Barcelona can have their Gaudi, Philadelphia has Zagar!  Isaiah Zagar is a mosaic artist with a single-minded obsession - covering every surface with his ceramic tile and glass designs.  Zagar began tiling the grounds and walls of the property next to his studio in 1994.  Several tunnels, grottoes, and years later, we have the Magic [...]

If you’re interested in a new eco-friendly green house but were afraid of the costs, take a look at these prefabricated models. New World Home has designed several house models using historically-inspired styles but built them with an eye on environmentally-friendly and efficient practices. And to make them affordable, they used the modular [...]

MAD or Museum of Arts and Design in New York is presenting an upcoming exhibition on organic living things.  Several artists transform what was once alive into creative art and sculptures.  In the exhibit, Dead or Alive, artists use skeletons, plant materials, feathers, and other fauna to create statements about their environment.
The artists include Jennifer [...]

We just stumbled on a great source for upcycled housewares—you know, things that one person would have thrown out, but thanks to the ingenuity of Lemontree Farm, are now re-purposed for funky, charming new uses. As Lemon says in her own shop profile, “I love all things vintage - they were made better and last [...]

For the past few days we have had quite a bit of rain in New York, but - despite the impending St. Patrick’s Day holiday - not a single rainbow. Since rainbows have topped my list of all-time favorite things since I first encountered Rainbow Brite and Lisa Frank (watershed moments of my youth, to [...]

Earlier this week I was writing an article for Designer Monthly about reclaiming and recycling. Part of my reaserch delved into the very good works of Build it Green! NYC, a warehouse store that sells reclaimed and surplus building materials at a mere fraction of their original cost. I am a fan of old things [...]

The last time I visited the DWR Tools for Living Store, I was instantly smitten with their collection of natural coal purifiers from designer Louise Vilsgaard. These black pieces of “white charcoal” made from Korean oak come in a variety of forms and can be used to purify your water, deodorize your refrigerator, or simply [...]

We like wood furniture. And we like being good to the environment. And we really like the furniture from Environment Furniture.
They use reclaimed wood from southern Brazil, then fashion it into furniture with plank inlays and mosaic effects, using, as they say in a press release, “the wood’s natural character to create a collection that’s [...]

One of the students at the Sheffield School of Interior Design found this very cool, very useful-looking organizer for design projects, in which you can keep paint chips, fabric samples, and work your way through a design project. Could be a really useful assistant to the Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design!
For more details, check [...]

Have you been stuck at home, wondering what’s going on in design in the world beyond your little corner? Or maybe you’ve just come back from your summer holidays, and your appetite for new ideas is whetted. Either way, you should check out the new Designer Monthly that just went up today, with features on [...]