewish family planning their son's Bar Mitzvah.

9.) Author Malcolm Gladwell references Herman Miller’s Aeron chair in his 2005 book called Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking about our ability to use instinct. Gladwell writes how the Herman Miller team followed their instincts for modernization, rather than becoming discouraged by negative first impressions of the Aeron chair, and by doing so, created the company’s best selling office chair. Gladwell says, “What was once ugly has become beautiful.”

10.) In the hit TV show Lost, protagonist Jack Shephard sits in an Aeron chair shortly after the crew washes ashore on the island.

Okay, just kidding about that last one, but the rest are legit!