America is a funny place. We love our history but value progress, and the result in our cities - in the built environment at least - is an odd mix of old and new, evolution and decay. Although we often take it for granted, the preservation of all but our most significant urban landmarks is [...]

Parrot collaborated with uber-designer, Philippe Starck, to create sleek wireless speakers for the ultra modern home called the Zikmu Parrot.  Philippe Starck, better known as a furniture designer, applied his design flair and transformed the old speaker box into a sculptural sound system.  And at 100 watts power, the sound delivers too!
The Zikmu comes in [...]

Perhaps because I have always been big - reaching 5′9″ in the 8th grade, much to my chagrin - I have always had a special passion for things that are very small. Miniatures of any kind, including dollhouses and their related accoutrements, fascinate me; the smaller and more articulated, the better.
Like many others, a major [...]

Ever since I’ve read Susan Orlean’s Orchid Thief, I’ve been intrigued, almost obsessed, by that exotic plant, the orchid. The Victorians even have a name for this unique obsession: Orchidelirium.
Susan Orlean follows the lives of orchid hunters who go to great lengths to add to their orchid collection, including that of the infamous orchid thief, [...]

Anyone who loves the great outdoors may want to bring some of it indoors.  Tucker Robbins introduced his very organic furniture to the delight of many nature lovers.  Robbins traveled around the world, choosing from native cultures the best sustainable materials to create his furniture.
On our cover, is the tongue-in-cheek Human chair, also made from [...]

Where can you go to see fashion, fine cuisine, gardening and techie trends - all in one show? Give up? No, it’s not the View - it’s the Martha Stewart Show!
Sheffield interior design and feng shui students recently enjoyed a field trip to a live taping of the Martha Stewart show. Special guests include [...]

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 [...]

As promised, another installment of my BizBash Expo review - this time, with a focus on the great fabric and furniture vendors that were exhibiting. Perhaps its a sign of the allegedly abating recession, but glitz and glamour were certainly a trend for the stalwarts of theatrical fabric and event supply and furniture rentals. Take [...]

When thinking about the waste we humans create, think about Halloween: all those synthetic costumes used once, never again worn, come November 1st tossed on the trashheap of over-indulgence. And they’re often not designed with as much panache as you yourself could put in them.
It’s time for Halloween to go green. And so much cheaper, [...]

I have been a longtime fan of Anthropologie - though I can’t say I have actually purchased much there that wasn’t on sale, I can say that I have spent more than a few hours at a time browsing the store in a kind of retail reverie. Like ABC Carpet & Home, Anthropologie captures an [...]