Sustainable Living

Nothing says sustainable like these hot new products by some of our favorite retailers. In their quest to go green for the summer season they offer beauty, sustainability, and chic. Pick your favorite item and it will add a cool green element to any space whether inside or out.

Pottery Barn’s new Seagrass Round Occasional Chair ($349) applies the organic material to a more modern silhouette. The piece comes with the seat cushion, whose cotton cover is removable

Hand-woven rattan in a basket pattern wraps a wood frame to create Williams-Sonoma Home’s new Mandalay headboard, available in queen ($795) or king ($995).

West Elm gives modern lines to the woven look with the Random Weave chair ($599) and ottoman ($349), both come with cushions in a linen-cotton blend. The pieces are made from the bark of the abaca plant, a relative of the banana tree.

IKEA’s PS Gullholmen chair ($59.99), which is wrapped with banana fibers.

At 26 1/2 inches long, Pier 1 Imports’ Hanging Teardrop wicker lamp ($75) is the largest of a new pendant lighting collection whose woven finish lends a nautical vibe

Don't I know you?

When you work in the area you grew up in, the it's-a-small-world-moments just keep on coming.

The person tapping me on the shoulder at a recent Cantor Center exhibit was my high school English teacher Shannon Griscom. I said the first thing that came to mind: "'The Cherry Orchard' is still my favorite play." Hey, if you can instill a love of Chekhov in just one student, you know you've done something right.

Then there are the unexpected connections. Earlier this spring, I walked up the steps of photographer Mark Tuschman's house, all set to interview him for a cover story. When he opened the door, this time I came out with a surprised "Ohmigod, I used to babysit your kids." It's always good to make a professional first impression.

For last week's cover story, the connection -- which we didn't realize until halfway through the interview -- was that sculptor Maria Koretz used to work with my father in biotech.

The other nice connection this month is that Janelle Brown, a friend from elementary, middle and high school, is coming to town to speak about her first novel. She'll be talking about "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" next Monday at Kepler's, and is a terrific writer with bylines in the New York Times, Vogue, Wired and others. Congratulations, Janelle!

Pictured: Janelle Brown

Bamboo Power

We all know about the sustainability of bamboo. But, do you also know about it's versatility? Bamboo floors have been around for awhile. It's highly durable as a floor product. Bamboo grown on plantations, mostly in South Asia, has found new uses in the world of home decor. It is being woven into lovely functional roller shades and further processed for wallpaper. If you like lots of texture on walls and looking for ways to go green opt for bamboo. To me the newest and most interesting use of this woody grass is in bedding. Bamboo threads are steel like in strength but are soft, breathable, absorbent and fast drying. Bamboo sheets and blankets are light weight and durable. They are comfortable enough to use year round.... So, in your quest to go green... try a set!

Bamboo Window shades and Bamboo sheet set

Bamboo Sheets

Bamboo and cotton blankets

Bamboo Wallpaper

Inspiring Home

Everything about this home inspires me. It's exterior leans to no one's convention. The front yard is lush, with tropical plants, and is used to lounge. There are twin chaise lounges and a hammock to do just that... and it's not in the backyard. It's in the front!... Know what else is in the front yard?...the pool. Don't you just love it? Now we all know exactly what to do with all that space in the front of the house... How devine!!

images: LA Times

Front yard swimming pool

Patio off the living room

View of the backyard from the master bathroom shower

Cary Grant - Palm Springs

Say what you will about Cary Grant's acting... but in his day he reflected the image of the classic debonair leading man during Hollywood's Golden years...a by gone era of contract studio actors and actresses. These were the days of image and illusion about who people really were and who the studios portrayed them to be. Everybody had a pseudonym even Archibald Leach. Surprisingly Grant's 1927 Palm Springs hideaway, now up for sale, seems very real and unpretentious. Grant named the house Los Palomas and it still maintains it's original hand made terra cotta roof tiles, thick white washed walls, and hand painted Talavera Spanish floor tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms.

The 6,000 sq. ft. 6 bedroom, 5 1/2 bath Spanish farmhouse sits on 1 1/2 acres on a tree lined street in the Movie Colony neighborhood... asking price... $4,995,000.

images: L.A. Times

Window Seats

There's something charming about a window seat. Traditionally it's been a place for storage with a cushion atop under a non descript window in a corner of the house where one seldom visits... not anymore! These window seats are made to be visited often. They are fashionable, functional, and provide a getaway in the confines of home. If you have a spot like this make it a place you can call your own...or a place for the kid in the house that likes to read... but not be alone.... or whatever....

The London shades seem to billow like clouds in the sky....what a lovely place to knit.

Can you sit high above Boston Harbor and find the line between water and sky?

Isn't it Romantic?

With stock kitchen cabinets there is always plenty storage available at this window seat. Cafe curtains and coordinating check cushions add to the simplicity of this decor.

image: This Old House Magazine

A perfectly traditional home with a perfectly traditional window seat...I like it!

With a table pulled up it's a cozy corner to dine.

I could pen my memoris here.

image: House Beautiful

The perfect reading nook.

Charlotte Moss Townhouse

I am a big Charlotte Moss fan and this month's issue of House Beautiful celebrates the first anniversary of her NYC retail establishment Charlotte Moss Townhouse. HB editor Stephen Drucker interviews Charlotte and dubs her," the accessory queen". From featured shots of the home interiors townhouse I would agree. Just like the rooms she designs there isn't much negative space. Every inch is deliciously outfitted with unique upscale accessories for the home. Charlotte thinks accessories bring life to a room... they speak to who lives there. Candle sticks, bamboo pens, hand cut tumblers, pagoda lanterns.... add personality and ambiance. When asked where she likes to shop she mentions designer Suzanne Rheinstein's shop in L.A. and Todd Romano's in Manhattan and would you believe it she loves Target...my kind of lady.

images: House Beautiful