D2S Editor Favs: Week of February 4, 2008

  Favorite Back-to-Nature House

Lyman Perry Studios in Berwyn, PA get our kudos for designing this amazing home that uses the land as a friend rather than a nuisance. Look further into this eco-friendly home, the Ross Residence.

  Favorite Fine Furniture

Our friends at Bond & Bowery are at it again! They've selected an amazing Mid-Century Modern Window Seat as their featured Bond & Bowery Presents item this week. And be sure to check out B & B's George Evans for an industry insider's take on the whole mid-century thing in this week's By George! column.

  Favorite Wet Decor

We're already planning our gardens, and we bumped into the Earthstone Studio folks. Their line of hand-carved rock fountains is inspired by and named after real-life waterfalls. The three creations above were inspired by Yosemite Valley's Bridalveil Fall, California's Limekiln Falls, and central Tennessee's Fall Creek Falls.

And what will we plant around these water features? Go to Diane's Flower Seeds for extraordinary open-pollinated and heirloom seeds, including some lovely rarities. We had a great ordering experience with them recently, and we can't wait to start planting!

  Favorite Kitchen

Antique reproduction furniture by craftsman Bryce M. Ritter turns ordinary kitchens into something much better. The hand-crafted details in a Timeless Kitchen Design project caught our eye at the recent Greater Philadelphia Home Show. Time to conceal your appliances behind beautiful cabinetry!

  Favorite Hot Flooring Idea

Flor makes modular carpet systems for homes, and they even have a new Martha Stewart line. Their patterned systems really caught our eye. They're colorful and playful, and seem to be easy and fun to install.

   Favorite Home Cleaner

The Allergy Buyers Club is serious about keeping your house clean, so we went through their product offerings to look for a great home cleaning system. The Ladybug XL2300 Vapor Steam Cleaner, equipped with a feature (TANCS) that disinfects and kills microbes, is serious commercial-strength cleaning power. And it's great to skip using harmful chemicals, too.

  Favorite Bathroom Decor Idea

American Standard offers the sexy Lagaro Freestanding Bathtub from their Porcher division. Calgon, take us away!

D2S Editor Favs: Week of January 28, 2008

  Favorite Kitchen Design

Leave it to the Italians to create ultimate Euro-look kitchens! Boffi's WK6 self-contained work spaces and counters caught our attention this week.

  Favorite Antiques

D2S is thrilled to announce it is joining forces with Bond & Bowery, the web's premiere marketplace for antiques and fine design. Read what B & B has to say about these beautiful Regency chairs in their new Bond & Bowery Presents column for D2S, and then read a related D2S  interview with B & B's co-founder, industry expert George Evans, in his latest By George! column.

  Favorite Mind-Blowing Architecture

Archer & Buchanan Architecture, West Chester, PA, won the 2007 Palladio Award for their Hobbit House design. Crafted for a serious R.R.R. Tolkein fan and collector, there is superb attention to every fascinating detail!

  Favorite Hot Decorating Resource

B&N Industries has a winner on their hands with their Iconic Panels line of beautifully carved relief panels. These laminate-over-wood-core panels can be sawn, glued, nailed, or otherwise easily mounted to any wall. Their selection of patterns and colors are extraordinary, and pictured above is the mod Carnaby panel in glam silver.

  Favorite House Idea

It used to be that homes were "smart" if they had electrical sockets you could use to plug in lamps or appliances. But today's multi-tasking homes are featuring structured wiring, allowing you to check security cameras from any TV in the house, control all the lighting/heating/cooling/security systems automatically, and even access all home controls from your cell phone. Intellihome is one company, among others, that offers structured wiring services for today's smart homes.

  Favorite "Green" Dining Room Furniture

VivaTerra, from Pueblo, CO, is a valued resource for any home. Their entire line of eco-friendly products, from organic cotton bath towels to recycled glass dinnerware, can be purchased with confidence that you're putting a smile on Mother Nature's face. We love their rustic, quirky, and festive Peroba Wood Chairs from Brazil.

  Favorite Garden Accessories

We discovered this Maryland resource recently, the Harris Metalsmith Studio. Their hand-forged garden gates are incredible, and we also admired their railings, architectural hardware, and sculpture.