(This rug is available from CB2, here.)

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Perfection, right? It can be yours for $1,775 (or less if you go through a designer). And it’s practical, you know. Because it has THIS MUCH storage….

I just love it. Love it!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

They’re elegant and refined, but cheap and chic and very versatile: put them on the Saarinen table in  your modern loft or next to a classical urn on your distressed French Country table with fluted legs. Either way – they look beautiful!

Get them at CB2: you can have all three for under $30!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

I don’t know…

Nothing to say about this piece except that it’s incredible.

The Kitamura Cabinet from Anthropologie is $1,598, and measures 82” tall x 40” wide x 17” deep. It’s a casual distressed dark brown on the exterior, and has vibrant – almost yellow – gold leaf in the interior nooks. Simply put: it’s stunning!

I’d style it like this..

Items on the shelves are from here, here, here and here.

Do you love it as much as I do?

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

They are experts at neutral shades, and they carry tons of accessories that have wonderful texture and material: copper, wood, resin, bone…the list goes on. These Earth Blocks are no exception. As one of their less expensive offerings, they are $45 for 50 pieces.

(image via Jayson Home and Garden)

To be honest, I have no idea if these are intended for actual play or not. They appear to be substantial and cast like a resin, but something tells me that they won’t hold up to water (or apple juice) given that they are made from tree bark and tea leaves. But still, they are a wonderful addition to a sophisticated home that appreciates play and loves a little whimsy. If you take them for a spin in your house, do let me know how they work out!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Round Sequin Tray, $150 (image via Serena and Lily)

It’s made of recycled woven materials in Swaziland by artisans who create part time, which allows them to maintain their traditional lifestyles. Use this tray to hold some appetizers, and plate them on these equally lovely Moroccan Dessert Plates ($18 each) from Jayson Home and Garden !

Moroccan Dessert Plate, $18 (image via Jayson Home and Garden)

Happy entertaining!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Wavy Stripes Indoor Outdoor Rug (image via World Market)

It’s an edgy mix of all the trends we’ve been seeing over the past year or two, and I think it would look stunning with some sleek outdoor furniture and some brightly colored pillows. The price ranges from $139 for a runner to $699 for a size slightly larger than 8” x 11.” 

Try it with the Alfresco Gray Sofa, which is on sale for $649 from Crate and Barrel, and some punchy pillows. Maybe you like the Outdoor Echo from West Elm ($34), the Zebra Bamboo Pillow from Trina Turk via Horchow ($285), or perhaps you dig both of them together (I do!). 

Alfresco Sofa (image via Crate and Barrel), Trina Turk Zebra Bamboo Pillow (image via Horchow), Outdoor Echo Pillow (image via West Elm), and Wavy Stripes from (image via World Market).

I love this look on the front porch of a classic Victorian just as much as I do on an industrial condo patio! What about you?

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

(image via Uncommon Goods)

These vibrant little folksy pieces are called “Heart Strings State Love Wall Art” by artist Eleanor Mathis, and they’re available via the online retailer Uncommon Goods. Each 11.5” x 11.5” square is $110, and completely custom down to where the heart is located. They’re made of pretty much what they look to be made of: plywood, reclaimed pine, acrylic paint, nails and sewing thread! They remind me of those grade school math projects you’d have to do where you’d nail nails into a shape drawn on a board, and make patterns with string by twisting it around the nails (anyone?…anyone else do this?…no?). I love every inch of them! See the details for yourself: cute, right?

A slice of NY. (image via Uncommon Goods)

You can specify your choice of red, navy, turquoise, or natural; I think my favorites are navy and turquoise, but you could twist my arm to take any of the colors. Do you love these, too?

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

A few years ago, my mother and I were out antiquing somewhere in Virginia (I can’t recall which store) and found this gem: a stained glass panel that seems to have been used as a color sample board. It’s just a little bit bigger than a piece of paper but it packs a huge punch. I can’t tell when it dates from, but I’m guessing the 60s or 70s? Turns out it’s from a 122 year old company, Kokomo Opalescent Glass, in Kokomo, Indiana, which is neat because my husband is from an Indiana town not far from Kokomo! I completely missed this until I came across this piece a few weeks ago at my mother’s house. In fact, this past Christmas my husband and son and I were passing through Kokomo, and we stopped at a Target for fruit snacks and to stretch our legs. How funny!

Here are a few more shots of the glass close up. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Right now I have this panel leaning against the wall, sitting on top of a high bookcase. Next month…who knows where it’ll be? My guess is somewhere at my house or my mom’s – we’re passing it back and forth because neither of us wants to give it up! Do you have anything unique like this that just brightens your day to look at? If so, what is it?

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Core's Bamboo Cutlery (image via Core Bamboo)

More of Core's Bamboo Cutlery (image via Grassroots Modern)

One of the lovely things about bamboo is that because it grows so quickly, it is fairly easy to grow sustainably (meaning you can put back what you take out of the earth). Core seems to go one step further, and employs sustainable practices throughout the manufacturing life cycle of their products – hooray! Their website says, “ All of the bamboo we use is 100% organically grown. We use food safe water based adhesives and we finish our products with top grade natural oils. Even our lacquer comes from natural cashew trees. Every product adheres to the standards of the FDA and European equivalent. Wherever possible we use recycled and eco-friendly packaging.”  Perhaps their bamboo is being transported from across the globe (a not-so-green aspect that’s often overlooked when talking about bamboo), but they seem to be operating with the environment in mind and care about their artisans and the local people who harvest and work with their products. 

At $9, you can get enough for you and five other dinner guests for about $50! Love love love! (Gotta give one “love” for each utensil, don’t you think?)

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.