sculptural chairs: white on white

"White on white" has been a look I've always been cuckoo over, and have been exploring since silk felt soil began.... More and more I am loving whites when they are layered in different textures, and given crisp structural dimension. I can't get enough of the first photograph of legless chairs, via Marie Claire Maison. It requires a Diana Vreeland-type "Why Don't You... take the legs off your chairs and turn them into a banquette?" great space saver...

Images 2 and 3 courtesy of Côté Maison and Casamidy.

origami paper collages by shiso

These collages are by a new silk felt soil reader, Shiso! I recently found her site and was struck by her beautiful, graphic use of color: the sweet softness of the pinks are balanced by her crisp, clean shapes. I can really see her work being translated to home design, such as wallpaper-- or pillows, á la Hable construction!

oh no she di-int!

Yup, pretty soon I will be the proud owner of this 8x10 cotton monkey rug. It was so affordable that it seemed silly not to try it, at least. We'll see. Sometimes you've just got to take a risk!!

things I like about it:
- the neutral, crisp background
- the jungly, large-scale print
- the colors (at least i'm consistent: it even matches with the nude color of "silk felt soil" and green header color of this post!)
- the shape, scale, and expression of the monkeys
- the sheer sillyness of it, as a fun contrast to our very minimalist beautiful greige walls with white trim.
- how it reminds me of this, and this, and is even a little bit in the spirit of this...

we will see, guys. maybe i've totally lost it! thoughts? condolences?

zara home: high-impact, contrast-rich neutrals with lots of texture

As someone who is totally enthralled by neutrals (chalk whites, camels, slate greys, hits of black and navy), I'm always psyched to see examples of interesting, punchy, modern neutrals in the home. So, question: if these Zara home interiors work for you, would you share with me what you like? What makes them work for you?

I think hit of silver here really works, and the warm wood and caramel tones, and the sculptural objects (the horse bust, the cactus-like forms, that geometric thang). For me what doesn't work is the throw and the print-- I love the texture that each piece brings, but the overall effect is a bit busy for my taste-- something feels slightly off-key.


Another example of a softer neutral look from Zara:

I love the chalky background color of the cubbies, the stone floor, and the hits of these beautiful deep pinks from the embroidery on the wall, and the straw hamper. Substitute a real bed for the crib and it could easily be turned into an adult bedroom.

--> if anyone has tips on where to find shots of neutral interiors, do share! I'm looking for ways to turn our entry into something a little more high-impact....



(& thanks to Imelda for the link to Zara home)

Tagged?!

Ok, 6 weird things about myself? :) Got tagged recently by Imelda and Terramia, so... here goes:



6. I have synaesthesia. And no, that's not an STD! Synaesthesia for some people means that they smell music, or hear tastes.. for me I just have a color 'value' for every letter and number. 1 is white, 2 is yellow, 3 is blue, etc. For instance, I dislike the American spelling of grAy with an A because for me 'a' is RED and so the English spelling is prettier-- grEy with an E because for me E is blueish.



5. Does this count?-- my lovely late grandmother was friends with Eva Zeisel-- they lived in the same apartment building in NYC and were both artists and had kids the same age.

4. When I was growing up my bro and I weren't allowed to watch TV, eat white bread or "sugar" cereals; I couldn't get my ears pierced until I was 12 and I wasn't allowed to see a PG-13 movie until I was 13!!On the flipside, however, I started sneaking my mom's makeup from her bathroom and wearing it to school in 5th grade, and when she found out, all she said was, "as long as I can't tell you're wearing it, it's fine." This remains the best make-up lesson I've ever received.

3. I hyperventilate when I get the new issue of Domino in the mail.


2. My main man is from India and a very strict kind of vegetarian, which is a bit of a problem considering I am a New England girl through and through, and I love seafood. But I guessssssss I love him more so we'll see what happens. !Mujhe tumse pyar hai, d'ling!

1. I am seriously unathletic except for one moment in my life: at Oxford on "junior year abroad" I rowed [2-seat] the entire year (yes, writing papers all night, crew at 6am, and going to bed after practice) and got really (for me) muscle-y. When my friend from high school, Regine Jean-Charles, saw me in Paris that spring, she looked my newly-athletic body up and down and said, "Phoeeeebeeee! you've gotten so... ROBUST!" :)

Who's next??
I pick: dear ada; hoping for happy accidents; design agent; designer's library; love made visible, and giornale nuovo! c'mon... don't be shy!

(images from top via: littlebirds; npr; 80s tees; domino's b&w living room gallery; india tourism travel; and upenn's photo archives.)

POP meets neutral wool carpets

Oh-so-good looks aside, Patrick Norguet's simple "Claudine" rug with 60's flair has the added appeal of a price point in step with a C&B rug.


And this carpet... oh, if I had an extra 15k! Called "54321," it's designed by pop grafiti artist Rostarr (Romon Kimin Yang) with Rugged Art. Wouldn't it be fun in a baby's room? Very Trina Turk surfer chic.

sexy brass hardware

question: am I a bit of a sucker for having been seduced by Domino editors, Thomas O'Brien, and others into believing with all my heart that brass hardware in a kitchen is the chicest thing?






These pieces (from top, 1, 2, 3, 4) from White Chapel ltd (and Restoration Hardware) just might make me MISS Sucker. I especially love the nautical vibe of the flush handled ones....

PS: and why stop at kitchen cabinets? any of these would turn a flea market console, or even a parsons desk from West Elm into a serious hottie.

our kitchen renovation: a hansgrohe faucet it is

I feel great about our choice of this Hansgrohe "interaktiv spray faucet" today! we ended up going into Home Depot determined to buy something in stock, but I just couldn't go through with it (very few goosenecks to choose from), so we checked out the H&D catalogue and found this little beauty. One more thing to check off the list!

the glorious over-the-top-ness of golden-y provençal and persian prints

I've been feeling so inspired recently by densely textured prints, and loving the seventies feel of floor-to-ceiling calico... these Persian and Provençal rooms are both so crazily beautiful, and make me wonder whether Provençal patterning originally developed from the Moorish influence of the middle ages; the patterns seem so similar. (I'm not an expert but certainly the architecture of Sicily and northern Spain show Moorish influences; why not Provençe's textiles?)

This William Morris wallpaper from my beloved Charles Rupert (wonderfully reminiscent of this) is making me dream big dreams. I'd love to punch up its occidental primness with some eastern accents.

images, from top: pics of the hotel Royal Champagne, via côtéMaison; charles rupert; elle decor.

white florals on soft neutral background

love the way these are both wintry and springlike: perfect for this warm winter we're having.

Top, medalion rug from anthropologie. bottom, lena corwin's pillow sold at the kim family benefit auction, and now sold out already (!) as a scholarship item at the design*sponge shop.

unlikely fusion: porcelain and sea sponge make a startling vessel for flowers

oh, the possibilities offered by this oddly enchanting porcelain natural-sponge vase... how gorgeous would it be with soft, fluttery peonies, drooping over its rough sides?

According to Poaa's website, Marcel Wanders's design is made by sinking real sponges into fluid porcelain; in the kiln, the sponges burn away, leaving a perfect copy. Not crazy about the lip of the vase, but other than that, I am a fool in love for this design sponge. Would love to see a version made into a table lamp.

via the style files, a fun new blog i just discovered.

H a p p y Ne w Y e a r!

Italian lion bank from Hi+Lo Modern. Zoolight giraffe table lamp by Intermezzo, found here, via cribcandy.

Happy New Year!

Welcome back!

I'd like to say for the record that creating Silk Felt Soil is one of the most fun and fulfilling "playtime" activites that I've ever done in my life and I am so excited for what 2007 will bring, and I'd like to usher us in to the New Year with three resolutions that I've made.


1. to update the look and feel of the site. i'll be asking friends to help me with this!

2. to explain the name of "Silk Felt Soil" one day soon. to keep refining and clarifying the design principles that inspire me...

3. to have even more fun! to take more risks. to share more with you about my life.




xx phoebe