apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

A wide spectrum of shape, color and era - these colorful glass vases are suited for just a few stems:

Forget spending $100+ on a hot designer pillow and consider spending the winter months creating some instead. We selected some quirky, colorful fabrics for the job by designers Erja Hirvi, Heather Ross, and Anna Griffin.

We've seen a lot of hard work over the months from Art and Chel...all with stunning results. Check out their finished master bath and entryway renovation. They write:
"It's been a long wait but the results are rewarding. The bamboo tub apron, vanity wall and entryway installation are made of bamboo ply. The entryway looks modern yet classic and the master bath with pebble stones and bamboo feels like an elegant spa."

When chilly weather hits, our excitement for afternoons at the museums hits, too. Inevitably a day looking at art leads us to the museum shop - usually just to look. But for those in shopping and home organizing mode, we found some storage options at The Art Institute shop worth studying (and/or buying):

Back in February, we listed this Kapali bedding among a group of great designs for spring. Now that it's fall (and color month on AT), seeing this colorful design set in a moody setting makes it seem perfect for autumn. The duvet, shams and bedskirt offer a "Silk Road-inspired motif" in 300 count cotton percale:

Over the years, Consumer Reports has always been an absolute in my family: consult, assess, decide. We try to continue that pattern now but sometimes lose that disciplined approach and make decisions based heavily on personal (or ahem, blog) recommendations. Generally, we think using information from as many angles as possible will always be the best way forward with consumer decision making. We'd like to know how many of you are Consumer Reports devotees - especially for home-based decisions. Survey below:

In Rogers Park, Heather is selling (through AT's classifieds) an orange upholstered Herman Miller shell chair. This piece has been used as a home office chair - casters and all.

Apartment Therapy Furniture Classifieds are open for your business in our Shopping Guide.

So, we purchased this Thomas O'Brien bookcase on both a hunch that it would work well for us and on AT readers' mostly glowing recommendations. What we didn't read until after the purchase, however, were comments about the wobble factor. Deciding to brave it anyway, we put the bookcase together (in about 10 minutes - super easy) and forged ahead...

A friend recently told of her idea to buy a custom-sized runner for the kitchen. Originally she was looking at a series of floor carpet squares, then she decided the "runner" really needed to offer support and comfort more than anything else. So, she turned to these marble top anti-fatigue mats, available at American Floor Mats.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based artist Michele Bosak recently completed her MFA thesis show, The Spaces Between Us. One of her heroes in design includes Charles Eames - a figure who represents Bosak's approach and passions: “Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of these connections is the key to a well-lived life” (Eames). To create, Bosak looks to vintage design objects that "live" with her, objects that she has rescued and acquired as a conscious consumer.

Even if you tire of the stylized bird trend (maybe birdies are just here to stay), these tiles by Xenia Taler should make even the weary perk back up. The 6" x 6" (and 1/2" thick) ceramic panels are each sold separately and available in Chicago at Sprout Home. Details below:

Forbo natural flooring product has been featured and discussed on AT before, but we'd like to focus on the design (color!) components as much as the green ones. The linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, and jute product offers a healthy design solution in lieu of linoleum, and is customizable in shape, pattern, size (as tiles or sheets) and colors. Here are some of the most interesting examples we spotted:

We love both the geometric patterns and strong colors in these cotton quilts from Modernquilts (available through Etsy). Different styles include throws and bedspreads, and as "art quilts" suitable for framing:

Don't be fooled by words like "muted" in Behr's inspiration files - the colors in the red family reflect an almost always bold choice. We picked a few inspiring rooms and broke down their Behr color combos below: