I’ll have more ICFF coverage for you next week. Right now, here are a few links I loved this week:

• Mindy Kaling’s perfect kissing device, via The New Yorker
• The new Notoriouss fashion line, via TMZ
• I’m loving golden brass toe kicks, via Live The Life You Dream About
• Shop for wine racks with Mirko Benzo, via The New York Times

Here are a few Life in Sketch highlights: Life in Sketch

• This week’s Design Crush: A Tribeca apartment by Ghislane Vinas
• I won! The Global Lighting instagram comeptition!
• A recap of our Nolita design walking tour

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Holland & Sherry Bespoke

I was thrilled when I heard Holland & Sherry was opening a retail store right in my backyard! This was a great opportunity to step inside and see their new digs. The shop and design studio is located behind the amazing Elizabeth Street Gallery, which continues into the outdoor space you see when walking past.

Holland & Sherry Bespoke is like a modern man cave heaven, with shaving brushes, large horses and much of their signature fabric. Designers are encouraged to come and hang out, sit at the back conference tables and invite clients over for meeting and bespoke cocktails. Now that I’ve gotten to know the comfortable space I’ll definitely be using this feature!

Craig Van Den Brulle

Just down the street from Holland & Sherry Bespoke you’ll find the glistening Craig Van Den Brulle shop. The flagship store is filled with luxury pieces including show stopping lighting. My favorite, however, was the crazy artwork! I’m very picky about paintings but I was immediately drawn to every piece in the store. If you’re in the area you must stop by!

Aero by Thomas O’Brien

Now, I’ve visited Aero in the past but not recently. The shop was filled with Thomas O’Brien classics including furniture, lighting and accessories. It was a treat to visit the store with this group because we were able to tour the design office downstairs! I love seeing how designers set up their offices, how they stay organized and how they work. This was a quick glimpse into Aero Studios that was very interesting! I can’t tell you what they’re working on right now but I can tell you to stay tuned, lots of fabulous stuff coming up soon!

Ochre

Ochre is another one of my go-to shops. I recently wrote about their sister store, Canvas, which is also amazing. I’m a fan of their tabletop pieces which are very luxe. On this tour however, I couldn’t get over the lighting!

John Houshmand

After visiting John Houshmand I’m now trying to figure out how to visit their upstate location where they source their wood. John Houshmand not only makes custom wood pieces they also hand pick each piece of wood and create pieces in unique ways. I haven’t met many woodworkers that are comfortable mixing materials such as wood, concrete, metals and resins. I was amazed!

Michele Varian

This was my first visit to Michele Varian’s store on Howard Street. Half of the store is filled with curated pieces picked by Michele while the other half, like pillows and wallcovering, were designed by Michele herself. Michele has a fabulous eye and everything she has brought into the store tells a story. I wanted to buy something but because everything’s so great I had trouble deciding! That just means I’ll have to go back!

We also visited Ankasa, which I’ve recently written about so I didn’t take any pictures. Pop over to Confessions of a Design Geek to see a few shots. The tour ended with a delicious (and healthy!) lunch at The Butcher’s Daughter, which has also been on my list to visit. The food was delicious and the green juice was amazing! I’ll be getting my next juice cleanse from here! I’m glad Nina picked these great places that I had already been meaning to go to! Thanks Nina, Traditional Home and Hunter Douglas for the great experience!

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Friday I attended Wanted Design’s Blogger’s First Look. This year was Wanted’s third annual show which featured many fresh, new designs that I was thrilled to see. (More on that later!) As part of the Bloggers First Look we were encouraged to photograph and instagram four Global lights hanging throughout the space. Lucky for me the LZF Mini Mikado light is pretty easy to photograph! Because of the molded wood veneer strips the pendant throws dramatic light in different directions while creating an interesting silhouette. My handy iPhone captured some of that drama and I (luckily) won the light!

Stay tuned, I’m in the process of figuring out where to install this beauty. You’ll obviously be the first to know! Thanks so much Global Lighting and Wanted!

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There are only a handful of designers that are comfortable using large amounts of color. When using bright, bold colors in a space you have to know when to tone it down and when to really go for it. This Tribeca home is a great example of color done brilliantly!

Although the majority of the home is saturated in color the dining room and living room are in mostly black and white with pops of color throughout. From the living room you can see bright yellows and reds in the adjacent area, which softens the black and makes the room much less stark than expected.

I admire Ghislane’s use of scale throughout her homes. When looking at these rooms you can see large pendant lights and chandeliers that take over the room but are not overbearing. These light fixtures look purposeful, and are definitely not an afterthought!

In addition to Ghislane’s use of color and scale she also adds playfulness to her homes. The sheep in the room below are unexpected but not out of place. Her use of shapes and objects add another element of surprise to the space.

I hope this week’s Design Crush Monday has energized you for the week ahead! Tell me, what are you crushing on this week?

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Here are my favorite links this week:

• Oreo’s new ad campaign, via Fast Company
• Dying to visit the Rain Room, via MoMa
• Searching for a Tattly machine near me, via SwissMiss
• Useful tools via Damn You Art School
• Cool whisk egg separator, via Design Boom

Here are some Life in Sketch highlights:

• Today’s the last day to like by Water For People Pinterest Board
• A Barcelona design crush
• Meet Amanda of Wit & Whistle
• The new Bosch dishwashers
• Design Spotlights: all about the garden

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While thinking of my future garden I put together a few gardening items that I’d love to have. If you’re redoing your outdoors you may love these things too. Here are this week’s Design Spotlights: All About The Garden!

Here’s where you can find the items:

• Bag planters from West Elm
• Garden mister from West Elm
• Glass terrariums from West Elm
• Patterned garden tool set from West Elm
• Copper watering can from Etsy
• Dramm garden hose from West Elm
• Organic seed tape from Etsy
• Garden markers from Etsy

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Bosch has been known for their quite dishwashers for quite some time now. Their latest line, Bosch 800, is officially the quietest dishwasher in North America. The new line is also available with four different handles as well as an option for an integrated panel, so the dishwasher can seamlessly fit into any custom kitchen.

Aside from the new, super quiet feature, there was another detail that stole my heart. Bosch’s new dishwasher has a third rack! The third rack allows you to load 30% more than a typical two-rack dishwasher. The third rack is also V-shaped, making room for long-stemmed wine glasses and other taller items. The third rack is also height adjustable, so you can adjust it to fit your needs.

Of course there are other cool features like the HD color display touch control and deeper tub. Also included is a water softener, which reduces the chances of lime deposits. I was very impressed with the Bosch 800 series when I saw it in person. Are you looking for a new dishwasher? What features are most important to you? Are you in awe of the third rack like I am?!

{images via Bosch}

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Our day kicks off at Donghia, with a keynote speech by Traditional Home’s Editor In Chief Ann Maine. Later in the day we’ll be attending the Robert Allen Midnight Garden Tea Party, getting the scoop on their newest pattern, Midnight Garden. We’ll also be able to create our own fragrance and taste custom blended tea! At Schumacher we’ll be able to hear Mary McDonald and Martyn Lawrence Bullard speak. These are just a few of the exciting things happening tomorrow!

The night will end with a party at Warp & Weft to kick off the Holiday House showhouse in the Hamptons. We’ll be meeting the talented designers of Holiday House which will open at the end of June.

I’m pumped for a fun-filled day (and night)! Please follow along tomorrow via twitter and instagram!

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AW: I’ve been drawing ever since I was little. I took every art class I could in school and focused on fine art through high school. I majored in Graphic Design at the NCSU College of Design, because I was afraid of becoming a starving artist. After graduating I worked at a design firm for three years before deciding I needed a bit more creative freedom than my clients usually allowed. My awesome husband encouraged me to find a career I could love, so I quit my job and started Wit & Whistle.

AW: While still at my day job I decided that I wanted to start a small business that would nurture my creativity. Initially I wanted to make jewelry. I took a few silversmithing classes but realized that I lacked the attention span jewelry making required. I’d make one earring and then I’d have no desire to make the exact same thing again for the other ear! After making a bunch of single earrings I realized that I should put my hard earned graphic design degree to use in my new business venture. I started designing and illustrating greeting cards, and when I opened my shop on Etsy and it slowly started to take off.

AW: I opened Wit & Whistle in July of 2009, although I was tinkering around with card designs for 7 or 8 months before that trying to pinpoint my niche.

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While the ceiling and walls are white and bright, the floors and furniture are in grey and brown tones anchoring the space. The painted brick walls bring in a warm, loft-like look. Louvered doors are installed to cover lit columns which adds additional texture to the space.

Typically spaces have similar lights or a number of variations of the same light. Big Fish – Borne is unusual because each hanging light is different, creating a different scene each way you look.

The paneling combined with textured glass behind the kitchen counter creates and inviting environment. It has a traditional look with a modern twist, because of the amount of white used.

I love a restaurant with a sofa! It makes the space so much more cozy!

While the bathrooms are small they appear larger because of the use off mirrors. The mirrors also make the bathroom look quite glamorous!

Happy Monday. Hope this beautiful space kicks off your week nicely!

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