today’s final before and after belongs to dutch d*s reader joanna and her husband marc-peter. joanna and marc-peter bought a house dating from 1820 in the center of amsterdam. not content with its current state- they decided to completely renovate it. joanna designed several of the pieces of furniture herself (the incredible wooden mirror and lamp) and then had them made locally by a trained craftsman. the rest is a mix of ikea and locally-sourced furniture and the result is a wonderfully airy space full of light and simple modern furnishings (those floors are to die for). thanks so much to joanna and marc-peter for sharing! [for larger, and additional, photos of their home click here and here]

[image above: living room “before”. top image above: living room “after”]

[image above: office “before”]

[image above: office “after”]

[image above: dining room/kitchen “before”]

[image above: dining room “after”]

[image above: bedroom “before”]

[image above: bedroom “after”]

That very American of holidays: The Fourth of July is fast approaching! Does everyone have plans? Are you going to BBQ, watch fireworks, go to the beach, eat apple pie, have a beer/lemonade? All of the above? Those of you in other places will be carrying on as usual , but I thought a little red white and blue might perk up your summer just the same.

Above is an example of an American 13 Star Parade Flag circa late 1800's from Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques available through 1st Dibs.

This is the wonderful beach house of Anna Spiro from Absolutely Beautiful Things. I just had to show this red, white and blue loveliness.

There is nothing quite so relaxing as sitting on a shaded porch sipping a tall cool drink. This porch designed by Thad Hayes is one of my "happy place" images that I look at when the stresses of the day get a little out of hand.

I love this image of Peter Dunham's house via Stylecourt blog: the tapestry, the desk, the lamp....love it all!

This Living Room by Bonesteel, Trout and Hall captures that very American "love of the beach" feeling that I long for this time of year. At the same time, there is a strong use of Indian prints and Asian furniture that is so very appealing.

Betsy Burnham uses red, white and blue in this foyer area to great effect. Not the least bit what one expects when hearing "red, white and blue".

It is an election year, and Jonathan Adler is appealing to both parties with his elephant and donkey figures. Take your pick, and don't forget to vote!

Pottery Barn came out with a "to the trade" sneak preview of their Fall collection. I have to say, I am liking it. It is a little less obvious as to where it all came from. A very nice mix. What do all of you think? Agree? Disagree?

A pair of very patriotic vintage lamps go by the name of "Stars and Stripes" and are available from LUM.

Enjoy a little Red, White and Blue wherever you may be!

We are currently looking to add a few new bloggers. Possible areas of focus include technology, fashion, and an all-around new/events/happenings/exhibitions/”what’s going on”-type reporter. If you would like to be considered for one of these positions with Design Milk, please email us at info@design-milk.com with subject “Contributing Blogger” and include:

1. A summary of your blogging or writing experience
2. What you believe you can bring to Design Milk
3. Link(s) to any articles, blogs, or other related websites to which you have contributed

Submissions without the above items will not be considered. We prefer that you have an art and/or design background or at least are passionate about this subject. Journalism or blogging experience is a plus. We want bloggers who are committed, passionate, and creative. For example, we love bloggers who will offer more than just a post here and there - we want ideas and feedback on how we can make DM better for our readers.

Bloggers are expected to write 1-3 posts per week, but it is preferred that they contribute more often. Communication and creativity are key to being a DM blogger. Please note that currently this is an unpaid position, but we’re growing fast and things can always change.

We’re always looking for one-off guest posts on any topic related to art & design. If you are interested in writing a guest post, please email us at info@design-milk.com with subject “Guest Post”. In your email, please explain what type of post you would like to write and link to any example posts or sites to which you have contributed. This is a great way to get exposure.

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san francisco-based designer lisa neimeth just released a beautiful new collection of homemade “diner” plates. available in a wide range of rich, earthy colors (i love the deep orange hue), lisa’s diner plates are available at stores across the country, or via email at lisa’s site. want a little more lisa in your life? click here to check out lisa’s home and converted chicken coop studio.

Last weekend we decided to hit the coast to get free of the smoke filled air brought on by the many recent wildfires in the Sacramento area. We took the dog, a picnic of roasted chicken sandwiches and fruit from the Sacramento Farmer's Market and hit the road.

Muir Beach in Marin County was our first destination. We love it because dogs are very welcome off leash, and Cooper was in dog heaven. After a good two hours of running him ragged and soaking up the sun, we settled in for a great picnic lunch.

If you are ever in the area, you have to stay at the Pelican Inn. Originally built in Surrey in 1673, it was dismantled and rebuilt at Muir Beach where it has been providing a touch of England for over 20 years. Be sure to check out their website for pictures of the authentic Tudor style rooms. If you are daytripping like we were, stop at the pub for an ale and a game of darts.

After a quick stop for ice cream, we did some shopping for antiques in one of my favorite towns, Mill Valley. I suggest Maison Reve if you get the chance:

They specialize in French antiques and garden accessories. So pretty!

Next stop: Sausalito on the San Francisco Bay

There is a beautiful town square, with a fountain guarded by these two handsome elephants. I had to take this for you Courtney!

Full of beautiful Victorian architecture....

And creative people.....

Sausalito is one of my favorite cities by the Bay. It was a glorious day....so to top off out trip we had to eat at one of my all time favorite seafood restaurants:

FISH is located right on the Marina in Sausalito and specializes in fresh fish. A very casual atmosphere, drinks are served in Mason Jars and you sit outside at picnic tables:

But do not let that fool you into thinking that the food is less than excellent. I had a white bean and tuna salad with Kalamata olives, red onions, carrots, celery, and lots of other goodies. And there was clam chowder all around. Here is a picture of the Portuguese Red Chowder, rich and spicy:

Be sure to check out their really clever website here. You will be very entertained.

So...we had a very good day by the Bay.

I am recharged and ready to do some more blogging about one of my many design crushes, so I hope you visit tomorrow!

It's not even Summer yet and I'm already looking ahead to all of the great Fall book releases. Crazy, huh? One book that I'm excited about is Jeffrey Bilhuber: Defining Luxury. In the book, Bilhuber explores luxury- what it means and why we need it in our daily lives. To Bilhuber, luxury can be found in small things like fresh flowers or in grand statement pieces. But more importantly, he writes that "Luxury is cultivated from the inside out, not the outside in." So true! The book features gorgeous photos of Bilhuber's work, including many projects that have not been published before. Here is a sneak peek of a few of Bilhuber's projects that made it into the book.

Bright ideas we gathered from your comments.

1) Microfiber is a good choice for people with cats. Pencils let us know that while her Sleepytime Rocker is a big hit with the cat, cleaning it isn’t a big issue: “Can?t wait to rock a baby in it, but so far the cat really is enjoying it — and her abundant Maine Coon fur doesn?t stick to the microfiber upholstery.” See where else we clicked last week.

2) You can find toothbrushes that not only are colorful and recycled, they look like they’ll fit in most holders! Inez weighed in on the toothbrush storage post with a link to these toothbrushes by Alan Stuart. Too cool.

3) We’re not the only ones who can’t leave Target with just one thing. Okay — we pretty much knew that already, but we did recognize ourselves in Becky’s comment: “I?m off to Target with the intention of spending $10, but I know I won?t leave until my cart is full. I?ll wind up with an array of unrelated items, like milk, a Jovavitch-Hawk skirt that makes me look really fat, a ‘fiendish’ platinum soduku book, some slutty looking shoes I?ll never end up wearing, some men?s pajama pants, a funny garden gnome, cat litter, a Victoria Hagan mirror, a Converse shirt I am way too old to get away with, a DVD, toilet paper, and a pink garden hose!” Thank you, readers, for always making us laugh. And check out that $10 hot pink garden hose here.

4) There are a lot of earth-friendly cat litters out there. (That sometimes dogs love a little too much, too). Susan Y says, “I used World?s Best, Swheat Scoop, Feline Pine, and right now I?m testing the litter called ‘Space’ which they sell at Trader Joe?s. World?s Best and Swheat Scoop were good, but I have a dog that LOVED to eat the litter. I?m still unsure about Space because they are made of full silica pellets, so they don?t have dust, but I?m not sure how biodegradable they are. Anyone have info?” See the Feline Fresh post here.

5) Some husbands have really interesting hobbies. Quite a few readers were excited by Angela’s family foray into beekeeping, and some of you have wanted to try it out yourselves. But only mod*mom had this to say: “I would freak out with all those bees. My husband is a falconer + it took a long time for me to like having a bird on my glove. I’m not as relaxed as he is.” Click to learn more about Angela and Chad’s new beekeeping venture.

These pieces of furniture which aren’t practical shelving space, are called Dust Furniture and are designed by craft artist Vincent Thomas Leman. Vincent’s work has been described as ‘abstract traditional furniture.’ Each piece is essentially a traditional piece of furniture that is stretched, curved, stacked and stepped to fit his design intentions. While wood is the material employed to make his furniture, Vincent considers his actual medium to be ‘traditional furniture.’ The classical root of each piece helps maintain its identity as furniture and keeps the work familiar and approachable despite the unusual shapes. Environmental integrity is also very important to Dust Furniture.

They take care to use biodegradable packing peanuts during the packaging process, to avoid adding to the landfills. They also use waterborne urethane to coat the furniture, which is a gentle, high quality alternative to some very strong chemicals. One of their mottos is “We like to think that we’re changing the world… one piece of fun, American handcrafted furniture at a time.” Finnaly I don’t think that to many people would buy a piece of furniture like this, but at least you saw an interesting piece of furniture today. If you would like to buy a piece of furniture like this you can visit Dustfurniture or Vincent Etsy Shop - Via

Post from: Interior Design, Home & House Design, Furniture

Have you ever noticed how Chinese ancestral portraits seem to grace many stylish interiors? Once I spotted them in one interior, it seemed that I started to see them everywhere. Of course, the paintings found in the interiors below were used strictly for decorative purposes, and I can certainly see why. There is something very dignified and regal about these portraits, and they also seem to add a little touch of Eastern exoticism to their surroundings. But what we shouldn't forget is that the purpose of these paintings was anything but decorative.

Ancestral portraits were long an important part of a Chinese culture which revered and worshipped family ancestry. From what I've read, it seems that these paintings were commissioned by family members not just out of respect for their forebears, but also out of fear. A disgruntled ancestor might be tempted to become a ghost and make life difficult for the living. In order to prevent this from happening, and to elicit good will and fortune, the portraits were worshipped by family members either in their homes or at family temples. Ceremonies, which at times included offerings to the ancestors as well as kowtowing, were often performed before these portraits.

So with this in mind, here are a few of the interiors that I have found which display these ancestral portraits. In a way, it seems that even today these portraits still command respect and awe, much as they did centuries ago.

(If any of you are experts on Asian art and wish to add to this, please do so by commenting- I would love to learn more about these portraits.)



Frances Elkins used them in a few of her projects, including one of her most famous: the library of Mr. and Mrs. Kersey Coates Reed. I think the portrait looks smashing against the Hermes goatskin paneled wall.


Jean-Michel Frank tried his hand at stage design in this set from "Les Fleurs des pois". The Chinese portrait rather dominates the set.


Yves Saint Laurent was obviously a fan.


Here are a pair of Chinese ancestral portraits in a contemporary setting- the living room of Liz and Steve Weinstein, decorated by Miles Redd (photo from Elle Decor; photographer Simon Upton)

Image at top: A pair of ancestor portraits, c. 1700-1800. From the collection of the Victoria and Albert

Upon the event that you are in West Hollywood this Saturday, put on your swankiest designer walking gear (ha!) and head to the 11th Annual Art & Design Walk. This is the must-do event on the calendar of style conscious Angelenos and is staged along Melrose Avenue and Robertson and Beverly Boulevards—the favorite shopping destinations for LA’s celebrity and design elite.

The skinny:

what: 11th Annual Avenues of Art & Design Art Walk, a mile long open house of over 300 fashion boutiques, interior design/furniture showrooms, fine art/antique galleries and restaurants. Over 90 events, including exclusive receptions, personal appearances, food and entertainment hosted by individual showrooms, shopping discounts and other special surprises.

where: Along Melrose Avenue, and Robertson and Beverly Boulevards

when: Saturday, May 31, 2008. 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

how much? Free! Meters on the Avenues will not be enforced during the event.

For the full scoop check out the Avenues of Art & Design website.