spring cleaning at openhouse!

[lotta jansdotter runner, placemats and napkins]


[lorena barrezueta serving pieces]


[twinkle living sheets, duvets and shams]

it's hard to tell right now, but spring really is just right around the corner. and we've got some gorgeous new things coming in!! but we need to make room for it. our teeny tiny space can't hold it all and so you luck out. we've marked down all of our fall and winter textiles, bedding and ceramics up to 50% off. it's a great time to pick up wedding gifts, baby gifts, birthday presents, and maybe even a little something for yourself.

we've marked down vases from kim westad, dishes from lorena barrezueta, bowls from alyssa ettinger, bedding from twinkle living, pillows from k studio, sharon spain and paper cloud, just to name a few. there are a couple of perch! pieces marked down as well as lotta jansdotter placemats and napkins and one or two j. mendicino vases and sushi sets.


[sharon spaion pillows]

so if you're in town and you're looking for the perfect gift, something that you know you can't find anywhere else for that modern, fashion-forward friend in your life, swing by. happy shopping! k&m


[j. mendicino vases]


[inleaf cocktail napkins]


[alyssa ettinger bowls]


[j. medicino sushi sets]


[kim westad vase]

spotlight on mud australia

thought i would continue today with another spotlight on an openhouse designer. mud australia is a poreclain manufacturer based in Syndey. it was started by shelley simpson in 1994 and has become an instant classic.

mud australia ceramics, in the words of the designer herself, is a product "that perfectly combines a minimalist aesthetic with a clearly hand made finish while providing a soulful alternative to mass produced & highly manufactured ceramic design."

i love that. i'm always talking about how the objects in our shop have soul. from the sheets to the tea towels to the tealights. you pick up a mud coffee cup and your hand molds perfectly around it. there is an energy that exudes from each piece. and it so perfectly embodies our purpose to see the art in the everyday.

oh, and the best part? everything is oven, microwave, dishwasher and food safe. are you kidding me? too cool.

if you're in richmond, come in the shop and check it out for yourself. great for wedding gifts. special orders are welcome. enjoy! k&m

spotlight on ratzer

sorry for the light posting. work and the shop and life have just taken over lately! and it's february. such a dull month in my opinion. i'm ready for spring!

thought i'd highlight one of our designer's today since i'm chilly and it's gray outside. ratzer blankets, made in denmark, are truly some of the most beautiful textiles we've come across. if you haven't been in the shop to see them in person, you must. each one is handmade using 100% australian, biodynamic, merino wool. the sheep are bred under biodynamic control (which basically means that the farm is considered an organism, a self-contained entity where everything: soil, animals, even the farmer is part of the whole. it's a method of organic farming focusing on the holistic development of every aspect of the environment). whew, that's a mouthful. so, anyway, the soaps and spinning oils used are biodegradeable. the wool is not super-washed and no moth repellents are used. also, the dyes do not contain heavy metals.

all of that scientific, holistic, organic mumbo-jumbo aside, they are just beautiful. thoughtfully produced (obviously) and stunnningly simple in design. The large plaid blankets are great on a guestbed or over the back of the couch. so subtle that you can really mix them with any decor. and the fact that each one is reversible makes them more functional. and the children's plaid versions are perfect for a nursery, but just as easily part of any room in the house. when you buy a ratzer blanket, you are investing in an heirloom piece. enjoy! and happy shopping! k&m

this just in...

adorable hand-knit finger puppets from blabla kids. at $5 each, you can get a zoo's worth ;o) enjoy! k&m

this just in...

beautiful new hand-made cards from richmond designer stacy moore. we're so excited to have her join our openhouse family and look forward to numerous collaborations in the future.

megan and i were really taken by the intricacy of each card. modern, clean-lined and yet full of pattern and texture and color. we have a number of great designs from iconic chairs to baby cards to florals and kitchen cards. great to go along with a baby gift or a wedding shower or just to say hi to a friend. how cute would the noodle bowl card look accompanied by our j. mendicino sushi set! i would love to get one of these in the mail and frame it. in fact, i might have to get the whole series of chairs and frame them for my dining room. i've taken some photos of a few of the cards (pardon my lack of photog skills). theywill be in the shop this afternoon and are $5-6 a piece.

enjoy! and happy shopping! k&m

todd mckie at page bond gallery

if you're in richmond, head on over to the page bond gallery sometime this month and check out their current exhibition. i'm especially loving the work by todd mckie. as the press release states, his work is "humorous and unpretentious", two of my favorite attributes. his work is primitive and childlike, while at the same time sophisticated and thoughtful. the show is up until march 5th. page bond gallery is located at 1625 west main street and is open until 6pm during the week. stop by, check out the work, and then hit six burner for their weekday prix fixe for only $22 a person! enjoy! k&m

etsy love...

just had to share these delicate paper bee sculptures by etsy artist, elsita. I've seen so many interesting paper creations lately. just lovely. some ceramic objects on her site also caught my eye. they look almost like cast pods that fall from the trees. very cool. i can see them lined up along my windowsill. enjoy! k&m

this just in...

new "campy planters" from perch! design. great for herbs or succulents, these mini pots are just about the most precious items to come from amy adams in a while. get one for yourself this valentines or give one as a housewarming gift. overall height is 4 inches in diameter, 6.5 inches tall.

om home

one of the highlights of the nyigf was the om home booth. manned by designer oorbee roy's husband, who was just adorable, the small space was alive with colors and textures. we are loving the new line of bedding and table linens especially. if you're not familiar with the line, you can read more about roy's inspiration and process on her website. look to see parts of the spring '08 collection (featured in this post) at openhouse. enjoy! k&m

bev hisey

i'm a little behind on the fair update. ran out of steam yesterday!

but i wanted to make and share this wonderfully-talented designer that we discovered. not new to the scene, just new to us, bev hisey creates some of the most vibrant textiles i've seen. her pillows and rugs and throws are so beautifully constructed and the colors are to-die -for!

we'll get caught up with the last two show highlights this weekend.
enjoy. k&m

pillows, pillows, pillows! nyigf, part 3

there was no shortage of pillows at the fair last weekend. it was almost too daunting to try and sift through them all to post an edited selection. so this is by no means all of what saw, just some of our favorites and some designers we haven't seen before. we've chosen not to include jonathan adler or judy ross. we love their work, but it's a bit over-exposed. and we're missing highlights from john robshaw's new spring '08 collection as well as k studio and henry road's new designs. as soon as i can get some decent shots i'll post them. enjoy! k&m

[images above and below from hable construction]



koko company:

these pillows really caught my eye. vibrant colors, great textures, super soft and hand made in new york. i love how the design extends beyond the pillow. beautiful!








bliss living home:

although not an indie designer, i really liked the hand embroidered pillows from bliss home. we'll be highlighting a couple of their bedding collections as well later in the week.



anupama:

we saw a lot of ethnic-inspired desgins last weekend. and each one was more beautiful than the next. these pillows were truly exquisite. organic, hand painted pillows from canadian designer, anupama. you might have seen her highlighted a while back in domino. so rich and luxurious!

alena hennessy:

we've admired her work online and loved the opportunity to see it in person. for 2008, alena is launching a number of eco-friendly items, which only enhance the beauty of her work. we were especially smitten by her pillows. i love the horse silhouette. so simple, yet so stunning.





dermond peterson:

this sister-duo is so wonderful in person! their excitement for design is contagious and we loved meeting with them and looking at some of the new designs for '08. i don't have an image of it yet, but they have taken the classic pineapple silhouette and gone wild. as the duo said, it's a bit cliché, but that's what makes it so fun. i also got to see the octopus pillows in person! which i just love, as well as a number of summery patterns we're looking forward to carrying.





my perennial:

what a fun find. we were unfamiliar with jen's work before the show and we loved the opportunity to talk with her. she spent 15 months living in hungary, learning the language and getting to know the women who would hand make her stunning pillows. using ol-fashioned techniques to create such modern designs is quite unique. and jen is so passionate. she's dedicated to her concept as well as working with small stores such as ours. we look forward to getting to know her and her designs in the future.



fluf:

a playful canadian design team, fluf makes modern accessories for the home that are totally liveable. their cusions were really simple and stylish, but it's their poufs that grabbed our attention. we'll post about them next week when we talk trends.





balanced design:

and last, but certainly not least, balanced design. they believe that balancing good design with organic materials is the NEW definition of MODERN. and we agree. more of flet wool appliques, as we saw a lot of, but beautifully done. each pillow is unique and delicate. we loved them!

stay tuned for a special pillow post later today highlighting our absolute favorite find at the fair (say that five times fast!)