i’ve got a lot of work to do this weekend, but at least i can do it horizontally. have a super swell weekend, y’all! see you back here on monday!

irina graewe’s bedroom via design*sponge.

easter always reminds me of purple. so, this monday i spy shades of plum, lavender, eggplant, mauve, even mulberry, if you will – all lovely shades in the purple family. it’s also the royal color you know, and you do know what’s coming up this week, right? so let’s have a look at this soothing, yet quite dramatic shade, found in the prettiest of sunsets, and the sweetest smelling flowers. paired with naturals, and unusual pops of contrasting color, i find it most sophisticated and stylish!

morten holtum, via french by design.

big fun by jimmy kets, via designboom.

petra bindel for elle.

pops of turquoise tend to compliment plum – from desire to inspire, and turner pocock.

john robshaw chakra pillow; calypso st. barth’s toyko throw and beignet pouf; vass credenza from asplund; the arrival photographic print from alicia bock; karina shams from anthropologie; and pillow from Sara Palacios.

on one hand shades of purple are exotic, and on the other quite calming – bedroom inspiration from bernerzeitung; light locations; and Camilla Krishnaswamy.

falling floral duvet cover from urban outfitters; crate & barrel’s cherries & plums dishtowel; and urban outfitter’s edie velvet chaise.

ultra mod living room from Sköna hem; Two by Autumn Rose Northcraft via society6; pretty plum bedroom from Sköna hem; and ferm living’s tree bomb wallpaper.

feminine bedroom touches from Katya De Grunwald, via living etc.; and stylists Lo Bjurulf and petra bindel.

Clockwise from top left: Beast-Tea Towel $24.99 - mod cloth; handprinted Bear Pillow $95 – Don Carney of Patch NYC at the curiosity shoppe; animal Rubber Stamp Set $28 - Cavallini at kates paperie; hare Snow Dome £8.95 – caravan style; elephants Salt and Pepper Shakers $48 – jonathan adler; hedgehog Clock $48 – decoy lab; vintage Wood Utensils and Napkin Rings $14.50 – timbers toys; striped Dala Horse $25 – Anna Viktoria at huset-shop; mog Egg Cup £10 – donna wilson; owl To Do List Notepad $8 – boy girl party; brown Butterfly Tray $198 – jayson home and garden.

1. i could totally get into the idea of having a kelly swallow patchwork chaise lounge to laze about on.  2. i’d love to hang this re-purposed and re-appropriated Hand appliqued sweetly linen from bird and bear somewhere around the homestead.  3. these swiss, handmade you and me magnets from umbu are so charming!

4. i would dearly love to have this encaustic painting from jhina alvarado’s forgotten memories series.  5. gennine Zlatkis’ cosmos pillow is so sweet and would look good on this sofa.  6. i could get happily slouchy lounging around on one of restoration hardware’s new slipcovered sofas.  7. i think i’ll toss this silk Pink Dotted Uzbek Ikat pillow from be still on the sofa as well.

8. oh, i do love the pink and brown pattern of anthropologie’s light wheel rug.  9. alyson fox has beautiful new work out.  10. and lastly, i’d love this set of vintage 1970′s pink flower shower curtain hooks from tiques etsy shop.

sweet summer sangria recipe from dandelion & grey.

oh whew, we made it through another week and it’s finally fab friday. and it’s september, so you may not know it, but that means we san franciscans are just starting to celebrate summer — if you ever plan on visiting, take note, it’s the nicest time of year here. and, it’s labor day weekend,  so i thought i’d have a little fab friday summer round-up to get us ready for the long holiday!

if this dandy confetti dress from emerson made doesn’t just scream summer, well then i just don’t know what does.

love these handy, re-usable and really fun zip-lock baggies from tili bags; i think i’ll serve my sangria in these sweet roost cherry blossom glasses from velocity art & design; with these amazing remix black cocktails napkins from ferm living.

i think it’s perfectly acceptable to bring the picnic inside too, if it’s just too hot out there. love this indoor picnic table idea, via little glowing lights.

i love french cafe chairs for the garden, via once wed; an adorable vintage picnic basket from rad props; nothing says summer like a vintage croquet set from ginger girl; and some pretty striped ribbon for decorating floral arrangements from studio choo.

how’d you like your own private garden shed to hide out in? in a perfect world, i’d love one of these from designer piet hein eek.

and finally, there’s nothing like getting home from the beach, a little sunburned, cooling off in the shower, and crawling under a soft summer comforter, via urban outfitters, a happy pillow such as this one from donna wilson and curling up with a stack of great magazines, via moa maria. mmmm, summer!

i don’t know if you’ve seen west elm’s updated and quite stylish look lately, but if not, drop by their website, or check your mail for the new catalog. somebody over there listened to consumers and got it right, and the new look is great! i love some of the new product line as well, and pretty much fell for this new vintage-inspired bird bedding.

some of west elm’s other new products include this great glass domed cloche; these great silhouette prints; cozy tassle throws; and fuzzy alpaca pillows.

west elm has also added some helpful city guides to their site – who knew!? there’s a couple great ones up right now for portland, chicago and philadelphia.

Snowden Flood is an interior accessories designer based in London, with work which celebrates iconic urban and rural landscapes through her ongoing exploration of kitschy souvenirs,with a fresh, modern twist. Snowden has designed a range of fun home wares, including cushions, glassware and ceramics with a brilliant british flair. for more of snowdon flood’s fanciful accessories for the home, visit her website and online shop.

lisa stickley of london, is not vintage per se, but her designs evoke a beautifully vintage feel. i love the combination of prints and patterns lisa uses in her home accessories line, so much so that i just had to have this pillow (below) for my living room (i’m adding dashes of pink to all that black & white!).

when i was last in london, this was the one place i missed, so i’m so happy to rediscover lisa stickely online. you can shop lisa stickley for her line of pillows, totes, handbags, and kitchen accessories.

British designer Ros Wyatt’s new etsy shop, Green Plum Design is strongly influenced by her native England in terms of style — she loves vintage finds mixed with new and fresh back drops.  Her new line of iconic british pillows & home accessories make you want to jump on scooter and pop over to liverpool and get your best mod on!

The Green Plum homewares line is printed with completely eco-friendly inks and fabric, and all printed and hand sewn by Ros using 100% natural linen. For more on Ros Wyatt’s design work, do check out her Green Plum interior decorating website, where she offers one hour free consultations in the bay area.

we’re back in 2010 with a brand new unexpected guest, all the way from the netherlands! i fell in love with dutch designer ingrid jansen’s wood & wool stools, and then discovered her lovely home via flickr. Ingrid lives in dordecht, a city that is actually an island between three rivers, with a beautiful historical center with many marinas, near Rotterdam. you can find ingrid’s uniquely handmade stools, made from all re-purposed and recycled wood, and her other crocheted lovelies here in her wood & wool shop, as well as etsy, and to see more photos from her visit her flickr photostream. thank you for sharing your lovely home with us, ingrid! i loved every minute of putting this post together — and i hope you all will like it, too!

What is your idea of a perfect day in dordecht?
I love to bike to the market on fridays or saturdays and buy bread, fruit, vegetables and flowers and have a cup of coffee at Villa Augustus. It’s a very nice hotel and restaurant with beautiful gardens, where I happen to work 3 days a week. When the weather is fine I would like to spend the day in my garden being lazy, perhaps a little reading and in the evening have a lovely meal outside. At night I like to see a Spanish movie in the little cinema Cinode and drive there with my old gray 2cv.

What don’t you leave home without?
My bag, keys, agenda, purse and lip balm.

What are some of your favorite local shops?
My favorite shop is Sissy Boy Homeland. It’s a real dutch shop. They don’t have a clear website but they sell the most beautiful interior products and have a great basic clothing collection. The first shop abroad has opened in Antwerp (Belgium) lately and that’s an hour drive. There is no Sissy Boy shop in Dordrecht, but in several other cities near Dordrecht. The Netherlands is just a small country.

Another favorite shop is OXO woonwinkel, they sell my favorite garden Fermob furniture. My favorite local shop is surely the market cafe at Villa Augustus. It’s a market at the entrance of the restaurant and you can buy sourdough bread, the loveliest cakes and biological products. There is also a little shop, where you can buy books, interior products and nice stuff.

What’s on your wish list?
a Classic Hardoy Butterfly Chair and a Tsé Tsé Vase d’Avril designed by Tsé Tsé.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
My Geoffrey Harcourt designer chair (above). Some years ago I traded it for a handmade wood & wool stool with a friend who had four of them. Although the leather is a bit torn and cracked it really is a pretty chair and very comfortable!

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
A gas fireplace with remote. And a completely aligned interior without any personal input.

Who is your favorite artist? And why?
The Spanish singer Bebe Belotta. In the summer of 2005 I was snooping around with the cd’s in a FNAC store in Barcelona and was attracted by the cd cover of Bebe’s cd Pafuera telarañas. When I heard the first song “men señara” I got goose pimples all over my body and knew this was My Favorite Singer! During that holiday I played the cd repeatedly and my 8 year old daughter Pippa sang the Spanish lyrics error-free after some weeks. I wanted to know where these songs were about and I even took Spanish lessons for that reason. She recently launched her second cd Y.

Where do you find inspiration?
At my workplace at Villa Augustus, from interior magazines, traveling and creative people I meet on the Internet.

Do you collect anything?
I collect vases, interior magazines, shoes, oh, and I have a chair addiction.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
My old gray cabinet where I keep my wool storage (and lots of other things).

If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
Lenny Kravitz. He’s a great artist and I have all his cd´s and visit some concerts. His voice and music are so great. (And he is so sexy!) His home is also very tasteful. I once saw an issue in a dutch magazine LINDA.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
Can it be the same person (Lenny Kravitz)? :D

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
In the winter, when I have a day off and every member the family left to school or work, i go back to my bed with a cup of coffee and a newspaper or magazine and no hurry. I have to admit that I hardly ever do it, because I usually have too much energy once I’m awake.

What is your most treasured belonging?
A cupboard full of photo books, especially the ones when my children Minne (17) and Pippa (12) were little.

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
Two months ago I brought back a tea cup of the STORY Hotel in Stockholm designed by Agneta Livijn. It’s a very nice, bohemian chic hotel in the best neighborhood of Stockholm.

What’s your greatest indulgence?
On thursdays, I have my ‘flower day’ at Villa Augustus. they ave a colorful variety of flowers available to make bouquets for the hotel lobby and the market cafe.

What is your idea of living hell?
Living without a camera.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
Urban Outfitters; Flickr is awesome! I love photography! Dottie Angel’s blog is my favorite, so inspiring and Tif has HUMOR; Nina’s blog ; Yvestown’s blog and actually the blogs that are listed on the right side on my blog wood & wool stool.