when dave allen saw this little 900 square foot house in the woods above napa, it had been abandoned and left open and was basically uninhabitable, but there was something magical about it and david decided to take the plunge. the house had been built in the 1940s as a summer cabin. since the home’s paper-thin walls and questionable foundation make a remodel impractical, david intends to eventually build a new structure on the site. in the meantime, he looked for inexpensive ways to make this summer cabin comfortable and liveable – and when he does build his new space, you can bet he’ll salvage everything possible from this one! {thanks dave! and thanks to adrian gregorutti for the photos!}

[I'm completely happy in my unheated hideout, drawing water from an above ground spring and sharing with the space with bats and raccoons. Bonus features that bring me daily pleasure include a creek and a mountain (which, as it seems to be unclaimed, I’ve informally annexed). My nearest neighbors are the vineyards of the famous Hess Winery. Down the hill in my Sonoma showroom, Artefact Design & Salvage. I tend toward overscale and unusual objects displayed rather dramatically. At home I simply want to surround myself with meaningful objects. So in my wee cabin my only ongoing conscious design consideration is trying to keep the ambience calm and uncluttered despite layers of favorite objects competing for attention everywhere in the tiny space.]

The kitchen had been stripped of everything and was just an empty alcove. I brought in Ikea cabinets and had a friend pour the raw concrete countertop. Ceiling is corrugated aluminum, flooring is simply painted subfloor.The painting is by Roger Groth. I have a little frog living in the staghorn fern (Platycerium Superbum) just under the gold corncob trophy. Last summer when I discovered him I put him outside, thinking he’d been trapped by accident. But a few days later he was back. We’re now old friends and on warm evenings he croaks happily.

Painting by Mark Hobley. Corrugated aluminum siding from Home Depot. Buddha collection, gilt angel wings are Italian antiques.

Skylight is original, though I did have to re-sheetrock the ceiling to get rid of the mold. The oversize armoire is salvaged from a textile mill in India, and the bookshelves I out of scaffolding frames I found in Belgium.

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

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question: i am writing because i desperately need help with something in my living room. yesterday we had our beautiful fireplace covered by our landlady (that’s london for you). where once we had different colored candles in our black fireplace (as it wasn’t a working one) we now have a huge wooden piece of block (image here) covering an incredibly large amount of it almost to the mantel. i want to cover it, but i don’t want something too overwhelming in the space because our living room is quite small. what should i do? – sarah b

answer: hi sarah! so sorry to hear your landlord covered up your fireplace. no fun at all. especially with such a flimsy looking piece of wood. grrr. but not to fear, there are a few great options for this. since your carpet is blue, you don’t want to go too crazy with anything that might clash but here are a few ideas. hope they come in handy!:

• wallpaper: d*s diy editor kate pruitt covered her fireplace with a sheet of wallpaper placed over foam board. you could cover your entire fireplace, or just apply paper (or gift wrap- cheaper!) with decorative patterns that match your carpet.
• fabric: i’m of the belief that a piece of fabric almost always makes everything better. instead of paper, you could cover your wood piece with a piece of staple gunned fabric, or create a thin upholstered panel to cover the entire non-working fireplace- and add some extra insulation. you could even add a ribbon trim to mimic the shape of the fireplace.
• mirrors: mirror tiles are always an option, but since you already have a mirror on top, i would avoid overkill with the reflective surfaces. but it could look cool to move the mirror from above and instead apply mirrored tiles to the wood piece and antique them with a technique like this. an aged mirror would look lovely under a mantle decorated with florals.
• chalkboard paint: this might seem a little out there. but i once saw a non-working fireplace painted with chalkboard paint over a wood front at a friend’s home in georgia. she drew a rotating series of playful log or stacked book images on the wood to create a faux-fireplace scene. not for everyone, but still fun.
• decals: i’m not a fan of decals, but if you pained this wood piece to get rid of the neutral brown tone, you could apply any number of decals. but rather than a pre-made set- try this fun tutorial to make your own.
• decorative screen: a screen would be a fun and easy fix to cover the entire section of wood. you can buy a pre-made version, or build your own, covering it with a fabric or paper of your choice

CLICK HERE for a great list of vintage-style bike resources after the jump!

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i don’t use calendars as much as i should, but fabric calendars are so appealing they might make me switch from digital time-keeping to something more tangible. these beautiful new designs are from michelle at cicada studio. her two new 2010 designs, queen anne’s lace ($42) and forsythia ($42), measure 16×20 inches and come with a wooden hanging rod secured with a baker’s twine hanger. the fabric is a mix of linen and cotton and, when the year is over, makes for a great drying cloth. you can pick up one of michelle’s calendar’s right here. thanks, michelle!

today i’m incredibly happy to welcome one of my favorite bloggers, lucy feagins of the design files, to the d*s guest blog. i’ve been following lucy’s melbourne-based blog for some time now and really love the way she discusses- and celebrates- local australian design. this she’ll be introducing us to beautiful places and talented people in her home base of melbourne- and she’s kicking things off with last week’s sneak peek subject (and talented artist) neryl walker. click here to check out lucy’s full post!

i’m a big fan of kari herer’s photography. i love the way she combines illustration with still life and turns it into a breathtaking photograph. so i was thrilled to hear from her about her latest collection- a series that combines fresh flowers with bird illustrations.

when it comes to gorgeous florals, i’m pretty much a “what’s not to love?” sort of girl, so these were right up my alley. and thankfully kari’s prints are available for a very affordable $25 right here at her etsy shop. thanks to kari for passing them along. i’m off to do some more book work (we’re still looking for a few extra new homes and before & afters- email me here if you have any you’d like featured!) so until monday, i hope you all have a wonderful weekend! below is a summary of this week’s posts:

• must read posts: living in: edward scissorhands, under $100 roundup: bar accessories
• new sneak peeks: ellen hanson, hetta, neryl walker, diva of linea carta
• biz ladies 09: successful biz dev meetings from the client’s point of view
• we like it wild: fall floral arrangements in papaver vert felt vases
• new diy projects: made with love: stripping tin, chela’s fabric screen, erica’s faux porcelain vases, kate’s monogram wreath
• new before & afters: kate’s couch, amanda’s yard, erin’s bath, christine’s desk + elizabeth’s lamps, hannah and kate’s chairs
• small measures: savoring the staycation
• new recipe: in the kitchen with jen causey’s savory crepes
• dear d*s: wedding decor to home decor ideas + chrome restoration
• new d*s guest bloggers: themed anniversary gift ideas from bird & banner
• misc.: tea towels from studio patro, book covers from book city jackets, postal press specimen calendars, salvaged wood installations by henrique oliveira

Many of you asked for more vegetarian recipes in the launch of this cookbook column but you also asked for cookbooks for special diets each week. So today we’ll be focusing on vegetarian/vegan friendly cookbooks and including a special vegan cornbread recipe at the end of the post! Also, if you’d like to try different crepe recipes (in addition to today’s crepe recipe), sweet or savory, Lou Seibert Pappas has an excellent book called Crepes (Chronicle Books) which is perfect! -Kristina

CLICK HERE for the cookbook reviews and a vegan recipe after the jump!

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