Friday Favorites 4/29/2011

Karin Lidbeck Brent, Contributing Editor
“Clients often start off by saying, ‘I want neutrals so that I won’t get tired of them.’ I try and remind them they rarely tire of a flower garden with abundant color or a summer sunset.†That is a quote from my friend and interior designer Karen Bow of Darien, Connecticut, who dives into color, patterns and textures effortlessly.

She introduced me to the fabulous fresh wallpaper designs of Given Campbell. Given’s innovative patterns break the mold in wallpaper decor. Bold, graphic, hip and playful, her patterns will inspire you to break out of that neutral safety zone Karen describes.

Take a look at this playful space Karen designed with Given using the Fountain/Swank collection in custom pink. It makes me jump for joy!

Interior design by Karen Bow; photo by John Gould Bessler

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
While I wait for the buds in my backyard to finally turn into actual leaves, I’ve been trying to appreciate bare branches for their simple beauty. A few pretty things I’ve come across for the home lately are making that easier.

I love the cast aluminum branches and legs on this media console from Global Views.

Photo courtesy of Global Views

The fact that this variation on the Tree of Life design comes in one of my very favorite colors–a chartreuse F. Schumacher calls Appletini–makes me crave this linen-and-cotton fabric.

Photo courtesy of F. Schumacher

These door pulls from Rocky Mountain Hardware would bring a bit of the outdoors in.

Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Hardware

Agostino Di Bari hand-crafts beeswax candles like this one, called Sea Rose, at Honey Candle in Orleans on Cape Cod.

Photo courtesy of Honey Candle

I have a set of these silver walnut candleholders from Forgotten Judaica, a Providence company that sells hand-crafted pieces inspired by items in European Jewish households that were lost during the Holocaust. The company calls them Shabbat Candlesticks, but I use them anytime I want to add some elegance to my table.

Photo courtesy of Forgotten Judaica

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
Imagine my surprise when I walked through the doors of the Sofitel Los Angeles earlier this year (I was in LA for the first annual Design Bloggers Conference), and the very first thing that caught my eye was a chair by Vermont artisan Johnny Swing. If you think a single chair can’t have that kind of impact, it’s just because you’ve never seen his work before.

Design Bloggers Conference organizer Adam Japko in the lobby of the Sofitel Los Angeles.

Although Johnny Swing’s pieces are one-of-a-kind, they’re all based on multiples: dozens of dollar bills, thousands of pennies, scores of baby food jars. I first met and interviewed Johnny while working on a video of the 2009 ICFF show in New York (feel free to take a look if you’re one of the three living humans I haven’t already cajoled into watching).

Photos courtesy of Johnny Swing.

Check out his Web site; I guarantee nothing you see there can be mistaken for the work of anyone else.