i heart these bowls in a major, major way. the orange with the gold detailing at the top? as stacy london would say- shut up. i’m so on my way to buy these right now…

[ikat bowls at anthropologie, $14 each]

i’m loving these soft metallic ceramic pieces from chicago based designer susan dwyer of up in the air somewhere. susan just launched her website and is selling beautiful earthenware and paper maché vessels at really reasonable prices (most of which are between $12-$74). the metallic pieces above are my favorite but the paper maché are equally lovely. click here to browse and shop susan’s full collection online.

when i came across the work of milan [pictured above], aka moofus, an 11 year old esty seller living in sydney, i was completely charmed. not only do his illustrations have a very julia rothman-esque feel, but a portion of his sales also go to charity (this month is international animal rescue). can you get any cuter than that? it also happens that he also has an awesomely talented (and funny) “mum,” kate banazi. check out both of their responses, along with liane rossler from dinosaur designs and carolyn price + martin shields of non-fiction, featured below (click here for the full post or just click “read more” below. if you missed part one click here, and  all of the roundups (including melbourne) here). -anne

Dinosaur Designs

1. Where are you from? Where do you live  now?
I am from Sydney and live in Sydney

2. Describe your work
We  design and make jewelery, house wares and accessories – each piece is hand made in our Sydney studio. Our pieces have an organic feel and a rich variety of colours and tones.

3. How is your work influenced  by where you live?
We are inspired by nature and art. There are so many beautiful places in Sydney – gorgeous parks and amazing beaches with clear aqua water,  the glistening harbour, and the clear, bright light. There is a dynamic contemporary arts scene and a great energy in the city.

4.  Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
Inspiration is everywhere. There are so many beautiful and  diverse places to see in Australia. Central Australia, Tasmania, Broome, The  Daintree, Melbourne – each place has its own special magic.

5.  How would you describe the Australian design scene?
Thriving. It is an exciting time. Lots of great things going  on.
6. If you could go anywhere where would you go? 
Everywhere I have been is amazing. I love Japan,  and could go to Tokyo any time. India is amazing for the colour and  vibrancy. I’d love to spend time in the Scandinavian countries – they have  an amazing sense of design. New Zealand has the most amazing scenery.  Tasmania is one of the most beautiful places I  have been to. I love to go to any place that has  a unique culture, and also love seeing places where nature is  untouched.

Click here for more work by Dinosaur Designs.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the Sydney roundup….

read more …

d*s reader and rainy day rose blogger rosemary updated her $2 chair with glossy black paint and some inexpensive ikea fabric. it’s such a great example of design on a dime. stay tuned for 2 more (non-chair) furniture makeovers tomorrow…

bright, cheery and perfect for the end of the summer: new pillows from angela adams. $85 each right here. [thanks, nan!]

ok, so here’s the deal: our bedroom needs a little bit of a freshen-up. when we first posted our bedroom in our sneak peek last october i was loving our bed, the new linens and the new lights i installed on the side of our bed. but now, well, i’m bored (i’m sure ac is cringing as he sees that- it always means lots of mess and new paint swatches). we got a lot of help re-doing our kitchen and living room from carl & russell at repop, but now the rest of the house feels unfinished. so what’s a girl to do? well, get a new bed for starters. we’ve been wanting to upgrade to a slightly larger bed and a new frame (we love the malm but want something new) and i’ve been thinking of a canopy frame. i’m not sure about putting actual fabric/curtains on it for the moment but i found that ac actually likes the canopy idea, too so i think i should run with it while we actually agree on a design decision. like everyone else in the martha-loving world i’ve been swooning over the hemnes canopy bed since i saw it in martha stewart living last year and again in shauna and stephen’s sneak peek. the only thing is, i’m not sure about the yellow color. i found a few options above and below but they’re all super pricey. so, i thought i’d ask- does anyone know of good, affordable canopy bed options? something simple and modern (no curly ironwork for ac) that might be a nice step up from the malm? i feel like if i go with the yellow bed (only $300, argh!) i might need to change the rest of the room to work with yellow. i know that’s crazy but that’s how my mind works. thoughts….? (*if you’re looking for more beds we have a roundup right here)

[images above: farmhouse canopy bed $1449+]

[image above: ikea hemnes bed $300]

[image above: york headboard $899+, not a canopy but i love it]

[image above: portia iron bed $699+. ditto.]

[image above: stafford bed $1399]

[image above: everett headboard $599+]

when it comes to beautiful papergoods, few design them as well as joy does. ever since she launched her debut collection of stationery i’ve been waiting to see what she releases next. and her latest designs- gorgeous file folders with metallic detailing- are simply too cute for words. i was lucky enough to snag a few last week and they now live on my make-shift desk keeping my receipts and to-do lists organized. i just can’t bring myself to put them away in my closet with the rest of my book keeping. joy’s new folders will be available exclusively through anthropologie (for the next 3 months) and are just hitting stores this week, which means they should be widely available in stores within the next week or so. you can pick up a set of 8 file folders (4 of each design) for only $18 at your local anthropologie. they really are even lovlier in person so click here to find a shop near you. and as always you can click here to visit joy’s fantastic blog and here to visit her nantaka joy stationery homepage. [thanks, joy!]

[photos above and below by karen wise]

after finishing up our regional roundup melbourne last week, this week we travel up the australian coast to sydney. until now most of what i know about sydney has come from the 2000 olympics and the real world, so it was fun taking those sound bites that i’ve picked up and explore sydney in terms of design. today’s roundup includes five great designers - kareena zerefos, dieu tan {everythink}, rhynie & mark cawood {publisher textiles}, tabitha patterson {tabitha emma} and kristen doran. make sure you click here to check out all the designers, and check back tomorrow for the rest of the roundup. {thanks to pia for helping me get the ball rolling for the syndey roundup, and to all the designers who participated!} -anne

kareena zerefos

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I was born in Sydney, Australia and my family background is Greek/Spanish. At the moment I’m still living and working here.

2. Describe your work
Delicate, nostalgic and bittersweet illustrative work… I work mostly with the concepts of isolation and escapism, so a lot of the pieces are of children alone in their make-believe worlds, with giants, or with their imaginary friends or pets. I also take inspiration and base some work on my own memories and dreams, often from my childhood. My aim has been to illustrating ‘cute’ or innocent subjects with simplistic and softly coloured style, but incorporating something subtly unsettling.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
The isolation and space in my work I think is quite inspired by living in a country which is so far and somewhat disconnected from other parts of the world… as well as the fact that I grew up in a rural area in Sydney - on acreage amongst paddocks, gum-trees and animals.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
At the moment, my studio is based in East Sydney [amongst galleries, design stores, and lovely little cafes and bars] and I’m living in harbour-side Kirribilli – where I’ll often head down to the water and wander around to Lavender Bay – past the rides and carnival tents of Luna Park.

I also recently went up to far north Queensland, which was quite inspiring [and relaxing!]. There were cane fields as far as you could see and completely isolated beaches, rainforest and mountains.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene?
Independent, unique and diverse.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go?
So many places! I’ve been planning to visit Copenhagen [and the rest of Scandinavia] for a while now, and will probably make it over there early next year… But I’d love to go back to Paris, and also visit friends in The Netherlands and Montreal.

Click here for more of Kareena’s work.

read more …

for me, it’s never too early to start thinking about a 2009 calendar. each year i try to commit to using a paper version and always end up displaying them rather than actually using them (my google calendar ends up doing the heavy lifting). but this new offset print calendar from egg press is way, way too gorgeous to pass up. i’m digging all the rich colors and the reasonable pricetag. you can pick up egg press’ 2009 calendar right here for $16. enjoy!