D2S Editor Favs: Week of March 31, 2008

  Favorites from Our Mailbag

Kevin wrote to us that we might be interested in Brit Oliver Heath and his decorating video on The Power of Recycling. And guess what -- we loved its helpful tips and Oliver's winning way of selling us on going green around the house! Also visit the Recycle Now website for more great green tips and videos.

Tim tipped us off about Florida decorator Lorrie Browne's new website, and it's a honey -- My Design Secrets is loaded with great tips and resources that are interactive and fun to explore for each room in your home. Have fun!

We want to give a special mention of our readers Dr. Dean Kane, the world-famous Baltimore-based plastic surgeon, and his wife Lauri Kane and their upcoming double-sided art show to celebrate the Beauty of Women's Body Uniqueness. Dr. Dean's artwork will be shown (we love the Jim Dine-like large heart cast shown above and his huge relief castings of women's bodies and "floral fantasies"), sculpture by Lisa Lalor, and women of various ages and ethnic backgrounds modeling painted body art by artist Jen Seidel-Walsh.

For more information on this April 10th event and to RSVP -- you'll get a free cosmetic consultation and a discount off plastic surgery booked within 30 days of the event; so put this date on your calendars! -- visit Dr. Dean Kane's website. Also take  a look at Jen Seidel-Walsh's website to see her bodypainting video and portfolio.

  Favorite Great Decorating Idea

Fill your walls with art and photography from 20 x 200, a great website that showcases limited-edition art prints and photos in runs of 200, and each costs only $20. You can't miss with this site's wonderful art service.

  Favorite Eye-Catching Design Trend

We love the use of suzani -- silk thread Uzbeki embroidery -- in contemporary interiors. Adding beautiful handcrafted materials to everyday interiors is a great idea. Time to celebrate beautiful handwork! Anthropologie's Suzani Pillows are nifty and you'll love all the great resource ideas from the design blog Belle Vivir on suzani.

  Watch our resident designer Irwin Weiner ASID as he demonstrates a quick decorating tip with a suzani spread he bought in a recent trip to South Africa: How to Decorate with Suzani Embroidery

  Favorite Hot Green Resource

Check out JMX Bamboo, a wholesale supplier for green flooring and molding resources as well as furniture and kitchen items.

  Favorite Tell-Your-Friends Resource

You'll find every possible way to customize luxury bath towels, bedding, and fine linens at Casa Del Bianco on New York City's Lexington Avenue, near the Design District. These Italian artisans are tops in their craft, and they'll match any color, fabric, or detail in your decorating scheme with an excellent turnaround time. All the top designers know of this great resource -- and now you do, too!

  Favorite Hot Seat

We love two things about Anthropologie -- their new spring catalog is amazing and their selection of custom fabrics is fun and has a definite we-don't-care-what-you-think attitude at work. Their Antwerp Chair, here in a springy Bloom fabric, has good energy, and please check out the Craving Anthropologie blogspot to see the favorites of a true Anthropologie-aholic.

  Favorite Kitchen Decor

For those of you who would like to turn your kitchen into a chateau, this might be the way to go. Euro Cast Design offers a variety of cast travertine kitchen hoods, and they can be faux painted, stained, or left natural. The hoods are a nifty way to conceal overhead lights and blower systems, and they're much lighter than cast cement hoods.