Have you heard?  Lenny Kravitz and Philippe Stark have teamed up on a new line of chairs for Kartel. Introduced in Milan this week at the annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the chair is an interpretation of Starks iconic Mademoiselle chair. The upholstery reflects Kravitz’s unique design style. Bold color and texture give a new feel to this classic sit upon. Kravitz founded his own Soho design studio in 2003, so he has experience  to bring to the project. Of course Kartell is known for its forward thinking collaborations, always producing products with some stage presence. This new venture from Lenny and Philippe delivers with a bit of glamor and star appeal. The most intruiging thing about these chairs is the highly textural and contrasting upholstery choices, both beautiful and unexpected, inviting us to sit and stay awhile.

Story and image 1 sourced at  Curbed.com. Image 2 sourced at  Designboom.

In the spring, the promise of time in the garden is a welcome respite to Chicago winters. To get a jump on the gardening season, I often start seeds in my basement, with varying degrees of success I’m afraid. I’ve often thought that a greenhouse would be a wonderful solution, but have not pursued it given the investment it believed it would require. I found a wonderful DIY project utilizing salvaged windows to create a greenhouse. I love the re-purposed glass, as well as the overall aesthetic. It is full of character, and is warm and welcoming. Best of all, it can cost next to nothing to make. Try craigslist or free cycle to locate windows, often free of charge from a remodeling project. The old saying holds true, one person’s trash is another persons treasure.

Image source

I have the highest of regard for architects and the insane level of form and function they manage to marry in each of their designs. A true mix of science and art, great architecture is a rarity meant to be treasured for years to come.

As is the case with AMUNT’s latest creation, the JustK Eco House. Spotted at Yatzer, my jaw simply dropped to the keyboard as I admired the endless sea of natural materials, intriguing space planning and eco-friendly details that make this home a stunning piece of art.

Comfortably housing a family of six, the house is unlike anything you’ve seen before – and will leave you wanting to see little else for a long, long time. Can you imagine living in such a beauty?

Well done, AMUNT! We’re simply FLOR’d.

[Images: Brigida Gonzalez]

It is no secret that we have a horribly sad, outdated pink bathroom in our 100+ year old house and we have no intention of saving it.  We do, however, have to wait at least five more years before we can even consider remodeling our bathroom so in the meantime, I totally have to live vicariously through others.  One feature I am loving, is the walk-in shower.  But, I will be honest, it never dawned on me that this was an option for us because our space is so small.  Sure…if we had a bathroom the size of a bedroom, than we could totally rock out a walk-in shower like in this $7 million John Maniscalo designed residence:

…but what about our 6′x6.5′ square bathroom?  Turns out having a walk-in shower is a great way to maximize space in a small bathroom.  Not only do they take up less space than a traditional tub, but the glass enclosures allow your eye to travel around the room, making it seem bigger.  Here are a few more glass enclosure, walk-in shower inspiration pictures I’ve collected along the way:

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I especially like this next one because of the built in bench:

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And if a glass door isn’t your cup of tea, than check out this amazing guest bathroom space that uses a half wall to protect the rest of the bathroom from splashes while also helping to keep the space open and airy.

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Lastly, I had to include this inventive bathroom carved out of some closet space.  With a space this long and narrow, you don’t even need the enclosure!

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Do you have a walk-in shower in your home?

For this chapter of our House Tours, we took a break from homes we photograph for our catalog and knocked on the door of our Sr. VP of Design and Creative, Chip DeGrace, and his wife Cynthia. Nestled on a cozy street in the Chicago suburb of historic Elmhurst, Chip and Cynthia have created their home sweet home, complete with unique furniture pieces and dazzling design ideas.

The blue range caught their eye instantly and, though they did a lot of renovation, they made sure to work around the range, as it became the focal point of the kitchen.  And the area rugs and runners (all FLOR, naturally) throughout the DeGrace house each make their own design statement while tying together different rooms and even sections of the home.

What was once a trail of old broken up flagstone when they purchased the home has evolved into a beautiful outdoor creation that provides a serene spot surrounded by nature; the perfect place to spend some quality time alone, or with your favorite people.

The DeGrace home was featured in Chicago Home & Garden’s Spring 2012 issue; click here to see the full article

Images by Nathan Kirkman

Did you know Moby, the talented musician, is passionate about architecture? Not the well known icons of L.A., but as one might expect it is the off the beaten track fare that catches his attention. Moby is telling stories, through his chosen medium of photography, about his vision and connection to the neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The creative spirit finds expression in a multitude of ways. I appreciate the opportunity to selectively see the world through Moby’s eyes.

Moby has an architecture blog titled mobylosangelesarchitecture.com. Take a peek. The style is conversational. A stream of consciousness. Providing commentary on the buildings, and the culture that surrounds them. For me, it reinforces the fact that our environments are powerful things. We all are impacted by the spaces we inhabit, and cities and towns in which we spend our days. The viewfinder of the camera provides a focused lens on what lies in front of us, both physical and cultural. Moby’s images remind me to stop. look. and soak it all in. every day.

Story and image sourced at The L.A. Times.

Image: House & Garden

Above, a Scandinavian-inspired living space is the perfect backdrop for gray-blue aged lockers, providing both incredible storage and maximum style.

Image: Decorating with China (via The City Sage)

Low profile lockers make for a hipper alternative to the traditional sideboard in an eclectic, curated dining room.

Image: Country Living

Lockers in the kitchen? Why not? House miscellaneous spices, recipes, oils and more in a unique, easy-to-manage fashion.

Image: Living Agency

A set of lockers atop a wire frame and casters provides a statement storage piece for any living space.  Bonus? The wheels make the piece feel casual and unstuffy – the perfect balance to the industrial vibe!

Image: Het Kabinet

Admittedly, these are more similar to file cabinets than lockers, but they’ve still got that cool industrial vibe going for them. And when paired with a stylish chair and end table, they fit right at home in the living room or office.

So, friends – will you be saving your pennies for a set of lockers anytime soon? I’m definitely on board!

Once again, clockwise from the top left: Custom Artwork and Vintage Swan’s Neck Rocking Chair and Ottoman reupholstered in coral fabric as seen on Baby W’s Sweet Space on Project Nursery; ‘Marigold’s’ paper from Paper Source, decoupaged onto Craigslist dresser as seen in Modern Vintage Mix Nursery on Project Nursery; Rusig Rocker from Ikea; Spring Jazz Growth Chart from Giggle; Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair; Cygnet Chair from Giggle; Custom String Wall Art DIY project seen over at Bella and Brinkley’s Mama; Boon Flair Pedestal High Chair.

FLOR is thrilled to announce the opening of our 10th store, this one in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Located at 1037 33rd St. in the design district of Cady’s Alley, the doors are officially open for business after a smashing Grand Opening event that took place a few weeks ago.

FLOR rolled out the red carpet for the 150+ design enthusiasts who came from all over the D.C. area to see their favorite FLOR styles, colors and patterns up close and in person.

So if you’re in the Georgetown area, stop in and see our store manager, Shealyn, and our design consultants, Julia and Justin. They’ll show you the latest in FLOR’s rug creations or help you customize your own.

A big thanks to everyone who came out and helped make the Georgetown event such a success.  To see more pictures from this event click here.

The Georgetown store is located at 1037 33rd Street.  For store hours and directions,  visit us online or call (202) 944.5057.

Most of us have had the opportunity to console a baby with soothing, repetitive movement at some point in our life. Some of us have had the challenge of doing so while fatigued, stumbling around in the depth of the night with a colicky baby, and feeling like our legs just might give way. This simple modern tandem rocker is a brilliant example of user driven design. It solves a very real problem, giving both caregiver and baby an opportunity to relax a moment, together. It is designed without gender reference, and without unnecessary adornment. Pure solution driven function. I wish I had this for my boys. Now, why didn’t I think of that?

Images of Rockid found here.