deborah bowness

british designer deborah bowness has been designing and producing hand printed wallpapers for 7 years. her work has a playful sophistication that combines wallpaper panels with photographs of things like clothing, shoes, mirrors and frames. what girl wouldn't want to cover her room (or dressing room) with wallpaper covered in fancy shoes? i know i would. you can browse deborah's entire collection right here. it's fantastic to see more designers using wallpaper to integrate photography more fully into the home. enjoy!

[thank you a million times over to mav for her amazing work on the guest blog- don't forget, it will be archived on the main page under "affordable art guide" next week. tune in monday for the debut of the d*s shop and click here for some cuckoo craziness at h&g]

more from cj o'neill

cj emailed me after her post went up yesterday to send over some brand new pieces from her feeding desire collection. inspired by the tradition of wall plates and embroidered "home sweet home" panels, cj used a waterjet to cut quotations into her new plates (so cool). the new collection uses imagery from urban scenes around the world (vancouver, new york, london, st. ives) and looks especially beautiful when placed on a wall that lets a pattern or bold color show through. you can click here for more information on cj o'neill. [thanks, cj!]

lindsey adelman

i'm a big fan of brooklyn artist lindsey adelman. she just dropped off a little comissioned piece she did for me and i'm beyond thrilled with it. her use of color is always spot on in my book. you can catch more of lindsey's work at art (212) this weekend, manhattan's fall contemporary art fair (booth 306). looks like a fantastic show. enjoy! [thanks, lindsey]

yoyo ceramics

i wrote about britain's yoyo ceramics back in 2004 when i was just starting, when the trend of "disposable" ceramics was so hot. it's still popular these days but i'm happy to see yoyo adding some non-dispoable pieces to their collection. these fruit pieces are a playful way to add some color to the table- and of course there's a new faux-plastic piece for good measure. click here for more information and purchase information on yoyo ceramics.

brian yates showroom

[whoops, a little confusion on my part from this email, changes are made] the brian yates showroom exhibited at 100% design last weekend and after a quick click through the site i was really taken with these wall coverings. sophisticated and modern, the patterns offered fit a number of styles- including more traditional homes. click here for more info and to contact the brian yates showroom for ordering. enjoy!

blik ideas

lately i've been trying to think of ways to use wall decals that would push the medium in different directions. it's not quite groundbreaking, but blik has some new photos of their decals being used on sliding glass doors and refrigerators. i like the idea of decals on appliances. applied well you could have yourself a flocked microwave if you can't get enough of that baroque look. click here for more info.

pink bathtub

i've gotten a lot of requests for great bird cards lately so i thought i'd add this cute block print version for kicks. hand-block printed by pink bathtub (reminds me of clare nicolson's work), this little guy is available at the art stream studios shop for $3.50. and if you need some more pink bathtub in your life, check out these great jfk sets at their etsy shop, very cool. enjoy!

both:::textile construction

design studios like this are the reason i kick myself every year for not shelling out to see 100% design in london. but next year i'll be there, hands down. both textile construction's website is a feast for the eyes- full of rich, colorful textile and texture to knock your socks off. their rugs, pillows and fabrics are just too beautiful for words. based in nottinghamshire, england, both is a collaborative esign partnership between artists ruth waller and lee hewett- you can contact them for more information (and view their full collection) right here. it's definitely worth checking out- i was blown away by the beauty of it all. enjoy!

[i'm out for appts all day, but be sure to check maria's affordable art guest blog for more great finds. and stick around because monday we launch the d*s shop!]

d*s updates: new new new

two exciting updates for next week. after months of hard work my dream project is finally launching. tune in next monday, october 2 for the debut of the d*s shop! all the artists are set and the products are ready to go so stay tuned! [and yes, we'll be shipping to australia and nz]

and for those of you taking part in the d*s int'l project, the deadline for emails has been extended to friday, october 6. can't wait to see the submissions...[print above by lindsey adelman]

knitta

jan posted on the knitta group yesterday and i had to repost. founded by a renegade group of crafters who know their way around a pair of knitting needles, knitta is a "tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles on more ambitious outings." click here to check out their projects- i love the idea of contributing something so homey and hand-made to an urban environment. [via poppytalk]

cindy jaswal

i'm loving this affordable cindy jaswal print over at maria's guest blog. click here for the full post, tomorrow is mav's last day so i'm trying to soak up as much affordable design as i can.

cj o'neill

i mentioned cj o'neill last january and was so taken with her bowls that doubled as light fixtures. kristina mentioned that she showed a whole slew of great new designs at 100% design this year so i just wanted to share them before we devolve into project runway talk below. you can click here to see cj's full collection. enjoy!

[ps: i always do my research, the lovely imedagoze and atelier455 also wrote about cj. just wanted to share their write ups, too]

project runway: spoiler (watch out!)

finally, this was the first good decision they've made all season. i'm so thrilled all four designers are in and i can't wait to see what the judges think of the final collections. it's great to know that the show has decided to give all four (very different) designers a platform from which to launch their careers. bravo, bravo. can't wait to see how it all ends. my money's on laura. i just really like the idea of her big career switch late in life. and next week? the reunion? can't wait. so what did you think? top 4 a good idea? does anyone think jeffrey's dress was provocative?

domestic meets colette

we had quite a wall decal discussion last week, so i thought i'd post these new pieces for those who are still hungry for more. stephane at domestic (my favorite of the wall decal lot) sent these new pieces over that will be launching in conjunction with colette in paris on september 30. what i love about domestic is that they're constantly pushing the medium in new directions. not content to churn out more vinyl dots, flowers and birds, they continue to produce pieces that are highly intricate and certainly unique to the market. starting september 30, you can order these styles right via colette. enjoy! [thanks, stephane]

nadia sparham: queen of cushions

i owe kristina big time for this one. she passed along a link to designer nadia sparham and now i'm in love. after a quick click over to nadia's site i found her stunning collection of playful pillows that combine all of my favorite details: silk, wool and buttons. i can't get enough silk in my system these days (i'm on the hunt for a honey colored silk top like bradley's from project runway) and nadia's cushions deftly combine colorful silk with hand sewn button, quilting, foiling and stitching details. i haven't been this taken with a series of pillows in quite some time. it's so nice to see someone working with detailing in a way that brings attention to craftsmanship and material. you can click here to see nadia's beautiful work, it's most definitely worth checking out. i think we'll be seeing a lot more (a whole lot more) of nadia over here in the states soon...enjoy! [to top it off, nadia makes some great plates and dishes, too!]

new in silverlake: reform school

i'm often told by people from la that if i ever moved to california i'd love silverlake. i'm certainly in awe of a number of shops there and several design savvy silverlakers have been on apartment therapy before, so i was excited to get an email about a new shop in the area. reform school was founded by d*s readers billie and tootie and focuses on artists who "reuse creatively". that means reform school will be making eco-friendly designs their priority, as well as showcasing great local and indie designers. here's a mere sampling of the artists they'll be carrying: esther derkx, portia wells, jason miller, perch, jill bliss, camilla engman, k studio and many, many more. sounds like a shop to add to my must-visit list if i ever make it to la. you can visit their website right here and check them out in person at 4014 santa monica blvd. happy shopping! [thanks billie and tootie!]

[reform school is offering d*s readers a 15% discount in the shop through this sunday- so if you're in the area swing on by and tell them you saw the shop on d*s for a sweet little discount]

new from blissen

jill at blissen just sent over this great new farm life calender she and saelee oh designed. full of playful farm scene illustrations, it's a great way to gear up for 2007. you can pick up a copy right here for $17. [thanks, jill!]

[need a little more jill in your life? check out her podcast here for an extra dose of blissen]

hotel fox

apartment therapy posted on some really cool european hotels today. i'm loving the shots from hotel fox in copenhagen. so colorful! click here for more info on hotel fox.

[also, megan at how magazine sent me a link to their new blog- thanks for the shoutout, guys!]

[uh oh- more cheating on this season's project runway? what do you think?]

new from sarah cihat

sarah cihat has some great new patterns out as part of her rehabilitated dishware collection. i'm loving the cream colored plates and the little owl dish. available at barneys- click here for more information. enjoy!

hanna werning for eastpak

just went i thought designer hanna werning couldn't be any cooler she goes and launches a fun line of backpacks with eastpak. i was a faithful eastpak wearer when i was in high school- i would have loved one of these when i was in 19th grade. you can browse hanna's designs right here and pick them up at ebags right here (search by pattern name) enjoy! [thanks to angelune for the tip!]

trade-link

i got an email from marcia trade-link that i thought might be of interest to the professionals among us. i get a fair amount of emails from interior designers asking to showcase their work, but since i tend not to run trade-only work i thought this would be a great resource for the interior designers among the audience. trade-link helps interior designs host and design their own customized websites to share their work, which they will in turn help publicize. in addition, they'll keep designers connected with their partners- manufacturers, suppliers and other trade resources (they'll also keep designers up to date on the latest products and industry events). the fee is $55 a year and you can join up right here. best of luck to all of you looking to launch your own interior design busineses!