Quilts are in style.

I’m glad because truth is for me, they never went out. Quilt designs are a comforting link with our past, and today’s quilt artists are incredible. (If you ever get the chance — drop in on one of the large quilt shows like Pacific International and you’ll see what I mean — awesome artistry and craftsmanship.)

I’m especially smitten with the bold, [...] Read more »

When interior designer Debbie Wiener makes over a room, her goal is twofold: 1) To create a beautiful environment that people are pleased to be in and 2) To “Slobproof” it. Debbie coined the term Slobproof to describe her philosophy of designing with families and pets in mind.

Here’s a living room that Debbie recently decorated. The room before was bland and lacked the warmth of [...] Read more »

Social Furniture — It’s Here!

Yesterday marked the U.S. launch of Berlin, Germany’s Fashion4Home, and the stateside beginning of “social furniture.”

One of Fashion4Home’s exclusive designers, Logan Komorowski, with a model from his line of furniture from sustainable bamboo.

Sure, Fashion4Home is an online-only furniture retailer that says it offers products at “50-70% less than traditional retail prices,” but that’s not the coolest thing about it.

Here it is: [...] Read more »

by Diana Durkes

Wahoo! It’s time again for chair sorcery from our furniture and accessories makeover specialist, Contributor Diana Durkes. Diana gives “New Life to the Tossed and Found” at her blog, Fine Diving in Chicago.

What to do with a challenging, homely chair?

Years ago, this one may have occupied pride of place in the parlor. It emulates the Eastlake style, a late 1800’s [...] Read more »

It’s time again for your gut reaction to a design. Have a look at the Highboy Bookshelf from designer Jaren Goh for Singapore-based Munkii.

Does this antique-inspired piece work for you? Tell us what you think.

(via Home Accents Today.) Read more »

Except a return to good health for my best friend, my Christmas wish list is short this year. I am so fortunate with loved ones, and being able to talk with incredible designers, artists, craftspeople and DIY’ers every day.

What more could I want?

There is this.

My mouth dropped open when I came across Design Store Tokyo’s miniature Designer Chair Collection. 42 perfect, 1/12 replicas of [...] Read more »

There’s a store you went to once. A marvelous store. In your mind’s eye you can picture the colorful objects, the mix of textures. You always meant to go back.

That’s how it was for me with Berkeley, California’s Ethnic Arts (1314 Tenth Street). Part store, part global museum. All wonderful.

One of numerous fantastical puppets from the Bozo tribe of Mali in West Africa

When [...] Read more »

Judith Miller has the same affliction I do. Like cat hair to my velvet sofa pillows, she’s attracted to chairs. Adores them.

Before leaving the house, she has to raise her right hand and swear to her husband that she absolutely will not bring home any more single chairs from the antiques market.

My girl.

I heard Judith—one of the world’s leading experts in antiques—relate that tale [...] Read more »

British designer Zoe Murphy is putting a new face on furniture recycling. Treehugger turned me on to Murphy’s innovative approach to reuse and surface design for mid-century furniture. Her work was shown recently at the London Design Festival; she came into the spotlight when the BBC included her in its 2008 New Designer of the Year Awards.

Feast your eyes on the extraordinary results when [...] Read more »

Tonight the post is short and sweet; I’ve found a seat where you can Tweet.

So you adore Twitter like I do. You care about your followers and dedicate time to keep them up to date. You need a comfy place to Tweet.

I went searching and turned to a colorful favorite, Maine Cottage Furniture. Known for its yummy painted furniture, Maine Cottage also has a [...] Read more »

Keep your eyes on Nichole Loiacono-Young, her recently-launched Etsy shop, Sparrow’s Nest, and her blog by the same name. Nichole’s an aspiring designer with a great eye for giving new life to forlorn furniture and accessories.

Case in point? This cane-back Louis armchair that Nichole made fresh with gloss-white paint and Tiffany-blue flannel. A bit of a change from what she started with, yes? (And makes [...] Read more »

by Leona Gaita

Today we are once again joined by Leona Gaita, HomeWorkshop.com Interior Design Expert and Contributor. Leona shares with us her inspiring ideas and advice to help us enrich our homes and lives with beauty and elegance.

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There’s something afoot… An organic new trend… I wonder if the FCC knows about it! I wonder if your grandmother would approve! Wood furniture that’s [...] Read more »

by Amanda Reass

Today come into the garden, kick back with a cold beverage and enjoy the story of the “Mushroom Chair,” a Makeover project from Design Junkie Amanda Reass of Columbus, Ohio.

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Last October my fiancé and I moved into the house that my grandparents had lived in for 30+ years. We didn’t mind taking on the task of painting and updating the décor in exchange [...] Read more »

It’s splendid when our creative pursuits overlap. Like with Liz Scott’s chair makeover project– Liz didn’t have to look far to find the perfect fabric. The Los Angeles graphic artist’s alter ego is designer of original fabrics that she prints at Spoonflower.

Before

After

“I found an old castaway chair frame at a garage sale for $5 and painted the wood an off-white (Ralph Lauren Edwardian Linen to [...] Read more »

by Diana Durkes

We are in for a treat today, when furniture makeover and upcycler specialist Diana Durkes joins us as a HomeWorkshop.com Contributor. Diana gives “New Life to the Tossed and Found” at her blog, Fine Diving in Chicago.

I’m a plaids and stripes kind of person. Something about vibrant colors arranged in sensible lines and angles will have me forever gravitating to a vintage [...] Read more »