I’m gearing up for the annual Design on a Dime fundraiser for Housing Works which is right around the corner and if you didn’t know, I am designing a room filled with fabulous items that will all be sold at an amazing discount and all of the proceeds will benefit a new housing development that Housing Works is building as a home for formerly homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. It is such a fantastic cause and a super fun event with INCREDIBLE shopping!!! You can find wonderful, designer merchandise for your home – for a “dime” and it’s all curated by some of the industry’s top interior designers. There is a VIP preview and shopping event this Thursday April 25th which is a star studded party that will allow attendees the first opportunity to shop the rooms and score the best items before the general public. If you’re in

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We love the work of fashion illustrator Ignasi Monreal.  A few months back, we brought you this vibrant series the illustrator did for V Magazine Spain, and we couldnt get enough.  The illustrator recently did a series of looks for Hong Kong retailer JOYCE, illustrating fashion from S/S 2013, on view here.  The illustrator, who lives and works in Madrid, completing studies in Illustration, Communication Design, and Fashion.

For more information, visit

It’s the most essential resource we have:  Water.  We all take it for granted.  We turn on the tap and expect clean water to flow out.  But is it really clean?  I recently watched a riveting film about the water infrastructure system here in the United States, and I was flabbergasted!

Because the 2 million miles of intricate water infrastructure is buried beneath our feet, we don’t think about it much.  Perhaps if it were visible, we’d realize the dire need to repair and replace our aging systems and be willing to pay a little more for this precious resource.

Many cities and towns have what is called a combined sewer system, where rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater are collected in ONE pipe.  Water treatment facilities become overwhelmed during some rainstorms, which leads to sewage and other pollutants overflowing into our watersheds and water supplies.

If you’ve ever wondered why swimming is not allowed in your local water body, for example, our outdated water infrastructure is a major culprit.

What you can do:

• Watch “Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure.”  Take a quick look at the trailer at http://liquidassets.psu.edu.  You can also check for local tv station listings here.

• Lessen your burden on the public water system by reducing your water consumption.
• Collect rainwater in rainbarrels and raingardens instead of letting it runoff into the street, which leads directly to streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean (An average suburban house sheds 700 gallons of water in an average 1/2″ rain event!).
• Reduce your lawn by replacing grass with native plants.  Lawns are practically impervious and rainwater just runs off, but native plants have deep roots, which aids in water infiltration that recharges the aquifers underground.  Plus, native plant gardens require little water!

• Reduce the amount of impervious surfaces on your property.  Our natural watersheds are so degraded because we’ve paved over them with surfaces that quickly transport all kinds of pollutants into our drinking water when it rains.
• Check out the Penn State Community Toolkit here if you’re interested in teaching others about this eye-opening issue.

At Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, we are always intrigued by new lighting technologies, so it isn’t surprising that an article discussing crime fighting street lights piqued our interest. The city of Chattanooga tested new LED technology in a crime-ridden park in their city and now they are looking to switch out lights across the rest of the city.

Coolidge Park in Chattanooga is a large park in the city that had become dangerous for visitors at night. Gang violence had pushed the city towards incorporating large stadium lighting throughout the park to make sure all the areas were well lit. Worried that the stadium flood lights would ruin the park’s atmosphere, a local company brought a new lighting technology to the table (you can read the whole story here).

Instead the company proposed trying wirelessly controlled LED street lights that were not only energy-efficient, but could help combat the growing crime problem. Eac

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Serge Schoemaker Architects converted a small medical practice in Ede, the Netherlands. The design requirements were met in a spatially efficient way by introducing a storey high, almost seven metres long furniture wall unit. The new interior offers space, light and privacy.

The monolithic wall unit is custom made from birch plywood and encompasses seating facilities, archive storage space, drawers for medical equipment and a kitchenette. It has three large openings which slant towards the outside facade and give the interior its sculptural character.

The two largest openings are situated in front of the existing windows, allowing light to pour in from behind the new seating at different angles.

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Taking home Thailand’s mysterious temples and crystalline shores was not inconceivable to a Beverly Hills resident. “The client had been traveling in Thailand some years ago and picked up some rare artifacts,” said Troy Adams of Troy Adams Design. “Basically I wanted to come up with a theme that incorporated the art.” Approaching Adams at a showroom, the client originally wanted a new kitchen design. “I ended up gutting the entire house and redoing it architecturally,” said Adams. Each of the individual rooms was compartmentalized and separated from the other. “The concept was to reengineer the entire floor so that there were no barriers between the spaces and it all flowed together,” added Adams. Flowing from a statue at the core of the house, the kitchen references Asia immediately with a large wall covering. “We commissioned an artist to make a huge piece of art made of silver leaf panels,” said Adams. “The bamboo was paint Read more…

Who doesn’t have a pair of blue jeans that have seen better days? Usually, I save those for ‘work’ jeans, but I’m thinking I may have to rescue a pair from the stack to make an  apron. The first option comes from Patricia.  A bit too ‘tweeny’ for you? Scroll on!  

How about this shabby-chic number from The Farmer’s Daughter? TOO ruffly? Keep scrollin’.

This next one was made for a firefighter and his wife (note the fabric). Perfect safety reminder for the grill master, no? There’s no how-to, but it looks utterly fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants do-able. 

Okay, more ruffles. The tu

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