D2S Editor Favorites for April
March 25, 2009 Music Feature
Banjo-playing frontwoman Lissy Rosemont wrote to us recently as a fan of Design2Share. She and her Washington DC-based indie bluegrass Junior League Band have just released their new music video (above), sponsored by those hip Atlanta folks at The Clothing Warehouse, the country's best vintage clothing store chain. Winning combo, eh? Vintage clothes, modern vintage music. Catch the Junior League Band on their Spring Tour:
April 1 Portland (with some of the Decemberists and Laura Veirs)
April 2 Bellingham
April 4 Seattle
April 5 Bozeman
April 6 Boulder
April 7 St. Louis
April 8 Madison
April 9 Milwaukee
April 10 Chicago
April 11 Oberlin
April 16 Asheville
April 17 Johnson City
April 18 Wise
April 26 Atlanta
DIY Project of the Month
We like the practical and fun advice videos from Howcast, and their How to Repaint a Piece of Furniture is a great DIY project to tackle. Watch it here!
Favorite Books
Michelle Kodis has put together an amazing compilation of case studies which will give any architect, designer, and homeowner inspiration in spades when it comes to creating magnificent outdoor spaces. Check out Ultimate Backyard: Inspired Ideas for Outdoor Living and check out An Ultimate Backyard in Santa Monica, a Design2Share photo essay excerpted from this excellent book.
Fashion maven Dianne Benson has perhaps one of the most readable gardening books ever written, and we're excited to be offering a short excerpt in our Book Preview feature this month. Buy Dianne's fascinating and fact-filled book -- spiced with delicious opinions and pithy observations: Dirt: The Lowdown on Growing a Garden with Style.
Favorite Fabrics
The big trend for home goods is handmade. And we came across Ellen Brook, an artist who creates beautiful contemporary (mostly abstract) works on silk. Options galore here for designers and homemakers: display the pieces as hangings or framed paintings, also as "silk floaters" suspended from ceilings, in corners, or in staircase landings. The great luminosity and flow of silk is perfect for use as space dividers (feng shui delightful, too). At top: Sonoma Flower Power, a wall hanging treatment; second: Casbah, a design using an Ellen silk piece as a bed canopy; third: Paleolithic Pleasures, a silk painting; bottom: a living room/dining room divider design concept.
Favorite Space Saver
The Murphy bed is a great idea, but it's a clunky space hog when it comes to fitting in a spare bed. Zoom-Room is a wireless, retractable bed solution that disappears inside attractive cabinetry, like the dark-stained model that founder Peter Medvin is sitting on.
Favorite Wall Treatments
The folks at Maya Romanoff are amazing when it comes to beautiful and exotic wallcoverings. We love their Mother of Pearl Mosaic (top) and Island Weaves (bottom). The Weaves example is mulbery paper woven on a jacquard loom.
