Friday Favorites 3/2/2012

Karin Lidbeck Brent, Contributing Editor
Of all the Company C rugs I have styled, this Captiva is at the top of my list. The Captiva has been a “wow†piece since it was introduced in the design market in January.

Chris Chapin, owner of Company C, says, “It was such fun watching this shot come together! I could not wait to see how Karin would turn this space into something that felt right for this number one best-selling rug.â€

Before Captiva

After Captiva

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
People who pay attention to New England architecture and interior design probably know Anna Kasabian as a prolific writer on those subjects. She’s authored ten books about architecture and design and has had pieces in numerous magazines, including New England Home. Now, though, she has turned her talents to another arena, introducing Snowbound Pottery, her own line of handmade porcelain tableware and collectibles.

Her hand-formed bowls, vases, trays and other pieces–rendered solely in white porcelain, though some are given a touch of gold leaf–recall the natural world, bringing to mind flower petals, leaves and seashells. All of the pieces are small, ranging from tiny one-inch-wide pinch pots to eight-inch trays and seven-and-a-half-inch-tall bud vases. For Anna, who lives and works in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, part of the fun is in the pieces’ imperfections. “I adore the surprise, the unpredictable results, the organic forms that come as a result of my hand, that particular piece of clay and what’s on my mind as I work it,†she says. “Hand building is not about being perfect, and for me that’s the magic.â€

A group of five little bud vases (the tallest is just seven inches) needs just a sprig each of wildflower for instant springtime cheer.

Photos courtesy of Anna Kasabian, Snowbound Pottery

How did I ever enjoy fresh berries without a sweet little bowl made just for them?

I can think of lots of uses for these pretty little bowls: one in the guest bath to hold a fragrant stash of lavender, one on my bedside table to keep my rings safe overnight and one perched on the living room coffee table to hold a floating blossom or two.

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
One of the high points of the past few days spent in Los Angeles for the 2012 Design Bloggers Conference was an invitation to visit Rose Tarlow Melrose House for a presentation and book signing by designer Mona Hajj. The attractions were twofold: first, a chance to ogle the gorgeous showroom itself (beautifully serene and spacious in a way that reminds me of Christian Liaigre‘s place on the rue de Varenne in Paris, even if the style sensibility is somewhat different); and second, the opportunity to find out more about Hajj’s thoughtfully eclectic, quietly grand work. The book, Mona Hajj: Interior Visions, is available for pre-order via Amazon.com. Here are a few tantalizing glimpses of the sort of design you’ll find inside.

Cover image courtesy of The Monacelli Press

Interiors photos courtesy of Mona Hajj Interiors