white

on this oh so gray day in Virginia, i thought to share some images pulled from desire to inspire a while back. i keep looking back at them hoping to gleen some sort of inspiration on how to pull off an all white house. maybe i just don't have the bones or the natural light or the cahones to pull it off. but the images from this victorian london home are stunning and it makes you wonder how anyone could ever call white, cold! enjoy!

this just in...

new ceramics from karin eriksson!!! can not tell you how excited we were to get our latest order from our favorite swedish designer. we are stocked up on large serving bowls, small dishes, tea lights, tall vases, wide vases and tea cups. get into the shop SOON and grab something for yourself or as a wedding gift. not to spoil surprises, but everyone i know who's getting married this spring has an eriksson vase waiting for him/her. our last shipment was in store for about a week, so i'm not kidding when i say you have to get over there now. enjoy! and happy shopping! k&m

[photos courtesy of chris cariano]

etsy in richmond

the craft/material studies program at VCU presents Making Meaning and the Marketplace next thursday, april 3 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. at the grace street theater. etsy founder rob kalin will present a program to bring new ideas on how students (and designers alike) can market their work. the program is dedicated to exploring the next generation of craft artists and their burgeoning influence in the market and culture.

i think it's so exciting. with shops in town like ours now catering to the handmade, the rise of etsy and great indie design blogs and a travelling series like this, you can just feel that we are all on the cusp of something great. mass production watch out! ;o)

just a tip, the grace street theater is not that big and i've been locked out of many a great lecture, so show up early. enjoy! k&m

this just in...

new collection of kobo candles! the garden collection features 6 of the most interesting scents to date. we're consistently impressed with the bizarre groupings of flavors and scents these folks come up with. antique lavender, citron artichoke, heirloom vine, jalapeno (surprisingly yummy), moon wisteria and sparkling rose. we never can keep these in stock long enough, so swing into the shop and check them out for yourself. enjoy! and happy shopping! k&m

in the news...

great feature in the march issue of richmond magazine. pick it up on newsstands all over the city. page 42 shows a few openhouse designers: our new campy planters from perch as well as some great spring pillows from three sheets 2 the wind and paper cloud. and don't forget, we still have our spring cleaning sale going on. we've cleared out so much! but you can still scoop up some great deals on a number of wonderful designers. happy shopping! k&m

sneak peek

i just had to share with all of you the newest designs from j. mendicino out for spring '08. we won't have them in shop until april, but i just couldn't wait! they are so adorable. the way joanna has combined such traditional images with preppy colors and yet maintained her signature clean-lined style. we're in love. who can resist mint green and soft pink along with netherland dwarfs and fiddler crabs?! (even if you've never thought of it that way, i bet you can't ;o)

there will also be a chance to win one of these lovely, handmade pieces as well. stay tuned in the coming month as we release more details about a great fundraising event for the Children's Hospital of Richmond.

happy shopping! k&m

eating wonderland

if you're in richmond, or plan to be in the next few months, don't miss this show at the university of richmond museum:

"The Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums, presents Eating Wonderland: Recent Work by Sue Johnson, on view February 8 through June 15, 2008.

In her latest artwork, contemporary Maryland artist Sue Johnson (American, born 1957) addresses themes of food, consumption, marketing, and mass production in her ceramic castings of dinnerware and popular foodstuffs. Along with her paintings on paper and digital collages, this exhibition features work that explores the creation and use of imagery in popular culture, the influence of context on these images, and how simple manipulations can result in humor, aversion, and complex commentaries on contemporary society."

"Incredible Edibles, which consists of ceramic castings of objects imbued with nostalgia and commercialism related to eating, such as TV-dinner trays and figurines of characters from advertising like the Pillsbury Doughboy and Sprout, the young companion to the Jolly Green Giant, is the first series.

Accompanying series Episodes in a Fantastic Landscape, comprised of mixed media two- dimensional images, likewise focuses on issues of food and consumption and includes fantasy elements, and a sense of impending violence or doom lurks within each piece. Finally, her over 16-foot wide painting New Stories from Wonderland (Life of the Dodo), created specifically for this exhibition, merges all of these themes while including specific references to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and commentary on the environment."

we find her work so clever and very much at the heart of openhouse commentary. enjoy! k&m

back in action

sorry to have disappeared. i was wisked away suddenly for a suprise vacation in the mountains to celebrate my 30th (ugh). relaxing, picturesque and completely cut off from the internet (gasp!) it was wonderful, but i'm glad to be back in action.

i had planned on posting this last thursday and have noticed design*sponge has since, but i thought it was a worth a mention to our audience as well. great new designs out from galison books for spring. i had the pleasure of working for galison as a young, fresh-faced new yorker straight out of college and i've always loved their paper products. it's a small office full of creativity and i've enjoyed watching it grow. you can get these online at galison or at most local paper shops. enjoy! k&m