travis paterson, via story.

we’ve been pretty girlie here this week, so i thought i’d share a little equal opportunity and take a peek at some art and home accessories with a maybe more masculine, and manly-man feel. can’t live with, can’t without ’em…this week, i spy boys and their toys.

love this wooley log cabin pendant lamp from anthropologie.

‘snips and snails and puppy dogs tails’….Brass & Steel Fabric Scissors from spartan; snail box from jonathan adler; animal tails, too? charming re-purposed plastic animal butt magnets from poketo.

boys and their toys – renault celebrates their 50th anniversary, via designboom; a very handsome black globe from post 27; and a vintage needlepoint boyscout, also from post 27.

sticks and stones may break my bones, but i really dig these felted wool stone stools from viva terra; and the usb sticks from oooms | dutch design.

a sleek, mean and lean look from stylist lise crawford, via emma’s design blog; and the rustic ordinal dresser from anthropologie.

wonderfully manly and colorful portrait art by neville trickett, saint verde digest.

wouldn’t mind snuggling up with this catcher in the rye sweatshirt from out of print clothing; and mmmm, the subtle scent of aftershave via, the cavalier project.

no honorable post about boys would be complete without a few beer flavored beverages…here’s to red brick blonde.

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.