good morning! it’s snowy and white here in brooklyn this morning, so i thought it would be nice to start the day with a bright dash of color. these new city-inspired collages from stephanie levy in germany are cheerful, full of color and pattern, and affordably priced. each piece is inspired by the style and colors of a city, like florence, nice (below), moscow (above), corsica, prague, and dublin (below). stephanie is selling her originals for $65 each, and is also offering limited edition prints of each piece for $28. i’m partial to that rich red moscow print below, but there’s bound to be a city and color palette that works for everyone. click here to check out (and shop) stephanie’s newest series on etsy.

over at the d*s guest blog, emma is walking us through some of normann copenhagen’s newest offerings from stockholm design week- click here to check out her post!

juliet totten, one half of floral/event design duo, poppies and posies, lives in this upper westside new york city brownstone apartment with her sister ellen and dog jake. the apartment has also become the headquarters for poppies and posies -where juliet and the team’s other half, sierra, spend days dreaming up magical environments and cool projects to create fabulous events. juliet is an avid collector – a trait inherited from her grandmother who travelled all over the world! in fact, many of juliet’s favorite objects are from her grandparents. (see the full set of photos from the oh darling photo shoot here!) {thanks ellen, juliet, sierra and jake! special thanks to whitney and dustin of oh darling photography for the lovely photos!} – amy a.

[photo above: The painting over the fireplace is a print from Madeline.  The artist, Ludwig Bemelman, was a family friend and so he inscribed this print “Little Audrey and The Princeton Tiger” for my grandparents Audrey and Middy (he went to Princeton).  I am also obsessed with the lamp.  It belonged to my other set of grandparents and is an old torpedo shell converted into a lamp.  It was a gift from the Artillery & Missile School in May 1967 when they were stationed there.]

[photo above: I bought this piece at Junk in Brooklyn and gave it a bright glossy coat of paint.  Now it’s one of my favorite things! The top slides open and the inside lights up.  It makes me feel like a '60s Hollywood starlet! ]

[photo above: This window sill gets the most amazing sun during the day so I wanted to utilize it and have a ‘garden.’  I grew up gardening with my dad, who had a serious green thumb. I have some lavender, rosemary, and different ferns and mosses at the moment. This summer I want to try my hand at growing tomatoes and strawberries. I think the best smell in the world (well, besides coppertone sunblock) is tomato vine.]

[photo above: I’m in love with these bottles.  I found the one on the right in a junk shop in New Foundland and carried it 2,500 miles across land and sea, literally. It still has liqueur peppered with flecks of gold leaf in it.  Both are working music boxes and the one on the right plays ‘ma vie en rose’ and the little couple inside waltz in a tiny circle. Love it.]

[photo above: This is my room and the corner studio where Sierra and I do a lot of our day-to-day work stuff.  My favorite thing on the mantle is an ink drawing from Alice in Wonderland that belonged to my grandmother.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of Juliet’s peek!

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“kucica” in croatian means “small house.” this quaint cottage belongs to iva and vanja and is located in zagorje, croatia (15 miles from the capital of zagreb). the area is known for its preserved idyllic nature, rivers, old castles, and as the excavation site of a 100,000 year old neanderthal man (trivia!). the cottage itself is a traditional wooden cottage which is about 100 years old, but was moved to this location around 20-30 years ago. it was love at first sight when iva and vanja first discovered the cottage, but it was in poor shape and needed some tlc. throughout their renovations the goal was to preserve and respect as much of the original beauty as possible. enjoy the full sneak peek below, and click here for additional images! {thanks john, iva and vanja!} -anne

{photos by damir zizic}

[Our escape from the city and later favorite weekend destination for our friends and travelers either as a sanctuary from modern life or a base for exploring the area. We also have a small orchard (with apples, peaches, oaks), and grow a small organic garden where we grow tomatoes, onions, peppers, peas, strawberries, raspberries, spices, etc].

The old sewing machine from an antique shop was turned into writing table.

Some of the found old furniture was restored, like this wonderful yellow cupboard.

This green cabinet was also restored. We tried to keep simple, basic colors to emphasize the simplicity of peasant life and our determination to take this journey and explore the times when life was simpler and maybe even more beautiful and healthier.

The blue kitchen cupboard was gift from our neighbors who are a huge help in our garden. We also grow organic vegetables by the cottage.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the croatian cottage sneak peek after the jump!

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after featuring maria garuti’s kitchen before and after last july – which she and husband bill did completely on their own – we all clamored for more! nearly every inch of their greenville, south carolina home has been the recipient of some tender loving care. when not working on home improvement projects, maria works for a local conservation nonprofit, upstate forever. maria has recently been offering interior design consulting service to clients to often have some DIY skills but need a bit of direction, ideas or inspiration. (see the full set of maria’s photos on flickr!) {thanks maria, bill and noah!} -amy a.

[Iwanted our house to be a soothing, peace-filled space.  I guess my style finds its roots primarily in country and cottage styles, but it's fairly clean-lined (I think) and attainable, too.  It's simple and straightforward, and to me, it feels like your favorite pair of blue jeans: comfortable and lived-in.

photo above: The  street sign and the bistro chairs came from Oddfellows Antique Warehouse, in Ahseville, NC, which lucky for us, is owned by good friends.  We found the farm table at a little store in Landrum, SC - the kind of store that is right over the train tracks, only open on Saturdays, and where the owner only accepts cash (in my mind, a great place to get a great deal!).]

[photo above: This little corner of the kitchen was an overlooked corner. After we bought the house, we put beadboard up and added the built-in bench - and now we eat practically all of our meals in this nook.  I got the chandelier on ebay and painted it with soft blue paint that was leftover from the ceiling, and the table is the Docksta, from Ikea.  The mirror, and most of the other beveled, frameless mirrors around the house came from Oddfellows.]

[photo above: The kitchen was a ton of work - and we did it all ourselves!  (see maria's kitchen before and more details of the after here!)]

CLICK HERE for the rest of the Vintage Simple peek and all the images on one page!

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today i’m thrilled to welcome emma of emmas designblogg to the d*s guest blog. emma recently visited stockholm design week’s many shows (i’m so jealous!) and is going to be sharing her favorite finds on the guest blog! today she’s kicking things off with a post on WIS design, so click here to check out her first post! welcome, emma!

i was so thrilled to hear from molly at dwellstudio this weekend about a gorgeous new collection of old-world-inspired sheets, duvets, blankets and throws from dwellstudio. starting in april, dwellstudio will be introducing new duvet sets called “etching” (image above), “peacock” (in dove and citrine, below), and “gate” (below). i’m partial to the citrine peacock design below, but the etching has a really lovely, sophisticated feel as well. along with the duvets, dwellstudio will be introducing “cubist throws” (image after the jump) and some really beautiful pyramid sheet sets that bring just the right amount of print and texture to the bed. pricing for the duvets ranges from $270-$320 depending on size, sheets range from $260-$310, and the blankets range from $175-$195. the new collection won’t be available until april, but you can shoot dwellstudio an email right here to stay updated with their release. thanks, molly!

CLICK HERE for more images of beautiful new blankets and sheets from dwell studio after the jump!

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i’m a huge mike perry fan. i really enjoyed working with him on design by the book, getting a peek into his lovely brooklyn home, and the line of wallpaper he introduced a few years back. so in short, i’m a BIG fan. so when i heard from deborah at outdoorz gallery about a series of furniture he did for them, i was instantly intrigued. mike hand-drew some of his signature patterns onto classic eames eiffel chairs and eames rocker chairs and outdoorz gallery is now selling them in charcoal, moss or a custom color combination option. i’m a big fan of seeing contemporary artists update classics, so i was excited to see how mike’s work would look on such iconic chairs. the pattern work appears on the back and bottom of each chair and you can see more images of the pieces up close right here. thanks, deborah!

*ps: check out mike’s home page to see the new custom trash can he designed (and seriously funny picture of him jumping for joy with it)

we’re huge fans of penguin classics here at d*s (and fans of designer coralie bickford smith) so i was happy to hear that penguin has released five new classic editions of literature with covers by coralie- including my all time favorite, alice’s adventure in wonderland and through the looking glass. you can also pick up beautiful stamped linen-covered versions of emma, lady chatterly’s lover, the odyssey, and treasure island. each title is only $20 and available for pre-order at amazon (the books ship march 10th).

i’m heading off for the weekend- happy valentine’s day to everyone! see you on monday. xo, d*s

• must read valentine’s day posts: diy valentine lightbulbblack hearts flower arrangements, tips from your local florist, sweet nothings mini megaphone, mini boston cream pie recipe, all natural love potion #9 recipe
• new sneak peeks: bridgette comazzi + ivan duval, catherine taret, alethea morrison
• new city guide: oklahoma city
• living in: bright star
• biz ladies: getting it made (tips for manufacturing your designs)
• past & present: history of billy baldwin (part 1) and billy baldwain shopping guide (part 2)
• new diy projects: doily plate, chevron rug, snowflake window panels and pendant light, valentine lightbulb, chalkboard plant stakes, sweet nothings mini megaphone
• new before & afters: katie’s kitchen, riley’s striped entryway, camilla’s room + meridith’s chandelier, lauren’s table + meg’s bathroom
• we like it wild: black hearts (black flower arrangements)
• small measures with ashley: love potion #9 (all natural recipe)
• we like it wild: valentine’s day notes from your local florist
• in the kitchen with: penny’s mini boston cream pies
• misc: bow tie cozy for mugs, fold chair, jon klassen illustrations, terrariums from litill, birdbox iphone alarm clock, love letters themed bookstore window, superfolk wooden furniture, recycled PET bottle buttons, ceramic garden labels, cavern artist edition wallpapers,

[image credits: Baker's twine, Yellow Flowers, Heart Couple, Heart Garland, Confetti Couple , Heart Card]

The inspiration for this shoot came about from a mixture of some of our favorite details and an inspiration board that was recently put together by the always lovely Snippet and Ink. We love the weddings of Dusty + Ashley and Cassie + Paul who incorporated hearts and confetti into their big day and decided to mix those ideas together. Building upon the garland idea, we created a banner that can be a charming decor focal point. Add in a little yellow acacia and the colors can brighten up any room. -Emily

This Valentine’s Day project is easy to put together and can be created over a table, on the wall, outside, or even in the bedroom. Simply go to your local Sam Flax or Michael’s, vintage stores, and bakeries or pick from your stash of already loved Valentine cards. Pick your favorites among the paper goods, find some vintage Valentines, and pick up a sweet treat. Spray painting close-pins can add a whole new look to your banner and make it easy to hang all your incredible finds.

For the guys out there, adding that perfect ring (we love Sarah Perlis) tied with a simple string can be the perfect way to propose on this special day. Instead of “be my Valentine,” you can cut out “will you marry me?”

CLICK HERE for the full post and more great valentine’s day decorating ideas from Emily and the Once Wed team after the jump!

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