when carolyn veith krienke of  jan & äya, a fantastic brooklyn shop, emailed me the images and descriptions for her sneak peek, i was completely charmed by the wonderful words she included to describe her home. while she is the designer by trade, i love that she cites everyone, down to their 17 month-old son as influences to the space they live in. in her words: “i love how our home is a wonderful mix of worlds, reflecting the story of our lives through the objects and furniture that occupy.” she cites toys from her childhood in switzerland to her children’s artistic creations and how they embody the design ideals of their family. named after her two children, her store/gallery, jan & äya, follows the same philosophy. each season presents a new theme reflecting the world around us, and it’s clear how her family plays a major role. [thanks so much carolyn!] -anne

[Above: The necessary bed side reads for Kai]

living room: To my complete surprise, Jan decided it was a good time to take a nap while I was taking pictures. I couldn’t have imagined a better moment!

Our couch broke a month ago and instead of rushing to buy a new one we decided to live up our Moroccan fantasies until we find one we like.

Both the table and the armoire, antique pieces we found in Brooklyn, are a testament to our love of the rustic and social. We spend hours around this table with our children, family and friends laughing, debating, dancing, crying, rejoicing and of course dining on good food and wine!

Next to the dining room, our bedroom must be the most beloved part of the house. By morning time everyone is in our queen size bed, including our two cats.

A great example of how our children are creating their own contribution to our lovely home… legos and drawings, with paintings by our friend Ezra…Ever since I met my husband I’ve been taking pictures of our family sleeping. Here are a few along with a photo of Äya (top) by the photographer Tosca Radigonda.

Jan hanging out in Äya’s bed

The photo is one of the first event photos I took after I moved to New York.

today’s first sneak peek is a glamorous departure from the real-world (but beautiful) homes we normally run. designer caryn grossman lives in an elegant, atlanta home that we thought would serve as a wonderful afternoon daydream full of rich fabrics and colored glass. having recently re-watched sofia coppola’s marie antoinette, it reminds me of a modern day twist of something straight out of the film (but instead of a grand chateau, caryn’s place is a 70+ year old former telephone factory). thanks to caryn for sharing her home with us today! you can click here to see more of her interiors work at revolution. -anne

Home is so inspiring, I’ve moved my studio back in, and am enjoying every moment of creativity.

I work, and most definitely play, with design, music, the alternative arts, and the relationships between.

My life seems to be a constant experiment of combinations of each.

I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people with talent and grace, and I’ve been amazed to see my own work, and my world, grow.

I make my living as an interior designer, but I write, design just about anything, and collaborate artistically with anyone who asks.

My home and my studio have always been ever-evolving installations… places where my mind, and my hands, just wander free.

office is one of my all-time favorite design studios so i was beyond thrilled to hear about their new series of posters for dave eggers’ 826 valencia store/tutoring center. in addition to 4 black, white and gold pirate-themed posters (ac and i are ordering the ‘missing limbs’ poster) office helped develop a new store identity and almost 50 new products, like ’scurvy be gone’ capsules. the posters are my favorite are are only $20 and the money goes to a great cause. click here to check out the 826 shop (posters are right here) and click here to check out more of office’s incredible design work.

today is a holiday but ac has to work so i decided to go ahead and post today- for those of you with the day off- enjoy the holiday! for those of you who don’t- here is some beautiful new furniture from seoane custom furniture and design in portland, oregon. hopefully they’ll provide a little eye candy to get you through the day. if not, stay tuned for two fantastic sneak peeks after this at 11 and 12.

i’m about to start a really fun video project with the new york public library (and 5 of my favorite nyc-area artists) so i’ve been hanging around their blogs lately. i was so thrilled with this crocheted scarf image that i couldn’t resist starting the day with something so warm and toasty-looking. stay tuned for the nypl project (which should start in the next few weeks!) and click here to visit the blog of one of my new library pals, jessica pigza.

i always love when two of my favorite artists work together. this beautiful new print was designed by the lovely amy ruppel for wayne pate’s good shape design shop. this is the final installment in wayne’s “guest artists” series and is part of a limited edition of 50 prints. lord knows amy’s work moves quickly and this new piece is only $35 so order yours before they’re all gone! the print hits wayne’s shop next week but if you want to beat the rush you can email wayne right here to pre-order. click here for more information on amy ruppel’s work and click here to view wayne’s work with good shape design. [thanks, wayne!]

and i’m off for the day so i’ll see you on monday! have a great weekend- below is a summary of this week’s highlights.

• must-read post of the week: petit coeur wine decanter
• new sneak peeks: adelle robinson, tonya and mike sutfin
• diy projects: birdie snack shack, michelle kaufmann diy videos
• great interiors: painted black floors, house beautiful homes
• new before and afters: abha’s filing cabinet, erica’s chair and chandelier
• reading material: domino, the book of decorating!
• ceramics: caroline swift, sami rinne cups, lisa neimeth plates,
• calendars: cicada studio tea towel calendar, the beautiful project, avie designs, jhill wall calendar
• misc: project runway wedding dress heaven, lavello mirror, dolan geiman artwork, donald judd-inspired shelving, chakra pennywhistle pillows, rachel de joode wallpaper
• in the kitchen with: polli’s vegetarian lunch

i am very happy to have some representation from australia in the in the kitchen with line up after the great regional round up on australia in the not too distant past! today, maja and tess of polli, share with us a vegetarian lunch favorite that they eat in their studio in sydney when hunger pangs strike. jai jai at harlem vintage has prepared the tasting notes. click here for the full recipe or just click “read more” below. -kristina

about polli: polli is a team of 5 women, 2 dogs and a baby working together in the inner city suburb of glebe, sydney. established by maja rose and tess lloyd, as a part-time hobby, polli was born of their shared interests in design, craft culture and fashion. today polli is a thriving business with distribution to over 400 stores around the world, everywhere from greenland to oakland. specializing in jewelry and home accessories, polli designs are strongly influenced by the pairs’ respective backgrounds and cultural experiences gleaned through study and travel. reflecting japanese, middle eastern, indian and european style, the designs play with form, pattern, light and color. maja and tess have a strong commitment to best environmental practice and aim to minimize their environmental footprint. polli products are designed to be unique and are australian made.

read more …

i had to take a brief fashion detour to post these gorgeous new pieces from portland designer liza rietz’s new fall/winter 2008 collection. all i know is that i must have these two pieces right now. though i don’t think i could pull off those knee-socks. i’d do some sheer tights and grey ankle boots. so cute! click here for more of lisa’s work. [thanks, amy!]

[photos above by alicia j. rose]