Monthly Archives: January 2014

Great Valentine Gift: Draper Stripe Throw

Gift Ideas, Throw Blankets, , ,

I simply adore throw blankets… I must have 4 or 5 of them.  I prefer natural fibers like wool and cashmere. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I think our Draper Stripe Throw by Dwell Studio would be a wonderful gift!   We have both the chinois blue and the major brown in stock.  This blanket is made with baby alpaca (95%) and just a touch of polyester (5%), and is a generous 50 x 70 inches in size.

Gr_Str_Throw_Main
photo credit: Dwell Studio

So what is alpaca exactly… it’s a lot like wool. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it: “Alpaca fleece is a lustrous and silky natural fiber. While similar to sheep’s wool, it is warmer, not prickly, and bears no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. It is also soft and luxurious. In physical structure, alpaca fiber is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy. The preparing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing process of alpaca is very similar to the process used for wool. Alpaca fiber is also flame-resistant, and meets the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s standards.”

Like any fiber, different qualities certainly exist… the alpaca used in Dwell Studio’s throw is very high quality making it super soft.  I have seen samples of lesser quality that do not have the same beautiful hand-feel.  You can be sure with this blanket you’re getting the best!

NYT: Living in 704 square feet

Architecture, Eco Friendly, ,

The New York Times Home & Garden section has an interesting article about a couple and their 2 dogs who live in a 704 square foot 1 room home.  What do you think of this?  Could you live comfortably in a small space?

704sqft
photo credit: Aaron Leitz for The New York Times

It’s not as bad as it sounds really… because they have a huge yard including outdoor living space and 2 storage sheds.  The large room is divided into functional areas with a bookcase, and a curtain to separate the bed area from the main area. You can see more photos in this slideshow, here.  Eco-friendly features are a green roof planted with local flora and a 550 gallon rain barrel for collecting storm water for reuse.

I think it’s fantastic!  “Tiny living” forces you to pare down on “stuff” and keeps operating costs low. Bravo!

Decor Accents & the Oslo Duvet Cover

Bedrooms, Decorating, Duvet Covers, Interior Design, Mid Century Modern, , , , ,

I’m really fond of our Oslo duvet cover set by Echelon that is currently on sale (20% off), so I thought it would be fun to think of some pieces that would look good with it.  The scale and linking pattern of Oslo make it fairly modern looking, so I’d pair it with modern and mid-century modern pieces.

OSL-blue

I like rooms with some wood in them. Wood furniture warms things up, as opposed to say the super sleek look of lacquered items.

I think every bedroom needs at least one chair.  I always end up draping things on them.  This is a super cool Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair.

DWR_eames
photo credit: DWR

This bedside table combines the modern look of an iron frame with the hand-antiqued patina of the acacia wood drawer. Audrey Nightstand by CB2.

audrey-table
photo credit: CB2

I really like these Design by Conran ball lamps from JC Penney of all places.  Yes, this is the same “Conran” as The Conran Shop!

DBC_lamp
photo credit: Design by Conran for JCPenney
These look so cool, but are not very practical for bedside lamps, so I think I’d want one as accent lamp.

With wood items, I don’t think it’s necessary at all to have them all the exact same wood finish… looking too “matchy matchy” is so boring.

Things We Love: Diptyque Feu de Bois

Candles, Things We Love, Winter

In NYC most of us don’t have fireplaces at home, so the best we can do on a snowy cold night (like last night) is put on a fireplace dvd and light up some candles.  The best candle when you’re missing a fireplace is the Diptyque Feu de Bois candle!  Scent: Wood Fire “The warm, familiar, sophisticated accord of rare woods throughout the long winter days”.

diptyque_feu
photo credit: Diptyque Paris

At $60 for the standard size candle, these are certainly expensive candles but the quality is commensurately high as well.  Each candle burns approx. 50 – 60 hours. They are made with a high quality vegetable/paraffin wax mix and cotton, lead-free wicks.  And, of course they are made in France.  I also love the fact that they sell a candle lid ($22).  One of my biggest pet peeves is dusty candle wax (have you ever tried to clean this? Urg, not fun.), so a cover takes care of that problem!  The cover also apparently helps preserve the candle’s aroma.

January Sale – Duvet Covers: Kaleidoscope, Odessa and Oslo

Bedding, Duvet Covers, Sale, Winter, ,

We’re in the midst of the cold winter season and you may be feeling like it’s time for a new duvet cover.  Right now, we’re offering 20% off on 3 great patterns!

Kaleidoscope is a 280 thread count sateen weave made with 100% cotton. It’s available in this cheerful light turquoise color, or a neutral flax. With a crisp white background, it looks fresh and modern.
KAL_turq

Odessa is also a 280 thread count sateen weave made with 100% cotton. This modern look is available in blue, blackberry or linden green.  The purple shade of blackberry is a top color of 2014 according to Pantone!  (see the blackberry color by clicking the link)
ODE_blue

Oslo is a poly/cotton blend in a 300 thread count sateen weave.  What makes it really interesting is that it’s a crossweave.  The warp yarns are 100% cotton and the weft yarns are polyester… so on the front side of the fabric you get the feeling of 100% cotton. At the same time the polyester content helps it resist wrinkling after washing and drying.  We also love the huge scale of the links pattern… really unique and striking!
OSL-blue

Jazz up your Bathroom Decor with Textured Towels

Bath, Decorating, Towels, , , ,

If you have a fairly plain bathroom, like all white…  it’s fun to make things more interesting with textured towels!

For a classic, conservative look, these sculptured damask towels are an excellent choice.

BARQ_MAIN
Baroque damask towels by Chortex    photo credit: Chortex

These ribbed towels and honeycomb towels can both mix well with almost any decor!

OXF_MAIN
Oxford ribbed towels by Chortex    photo credit: Chortex

HON_MAIN
Honeycomb spa towels by Chortex    photo credit: Chortex

These Astoria towels feature a unique stylized peacock feather design against a waffle-like texture, and reverse to terry.

ASTORIA_main
Astoria towels by Peacock Alley    photo credit: Peacock Alley

Zen Minimalism in Sweden

Asian, Bedrooms, Interior Design, Lamps

Elle Decor is featuring “Zen Mastery: A Serene Home in Sweden“, a beautiful blend of Scandinavian simplicity and Japanese serenity.
Exterior:
ZEN1
photo credit: Elle Decor

Here is the bedroom:
ZEN2
photo credit: Elle Decor
It’s super-minimalist with lots of wood.  I love the giant rice paper lamp!  I adore this look, but I don’t know if I’d have the discipline to keep things so uncluttered!  What do you think?  You can view the rest of the slides and article, here.

Neutral Bedroom with Linen Bedding

Bedding, Interior Design, New Products, Sheets

I am loving this neutral bedroom from Lonny Magazine’s December/January 2014 issue! The linen bedding is gorgeous.  I am a huge fan of linen: the texture, the way it gets so super soft after several washings; and it is also incredibly durable.

Lonny-p165
photo credit: Lonny Dec/Jan Issue, pg. 165

Here at Linenplace, we’ll have Peacock Alley‘s new linen/cotton blend sheets available in a few weeks!  They are 30% linen and 70% cotton, and made in Europe.  Classic white with a simple yet elegant hemstitch detail, you can’t go wrong with sheets like this!
MINUET
photo credit: Peacock Alley

A linen cotton blend is a good compromise because you get the benefits of linen, with less wrinkling. (linen is definitely known for wrinkling a lot, but it is so worth it) Also, 100% linen sheets can be insanely expensive!

Make Your Bedroom Sleep-Friendly!

Bedding, Pillows, Sheets


photo credit: Down Right
People ought to sleep an average of 7-8 hours everyday. That’s a third of our lifetime in the bedroom! However, getting enough sleep is not always easy for many people. Here are some ways to make your bedroom more sleep-friendly.

1. Clean-Up
De-cluttering your sleep sanctuary can help make the space more calm and relaxing.

2. Make the Room for Sleep Only
Don’t structure your bedroom for multitasking. Make the room sole purpose be a resting space.

3. Dust-Out
Dust can trigger allergens in the body which can prevent a good night’s sleep.

5 Websites for Home Inspiration

Interior Design, Styles

The Rainy Pot, strange and cute watering device for your plants. Photo Credit: design-milk. com

4 Men 1 Lady

This is a lifestyle blog run by Michelle, a mother of three living in a beautiful home in Utah. On the blog, Michelle documents various DIY and home improvement projects she currently and has undertaken. There are photo tours of her current and previous residence on the site and scrumptious recipes such as chocolate trifle to take inspiration from and try out.

Design Milk

This website not only features beautiful modern interior design and furniture but also new and interesting design ideas from architecture, fashion and the tech world. Check out this article on a strange and cute watering device.

the picket fence projects

This blog is run by a first time homeowner in very old(1860) New England home. On the site, Caitlin documents her various projects such as giving a stool a makeover and making DIY coasters and homemade mod podge. Just like 4 Men 1 Lady, there are plenty of detailed and close-up pictures for you to peruse and spark interior inspiration of your own!

houzz

The largest collection of  interior design and decorating ideas on the internet, the site features Ideabooks, user-made photosets, and articles about various topics on interior design. There are hours worth of photos visitor can browse and a photo for almost any interior design project you can think of.  Check out this article on creating a morning nook, a morning refresher space.

desire to inspire

This  website is run by two self-proclaimed “interior design junkies,”  one lives in Australia and the other from Canada. Kim and Jo were brought together by their love of interior design. There site features individual pages for each blogger, allowing visitors to follow each blogger separately and see through different perspectives.