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Sustainable Elegance: Furniture by Selamat Designs
What do you do with leftover pieces of teak wood? This is the question that the founders of Selamat Designs asked themselves. Working in the furniture industry in Indonesia, they noticed that there were often bits of wood left over after building large furniture pieces. They decided to use these “off-cuts” to make stylish home…
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A Room in House Beautiful with Oomph
We loved this inviting sunroom featured in September’s issue of House Beautiful, especially the Fenwick coffee table by oomph. This lovely sunroom was designed by Ashley Whittaker, and the trellis was inspired by Elsie de Wolfe. The white lacquer on the table is a wonderful neutral counterpart to the bright greens and patterns used in…
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Design for the Analytically Minded
I am not a designer. But I’ve learned a lot about design, and I’ve grown to love it. I’m probably your poster child left-brainer. I went to Wharton and worked as a fund manager, managing investments for pension funds, central banks, foundations, and hedge funds. I’ve also been writing software since I was eleven, and…
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A Luxurious Shave with Proraso
We love the luxury soaps from Claus Porto, our unique toothpaste from Marvis, and the scented body washes and lotions from NEST. But the men at the Gracious Style team pointed out that something was still missing from our bath collection. We didn’t have any quality shaving products – or any shaving products at all.…
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Lucky U! Graphic Image Goes Back to School with Lucky
We’ve just spotted one of our favorite brands, Graphic Image, on LuckyMag.com. The Orange Crocodile Leather Dictionary was featured on their list of luxurious school supplies. Take a look!
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As Seen in Elle Decor: Faux Bois
Faux bois, or faux woodgrain, is a trend to look out for this fall. Elle Decor’s September issue had a sampling of stylish faux bois accessories. One of our favorites is the Sous Bois Dinnerware by Alberto Pinto. This fun and chic dinnerware features a hand-painted woodgrain pattern on Limoges porcelain. It’s a versatile look…
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The Art of Glassblowing: Simon Pearce
When I was young, I remember going to the county fair and watching the glassblower create tiny, beautiful animal sculptures. He would deftly take a shapeless lump of molten glass and turn it into a prancing horse or a graceful swan. The process seemed quite magical. This video from the Simon Pearce Company brought…
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Introducing Art from Natural Curiosities: An Inside Tour
We recently took a trip to the curious world of Natural Curiosities. Set in Echo Park’s converted Jensen Recreation Center, the studio itself is an ode to the ever-evolving and fantastical nature of art. Once an Ancient Egyptian-themed bowling alley, it’s now an inspiring space for creating oversized prints, silkscreening, metallic leafing, and other artistic…
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What is Pique?
Our Marco bedspread from Sferra has a small diamond pique pattern that is simply classic. What is pique, you ask? Sferra explains: Piqué (pronounced “pee-kay”) fabric is characterized by raised designs – cords, waffles, or patterns. Technically, piqué fabric is known as a double-cloth, with the unique texture achieved by weaving two layers of fabric,…
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What is a Hemstitch?
Hemstitching is a very elegant addition to many types of linens, from bedding to tablecloths. Sferra explains the technique: A hemstitch is a decorative drawn threadwork technique. A section of parallel threads are removed from the fabric and the remaining perpendicular threads are grouped together with additional thread to make small ornate holes. Despite its…