Serena & Lily Catalog

The latest Serena & Lily catalog has me drooling. I'm especially taken with the Freida duvet. Plus, have you seen the new Bazaar Section they just added? It's filled with all sorts of funky, hard-to-find pieces that make fantastic accents for a room. And most of the listings in the Bazaar are one of a kind — which means, when they're gone, they're gone.



Serena & Lily is also a great spot to find nursery inspiration. Aren't those white paper cranes gorgeous?

Ice Milk Aprons

Good morning, Friends! I couldn't post yesterday due to some technical difficulties. My apologies to those of you who checked in hoping for some new content. Happily, the technical stuff was resolved this morning and I've got some fantastic posts to share today.

First off, what are your thoughts on aprons? I tend to favor waist aprons versus full aprons — and I adore these straightforward, really beautiful options from Ice Milk Aprons. (Although, right now, I'm happy for anything that covers my giant tummy.) Something about the change of seasons seems to draw me into the kitchen. In the fall, I crave pie making. In the spring, I like cake.

Do you use aprons in the kitchen?

spotted on SimpleSong

Hand Printed Wallpapers

Do you have wallpaper in your home? I think the hand-printed offerings from Grow House Grow are pretty. Plus, each design has a story.

American Science & Surplus

Have you browsed the wares at American Science & Surplus? It's a fascinating place. You can find these pretty pushpins for less than $3. Or this clock for your math-whiz friend. Or you can find robot partz.

Via Wee Wonderfuls

American Furnishings

I'm craving pieces from the Vintage Industrial section of American Furnishings. I wish I had a good place to put this. It could be an elaborate laundry sorter. : )



via 300 and Sixty Degrees

Robot Letters

We have a little bit of a robot obsession happening at our house. Aren't these robot initials adorable? Available in pink, green or blue.

The Voiland House

Denver experienced a good-sized growth spurt during the middle of the last century, so there is a plentiful supply of terrific mid-century modern homes in the area. (I wrote a little about that here.) The downside for a family as big as mine is that most of these homes have very few bedrooms.

When I saw this one — the Voiland House, designed by Charles Sink — had 6 bedrooms (on 1/2 acre!) we got on the phone immediately. Alas. We found out it had just gone under contract. Boo.




What do you think? Would your family enjoy living in something with stark lines like this? How many bedrooms is too few for you? Don't you love the red door and the double balconies?

Wild Life Prints

What is it exactly about these images by Jeff Friesen that is so charming? I really have no idea, but I can't stop looking at them. Available as signed, archival prints.

Texture

I consistently crave interesting textures. These textile photos by Gemma Commas caught my eye.



And you know I love the classic Emeco Navy Chair (it's my very favorite chair). There's really nothing I would do to improve upon it, so I was surprised how much I like the texture of the wood seat against the metal in this new version.



I also think this furniture upholstered in grain sack is highly appealing. I wonder if it's comfy?

Toy Storage

We are in search of something in which to store our endless collection of dress-ups. Isn't this a pretty toy box? By Mod Mom Furniture. (It's custom! You can pick your preferred patterns for the flowers.)

Happy Fridge

I just saw these refrigerators by Smeg. In black, blue, cream, lime green, orange, pastel blue, pastel green, pink, red and silver. Aren't they happy? Would one of these work in your house?

via SeeSaw

Ask Design Mom — File Cabinets

Ask Design Mom Question:
I was wondering if you could recommend some websites that sell attractive file cabinets. Specifically, I am looking for a vertical 4 drawer unit that will be visible from my open family room. We live in a condo. Maybe something silvery and retro? Many thanks — Elissa

Design Mom Answer:
Hi Elissa. Thanks for the question! Here are a few ideas. If you're looking for silvery and retro, ebay or college surplus sales are a good place to start. In fact, one of the pieces of furniture we left behind in New York was an old-school, Steelcase, 4-drawer filing cabinet that I picked up at a university surplus sale for $10. Woot! And then spray painted black. (We've since switched to file boxes stored in a closet — in case you're curious.)



If I was to do it again, after hunting down an older file cabinet, instead of painting it, I would take it to a metal shop and have it stripped and polished to look like one of the beauties from The Old Cinema pictured above.

Want something new? I think the Precision Kurve cabinets from Metalon are very good-looking.

Feeling a DIY moment coming on? You could buy a standard cabinet from Staples and customize. Decoupage? Huge shipping stencils? Giant magnets?



What about you, Dear Readers? Seen any good-looking file cabinets lately? How do you like this wall of extra-tall file drawers — as seen in Jill Brown's store. Lovely, no?

A Bedroom for Two Sisters

Just days before we left New York, I stopped at my friend Kathryn's house to snap some photos of her daughters' bedroom. I intended to post a little house tour on Cookie. And then (sadly) Cookie was no more. : (

Browsing through iPhoto this morning, I came across these pictures and remembered how darling this room is. Kathryn loves shopping. Kathryn loves all things vintage. And Kathryn is really good at shopping for all things vintage. Plus, she has a fantastic eye. In fact, I bet that Kathryn could open an etsy shop, sell off every item in this room and fill it up again from the goodies in her garage.

What about you, Dear Readers — do you have a friend like Kathryn? Someone that's really good at visual displays? Someone that can find the hidden gems at any estate sale? Man. I miss Kathryn.

P.S. — If you have similar talents to Kathryn, but live in Denver, please make friends with me — I need a shopping buddy who knows all the good sources.