super sidewalk sale this saturday!

come out to the shops at 5807 (5807 patterson avenue at libbie avenue) for a huge sidewalk sale this saturday. megan and i will be there working our table of goodies. lots of great names on sale. we really need to clear out and make room for some sweet fall inventory, so come by and clean us out ;o) we'll have items from perch!, lotta jansdotter, mud australia dinnerware, three sheets 2 the wind, lorena barrezuetta ceramics, anne black and many more designers seriously discounted. can't wait to see you all out there! 9am - 4:30 pm, this saturday, july 19th! happy shopping! k&m

this just in...

new textiles from dermond peterson!!! we're so excited to get some new designs in from this great sister-duo. just in time for the heat of the summer we have lovely, large, cotton tea towels in a variety of designs. pick up a pair of lemon and lime slices, garden fresh artichoke or eggplant designs or go totally virginia and grab one of the great crab or other sea life designs.

for the first time we are also stocking some of their pillows. my personal favorite, the gold octopus on white linen is here. we also have some beautiful coral and shell designs. i can't imagine these are going to last. the quality and uniqueness of the pillows is just too much to have them hang around. so get by the shop and check them out asap.

enjoy! and happy shopping! k&m

marimekko

hey folks. we wanted to alert everyone to a great sale going on over at always mod. they have over 400 marimekko items on sale. bedding, fabrics, paper, you name it. all on sale until july 15th. shipping is only $5. so check it out. and stay tuned this week for a new arrival at openhouse and a fun event coming up next week. happy shopping! k&m

etsy love...

we got an email this week from a charlottesville designer we saw at the spring bada-bing here in richmond this past april. reminded me how much i liked her designs and i thought we'd highlight her etsy site today. there's a chance you'll be able to see her work in openhouse in the near future, but until then, head on over to bycary on etsy and pick up some of her great coasters and card sets. happy friday! k&m

etsy love...

it's been quite a while since we got any etsy love. and who better to spend time with than an artist who's work I've been eyeing and saving for for a while now?! ruby's lounge is the wonderful creation of San Antonio-based designer, Jennifer Khoshbin. her faux taxadermy is kitschy, humorous and beautifully made. i could literally find a place in each room in my house for one of these. each piece is made to order and costs $345. enjoy! k&m

white elephant sale this weekend in richmond

i promise we'll be back in full swing shortly, but the spring/summer is still keeping us going non-stop and leaving no time for blogging. did want to let you know about a great sale for a good cause going on in richmond this weekend.

the viriginia chapter of asid is hosting the designer white elephant auction and sale this weekend at noland company (2101 staples mill road). there is a silent auction on friday night from 6pm-9pm. $10 admission. and a free tent sale saturday morning from 8am-1pm.

come out to see what they've got: furniture, fabrics, crafts, art, accessories and more.

proceeds support the local chapter and habitat for humanity. hope to see you out there!

k&m

this just in...

new organic lavender sachets from inleaf design [$21 for a set of 2]



as well as a garden/jungle/farms worth of blabla dolls. [$32-$38]

perch! on design*sponge

perch! campy planters are featured over at design*sponge today. grace included them in her column for domino: under $100 outdoor decor.

we only have one left, so come in the shop and grab it while you can.

oh, and bear with us a little longer as we trudge through this hectic spring. off on vacation, but look back June 9th for some new arrivals.

byrd house market today

thought i'd send a shout out to oregon hill and the byrd house farmer's market today. o.h. is the birthplace of the openhouse concept and the market is a fine example of how that community is so supportive of the local economy. the selection is great, the market is small and quick and easy to get in and out of. you can swing by after work and get chicken, eggs, bread, veggies and fruit in half the time it would take at one of the local grocery stores. open 3:30-7pm this afternoon. see you there! k&m

in print...

[dermond peterson pillows featured in "the best" section of june's house beautiful]

it's a banner month for a group of openhouse designers. you can find them scattered around the best design mags on the shelf right now. looolo is featured in the june issue of dwell (we'll have those pics tomorrow), and a design*sponge feature, while dermond peterson is getting props in house beautiful, along with john robshaw. i love how the designer in the robshaw image used his linens in a totally traditional space. very strong and masculine, yet at the same time, delicate. and stay tuned for new dermond peterson to hit openhouse next month. enjoy! k&m


[new looolo products unveiled at ICFF, courtesy of joanna at looolo, by way of design*sponge]


[john robshaw shams, quilt and throw pillows in a room designed by christopher maya in the june issue of house beautiful]

this just in...

[13 x 17 messenger bag, 100% linen, $69. great to sling over your shoulder, or, over the stroller. washable and durable and totally fashionable]

new spring arrivals from lotta jansdotter! sorry for the un-announced disappearance. work and the shop and spring travels have kept us super busy. lots of great things in the works, though. this summer looks to be an exciting one for openhouse. we'll let you know some of the suprises we have in store soon.

in the meantime, beautiful new pieces from jansdotter. we just nabbed a few things: cool pencil/makeup cases and a couple of great summer totes. come by the shop this weekend and check them out.


[16 x 17 large tote, 100% linen, $59. simple, clean and perfect for summer]


[8 x 2 x 2 pencil case, 100% linen, $26. great for keeping your pens and pencils organized or use it as a stylish glasses case or to hold you makeup]


[14 x 18, 100% linen round bag, $82. modern and organic design on the perfect summer bag]


[8 x 2 x 2 pencil case, 100% linen, $26. goes great with the round bag to keep yourself together]

camels?

[30 oz. camel teapot, $14.99]


[embroidered camel on canvas, $30.00]

so, i wouldn't go so far as to call it a trend. but i felt like i was seeing camels at every turn on the web and at the gift fair last february. thought i'd share some of the fun camel finds i had tagged over the last few months. they are interesting creatures. for example, i never realized that they do not store water in their humps. they can withstand extreme temps on both ends and live to be 80 years old. but all of the science aside, their shapes make for an intriguing silhoutette that marries well with design. enjoy! k&m


[hand silkscreened notecards, $14.50]


[ceramic camel, $54.00]


[camel bookends]


[camel planter]


[organic cotton plush toy, $16.00]


[uvall, by sean mccarthy. ink and graphite on paper. contact fredericks & freiser gallery for price]


[camel pillow from laura davis, shop scad]


[camel sconce, $39.95]


[12" square tray, $200.00. john derian]

etsy love...

i've been meaning to showcase this particular etsy artist for quite a while now. the problem is, my etsy love folder is so fat that i'd have to post one a day for the next three months to clear it. anyway...

karen hilton is a london designer making some of the most "wow" pillows i've seen in a long time. the designs are interesting, the colors pop, the quality is superb and the price is right. why not add a little humor to a room? people take design so seriously. so, enjoy the pillows, enjoy the weekend and we'll be back on monday with a whole week's worth of interesting tidbits.

*shameless plug*: we're in the heart of wedding season and i just thought i'd mention that openhouse has some great wedding gifts in stock right now. why would anyone want a salad spinner when they could have a karin eriksson bowl or a j.mendicino vase or some small serving dishes from lorena barrezueta? and mother's day too! get her something unique for once. a set of napkins from flowie or a great beach bag from virginia johnson :o) happy shoppping! k&m

nancy blum today in richmond

nancy blum will talk this afternoon at the FAB Gallery at 1000 west broad street from 4-6pm. i've long been a fan of her work. nancy makes drawings, sculpture and installations that explore pattern and the architecture of nature. if you can't make it to the talk, check her work out online at www.nancyblum.com. she divides her time between new york and richmond, so the opportunity to catch her again is certain. enjoy! k&m

it aint' easy being green...

hey folks, happy earth day! it's a fine day in virginia as the old adage remains true: april showers...

i don't think there's a tv program or a website that isn't talking about earth day this year. it's just about the trendiest thing going right now. we're loving it here at openhouse. we do our part to protect the environment and waste as little possible. we take all packing peanuts from shipments to the shipping store, break down or re-use the cardboard boxes, strive to purchase ceramics and textiles made with non-toxic materials and using environmentally friendly production practices. we bank online to save paper and when we do need to print something out, we use recycled copy paper. it's not much and it takes little effort on our part, so why not? to tell you the truth, once you adapt green practices to your life, it becomes second nature. what's so hard about throwing trash in the trash bag, recycling in the recycling bin and food waste in the compost pile? maybe it takes me 10 seconds longer than dropping it all in one place? i think i have 10 seconds to spare.

we don't mean to get preachy! just want everyone to take today to think a little more about the choices they make. here's some food for thought:

paper:

if every household in the United States replaced one roll of virgin-fiber paper towels with 100 percent recycled paper towels, we could save 1.4 million trees. if every household in the United States replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins with 100 percent recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees. with those numbers in mind, using virgin fiber for single use items seems simply outrageous.

every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil

americans use 50 million tons of paper annually -- consuming more than 850 million trees

plastic/diapers:

a plastic milk jug takes 1 million years to decompose

recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator

an average child will use between 8,000 -10,000 disposable diapers ($2,000 worth) before being potty trained. each year, parents and babysitters dispose of about 18 billion of these items. in the united states alone these single-use items consume nearly 100,000 tons of plastic and 800,000 tons of tree pulp. we will pay an average of $350 million annually to deal with their disposal and, to top it off, these diapers will still be in the landfill 300 years from now. americans throw away 570 diapers per second. that’s 49 million diapers per day. (www.cleanair.org)



an alternative to cloth diapers is a new one that just became available in the usa: nature babycare diapers. check them out. they are just like huggies, but made without petroleum-based plastic and they biodegrade!

NEARLY EVERY PIECE OF PLASTIC EVER MADE STILL EXISTS TODAY!

fashion:

seek out reclaimed pieces: when it comes to fashion, adding a previously worn piece of clothing to your wardrobe is probably the most eco-aware step you can take. hit your local vintage or used-clothing store or find designers who use reclaimed fabrics in their collections.

denim is the staple of almost every wardrobe across the globe. make your jeans-wearing experience even more rewarding by tapping into the growing collection of organic cotton jeans available today. organic jeans range from simple button-fly, straight-leg styles to skinny and even flared- the choice is yours. (www.msnbc.msn.com)

shopping:

and lastly, shop locally! buy local produce from nearby farmers or from stores that promote local farm groups, buy from local artists and designers or shops who don't need to ship their goods to you. every little bit helps.

if you feel overwhlemed, just start with one thing. think twice about buying a 24 pack of bottled water or if you must, be sure to recycle them. take a moment to think about your choices and you could make a huge impact!! happy earth day! k&m