Remember life before the internet? Long afternoons loitering outdoors, indoors, and over extended meals—when it felt like there was just more time available. Three siblings from South Africa were looking to recreate this feeling when they opened Nelson the Seagull in Gastown, Vancouver. "We wanted to make a space where every meal feels like a lazy summer day spent with friends, leisurely snacking on simple but delicious food," says Jodie Balfour, one of the cafe's owners.

Balfour and siblings Jonathan and Lee serve up organic food, home baked bread, and coffee. Their coffee credo is totally purist: "No destroyed, decaf coffee," and their name references Dawn & Des Linbergh's 1971 song The Seagull's Name Was Nelson, written during Nelson Mandela's 27 years in prison; a reminder of their childhood country. The essence of the cafe, as the Balfour's describe, is about, "sun -tained afternoons and the best espresso we can pull." Another reason to take time out of your day? Instructor Ally Mazerolle teaches yoga at Nelson on Monday and Wednesday evenings, followed by an organic meal; all for CA $25.

For more, visit Nelson the Seagull online and read about the cafe via Scout Magazine. Photograph via Follow Me Foodie.

Above: Nelson the Seagull is located at 315 Carrall Street in the Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver.

Above: The Balfours, along with designer Zoe Pawlak, left the building's original mosaic floors and filled the gaps with cement that was then buffed and polished. Photograph by Natsumi of Sokokashiko. 

Above: Amber glass pendant lights hang above a table surrounded by vintage Tolix Marais A Chairs. Photograph via Jess in Vancouver.

Above: South African flora on display in eclectic glass vases: leaves pulled from banksia plants and pincushion protea. Photograph by Natsumi of Sokokashiko. 

Above: Photograph by Natsumi of Sokokashiko.

Above: The ornithological theme carries over into the cafe's coffee cups. Photograph by Natsumi of Sokokashiko.

Above: Photograph by Mia Hansen.

Above: Photograph by Mia Hansen.

Above: On another day: dried thistle branches. Photograph via Smoky Sweet.

Above: Photograph via Singularis, who enjoys the "detox-relaxation" atmosphere of Nelson.

Above: A hearty loaf of Nelson bread meant for a pop-up supper with local Pick & Sprout. Photograph via Scout Magazine in Canada.

Above: Lounge-worthy sofas and a rough palette table on wheels. Photograph by Vincent Lee for designer Zoe Pawlak.

Location of Nelson the Seagull in Vancouver:

David Freud founded his coffee empire in 1986, inspired by stories of his father's inter-war life spent in the coffee houses of Central Europe, "where coffee, beer, culture, and conversation flowed hand in hand." With his two cafes—one on Shaftesbury Avenue at the top of Monmouth Street in London and the other in Oxford—he aims to "recreate the bustle and chatter of his father's treasured Viennese hangouts." And luckily for us, he's now selling his line of coffee and tea accoutrements (including Latin inscribed mugs and tea towels, perfect for the erudite).

Above: The Freud Tea Ball is CA $110 from Le Marche St. George in Vancouver. You can also order directly from Freud.

Above: The Stovetop Espresso Maker is CA $145 from Le Marche St. George in Vancouver. You can also order directly from Freud.

Above: The Alphabet Tea Towel is £10.80 from Freud.

Above: The bone china Alphabet Mugs are hand cast and decorated in Stoke-on-Trent; £15 each. The Latin alphabet graphics are based on a 1523 Venetian woodcut. Also available: Hebrew, Cyrillic, Arabic, Greek, and Ancient Hebrew mugs based on 1540 Roman woodcut.

Above: The Freud Cafe in Oxford is located on Walton Street in the former St. Paul's Church, a Greek Revival structure with "hauntingly high ceilings and decadent stained glass."

Above: How civilized: Students and members of the Oxford University Press get a discount on cocktails.

Lately it seems as though the word "marble" works its way into almost every conversation I'm having. "I really like the pink marble along this staircase," a friend said to me last weekend in a building downtown. Yesterday a colleague in the office told me that she "spent her weekend hanging out at architectural salvage yards looking for marble slabs." All this talk made me remember one of my favorite design details spotted on my trip to Paris last spring. 

When I stopped by to visit designer Clarisse Demory, I couldn't help but admire her kitchen setup, which features a marble rolling pin suspended from the lower brackets of her kitchen shelf in her Paris flat. Demory uses two pieces of sparkly stretch cord, but we can think of other options, too: rawhide ties, rustic rope, for example. To see more of the apartment, go to Done/Undone with Clarisse Demory in Paris.

Photographs by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: Looking for a source? We've found a White Marble Rolling Pin for $19.95 from Crate & Barrel and a similar Marble Rolling Pin with darker carrara veins for $24.95 from Sur la Table. 

Above: For those seeking colored marble, Fox Run makes a Black Marble Rolling Pin for $16.99 from Wayfair and Creative Home has a Green Marble Rolling Pin for $26.81 from Cooking & Tableware. 

Looking for more? See our post on a countertop quick fix, Instant Marble Countertop, and more ways to get in on the marble mania with 5 Favorites: Dramatic Marble Accessories and Ugly Marble, which is having its modish moment.

High-end Italian kitchens can be so sleek and soulless (do you agree?). That's why we took note when we came across the Sine Tempore kitchen from Valcucine, which evokes a modern farmhouse spirit. See more at Valcucine.

Above: The Sine Tempore cabinetry is made of solid elm.

 Above: The chef of the house at work.

Above: A wall display of vintage farm tools telegraphs the agrarian inspiration for the kitchen.

Above: The kitchen components are modular; the backsplash is bushhammered to create a rustic look.

Above: Drawers for utensil storage.

Above: Of course: Wine storage.

Above: A clever dish draining system.

Confession: we're of two minds when it comes to Brooklyn ceramicist Virginia Sin's ice cream cups designed to look like wafer cones. I love the idea, but Alexa hates it ("corny," she said). What do you think?

Above: The Porcelain Ice Cream Cone by Brooklyn ceramicist Virginia Sin is 3 inches tall and is $18 from Brookfarm General Store.

Above: The Ice Cream Cone is from Sin's Gluttony Collection (she also makes ceramic plates that look like paper plates).

In an ideal world, I'd love to have a pair of sinks in my summer kitchen (all those guests and all those dishes!). Here are 10 examples of kitchens with double sinks for stowing dishes and washing produce.

Above: Double sinks in a house in Sweden by architecture firm In Praise of Shadows.

Above: A pair of farmhouse sinks in a kitchen via My Paradissi.

Above: Double sinks in London via Naver.

Above: A pair of sinks in a kitchen by LA-based Stelle Architects.

Above: Double farmhouse sinks in a project by NY architects Messana O'Rorke.

Above: A restaurant size sink with two faucets, one for rinsing dishes. Designed by Gregory Saldana in the kitchen of his and his wife's home via Boston Magazine.

Above: A kitchen in London by Stiff + Trevillion Architects.

Above: A kitchen in London by Woollacott Gilmartin.

Above: Double restaurant-style sinks in a NY kitchen via House Beautiful.

Above: Dar Amane, a riad in Marrakech, via Style Files.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on August 5, 2010.

One of my favorite stores in LA on Abbot Kinney is Chariots of Fire. The shop is a rigorous collection of objects sourced by owners Ritz Yagi (her father is the award winning art director Tamotsu Yagi) and Oriana Reich who met as students at Central Saint Martins in London—in addition to their store they run a small creative agency. Chariots of Fire features a mix of jewelry, apothecary items, objects for the home and other unique global finds. The latest addition to their space is work by the Japanese ceramicist Makoto Kagoshima. Inspired by his travels and a love for Roman sculpture and architecture, the avid gardener has used floral motifs for his current collection of work. Available in store at Chariots on Fire.

Above: Sizes vary from small bowls to larger serving platters and prices range from $32 to $430 accordingly.

Above: The blue color on Kagoshima's plates ranges from indigo blue to purple hues.

Above: Other works from Kagoshima's collection. All the plates have a food safe glaze.

See more on Japanese pottery at Pottery and Provisions in Mashiko.

Here's an idea we like: wall-mounted baskets as entryway or kitchen storage (think wooden spoons, etc.).

Above L: A set of two Woodchip Wall Baskets is £24 from Rockett St. George. Above R: The Market & Fruit Picking Pack from Kaufmann Mercantile would work well for wall-mounted storage; $104.

Above: Wall-mounted baskets via Martha Stewart.

Above: A Wicker Basket with Rope Handle is on sale for $7 (down from $19) at Save on Crafts.

Above: Another good idea from Martha Stewart; a wall-mounted bicycle basket for garden tool storage. The Nantucket-Style Front Handlebar Wicker Bike Basket is $20 from After School.

As a child, I would walk down the street awarding points to each house and garden I passed. I had completely forgotten about this habit until I realized that when I moved to the Napa Valley, I had unconsciously chosen the people I wanted to befriend based purely on the way their house and garden looked. Carolyn Duryea was one of those people (full points awarded). Hers is a small house with a garden that is perfectly unkempt, with a mix of potted flowers, plastic beach balls strategically displayed, colorful hoops, a hanging chair, all signs that something good was going on inside.

When Carolyn, a stylist and interior designer, and her husband, Jeff, rented the charming cottage 14 years ago the garden was in serious disarray. There was a bedraggled vegetable patch, a few tired trees at the side of a creek (including a couple of palms and a grapefruit), and a concrete patio that consumed much of the back garden. Their plan of attack included wheelbarrow loads of gravel to cover the ground, 10 tons worth to be precise. As Carolyn tells us, "I love gravel and it made the single biggest difference in the yard." They added roses, hydrangeas, and gardenias, the flowers they love. "I don't like modern gardens," Carolyn says. "I like gardens that look as if they have gone to seed. Landscape designer Miranda Brooks does this best—she makes it look as if she hasn't done a thing." After 14 years of tending, Carolyn could say the same of her own garden.

Above: Carolyn painted two black sunbed loungers white and layered them with blankets (she confesses to "a textile problem"). Indian print sheets are covered in kantha quilts, part of Carolyn's ever-growing collection of the African fabric, most recently sourced at West Elm and at Karma Living on One King's Lane. "The plaids are my favorite," she says. Carolyn leaves the furniture out all year as she likes to see it from her bedroom window. The glazed ceramic colored side tables are another Carolyn obsession.

Above: French doors from the living room lead into the garden.

Above: The path from the house into the garden. Carolyn's inspiration was an image of an interior patio in Paris that had an overgrown feel. She purposely keeps the greenery untrimmed so you have to push through leaves to get to the garden.

Above: Carolyn had a frame built out of pipes which she covered with bamboo fencing to replace the original green plastic siding that was in its place. "The shade really took down the temperature, and I've only had to replace the bamboo three times in 12 years. We just let it weather naturally until it is time to replace."

Above: "We planted Boston ivy on the walls and it took off," Carolyn says. The Montauk Nest Chair is from West Elm.

Above: The couple decided to use terra cotta pots as they knew they would eventually move and wanted to be able to take their plants with them. The Malm outdoor fireplace is from DWR.

Above: The table is Jeff's old conference table, which Carolyn painted white.  She let if get messed up and "let the rain and dirt do its work until it got the right aged patina." All the chairs, including the Tolix, were flea market finds.

Above: A mix of candles and hurricanes. "Erica Tanov's original ET candles are my favorite. The Hurricane Lamps are a West Elm find as were the pots, which are rough and funky. I am really into turquoise blue. I'm missing the ocean." Three sea shell hangings are suspended over the table, "I'm going to have 10 of them in my next house," says Carolyn.

Above: The table sits under a Bay tree, which they discovered is a natural mosquito repellent.

Above: The hammock is from the local hardware store spiffed up with a down mattress topper for sinking into.

Above: A wall of hula hoops add a graphic note to the side of the house.

Above: The entry to the garden from the living room.

Above: The front porch with an Attic Birdhouse by  Chad Wright Bird House that Carolyn bought at the Remodelista Market last December.

Above: A vignette with colored plastic balls from Target.

N.B. After 12 years, Carolyn and Jeff are building a house. Stay tuned for the outcome.

If you are interested in seeing more of Carolyn's work, check out our post on their Hourglass Winery Guest House.

A modern take on the classic old-school enamel tray from Refound Objects. The hand-enameled trays feature abstract brush strokes of blue and white.

Above: Hand enameled Blue and White Tray; £22.

Above: The trays have a summery appeal.

Above: Each hand-painted tray is slightly different.

Looking for something a little spiffier. Check out our High Style Trays.

Here's an idea we haven't seen before: two picnic tables pushed together to form one large square table surrounded by benches.

Above: For a Kinfolk dinner in Northern Michigan, Megan Gilger collaborated with Nathan Williams and  Photo via The Fresh Exchange.

Above: The Classic Picnic Table with Black Legs is AUD $426 through Etsy (ships to US from Oregon).

Above: The Pine Wide Picnic Table with Traditional Benches is available in sizes up to 96 inches square; prices start at $399 at All Picnic Tables.

It's a challenge picking the perfect kitchen faucet. Who knew? We were exposed to endless options during our recent remodel. We narrowed down the choices and ultimately went with a German-made Grohe faucet. If money weren't an issue, my top choice would have been a Dornbracht Tara faucet (also German, but four times the price). After all, the products are almost identical.

Above: We installed a Grohe Concetto Faucet in our kitchen; $376.35 from eFaucets. It is available in super steel (our choice) and in polished chrome.

Above: My top choice (if money were no object), would be the Tara Logic Single-Level Basin Mixer, a modern classic; $1,656 at Faucet Supply. 

Are you looking for the perfect kitchen faucet? See Janet's 10 Easy Pieces: Editors' Favorite Faucets, featuring some of our top picks. If you care for German engineered products (like me), check out Why I Love My Miele Vacuum.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on May 2, 2013.

Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference, as in the case of these nautical/industrial pendant lights in today's Before & After: A Summer Cottage Reborn on the Connecticut Coast. 

Photography by Elizabeth Watsky. 

Above: A mix of materials from reclaimed wood shelves, concrete countertops, stainless steel appliances, and white tile create a modern rustic kitchen in this seaside cottage in Connecticut. 

Above: Charlotte Tracy, the owner of the house, spotted something similar on Pinterest and became obsessed. "I didn't want a lot of color in the house and wanted to use green and blue as accents," she says. "I found these at Cisco Home in Hayes Valley, SF, and they're even better than the ones I had in mind because of the rope detail."

Above: For something similar, consider stylist Raina Kattelson's DIY Knotted Lamp Cord project on Design Sponge featuring an Ikea Foto lamp and a length of sisal rope.

See our catalog of hand picked lighting for your home.

When we launched Remodelista a few years ago, it was almost impossible to source well-made, classic European-style household goods (in fact, I used to buy wooden brushes in London at Labour & Wait and carry them back in my suitcase). A lot has changed; West Elm, Williams-Sonoma, Terrain, Crate & Barrel, as well as a number of smaller online outfits now offer products from Germany, the UK, and Switzerland. Here are 10 products we own, use, and swear by at Remodelista:

Above: Made in Germany, the Toilet Brush Set by Redecker is $34 at the Joinery.

Above: The classic Wire Soap Dish from Terrain is $18.

Above: Organic Cotton Scrub Cloths are $20 for a set of three at Terrain.

Above: The Redecker Feather Duster is $24.95 at Crate & Barrel.

Above: The German-made Wesco Singleboy 3.4-Gallon Trash Can is $129.95 at Crate & Barrel.

Above: The German-made Dustpan and Broom Set by Redecker is $68 at the Joinery.

Above: From Germany, the Pot Brush is $4 (down from $6) at West Elm.

Above: The dark galvanized metal Redecker Wash Bucket; $18.95 from Old Faithful.

Above: The guys at Best Made Co. call the Italian-made Chore Glove "the best-fitting glove on the market"; $18 from Best Made.

Above: Made in Italy by a family-run company of woodworkers, the Four-Step Ladder is $129.95 at Williams-Sonoma.

The classic adage when house hunting is to never fall in love with something before it’s yours. Last summer, our San Francisco-based friend Charlotte Tracy fell in love with one room, the front hallway, in a rambling seaside cottage in a summer community on the Long Island Sound, where her family had been coming for years. “Much of the house had been winterized with generic double glazed windows and was musty, moldy, and dark,” she says. “I kept coming back to the front hallway with its exposed framing, original windows, and wood floors thinking, ‘If I can get the rest of the house to look like the hallway, I’m in!’”

Tracy sought professional expertise and advice from her high school friend, architect John Allee, and another longtime friend from the community, designer Hannah Childs, both of whom assured her that they could retrieve the spirit and integrity of the original cottage and have her family of five in by the beginning of this summer. With both of her design consultants based in Connecticut, Tracy returned to San Francisco for the winter to manage from afar. A few setbacks later (including one major hurricane and the decision to raise the house six feet to pour in a reinforced concrete foundation), P.J. Cullina Contractors were on their way to removing false ceilings and walls to expose the structure, replacing all the double glazed windows with single glazed ones, installing new bathrooms, new floors (reclaimed Antique White Pine), and a new kitchen.

Tracy and her two design consultants collaborated simultaneously on two coasts to furnish and accessorize the house. "Pinterest was critical for communicating our ideas to each other," Childs says. "Charlotte's palette of whites, blues, and neutrals has opened my eyes to new challenges and solutions, while renewing my appreciation for simplicity."

Tracy’s final challenge to her consultants? She didn’t want any of it to feel "new." Allee, a self-proclaimed modernist, says, “I would have made the interiors more modern, but now I see she was right. She tricked me.”

Photography by Elizabeth Watsky. 

Above: The entry hall was built when the two cottages were joined together in the late 19th century. It was this room that inspired Tracy's decision to restore the cottage to its original state.

Above: Tracy's first purchase for the cottage was this blue bench, sourced at Curate Interiors in San Francisco.  

Above: A mix of rustic and modern is achieved with a Belgian Classic Roll Arm Slipcovered Sofa from Restoration Hardware, which Childs covered with Perennials Classic Linen Weave (an indoor/outdoor fabric) and a Square Parquet-Top Coffee Table with a metal base from Wisteria. A custom sisal rug sits on top of the reclaimed wood floor. 

Above: "This painting by Jennifer Ebner (an artist from Litchfield, Connecticut) represents everything I wanted the house to be," Tracy says.  "Abstract and modern, but totally organic and natural."

Above: The new bar with chestnut top (repurposed from original floors) in the corner of the dining room uses the exposed structure of the summer cottage to its advantage.

Above: The Mandala rug in Platinum from Madeline Weinrib anchors the antique white oak dining room table, custom designed by Allee and built by Alfred Brown Cabinetry in Warren, CT, while a pair of Birds Nest Hanging Lamps from Serena & Lily adds texture.  

Above: The airy kitchen features open shelving.

Above: Vintage Tolix chairs add an industrial air to the Basket-Weave Pendant Lamp from Serena & Lily and the farm table, which was found at Kindred Interiors by San Francisco-based designer Leah O'Connell, another friend of Tracy's. 

Above L: Childs repurposed the wood from the original chestnut floors as kitchen shelves. Above R: The original chestnut floors remain intact in the staircase. 

Above: The back stair has been painted white with a set of blue nautical stripes in the middle, with a copper pipe serving as a handrail.  

Above: In the bedrooms, color is added through the textiles. A custom-built bunk bed with storage drawers maximizes the space. In other guest bedrooms, custom-built trundle beds provide additional sleeping options (the house sleeps 16).

Above: A Chevron Denim Indoor/Outdoor Rug from Dash & Albert keeps the wood floor in the bathroom dry while traditional fixtures mix with the industrial aesthetic of the Backbay Wall Mount lights from Urban Archaeology.

Above L: There can never be enough places to hang towels or clothes in a summer cottage, especially one with small bathrooms. Childs solved the problem with a Whitewashed Teak Ladder from Serena & Lily. Above R: Childs installed a Kaye 3-Speed Wall Fan in every room to aid the sea breezes during the height of summer.

Above: All the blinds in the house are woven wood blackout shades, which is helpful in minimizing the sun and heat on hot and humid days.

Above: All the walls throughout the house were painted Benjamin Moore Dove White. For other favorite whites, see 10 Easy Pieces: Architects White Paint Picks. 

Above: The master bedroom has a Bradshaw Kirchofer Gwendoline Spindle Bed with an English Pine satin finish. 

Above: A custom built vanity in the master bathroom includes open shelving under a farm sink.

Above: The house was reshingled in White Cedar; when it weathers, it will turn the familiar silver gray of New England coastal architecture.

Above: The back of the house before it was raised in its restoration.

Above: The front of the house after its restoration.

Above: The entry hall that joins the two cottages is under the sloped roof. 

Above: The kitchen before work commenced.

Above: The entry hall that inspired the entire project in its original condition. 

Above: Typical of late 19th century seaside cottage construction, the house was built without a foundation and was simply sitting in the dirt and rotting away. The team decided to raise the house by six feet in order to pour a reinforced concrete foundation (crawl space) underneath. Local naysayers suggested that knocking the house down and starting again would have been more cost effective, but Tracy was committed to the house and its history. View the great feat of raising of the house in this video by P.J. Cullina Contractors.

We use our heads to buy a house and our hearts to buy a home. See Minimal Moves for Maximum Impact in Christine's Connecticut House and read about why I used my heart to buy a home.

This weekend Perla Delson and Jeff Sherman of New York based firm Delson or Sherman Architects talk about creating a loft home on one entire level of a former manufacturing building in Chelsea, New York. They are available for the next 48 hours to answer your questions, so ask away!

The brief was to convert a 5,000-square-foot loft from a dark warren of rooms into an airy, light-filled apartment for a family of five. With four exposures, one might assume this would be easy and straightforward, right? Guess again. According to Jeff Sherman, a founding partner of Delson or Sherman Architects (a member of the Remodelista Architect and Designer Directory), if your building is square, you will inevitably end up with a large central zone that is far from any window. “Our strategy was one of concentric squares,” he says. “The outer square would be the habitable rooms like bedrooms, living room, and dining room, to make the most of the sunlight and views; the middle square would be a ring of circulation (which the kids ended up using as a racetrack); and finally, the dark central square was filled with storage and bathrooms.” Thoughtful and well executed, any architect will tell you that it's all in the plan.

Photography by Catherine Tighe.

Above: Beginning in the elevator and entry vestibule, the architects use the same floor material, Brazilian walnut, throughout the apartment. The oversized pocket doors are for added security: The elevator vestibule can be locked off entirely or the doors can be slid out of sight.  

Above: The built-in cabinets that run the length of the space unify the space architecturally while hiding various pipes and radiators. They also serve as convenient storage and additional seating. 

Above: The bookshelves and cabinets in the living area are constructed out of zebra wood and have concealed lights for illuminating objects on the shelves. 

Above: The dark wood of the Brazilian walnut floors is used for the kitchen island and shelves while the cabinetry is high-gloss white lacquer. Stainless steel was used for the countertops and backsplash. "The kitchen was an exercise in simplicity," Sherman says. 

Above: The architects added a new opening in the wall at the end of the suite of public spaces, which serves as the breakfast area and has the best view in the house. 

Above: The Brazilian walnut baseboard turns into the wine room and seamlessly becomes the kick of the wine racks, which are also made of Brazilian walnut.

Above: Full-height sliding wall panels made of stainless steel and etched glass can be closed to create acoustical privacy in the music room, while still allowing daylight to filter in. When fully open, they slide completely into the pocket walls. 

Above: "The owners are minimalists, but they had large storage requirements," Sherman says. "Thickening the walls and recessing the cabinets flush with the walls allows a great deal of cabinetry to recede almost to the point of invisibility." 

Above: Mosaic stone tiles (polished Laurel Lapideum from Country Floors) line the bathroom. The sink is a custom design made of seamless limestone on a solid teak base. 

Above: "Outside the bedrooms, we widened the circulation ring enough to create a space for TV watching," Sherman says. "Doubling the functions of spaces is a trademark of ours." 

Above: The translucent sliding panels provide privacy and block sound while allowing daylight into the deep space.

Above: "The zipline celebrates the huge scale of the apartment while making it clear that this is as much a home for children as it is for adults," Sherman says. The architects ordered the zipline kit online but custom fabricated the anchors at each end out of stainless steel. 

Above: A trough-like sink with three individual taps is further proof that this is also a home for children. The architects floated the sink off the floor to keep the bathroom from feeling too narrow and countered any potential structural problems of climbing children with a steel beam hidden inside.

Above: Color is brought into the children's room through textiles and soft furnishings.

Above: The white on white palette in a narrow bathroom with a narrow window helps to keep the space from feeling too cramped.

Above: The floor plan of the loft illustrates the architects' strategy of concentric squares, ensuring that the habitable rooms would benefit most from the access to daylight and views. 

For another thoughtfully executed floor plan in New York, see Platt Dana in The Architect Is In: Making the Most of Your Floor Plan. 

This week we're admiring the new Ace Hotel in London (in particular the murals of crashing waves), the home of Dimore Studio in Rome (world's most beautiful bath?), and a shower curtain from Dave Eggers (strange but true).

• A Fine Balance: Tom Delavan's profile of Dimore Studio in T Magazine (above photo by Henry Bourne); an urban nautical bath.
• Our friends at RTH in LA are holding their first warehouse sale this Saturday at 529 N. La Cienega. Run don't walk.

• A first look at the new Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, London, via Monocle; we love the wall mural of crashing waves.
• Spotted on Emmas Design Blogg, an apartment in Ghent available for short-term rent (not for the vertigo challenged). Quick sabbatical, anyone?

• Add this to your summer reading list: a monologue told to Dave Eggers by his shower curtain (it begins with "I am your shower curtain and I am watching you" and includes lines such as "I like to see you lather. I do not like to hear you sing"). Issue 16 by Dave Eggers is printed on a 72-by-72-inch PEVA (PVC-free) shower curtain by French company Izola; it's $65 from The Thing.
• A reason to worship? This surrealist steel church has us heading to mass.
• We're loving Sunset's roundup of the West Coast Design scene and the creative talent here.

• Noticed on the blog of photographer Michael A. Muller, a new print publication called The Lumberjack, chronicling the work of Belgian design firm LMBRJK.
• 13 creative uses for Mason Jars.

• Stacey's latest discovery: Follain, a new beauty store in Boston's South End that specializes in American-made, natural products (and some great DIY ideas; note the double sink).
• Japanese food served on Wasara paper plates from food atelier s/s/a/w via Satsuki Shibuya's blog.
• Jon and Juli at Mjolk in Toronto share how to balance aesthetics while raising a toddler.

Ever since he received a Greek tortoise for his sixth birthday, Eric Goode—the driving force behind some of NY's most famous nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels; Area, B Bar & Grill and the Bowery Hotel included—has been obsessed with turtles. In 2005, after witnessing the decline and disappearance of many species native to his home state of California, he established the Turtle Conservancy on the grounds of his own house in Southern California, a property he had owned for 20 years. Serving as an assurance colony for over 25 species of turtles and tortoises, the Turtle Conservancy has become a safe haven for more than 600 turtles. To learn more about Goode's enterprise, go to the Turtle Conservancy.

Photography by Miye McCullough for Remodelista.

Above: Goode's Spanish Mission-style home was built in the 1920s.

Above: The porch outside the upstairs bedroom has a bamboo roof. Turtle shells are displayed on the bench while a whale's vertebra serves as a sculptural side table.

Above: Vintage garden furniture for lounging under the old oak tree.

Above: Another building on the property is used as the quarantine and nursery for hatching baby turtles. The vintage cabinet is from a doctor's office, with a Philip Taaffe painting of snakes above.

Above: An assortment of curiosities in one of the work areas.

Above: A display of turtle shells from different species sits on the fireplace mantel.

Above: Artifacts from the natural world and vintage furniture in the office of the Turtle Conservancy.

Above: A collection of painted rocks.

Above: The stucco hacienda retains its original charm.

Above: Vintage linens dry in the sun.

A new set of kitchen linens can update your kitchen quickly and cheaply. See our catalogue of hand picked Fabrics & Linens. 

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on December 5, 2011.

Perfect for space-starved spaces, cast iron hooks can act as pot racks in the kitchen, take the place of wardrobes in the bedroom, hold towels in the bathroom, collect coats and bags inside the front door, and keep outdoor tools and brooms off the ground and in easy reach. Here are 10 classic iron hooks to help control clutter and reduce the need for space-hogging storage furniture. 

Above: The classic two-prong Belagsboden Iron Coat and Hat Hook measures 6 3/8 inches; $11.20 at Home Decor Hardware.

Above: The classic Cast Iron Double Coat Hook is 2.5 inches high with a 1.5-inch projection; $8 at Rejuvenation.

Above: The straight arm Wrought Iron Hooks made in India are available in 4-inch and 6-inch lengths; $6 and $8 respectively at Brook Farm General Store.

Above: Smedbo's Single Rustin Iron Hook measures just shy of 3 inches; $8.80 each at Home Decor Hardware.

Above: The Charter Cast Iron Hook is 5.5 inches high and has a 4-inch projection; $6 at Schoolhouse Electric. 

Above: The Cast Iron Barn Hook has a generous 8-inch long projection and is 5 inches tall. Powder coated in black; $11.99 each at Hero's Welcome.

Above: The no-nonsense and practical Classic Small Iron Hook measures 2 inches high and 1.75 inches deep; $8 at Rejuvenation.

Above: We like the sinuous shape of the Hand-forged Iron Lantern Hook, good for bulkier items, like kitchen pots, lanterns, or garden tools; $17 from the VinTin Etsy Shop.

Above: The Smedbo Beslagsboden Coat Hook in wrought iron is $9.38 at Wayfair.

Above: The Nouveau Cast Iron Hook has a 3-inch projection; $6 at Schoolhouse Electric.

Above: The Mission Iron Hall Tree Hook is 5 inches high with a 3-inch projection; $10 at Rejuvenation.

Above: Hand made in Mexico, the Cast Iron Coat Hook from Bitters Co. in Seattle is $16.

We are just a little obsessed with hooks; what is more useful, really? See Julie's favorite Black Coat Hooks and Gardenista's Sturdy Mudroom Hook Picks. 

Wake up, draw back your indigo tie-dye curtains, check out the serene pool surrounded by woven leather beach chairs, contemplate a hike or a swim—it's the kind of Southern California scene dreams are made of. The owners of the Ojai Rancho Inn, Chris Sewell and Kenny Osehan (the team behind the Shelter Social Club), were looking to channel the mysticism of Ojai's bohemian era when they redesigned the roadhouse, drawing on the work of Los Angeles artists. Bonus points: just down the road from the Ojai Rancho Inn is the Krishnamurti Foundation, miles of olive groves, and Beatrice Wood's old house and studio.

Sewell and Osehan worked within the tight confines of Ojai's city permit structure (one with a fierce dedication to preservation of land), maintaining the original 1950s structure and pool while updating and infusing the hotel with midcentury furniture and amenities like an airstream trailer and rental bicycles (pets are allowed for a small fee).

Photography courtesy of Ojai Rancho Inn except where noted.

Above: For more information visit Ojai Rancho Inn and see AT's visit to the hotel. Photograph via IT Hunter.

Above: Photograph via IT Hunter.

Above: Classic deck chairs by the pool, a leftover from the original roadhouse, with slight upgrades.

Above: A grouping of handmade pendant lights from Heather Levine  whose pieces are featured throughout common areas and bedrooms.

Above: Terra cotta pots of succulents on a mantel.

Above: Artwork above the beds is a mix of pieces by Adam Pogue and jewelry designers All For the Mountain. The indigo tie dye curtains are from Lookout and Wonderland. Photograph via IT Hunter.

Above: Vintage telephones match the decor. Photograph via IT Hunter.

Above: Photograph via The Girl Scout Camp at Ojai Rancho Inn on The Glitter Guide.

Above: The bedrooms feature vintage midcentury furniture sourced from Amsterdam Modern.

Above: Enamel wall sconces with caged bulbs. Photograph via IT Hunter.

Above: The woven leather deckchairs with metal frames are from LA-based designer Eric Trine.

Above: As with the Shelter Social Club's other hotels, bicycle rentals are available for exploring nearby paths.

Above: Trine chairs around an outdoor fire pit—semi-private decks are available off of some bedrooms.

Above: Photograph via The Girl Scout Camp at Ojai Rancho Inn on The Glitter Guide.

Traveling in and around Ojai? See our favorite restaurants, shops, and hotels in the Los Angeles Area in our City Guides. See Heather Levine's lights in a completely different space in Le Mary Celeste: Coastal Cool in the Middle of the Marais.