And I want it all!

How incredible is that screen against the exposed brick wall?! And I still love the Knot Chair by Marcel Wanders!

Frederik Vercruysse

How gorgeous are these interior shots by Frederik Vercruysse?!

Wow! These greens are so beautiful with the soft gold light.

Love the black kitchen and floors! I want to curl up in that sofa. It reminds me of a worn in baseball glove!

The veining on that marble is stunning and I can't get enough of the blue. Well, actually that little bit is just perfect! Do you guys love the cobalt blue as much as I do?

It's Just Right!

I stumbled upon the work of New York based Sara Story Design and loved what I found! She did such an incredible job on this Gramercy Park Project. I love the boldness of colors and patterns and the clever use of space. We all know these New York apartments can be small, so you better use your space wisely, and this is exactly what Sara Story has done!
This kitchen is fabulous! Check out that patterned floor (which by the way is handpainted/airbrushed), the deep purple ceiling and those cabinets that are just the perfect shade of gray! I love the use of black in this space.

That chandelier is stunning! I think the partition wall is an amazing feature. The room still feels so bright and open while the wall breaks up the space. Do you think that bedroom is the old living room? Also check out that wallpaper...so fun! It also looks like the cabinets are built into the wall. Again such a clever solution.
That red is killer...and I mean it in the best way! What an adorable little bathroom. This kid must have a great view. What a fablulous use of space built in around and under the bed.

Heavenly Vaults

Heavenly Vaults: From Romanesque to Gothic in European Architecture by David Stephenson is on the top of my Fall Book List! Here's a sneak peek inside this gorgeous book and the architecture we can only dream of creating in these modern times.

In The Shop With Jennifer Hansen

I am super excited to introduce you all to Jennifer Hansen, owner of the gorgeous bath boutique, Eden, in Des Moines, IA. This is one of my all time favorite shops. If you are in Des Moines and haven't been by you must be sure to stop! Eden was opened up in the East Village of downtown Des Moines in 2003, before it was renovated into the hip spot that it is today. I always had dreams of opening up a shop in downtown Des Moines. I would drag my mom out to look at all these vacant places and with bigs eyes and so much excitement would be like..."just imagine my adorable design store here and my studios above" and "you could totally have a yoga studio here". Then I stumbled upon Eden when it just opened after one of these days of driving through downtown Des Moines (and a visit to my favorite furniture store Projects). It was love at first site! Jennifer actually made my dream a reality and I feel like she has played a key role in this "creative movement" Des Moines is experiencing. Eden has now been open for 6 years and has become such a success, she is expanding to a much larger location right around the corner. Maybe she'll let me take over the old location:-)

Let's take you into the shop with Jennifer Hansen:

Current Boutique

Coming Soon!

Can't wait to see what she's going to put on these shelves!

This kitchen screams PARTY!

AM: Give me a little background about yourself and one childhood memory that you think helped you land where you're at today.

JH: When I was little I loved playing store and often ran garage sales for my mom. I went to work at Younkers when I turned 16. Now I have eden....and I still feel like the little girl playing store.

AM: Did you have an "Aha Moment" when Eden flashed in front of your eyes:-) How did you go about making your concept a reality?

JH: When I saw our corner location back in 2003 it was love at first sight. I knew it had to be mine. It had a great apothecary feel and was next to a cool plumbing store so I set out to make my dream soap store.

AM: What inspires you the most and where is your favorite place to be inspired?

JH: Lunch in the courtyard at the Des Moines Art Center. total bliss.

AM: What are the Top 5 products you are just crazy about right now?

JH: Top 5 must haves...Fresh soy face cleanser, Hanky Panky undies, Molton Brown Toko-Yuzu bubble bath, Kai body butter, and the John Galliano candle from Diptyque.
My favorite new line has to be TokyoMilk. They have the most darling guest soaps, bubble bath, candles, lip balm, and perfume.

AM: Do you carry any local or handmade products?

JH: Yes. We carry necklaces from local Des Moines artist, Shelby Anderson. She takes found objects...anagram game pieces, vintage wallpaper, and makes them into great jewelry. I actually met Shelby at a garage sale right at the beginning of eden. I complimented her on her necklace and she coincidently came to eden to shop later that same afternoon. I've carried her jewelry at eden ever since.

AM: Your new shop is under construction right now, and we all know this time can be stressful, what are you most looking forward to?

JH: More space. There are so many more lines that we are interested in and we will have room for growth at our new location. When eden first opened we had a great little seating area with an eames compact sofa and a blank wall with a quote on it. A couple years later it became the home for Kiehl's. The eames compact sofa and quote wall are coming back. Complete with Italian Vogue magazines. I want people to have a little cozy spot to sit for a spell.

AM: What types of events/services do you have planned for the new Eden?

JH: We plan to host a lot of parties at the new space. We're building a kitchenette complete with sink, fridge and dishwasher. All we need is some wine, tea, and petit fours and we are ready for company.

AM: You obviously have a knack for design and great taste and I see one of your Favorite Things is Found Things. Are there any great finds you will be using in your new space?

JH: We salvaged a chandelier and a checkout counter from the old downtown Des Moines Younkers Tearoom. I worked at Younkers all through high school and college, and came to Des Moines to work in the buying office following college. My husband John worked in their advertising department. It's where we met. Ahh, swoon.

AM: If you could bring one thing to Des Moines what would that be?

JH: The Pacific Ocean.

AM: What's your favorite thing about Des Moines?

JH: The East Village. It's such a gem of a neighborhood for Des Moines bursting with niche locally owned boutiques and restaurants. It continues to grow organically and is becoming this wonderful little self sufficient community. I feel so fortunate to be a part of it all.

AND I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST:

JH: While we are sharing, I have a story for you. A couple of years ago my mom was going through some of my grandparents things (my grandpa had recently died) and ran across some of their travel memorabilia....passports and a few token treasures. One thing my Grandma saved from her travels was an old business card from a store in Paris where she bought perfume. The store was called Eden.

I cannot wait to step foot in her new shop on my next trip back to Iowa! If you haven't ever visited Des Moines, you should! Check out the Des Moines City Guide I put together for Design Sponge for all the best things to do, places to eat, and sites to see!

PS. An edited version of the city guide is coming soon...sorry for all the typos!

Jenna's Desk

Check out this fabulous DIY project by Hilary, the talent behind Pink Pianos. Her client wanted the perfect school desk for her daughter Jenna, so Hilary transformed an unfinished solid wood desk into an adorable one-of-a-kind writing desk! Jenna is going to love doing her schoolwork now! Dont' you just love that paper she used on the drawer fronts from eieiostudio! Check out Pink Pianos for all the details on this project and many other DIY projects she has completed! Contact Hilary if you are interested in a custom project of your own!



(You may remember her from Post No. 100 Giveway and her fabulous Feather Earrings!)

A Lego House!

Oh my goodness...every kids dream has become a reality with this lego house by James May! Seriously, how incredible is this! This house built on a vineyard (every adult's dream) is made out of 816 million legos and even has a working bathroom!



images via Arch Daily and A Designed Life Blog

Fires of the Night :-(

image via NY Daily News

My throat has been hurting, my eyes are burning, and the skies have been gray all day. The California Wildfires are burning out of control and my heart goes out to all of those that have lost their homes and loved ones during this time. I have so much respect these firefighters, what an incredible job they have been doing...I can't even imagine! They are expecting the fires to hit Mt. Wilson before 2 am tonight, but let's just hope the weather works in their favor. Many of you probably aren't familiar with the Angeles National Forest (the area that has been destroyed in these fires), but let me just tell you this is home to some of the most gorgeous hiking trails in Southern California and a true source of inspiration! Here's a little room interpretation of the fire of the night...let's keep our fingers crossed that this fire can be contained!

DesignLush: Twig Chandelier, Single Slab Pine Library with Glass Shelves, Night Frost Rug, Tipping Point Lounge Chair + Mogenson High Back Sofa

Le Vigne

Madlab + Spurse turn one person's trash into another one's treasures in this creation of Le Vigne, a wine shop on New York's Greenwich Ave. Check out my post on Design Milk for the entire story. That chair on the side of the road will never look the same again!

A New Spin on Things!

Now this is what I'm talking about! I just love the refined spin on the standard cage utility light! Work Lamp from Stockholm based, Form Us With Love, comes in gold or silver and is only $100.00!

These new arrivals from Anthropologie really caught my eye as well. A little softer feminine touch was added to the Mechanic's Beacon Light. I just love the scalloped edges on this one called Small Flower!

Dreamin of Bedrooms!

Happy Monday to you all! Hope you had a fabulous weekend. I'm definitely feeling the weekend and am still wishing I was in my bed! Here's a few bedrooms I wouldn't mind being in right about now!

Desire to Inspire

Living Etc.

Style Files

Alkemie

Living Etc.

unknown source

houzz

Blinkoff Architecture

Houzz

Domino

Houzz

Another Awesome Giveaway!

I just recently discovered CSN Mattress and I was competely surprised by what an incredible and wide selection of bedding, accent pillows, lighting, mattresses, and modern futons they had. You must check them out!

In honor of this discovery I am doing a GIVEAWAY for a fabulous accent pillow from CSN Mattress! Here are just a few examples of one of the pillows you could win!

1. Koko Company: Match Co.

2. Koko Company: Habitat

3. Koko Company: Coptic Pillow

4. Koko Company: Java

5. Koko Company: Autumn

6. Blissliving: Jenna Pink Pillow
7. Koko Company: Natura

You can win by doing one of the following:

1. Commenting below with your favorite pillow from the above selection!
2. Repost this giveaway in your blog and post the link to it below!
3. Go to CSN Mattresses and post the link in my comment section to your favorite item on their site!
4. Tweet about this giveaway on twitter and include "@yolksy" and then just let me know in the comment section below!
5. For extra credit repost this exactly on your blog: "Yolksy is hosting a great giveaway from CSN mattress on her site. Check it out for a chance to win win an adorable accent pillow from Koko Company or Blissliving!" and leave a comment with the link!

I will announce the winner on FRIDAY and send you the details! Thanks for playing!

Design Milk: Nina Is In The Haus!

You must check out my weekly post on Design Milk: Nina Is In The Haus. I've been anxiously waiting for this to come out today, so I could share it with you all! You will love the selection of products in this new store, Haus Interior . And you may even love the recession friendly prices more! Check out the entire story here.

How fun is this storefront and that floor is killer! I'm also loving the lighting from Lindsey Adelman Studio!

At least one of each please!
Seriously I am obsessed with the Sabine Iron + Glass Desk Lamp (bottom center) and the Drip Cup Gray/Yellow (bottom right).