*Store: Empiric
*Owners: Annie Crowninshield and Michael Towey

Ever since I saw Heather’s twin mirrors from Empiric, I was curious about the store. I finally checked out their store and It was like Disneyland to me. I went to Empiric just to photograph the store, but couldn’t resist buying this beautiful plywood chair. If you are in the Los Angles area and love unique vintage funiture and decoration pieces, I strongly recommend Empiric

The chair in the last photo is the one i bought! Love it.

if you’re lucky enough to be in london next week, maxine sutton’s new show is a must-see. open to the public (admission is free), maxine’s exhibition is comprised of a series of paper collages, stitched wall pieces and 3D objects- some of which have details taken from embroidery transfers of the 1920s through the 1960s. the exhibition is being described as, “[offering] a fresh twist on traditional techniques…[and] the first chance to see this new body of work highlighting sutton’s unique skills and enthusiasm for everyday oddities and all things stitched”. if you’re in town be sure to stop by the opening on may 7th (the show runs through may 31st from 12-6pm every day) at craft central, 33-35 st. john’s square. click here for more information on maxine and her beautiful work.

today is the first of a three-part product roundup dedicated to rugs. over the next three weeks i’ll be rounding up a large selection of rugs divided into the following categories: runners, patterned rugs and solid/basic rugs. today we’re kicking things off with runners- my favorite way to add color to dark hallways. i’ve been looking for a great runner for months now and have come to the conclusion that i’m going to save up for a piece from bev hisey. below i’ve rounded up a selection of runners from various stores, but if you’re looking for more options these are some of my favorite shops to check for rugs and runners: velocity art and design, unica home, 2modern, target (they have more than i can even process), west elm, cb2, all modern, urban outfitters, anthropologie, crate and barrel and pottery barn. if you have any favorites you feel are missing, please add them in the comment section below and we’ll add them as we go along.

[image above, left to right: angela adams 'mammy' runner $425, hanson runner $59.95, solara indoor/outdoor runner $129, islands runner $425]

[image above, clockwise from top left: quixotic reverie runner $248, lucky stars runner $180, tenso runner $248, bailey runner $79.99, brooke slate runner by madeline weinrib, suzi pink runner by madeline weinrib appx. $2500]

[image above, clockwise from top left: sand vines runner $1,000, seeds runner $1,000, clover runner $875, dandelion runner $368, palm runner $1350, galliformes runner $248]

[image above, clockwise from top left: bev hisey wool runner $220]

[image above, clockwise from top left: rugs from bev hisey (these are narrow enough to be used in wider hallways)]

[image above, left to right: amy helfand runner, painted graphic runner $28, scroll flocked runner $28]

[image above, left to right: striped berber runner $54.99, lulu runner $425, uptown runner $79.99, sofia runner $199.99]

[image above: create your own custom runner with flor tiles from interface flor. around $12.99 per tile and up]

last week we introduced the new d*s “regional roundup” column with part 1, so i thought it only fair to explain a bit about why i chose iceland to start. i must admit, i knew very little about iceland except it was an island in the north atlantic. then, essentially on a whim, i took advantage of icelandair’s free stopovers on my way back from europe and decided to see what reykjavik was all about. granted i only stayed for 24 hours, but in that short time i saw so much (it helps that it’s not a very big place) and was completely blown away by the incredible mix of natural beauty that surrounded me, and the design I saw in the city (you can see my first impressions here). it was fresh, forward and unlike any place i had ever been. the trip left me wanting to know more, and today i’m excited to share the second group of designers. stay tuned for the final installment of icelandic designers next tuesday and more great reasons to check out iceland for yourself. to view today’s full post click here or just click “read more” below. -anne

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today’s city guide comes to us from kenyon college student, emma reidy. she kindly offered to create an indianapolis design guide for d*s and i was thrilled to add another domestic guide to the growing collection. i hope you’ll enjoy emma’s guide- click here for the full post or just click “read more” below. as always, if you think something is missing feel free to add your suggestions below- we’ll update the guide as we go along. stay tuned for a new installment of anne’s regional roundup (iceland) column at 12 and a new product guide (rugs!) at 1pm [thanks, emma!]

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last friday i decided to rent a zipcar and head over to van brunt street, the main drag of brooklyn’s red hook neighborhood. i wanted to visit two of my favorite shops, saipua and erie basin, and grab some sweets at baked to take home for the weekend. eric, sarah and russell, kindly invited me in for a tour of their shops so i wanted to share them here today. red hook is a really fantastic neighborhood and has so much to offer- the next time you’re in brooklyn make yourself a reservation at the good fork and spend a few hours before dinner strolling the great shops on van brunt (it’s a great alternative to some of the more trafficked areas of brooklyn). click here for the full post and photo tours or just click “read more” below. (if you just want to check out the full 100+ photo tour first, just click here)

[images above: inside saipua's red hook shop]

[image above: butterfly wing jewelry at erie basin]

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today jeana sohn has two fantastic posts on the d*s guest blog: a sneak peek into the (wonderfully sunny) home and gallery of her friends heather and alex. the home tour is really lovely- click here to check out both posts. thanks to jeana for the incredible posts this week!