thank you to shelterrific’s angela matusik for the kind mentions in this month’s depatures magazine. it was such a nice surprise to see the d*s homepage on the first page of the article.

thank you to everyone who commented on my keepin’ it real kitchen post. i was blown away by all the amazing ideas. i’m definitely going to incorporate a book shelf where the bench was and consider chalkbord paint for the space with corkboard right now. my immediate plans are to run with something similar to this photo above submitted in the comment section (from the san francisco gate, photo by eric luse). so i’m off to paint the ceiling yellow! and maybe a square behind the book shelf to tie it together (like the AT post suggested in the comment section). i’m going to get a nice white chandelier or pendant, too- i’ll post the results as i go along. in the meantime, here are some great yellow fabrics from joel dewberry (thanks, anon) to go with my yellow ceiling obsession for today…

thanks to my wonderful web guru, kate, all of the sneak peeks now have a home. you can click on the “sneak peek” button on the guides page (see menu above) and browse all of the beautiful artists’ homes featured on the site so far (32 and counting). [sneak peek above belongs to shelly klein of k studio]

artist sarah foley created a web-based “guide to manners” called y’all behave as part of her senior thesis at the school of visual arts. now that she’s graduated she’s selling these playful little placemats as an extension of the projct. sold in packs of twenty ($30) the placemats are both informative and fun to look at. each one will tell you the proper placement for your utensils so you’re never the odd man out. the site is pretty fun to browse through in general so click here to check it out. if you’re interested in picking up a set of sarah’s placemats just click here to send her an email and order.

while doing a little research for the oldham feature i found todd’s studio blog. i was immediately taken by the furniture project at the top of the site. conn, a contributor on the site, redid a thonet chair (diy, of course) by reupholstering it with a block-printed fabric. the results are stunning and so inspirational for those of us looking to redo our own furniture. the steps are well laid out and explained so click here to check it out. there’s also a fantastic post on auction houses, some examples of todd’s photography, and a post about artist shannon lucy (her illustrations are gorgeous). click here to check it all out.

with all the reupholstery talk going around this week i’ve been receiving some great emails about reader diy projects- especially those with amy butler fabrics. d*s reader isla (who works at pacific home in honolulu) sent over this picture of a $14.99 goodwill chair she repainted and reupholstered in amy butler’s “pods” fabric. between the savings on the chair and the affordability of amy’s fabrics this was one heck of a steal. great work, isla and thanks for sharing.

i’ll be honest, like any other design-loving person, when i show photos of my home online i carefully clear away the all the detritus of real life (stacks of magazines, dirty socks, cat toys, ac’s beer cans). i’ve rarely shown photos of the parts of our home that still have a long way to go. but today i’m going to keep it real. our kitchen needs a lot of work. a lot. i’ve been stimied by the hideous grey tile and countertops in the kitchen for 2 years now and it’s rendered me helpless in trying to find a way to bring it all together. what color makes icky grey tile look good? so, in the interest of moving forward i’ve tried to focus on small projects to keep me busy. this week it’s about finding a good fabric for our bench cushion and windows. i have an offi bench box in there and wanted to make a little cushion to bring some color and pattern into the room. but i figured, while i’m asking you guys about the fabric for the cushion (and something that would match for the windows), i’d invite any other ideas you might have. feel free to bring it on. here are some details that i thought might answer any questions that come up:

• i love my lime green le creuset pot. i’d love to keep the main colors black, white and lime green
• the wall above the stove isn’t strong enough to hold a pot rack or anything heavier than plates or a picture
• i’d love to put some shelves in for my cookbooks, but where?
• i’d love to do something pretty behind the sink but can’t come up with anything. the ricky dink mirror is a nice way to open the space but it’s not made for that space
• the main walls need to stay white because they share a long wall with the living room and no molding to break up colors. but i’m open to squares of color…or maybe chalk paint?
• i’ve thought about a wall of colored plates but i don’t know…

[fabrics, fabrics, anyone? dots from repro and hancock, beige and yellow linen from purl, and of course, kelly wearstler's signature trellis print]

[if this picture isn't keeping it real, i don't know what is. this is what you see when you walk in the kitchen. help! how do i hide the cords and make this pretty?]

[more fabrics. clearly i'm obsessed with something dotty or bold...]

[the space above the oven. can't handle anything heavy but could use something pretty. maybe a nice window treatment and an arrangement of colored plates?]

[barf. barf barf barf. this space needs help. chalkboard paint? shelves for my cookbooks?]

[maybe this would warm things up?]

[a love hate relationship. love ms. jackson, hate those damn grey tiles.]

i really enjoyed opening up the jay jeffers podcast to reader questions so i’ve decided to expand on that notion with a series called “15 questions with…”. i’ll be inviting some of our favorite designers to take place and answers questions that you ask. once a designer is introduced the comment section will be open for you to leave questions. next week i’ll be featuring designer todd oldham. todd hardly needs an introduction so instead i’ll open the floor for questions you might have for him. he’s done just about everything when it comes to design (product design, interiors, graphic design, photography, etc.) so feel free to ask away. i’ll choose my favorite 15 questions and hand them to todd tomorrow with answers running next week. have fun!