if you’ve ever had dreams of backyard chickens, miniature goats or just becoming a better gardener, chances are you’ve picked up a storey publishing book (confession. i have two of their chicken books and i don’t even have a backyard!) three years ago, alethea morrison, now the creative director of storey publishing, her husband mars vilaubi and son xavier moved from san francisco to their own little plot of land in williamstown, ma. the couple had spent their entire lives in cities, but they’re all adjusting to life in the country just fine! and it’s giving alethea a chance to try out some of those storey books! {thanks alethea, mars and xavier! and special thanks to mars for the lovely photos!} -amy a

[Before we moved to Williamstown, I was desperate to get settled in a permanent home to ease the transition, but most of what we saw was a depressing assortment of dark houses with low ceilings that contrasted unfavorably to airy California spaces. The very last possible house we looked at was like a gift. Having just that day come on the market, we were the first to see it, and we bought it immediately. What I like most about the plan of our house is that the living room, dining area, and kitchen are all one big open area. It makes the space feel modern and is just plain convenient. I also love the exposed beams, the use of salvaged wood for architectural details, and the wide-plank pine
floors.

photo above: I have a longstanding design crush on Angela Adams, who designed the rug in my living room. My favorite piece of furniture in the whole house is the mid-century Scandinavian sideboard. Art on the walls is, from left, by Hatch Show Print, John Wischmann, Yee-Haw Industries, and decals by Blik. The pillow is by Crispina ffrench. I keep meaning to digitize my record collection, but I'll keep the vinyl all the same if for no other reason than loving the cover art. My dog Chico was born and raised in San Jose and can never get warm enough in this colder climate.]

[The ladderback chair and basket of pine cones at the foot of the stairs are from my grandparents. They were dyed-in-the-wool Yankees, and it greatly relieved my grandfather that I moved back east before he passed away. There's another Angela Adams mini rug. On the windowsill I keep a little nature shelf of pretty stones, driftwood,et al that I find here and there.]

[photo above: I bought this teak table and eight chairs for $100 at a tag sale my first summer here. Mars and I reupholstered all the chairs ourselves with Maine Cottage fabric, which taught us that we don't like to upholster furniture. It took us almost nine months to complete. What I do like is vivid color and bold patterns - vintage Harlequin dishes, workaday Fiesta, and Orla Kiely for Target fit the bill. I bought the enameled milk jug and wire egg basket at Brimfield. I can't say enough good things about these Modern-Twist silicone placemats: they are easy to clean, feel silky to the touch, and are beautifully designed. The ceramic fish trivet is something my grandparents bought when they visited Norway. I treasure it beyond reason. The art on the wall is a vintage Scandinavian plate and a print by artist Jen Skelley.]

[photo above: For our bedroom, I made portraits of Mars and me out of vintage wallpaper and housed them in Victorian frames. We have a lot of sock monkeys that we've rescued from flea markets and adopted. I had to put the kibosh on getting any more. There are only so many mouths you can feed. These two are named Gypsy and Harpo.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of alethea’s sneak peek after the jump!

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catherine taret is a franco-american writer living in paris who works from her home located in the hip neighborhood of les abbesses, montmartre. all i can say is what an inspiring location, space and view to keep the creative juices flowing for catherine’s work on my little paris. the site, created by her friend fany pechiodat, is an insider website that keeps parisiennes – and those looking for a dose of paris – up to date on everything that’s happening in the city. their motto is “paris is not just a city, it’s an attitude.” enjoy the full sneak peek below (click here for additional and full-sized images), and see how you can channel your inner-parisienne in your own home! {thanks, catherine, elodie and charlotte!} -anne

{photographs by charlotte lascève, styling by elodie rambaud}

[above: It is a typical Parisian apartment, « parquet, moulures, cheminée », as we call it here. And if I had to find a word to define its style, I would have to borrow it from foodies : « fusion ». I guess it is a mixture of the many styles and influences that I cherish: my New England-antique-loving maternal genes, the Fifties (I can so imagine Don Draper sitting in that blue armchair), and Scandinavia. The ceilings are quite high and at some point I decided to get rid of all the high furniture, which increases the sense of space in the rooms. The pair of blue armchairs comes from one of my favorite vintage furniture shops rue Gérando, in SoPi (South of Pigalle). The white coffee table comes from KDesign. The 3-piece lamp and rug come from Habitat. The cat is Nino and comes from Avignon.]

Someone with great confidence in her taste once informed me that you could not have more than 2 colors in one room. Well, I am glad to say I am completely opposed to that or any other decorating statement. Style comes with time and confidence in one’s taste. I had no idea what my home would look like in the end and I still don’t. I just trust my judgement whenever I come across a piece. The walls are painted white and a greenish blue gray color from Ressource.

I love the reproduction from Jasper Johns. I bought it at the Moma many years ago. I bought the Danish buffet in another one of my very secret shops, located rue des Martyrs, Et puis c’est tout ! The dining room is also my office. I came across the architect’s table at the brocante on Avenue Trudaine, the best open air flea market in the city if you ask me, which takes place twice a year. Love at first sight. I just put all the chairs I find, all different, red formica, painted wood, fifties, around the table, and it gives it a shabby colorful look.

A few months ago, I decided to spice up the hallway with stickers by Domestic …. and Mellow Yellow from Ressources’s Fifties collection.

CLICK HERE for the rest of catherine’s sneak peek after the jump!

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welcome to the parisian home of the creative couple bridgette comazzi (creative director of the crave-worthy fashion brand comptoir des cotonniers) and ivan duval (part of the duo behind the quirky, clever line, atyypk).  they’ve been in this traditional haussmann style apartment in the 10th arrondisement of paris – along with their twin 10 year olds – for two years now.  not much has changed since moving in (they shot these pictures a month after move-in), and they love the size of the apartment as they prefer to keep the space rather than filling it with too much furniture and decoration.  adding further charm is the mix of wood and concrete floors it came with, which lead bridgette and ivan to coin the term “haussmanian loft” for their home’s look. click HERE for additional, full-sized images. {thanks ivan and bridgette!} -anne

[above: Living room. (45 square meters). The fireplace is currently working which is nice- and the lack of a mirror on top of it gives the room an atmosphere of the countryside rather than the city.  The bear skin is from Atypyk, it’s a huge doormat actually. One of the biggest item we’ve created.(200x225 cm).]

The cushions come from India, old green boxes were used in the textile industry.

Rusted frames come from letters of a very hold hotel in Paris, I found in the street close to the flat when it was demolished. Arty but still not “Art” we prefer them to stay on the floor rather to be hang on the wall.

CLICK HERE for the rest of bridgette and ivan’s sneak peek after the jump!

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living in 700- square foot bungalow in northeast los angeles, prop stylist and decorator emily henson has had to be particularly clever to create a space that can accommodate all 8 bodies who call it home: emily and husband erick, a tv editor; 2 little people – johnny, 7 and ella, 10; 2 french bulldogs – gracie and steve; and 2 cats – betty and cub. emily’s planning on adding to their ranks – soon there will be laying hens in the backyard! a big believer in the importance of personal touches, nearly every inch of the home has seen emily’s paintbrush or been customized in someway. emily’s motto is “creativity before consumption” – and it’s a philosophy she extends to her professional work with clients. working to find ways to use paint or reupholstering before hitting the shops. when it is time to shop, emily prefers thrift store and flea market finds – nothing too precious though. after all in this home, there are two dogs and two cats! and occasionally, the kids will strap on roller-skates and sail through the house! (for more of emily’s house, check out the flickr set!) {thanks emily and family – both human and furry! and thanks to john vicent talay for the photos!} -amy a.

[photo above: I used to work as a Display Coordinator for Anthropologie. For a window display I spent about two weeks hand-making these birdhouses – cutting cardboard, painting them, and gluing fabric on about 100 of them. I was reluctant to throw them away when the display came down so, with permission, I took them home. I am not a painter! But I gave it a shot with this tree just so the birdhouses could have a home. The colors in the room are drawn from the bedding, which I made from a vintage sheet and the pillows from an Ikea sheet. The bed itself is a mini-bunk made by my brilliant husband from good old 2’ x 4’ ‘s and plywood! They started as side-by-side beds, then after a few months we made them into bunks to get a bit of floor space back.]

[photo above left: My son is a prolific artist and is literally always making something from morning to night. He occasionally sits at this desk (although mostly we trip over his projects all around the house). I borrowed the idea of books in a birdcage from my very creative mother-in-law. I was going to hang it from the ceiling, but for now it sits on a stool with the current favorites inside. photo above right: My kids love to collect stuff, so it gathers on this dresser. I’m a fan of a bit of kid clutter if it’s sort of orderly. Johnny collects tiny buildings for his vast family of imaginary friends to live in (Apparently there are hundreds of them and they all have names). Ella and I thought it was funny to put the dolls in the birdcage. Sensitive Johnny is not so amused, because they have feelings you know. And of course, more birdhouses!]

[Photo above: our living room changed dramatically about 6 months ago when I painted my wood floors white. Some people think it’s crazy, but for me it’s a million times better than our ebony stained floors before. Yes, they never look perfect, but the amount of light that is reflected throughout is so uplifting, I don’t care about scuffs here and there. The sofa is from Urban Outfitters found on craigslist, the mirror is from Revival, this great vintage place in LA. In the course of a week, I found the trash can (to hold magazines), tissue box, tray, and flower candle holders at different thrift stores – they all look like they were meant to be together!]

[Photo above: the kitchen was the first room we worked on when we bought the house and it was pretty grotty. A very tight budget meant getting creative. Someone gave us the subway tile (you can see we still have some finishing to do!), the butcher block countertop was Ikea, the cabinet doors came off and everything got a coat of paint. I like to collect interesting glassware and dishes so the open cabinets serve as display as well as storage. We’ve got some molding to replace around the door, but I actually like the way it looks unfinished.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of Emily’s sneak peek after the jump!

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from the windows of the cottage where rosie brown lives with her husband ewan and little baby girl, verity belle (isn’t that the sweetest name), she can look out over the garden and watch the sea foretell the changing weather. the family just moved into this cottage in pittenweem, a small fishing village with one of the last working harbors in the area , just 7 months ago. the couple had wanted to move from edinburgh (see rosie’s edinburgh home here) and the tiny artist community seemed like the perfect choice for the owner of papa stour. each august the artists in the town throw open their doors to welcome visitors and show their work. rosie’s cottage is located just opposite a 7th century cave on a wynd (doesn’t that word just make you want to buy a ticket to scotland?) leading up from the harbor and is inaccessible by car. (see all of rosie’s home on flickr)   {thanks rosie, ewan and verity belle!} -amy a.

[photo above: The house was originally 2 cottage that were made into one in the 70's by the National Trust so it's a very quirky shape.  Most of the windows are south facing which is where the garden is too which makes it a lovely sunny place.  I wanted to give it a more spacious feel so painted most of the house white except for our studio and bedroom. There was a big red check carpet running throughout the hall and curtains with pelmets which took away a lot of the light.  We re-carpeted the hall in a thin stripe of duck egg and off white which gives it a more beachy light look.  We used white blinds instead of curtains to give it a more modern and light feel.]

[photo above: The nursery is located in a lovely little room at the top of the house with amazing views out the sea. The cot was mine when I was little and the blankets are by Nicola Mcghee, our newest Papa Stour artist, she does beautiful wool blankets that all come in vintage bags. The Chinese lantern was a find from New York many years ago.  The quilted blankets were bought in India from one of the hotel owners who had a small hand block print studio in one of the rooms they were beautiful and cost next to nothing.]

[photo above: This is the spare room. The map is an old map of the Kingdom of Fife (where we now live) that my husband has had for 15 or odd years, so amazing that we are now there!)]

CLICK HERE for more of Rosie’s Brown’s Scotland home!

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when designing this take- your-breath-away clinton corners, ny country house nina gotlieb strove to create a relationship between the house and its forest setting. a residential and hospitality designer, nina finds that she works best when she thinks about telling a story in a space rather than sticking closely to a particular style. the house was built from the ground up, and nina used the simple barn structures in the area for inspiration. she wanted the home to be open, airy and simple with modern, crisp detailing. but so that everything didn’t look too new, nina choose her materials carefully. Everything needed to have character and soul. for example, the siding is a knotty western red cedar, which was stained rather than painted so that the knots and grain showed through. and inside – it’s all about objects with history – industrial antiques and warm leathers and wood.  {thanks nina! and many thanks to miha matei for the lovely photographs!} -amy a

[photo above: the dining room table was made by my millworker - jay brennan, who i wish had a website, but is too much of a luddite.  he did all the millwork in the house, including the fireplace cabinetry (you can see a peek of it behind the couch), and did such an amazing job.  i had found a similar antique farm table that was insanely expensive, so i asked jay if he could build something similar but cheaper.  he had a pile of reclaimed oak in his shop that i think had just been sitting around since the 70's, which he burnished and fumed and "aged" to the point where he had made almost an exact replica of the antique table.  there's even spots of old red overspray from other projects on the legs that he just left there, and i love.  the sheepskin is from ikea, and i have it all over the house.  i had just returned from visiting friends in copenhagen, and loved how they just threw sheepskin all over everything as instant coziness.]

[photo above: the strategy for the layout of the house was pretty simple - we spend most of the time entertaining on the main floor, and bedrooms are just for sleeping, so they were all upstairs, and relatively small.  the kitchen / dining room / living room is one large space.  oddly enough, we still hardly ever hung out in the living room - always around the kitchen!  it ended up just being a place to read when you need some alone time by the fireplace.  the awesome rose pillow is from a détacher on mott street.]

[photo above: this is one of the two guest rooms.  the composition on the wall is actually woodblock prints of plants from an old french botanical dictionary that i found on ebay.  the smaller frames are shadow boxes that i filled with moss, sticks and stones i gathered from the property.  the beds are actually children's beds from notNeutral. the metal cart is from a company in ohio called american furnishings.  and of course, more sheepskin.]

[photo above: this is the same guest room.  i just like the idea of using crates here as shelves.  and i was obsessed with the idea of suitcase racks in a guest room.  the books are all about dutchess county, the hudson valley, or barn architecture.  i scoured ebay and other bookstores for these, but ran out of steam before all the crates were filled, which had been the original goal.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of Nina’s post! (and all 19 images on one page!)

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i’ve always loved the work of illustrator sanna annukka for the way that it weaves her finnish roots and interest in nature and folklore into her style.  today we’re so pleased to share with you a look into her 3-story victorian house that is a 15-minute walk from the brighton seafront, which she shares with her equally as talented graphic designer husband, jasper goodall. don’t miss all the images after the jump, and click here for additional, full-sized images. {thanks sanna!} -anne

[above: Vintage wallhanging above bed is made by Kainuun Pirttu. It was made in the region of Finland (Kainuu) where I spent most my childhood summers. African mask bought during recent travels to South Africa. The little woven rug is from Sweden, purchased on ebay.]

Victorian marble fireplace with original tiles. Above the fire place is an old Whiskey advertising mirror that would have originally been situated in an Irish pub. The scary mask is from our travels to South Africa.

Walls are covered with framed vintage travel posters. A mexican rug with Aztec motifs covers the sofa. Reindeer rugs we pick up from the harbour market in Helsinki.

The kitchen is awaiting a complete renovation. Plan is to build a double story height glass roof to bring extra light into that part of the house. Jasper and I want to custom design all the cupboards and work surfaces too. Currently the kitchen is an eclectic mix of free standing kitchen furniture.

CLICK HERE for the rest of sanna and jasper’s peek after the jump!

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here on d*s it’s always a treat for us when we can throw in a dose of “boy” style.  this sneak peek comes to us from artist and former top design contestant, ryan humphrey. ryan and fashion designer girlfriend, lindsay derose, bought the apartment located in jackson heights queens six years ago as a major fixer-upper.  the apartment has come a long way from the contact paper kitchen counters, wall-to-wall rose-colored carpet and matching floral embroidered cushioned toilet seat in the bathroom. enjoy the full – revamped – peek below, and click here for additional images (don’t miss the sneak peek of fellow top design star goil amornvivat star here). {thanks, ryan!} -anne

{photos by kevin ryan}

[above: Admittedly, my approach is FUNKY. Stream lined, balanced, and tasteful spaces are a bore more often than not.  I do not think anyone’s home should look like it is a set for catalog photography. This perspective to interiors got me in a lot of trouble when I designed a room around a girl’s cat on Top Design.  But that is all right, because subjectivity is what makes the world so dynamic and interesting.

The room in the background is the living room; the blue chair is a vintage Eames (rescued from a dumpster!) The table is an Arne Jacobsen. (Rescued from an apartment cleanout pile!)  The stainless steel R was handed to me by a construction worker on 42^nd street who was tearing off layers of a building façade and throwing it all in a dumpster. The portrait next to the R was a self-portrait painted by my father when he was 17.  The desk is an antique given to me by my mother; she also made the hanging lamp.  The paintings are by Aaron McMasters and Sam Gibbons.]

The sofa is by Todd Oldham for Lazy Boy, I bought it from two really mean sisters in Williamsburg for $35!  The aqua colored painting above it is by David Von Schlegell I found it on the street in the middle of the night.  He was a huge sculptor in the 60’s and was also the head of the Yale art department. The poster is vintage Van Halen. (EBAY IS AWESOME!) All the pillows were sewn by my mother except for the Bravo pillow, which I stole. The African sculptures were my grandmothers, probably from the 50’s. The LeCoultre clock was my grandfather’s. Some of the other artists are Kevin Ryan, Sarah Eichner, and Sam Gibbons. The Moschino bag I customized with punk rock spikes.  I also designed and built the CD cabinet and the coffee table.

This is the foyer/library. The shelves are raw unfinished lumber that was borrowed from a Con Edison construction project. The library shelf was made by Brooklyn artist Jonathan Schipper. I retrofitted it with skateboard wheels.

The display cabinet on the left was the front of an old checkout counter, it was used to hold sunglasses, I pushed it home from the closing store on a moving dolly, intentionally losing drawers and doors the whole way. After a little creativity with a Sawzall and a router I was able to shave off the front and install it on the wall.  Yes! It is heavy.  It contains, objects ranging from my childhood, to flea market finds, to mementos from traveling.  Some examples are a dentist casting from the left side of my mouth, Star Wars action figures, a practice hand grenade, Eva Ziesel vessels, silverware found flattened on the road.  The art on the floor are graffiti artists NECKFACE, and DOZE GREEN, Both of which were “liberated” from a construction barricade and a giant metal office cabinet that was thrown away. The red and white painting is by Christine Heindl and the small spin art painting is a copy of a Damien Hirst by Eric Doeringer.

CLICK HERE for the rest of ryan’s peek after the jump!

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well hello, office of my dreams. scot at parliament sent over a link to his company’s amazing portland, oregon office and i have been trying to find my jaw on the ground ever since. not only does the parliament office seem to be jam-packed with beautiful things to look at, but it is also clearly full of some seriously talented people.

parliament is a full service design studio offering a huge range of services in the fields of print, retail, marketing and digital design. i really enjoyed checking out their portfolio, but i found myself drawn back to their actual office design over and over. one of my favorite west coast photographers took these shots- lincoln barbour- and they are as inspiring to me as any home tour. i love all of the rough cut firewood on the walls, the gorgeous work tables and the open, but warm, feel of the space. throw in a tad more girly-ness and it would be my ideal design*sponge headquarters. i’m hoping to visit these guys in person soon, but in the meantime you can check out their work, and where they work, right here. thanks, scot! [all images via the parliament site, photographed by lincoln barbour]

ps: i found the pentagram “what type are you” quiz through the parliament blog. check it out here! (password: character). i’m archer hairline.

CLICK HERE to see the rest of the images after the jump!

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photo above: jon jensen photography

here at design*sponge, we’ve been following the work of heather frazier since 2007, when we became completely captivated by her ethereal mobiles. four years ago – after 20 years in san francisco – heather and gallery owner husband charles hartman moved to portland. daughter elizabeth was just about to head off to college, and the couple felt ready to pull up stakes and make their own move. they settled in this light-filled craftsman home where heather now spend her time making gorgeous paper arts! (i have to admit to a little envy looking at all that built-in storage!) {thanks heather and charles! and many thanks to jon jensen for the lovely photographs!} -amy a.

[Our home is a 1923 craftsman bungalow located in a lovely Northeast neighborhood of Portland. One of the things we love the most about our house are the high ceilings, large rooms and lots of closet and storage space. The original built in bookshelves and cupboards are pretty great too. The huge picture windows in the dining and living rooms are a daily source of pleasure. We try to spend a little time everyday just watching the world go by - neighbors, animals, kids and nature.

The photo above is one of the 4 bedrooms in the home. We use it as a sitting room. The sofa is from Mitchell Gold, the gold branch is a vintage piece from one of my old haunts in San Francisco. The lamps are also vintage - found at a Portland antique mall.]

photo above: jon jensen photography

[photo above: We bought the Knoll Womb chair many years ago when Knoll used to have their amazing 40% off sales. The sofa is the Neo from Bensen.]

photo above: jon jensen photography

[photo above: I started collecting vintage colored glass quite a few years ago. I used to go to the Alameda flea market in the Bay Area regularly and that is where I found some of the first pieces in my collection. It is one of the few things I miss about living in San Francisco.]

photos above: jon jensen photography

[photo above left: The kitchen was the only room in the house that we had to renovate. The previous owners had put in Home Depot cherry wood cabinets which I felt were completely wrong for the house. I have always loved open shelves and simplicity in a kitchen so we had open shelving made and refaced all of the bottom cabinets and painted them white, which makes a nice backdrop for more of my vintage colored glass.

photo above right: The dining room table is a well-loved (and well-used!) spot in our home. Charles and I spend a good deal of our time together here, reading and eating, talking and watching the day unfold. The table is a marble Saarinen that we purchased from Hive in Portland. The chairs are Eames Eiffel chairs.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of Heather’s peek (and all the images on one page)!

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