if our final sneak peek takes you back to of the home of abigail ahern, there’s a reason - it belongs to her sister gemma (and boyfriend russell lewis), 40 miles outside of london. you may also recognize the space from this piece in the new york times, but gemma was kind enough to send us over some new shots from different angles, so we thought it would be fun to share. the two sisters teamed up  - gemma is also part of the atelier abigail ahern design team - to create a fabulously stylish pad without spending loads of money. the plan for the apartment plan was to spend $10,300 (or £6,500) of their hard earned savings for a complete overhaul – this meant gutting out the apartment entirely (its  1,200 square feet) and literally beginning again. the result is stunning, and definitely not something you see everyday. [thanks so much gemma and abigail!] -anne

[above: First up was the living room. We pulled up the yucky carpet and laid very cheap but wide floor boards which we painted the deepest darkest hue. We then painted the walls the exact same colour. We sprayed a coffee table in Barbie esq pink to enliven the space and then went about sourcing quirky elements to add a sense of humour to the space. Oh I should add that adding glossy things means that the light gets reflected back beautifully and therefore adds a touch of instant glamour. Flea market lamps adorn the space as well as a penguin cast from concrete with a light bulb on his head, which we all fell in love with. We added extra intrigue by lining one of the walls with bookcase wallpaper to make it feel clubby, and very boutique hotelish. ]

We kept the sofa within the same tonal range (actually it used to be mine – and seeing it look so fab here – I’m rather wanting it back)! Wallpaper is a cheap way of enlivening walls and at the same time adds instant character. This paper isn’t particularly cheap – and it was one of their higher spends but when you compare it to buying a fabulous art – it really is.

I love this mantle – the dark smoky colours bring instant sophistication but it’s the things on it I love the most. Quirky and funny its a great perch for some animals to hang out on! All are flea market finds and the letters are from Tate Modern which we painted pink to add a dash of panache!

We needed to add more seating but keep costs low and the bay window seemed the perfect answer to box out and pile with slubby cushions. Roller blinds are also perfect for little nooks as they add simple style at a reasonable cost.

We wanted to make the kitchen more than just a place to cook – instead a cool place to hang out in. We kept the kitchen carcass but replaced existing doors with MDF doors which we then spray painted an inky blue. The trick here was to make the doors slightly longer than you normally would do so they look way more bespoke and expensive than they really are. Again making them slightly glossy reflects the light opening up the space. The table we found in a flea market for $60 and sprayed jet black.

Hallways can be so boring being the transitional place they often are so we wanted to add some fun! We mixed and matched picture styles and frames as well as interspersing them with other objects like giant lettering – all sourced from eBay and flea markets. It really reinforces the fun eclectic mood of the space I think. Finally we took a length of fancy pants wallpaper and casually hung it from bulldog clips – super inexpensive and an easy way to display art.

We enliven boring old MDF wardrobes with strips of wood which we then painted Barbie esq. pink. The key here was to really play around with scale its one of our tricks of the trade. Oversized and confident they provide a striking embellishment to otherwise featureless wardrobe doors. The bus roll signage we got from eBay

Again we fattened up shop brought shelves with MDF making them look far more expensive than they really are. They then make a fab display area which we piled with books and keepsakes in a simple way. Displaying in this way really helps to create a personal narrative of life and adds interest to rooms.

I mention this idea in my book, as this is one of our most popular things [shelf] I get asked about all the time.  Fattening up shop brought floating shelves (this came from Ikea) by boxing out with MDF is the way to go. This immediately makes them more bespoke and glamorous looking than they really are. We hung it close to the floor for maximum impact! A sprayed on coat of glossy black paint also transforms the second- hand picture frame.

we have a tip from photographer melissa kaseman (she shot the place) to thank for the fabulous sneak peek into the home of  scott engler and his girlfriend marie. the house was built in 1900 in the castro section of san francisco and represents an archive of his travels as well as his fondness for taxidermy, singular books, odd likenesses of dictators. he’s also tried to “create a home that will entertain for weeks in anticipation of the next big quake allowing inhabitants to exit as the dust settles enlightened yet none the wiser.” click here for more full-sized images of scott’s place.  [thanks so much scott!] -anne

illustrator nick dewar was born in scotland, where he grew up in a small fishing village on the east coast. he’s since lived in glasgow, prague, london, new york and now finds him self in sunny southern california and is thankful to have a place which is large enough he no longer has to bathe in his kitchen (ha!).  i’m loving his home for all the graphic elements and signs that have made their way inside. click here for more images from nick’s home, and check out more of his work here (you may recognize the cover illustration for the devil wears prada). stay tuned for two more knock-out sneak peeks coming up soon! [thanks, nick!] -anne

[above: The American trailer is from Hatch print in Nashville. Apparently the print shop was once owned by a man who also owned a trailer park. He forced the poor artists to make giant woodblock prints of trailers to advertise his park. The cushion is the ubiquitous Jonathan Adler cushion. Ownership of which signifies membership in the menacing secret society of freelance designers. The pot is from Santorini and I dragged it back as hand luggage when you could still do those sort of things.]

Our living area. As you can see we have lots of fancy books that have been optimistically placed in such a way that they may be readily to hand for an evening of thoughtful discussion while sipping Pinot Noir and eating eclectic cheese. They are certainly not conducive to flopping down and watching Stephen Colbert on Hulu, which is what we actually do.  I replaced all the phones with old rotary phones from the 1970’s. This was much to the bemusement of the cable guy we thought I was either an electronic eccentric or conspiracy theory nut. Now my phones make a loud “BRIIING” noise and you have to sit down and actually pay attention to the person on the other end and not wander around annoying the cats or watching videos of gerbils on youtube. The cushions on the couches are repurposed flour sacks from Etsy. The subway sign serves as both a wistful reminder of the ten great years we spent in New York and how much we don’t miss New York in August.

The table (from Green River Woods) is made from reclaimed bits of lumber from a house in Pennsylvania North Carolina. I screwed it onto an old Eames table base. Outside you can see the tops of our tomato plants peeking up.

On the left is our dresser. This dresser may appear serene on the outside but inside the dresser contains a vast cornucopia of mismatched socks, handkerchiefs in disquieting colours and homeless buttons. The wooden things on top are blocks that are used to print patterns on Sari fabric. We picked them up in a street market in Jaipur. To the right are some crudely tacked objects of inspiration in my studio. There is a poster of Kali, a Prague tram sign, an old boiler warning sign and a badge from a Yoko Ono art show.

On Saturday we lumber back from the farmers market with a sack of oranges. So every morning we have fresh juice from our wonderful manual squeezer. I have not yet caught my thumbs in the lever but it is just a matter of time before this happens. Lurking in the background we see can my Cornishware bread bin. I am particularly proud of this bin as I found it in the back of a Scottish hardware store among faded boxes of rusty screws and antediluvian plumbing supplies. The chopping boardis one the best purchases I have ever made. Having a large expanse on which to chop vegetables on  is one of the most luxurious things you can do.

The figs are from my aunts garden in Palm Springs and the bowl they are sitting in was made by my friend Rebecca Callis. We are lucky enough to also have some of her cups and bowls. They make me happy every time I use them. Through the window you can see our struggling herb garden. Damn that Cilantro.

The shaving mirror is from a South London flea market.

I found this washed up on a beach near where I grew up in Scotland. It was covered in thick black paint and resembled a sink clog. For years I dutifully carried from home to home (much to my wife’s chagrin). Recently I stripped off all the gunk, rubbed linseed oil into it and repainted in the letters and now I am allowed to put it in the living room. We think it says “Fruitful Bounty”.

Our earthquake preparedness. I plan to live on marmite and custard. The plan being that when the big one comes the world will be divided into two warring tribes: those who love Marmite and those who hate it. It will be like “The Road” but with sandwich spreads. The small knives are a result of getting lost when driving in New Zealand and winding up at the end of a road where a knife maker lived. They are made from old bits of tractor and some wood he dug out of a bog.

I always planned to illustrate this book as it contains such gems as: “Ge dubh am fitheach is geal leis isean” which translates as “Black as is the raven he thinks his chicken fair” and “Is miosa na an uireasbhuidh tuille’s a choir” which apparently means “’Tis’ worse than poverty to have more than enough”.  Wise words indeed. On the right is an elephant hook from the hook lady.

My studio. On the wall are some photos from my travels and a screenprint by Chris Ware. The floor is littered with reference books.

Wood. The outdoor beer opener. I assume that most people have this.

i don’t typically post jewelry, but i’m loving these new designs from polli in australia- and the beautiful story behind them:

the polli woven range is inspired by a beautiful tapestry which was made by four generations of polli designer maja rose’s danish family. in the 1930’s, maja’s mother’s uncle was working in the middle east. maja’s grandfather (canute) was told about the amazing persian carpets, and decided he wanted to buy one for his family home. however when he discovered the high amount that persian carpets cost, he decided to make one himself for his family. canute set about on a massive project of designing and plotting it onto graph paper, selecting the colors, buying the raw wool, which he had dyed. then began the stitching of the carpet with the help of his mother. the two went about creating an amazing carpet until world war II broke out in 1939.

during the war, times were tough and instead of using the dyed wool to finish the carpet, canute let the wool be used for knitting clothes for the family. after world war II ended, in 1945, canute commissioned additional wool to be dyed, and he and his wife, maja’s grandmother, began working on the carpet once again. canute passed away in the early 80s with the carpet unfinished. pia, maja’s mom, had been handed on the task of finishing the carpet and had the massive carpet shipped to australia, in two rolls along with the original dyed wool. (she had immigrated to sydney as a young woman). it was in sydney, australia, that maja helped complete the carpet along with her brother taus and her mom. maja did the final stitch on the carpet, which now hangs in her sydney apartment.

maja rose and tess lloyd loved the idea of carrying on this inter-generational family tradition, and so designed the polli woven range to enhance their design with a handmade touch. getting their mom’s involved in the creative process was an additional bonus (the entire line is hand stitched to order by the designers’ moms). the polli woven range can be customized and personalized, for instance, matched to bridesmaid dresses.

the woven jewelry is so lovely, but the story of their inspiration really puts them over the top for me. if you’re interested in checking out polli’s latest jewelry click here for more information and to shop online.

[ps: click here to check out polli's 'vegetarian lunch' recipe on d*s, and click here to read their biz ladies post 'tips on exporting']

well good morning, beautiful rooms that should be mine. each of these gorgeous spaces is the work of durham, north carolina designer, heather garrett. i particularly love the kitchen heather’s design below- it’s the glamorous kitchen of my dreams. one day (in my dreams) i’d like to host fancy dinner parties in a kitchen that’s pretty enough to not only cook in, but entertain guests. if you’re in durham, be sure to stop by heather’s shop, or click here to see more of heather’s work online. [thanks, heather!]

back in 2006, designer (and then pratt student) marianne von ooij debuted a beautiful series of shelving called the ‘slim shelves‘. ever since their debut i’ve been waiting to see them for sale at a store near me, and finally the day has come! ok, well, they’re not at a store near me, but they are for sale on marianne’s site. the ’slim shelves’ have changed a bit from her original design and instead of being made from aluminum, they are now made of a clear acrylic and home in a tall and small version. manufactured in upstate new york, marianne’s shelves are the perfect combination of storage and display- you can fit a decent amount of books in each shelf, but they’re designed to face cover-out so that you can enjoy the artwork as well. you can pick up your own slim shelf right here for $179-$239. thanks, marianne!

i also wanted to take a moment to welcome neal of present&correct to the d*s guest blog! i’m a big fan of neal’s work and am so excited to have his voice on the site this week. his first post is bursting with beautiful images (including some fantastic vintage stamp designs) so click here to check it out. welcome, neal!