When it comes to knives, there's really only one place to go in San Francisco: Town Cutler. Many of the city's famed chefs and serious foodies come to Galen Garretson's store to keep their knives sharp and up to snuff. Garretson worked in several of the city's restaurant kitchens as a butcher until he burned out and left to set up his own knife business a couple of years ago. I swung by his store the other day and asked him to tell me everything there is to know about knives.

Above: Galen Garretson at his Nob Hill shop, Town Cutler.

RM: What to look for when purchasing a knife?
GG: There are two classes of steel—carbon and stainless steel. Carbon oxidizes, can rust, and changes color with moisture while stainless always stays shiny. The most important thing with a knife is the heat-treating process. You can't tell by looking, so that's why you need to do research or come to people like us who pick steel that's treated properly.

RM: How do you know which knife is right for you?
GG: A lot of knives are sold online, but you need to feel the weight of the knife and the balance; how it feels in the hand. You want all the weight to fall on the heel as it's easier on the wrist and also better for balance and control.

RM: Which steel do you recommend?
GG: I prefer carbon, it's the real deal. The grain strut has a finer edge than stainless and is easier to sharpen.

Above: A Wilburn Forge Knife.

RM: Your favorite carbon knife?
GG: Aaron Wilburn of Wilburn Forge in Redding, California, makes the best knives. He's a Master Smith (one of 114 bestowed by the American Bladesmith Society). He's taken techniques from Japanese hardening of steel and gone further to make the steel sharper and more durable. I like how sharp his knives are, the durability, how they cut, and how easy they are to sharpen. They're expensive, but they're the best.

RM: More affordable options?
GG: I like Zanmai from Japan. They use VG 10, a new stainless steel, and it's the one I recommend. Shosui Takeda and Dietrich Podmajersky of Podforge from Seattle are also good.

Above: Gyuto Knife by Zanmai; $230.

RM: What are the essential knives to own in the kitchen?
GG: All you really need are the basics. I don't believe in a full set of 12 knives. A good 8-inch all-purpose chef's knife. A 5-to-6-inch utility for a second knife and a paring knife for handheld work.

Above: Knife Roll Case made by Town Cutler.

RM: Care for a knife?
GG: You need to keep it dry and keep it clean. Use dry warm soapy water after proteins and don't use heavy abrasive wash. And never put your knives in the dishwasher. If the knife is carbon, the steel needs to be oiled often. It's good to oil a stainless blade sometimes as it helps the edge.

RM: What oil do you recommend?
GG: We use a camellia oil and have one that we bottle here in the store.

Above: Magnetic Knife Bar by William Ullman; $95 from Canoe.

RM: Knife storage?
GG: Magnetic bars are the best because they keep the knives within easy reach. You can see them and they look good. Magnetic strip with non-exposed steel or magnets are best. There isn't a current brand that I like, so I'm in the process of making my own out of cherry wood and rose wood. But those won't be ready until the end of the year.

RM: Wood blocks for storage?
GG: No. You can ding the edge when you put the knife in a wood block—it's not breathing in there—any moisture needs to evaporate.

RM: Tips on sharpening a knife?
GG: If you use one of those trucks which use a machine, the heat will the change the grain structure in the steel. Any belt sanding is to be avoided with knives. Use a water stone. It's a type of stone lubricated by water, not oil. For basic sharpening, I recommend a three-step process. Starting with the coarser stone (Bester #1200) to create the bevel, then moving to a smoother stone (Arashiyama +6000) to polish the edge, then finishing on a leather strop, like you'd see in an old barber shop.

RM: Sharpening rods?
GG: A steel honing rod is for maintaining the edge, and it'sonly good for softer steel. It's triage to give an edge a quick fix. Good for the likes of Henkels.

Above: An Oval Maple End Grain Up Cutting Board; $70 at Custom Made.

RM: What sort of cutting boards do you recommend?
GG: End-grain boards in hardwoods like maples and walnut; they're hard, but not too hard. Plastic harvests bacteria, but wood has a lot more antibacterial qualities.

RM: What to avoid?
GG: Don't use your knives for cutting bones and frozen foods. Avoid heat; with carbon knives, stay away from acidity.

Dutch designer Daphna Isaacs Burggraaf and Laurence Manders are the designers behind Daphna Laurens, a multidisciplinary studio in Eindhoven. The two met as students ("We found that while working together—or, as we prefer to say, working as one designer—our work was far more fruitful and artistically rich," they say) and have designed shelving for Cappellini and the C chair concept for Poltrona Frau. We are especially drawn to their functional, straightforward pieces for the kitchen. To see more, go to Daphna Laurens.

Above: The oak LookShelf is designed to allow you to display books as art (or, in the kitchen, to hold your cookbooks or your iPad); contact VijS for ordering information.

Above: A detail of the LookShelf.

Above: The cut and serve Grid Planks are available in four different shapes.

Above: A detail of a grid plank.

Reason enough to contemplate a move to Portland, OR: the Woodsman Tavern & Market, a pitch-perfect Pacific Northwest watering hole and seafood grill with an adjacent artisan-focused market.

Despite the been-there-forever look of the interiors, owner Duane Sorenson (of Stumptown fame) rehabbed the space from the ground up, with new banquettes stained to look old and a collection of vintage landscape paintings bordering on the kitsch. GQ's Alan Richman called the Woodsman one of the best new restaurants of 2012 (chef Jason Barwikowski "steals smartly and shamelessly from around the globe," he says). For more information, go to the Woodsman Tavern and Market.

Photos by David Lanthan Reamer (his blog, Sixty Seconds with David Reamer, chronicles his adventures as a Portland, OR-based food photographer and is well worth a visit), unless otherwise noted.

Above: The moody interiors are more Twin Peaks than Portlandia.

Above: A collection of thrift-store landscapes depict the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.

Above: A view of the bar and dining areas.

Above: Long tables for communal dining.

Above: High-gloss painted ceilings and Edison bulbs add a gleam to the otherwise somber interiors.

Above: A woodfire inferno.

Above: The Woodsman Market interior; photo via Eater.

Above: Locally sourced offerings.

Above: Flowers and produce, reimagined.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on October 3, 2012.

There is something about the mantel that begs for foraged findings from the natural world, those pocketfuls of dried flowers, smooth rocks, or artfully shaped branches you collect on walks and hikes. Here are 10 mantels we're currently admiring.

Above: Diftwood and a dried bouquet above the fireplace of art director Alicia Nammacher's house in Seattle, Washington. Photographed by Kathryn Barnard via AT.

Above: A collection of stones at photographer Brian Ferry's home in Brooklyn shot for Sight Unseen.

Above: At the home of graphic designer Jennifer Morla and architect Nilus de Matran, a cast concrete fireplace is surrounded by gourds, a gold leaf wooden arrow, and pine cones. See more of the house at At Home with an SF Design Duo.

Above: Ceramicist Paula Grief goes natural on the mantel; see the rent of the space at The Handmade Kitchen: Paula Grief in Brooklyn.

Above: Turtle shells from different species sits on the fireplace mantel at Eric Goode's home in Ojai; see more at Eric Goode and the Turtle Conservancy Southern California.

Above: Potted plants and natural objects artfully litter the mantel of Belgian artist Mieke Verbijlen on her blog, Mieke Willems. See more from our post on Gardenista, The Plant Portraits of Mieke Verbijlen.

Above: A series of flattened, oval stones on the mantel by stylist Tanya Goodwin of Home from the Sea; see more in our post Beachstones as Decor.

Above: Styling and photography by Nicole Franzen via SF Girl by Bay.

Above: Grapes and drying leaves on a mantel by florists Alethea Harampolish and Jill Rizzo via Studio Choo Blooms in San Francisco.

Above: A tangle of feathers and wood scraps makes up a handmade wreath over the fireplace at Falsled Kro in Denmark.

For more ideas around the hearth, see our post 5 Quick Fixes: Solutions for the Unused Fireplace and look through 500 more images of Fireplaces in our Room Gallery.

A reader chided us recently for describing something as "world's best"; but really, aren't these the most beautiful Japanese lanterns you've ever seen? Plus, they're powered by LED lights, so you can move them around (on the table for dinner, as a reading light in the bedroom, outdoors as dusk approaches). 

The lanterns are made in Japan of traditional washi paper with a wood base and a wire handle and are available from New Zealand stylist Katie Lockhart's Everyday Needs online shop.

Above: The Michiyuki-Tou LED Drop Paper Lantern is NZD $95 and features a traditional washi paper shade and a wood base.

Above: The lanterns feature discreet on/off switches in the wooden base.

Above: The Michiyuki-Tou LED Tall Paper Lantern is NZD $95 from Everyday Needs.

Above: The lanterns are powered by a pair of AA batteries.

Leave it to the French to devise the world's most elegant oyster shack (complete with office and dining areas), located on a waterfront site in the south of Brittany.

Raum Architects, a studio founded in 2007 by Benjamin and Julien Boré Perraud (graduates of the School of Architecture in Nantes), designed the structure as a temporary dwelling and work space for an oyster farmer. The building is composed of two areas: an office/lounge space with a kitchen and dining area and a loft-like hangar for oyster processing; the two wings are connected by an outdoor dining patio area.

Photography by Audrey Cerdan via Design Boom.

Above: A reading niche overlooks the coastal landscape.

Above: Sliding glass doors open onto the dining patio; a ladder leads to the rooftop patio.

Above: Two modular kitchen islands house a sink and a cooktop.

Above: A single wood space heater heats the entire interior.

Above: Translucent panels cover the house's wood frame, allowing light to flood the work space.

Above: A polished concrete floor can be easily hosed down.

Above: A sheltered rooftop deck offers another space for plein-air dining.

Above: A living roof provides insulation.

Above: The exterior is clad in black stained wood siding.

Above: A detail of the translucent panels that allow light to filter into the workshop.

Above: An exterior elevation.

Enjoying the cult of the oyster? Check out our Northern Californian finds: Saltwater in Inverness, and Anchor and Hope.

We're finding ourselves fascinated by black painted houses recently; explore more noirish dwellings at 10 Modern Houses Gone to the Dark Side.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original ran on January 26, 2013

Last week we featured a renovated cottage by the sea where the client hired two friends as her architect and her designer. Crazy and foolhardy? Or wise and forward-thinking? After all, a common and shared understanding based on a prior relationship can promote collaboration and ease the communication and exchange of ideas. Let us know your thoughts—all stories (success and horror), are welcome.

P.S. See the miracle project at Before and After: A Summer Cottage Reborn on the Connecticut Coast.

Above (L to R): Hannah Childs (Designer), John Allee (Architect), and Charlotte Tracy on the terrace of Charlotte's newly renovated house. Here are a few outtakes from the project (see more at Before and After: A Summer Cottage Reborn on the Connecticut Coast).

Above: The light and airy kitchen.

Above: A pinstriped stairway.

Above: A guest bedroom.

Above: A white and breezy bathroom.

Above: The reshingled and overhauled cottage.

As we resurface from summer vacation, Labor Day (at least here in the US) marks the beginning of the fall season. Next week we're channeling New York Fashion Week, focusing on dwellings, wardrobe maintenance, and closet tips and inspiration. In the meantime, here's what we're browsing:

Above: A pair of passive solar gain houses on the north Cornish coast by Simon Conder Associates.

Above: To prep for our upcoming week on fashion, Julie has been scoping out the elevated performance fleece pieces in Sofie d'Hoore's upcoming collection.

First there was black toilet paper, now there's gold?

Destination: Richmond, VA.

The house that Twitter built.

Above: Justine's summer vacation has led her and her family to the beach, collecting seaglass and shells; see more at Design Skool.

Trending on Gardenista: Wild Swimming and 5 American Peaks to Climb.

Christine has been admiring works from Alexander Calder, especially 17 Dots.

Above: Tom Dixon does Adidas sportswear?

Don't miss Heath Ceramics' overstock and seconds tile sale in Sausalito this weekend.

Above: Spotted on Miss Moss: Klara and Klemen, two architecture students in Ljubljana, Slovenia, do weekly DIYs and total house overhauls, like the above desk, on their blog Handmade in Moste.

When I walked into San Francisco-based designer Antonio Martins' attic turned atelier at this year's SF Decorator Showcase, I was immediately taken with the textural wall coverings. Not your usual seagrass, but something more rough hewn. "Burlap," Martins said, "and practically a dollar a yard." 

We've seen burlap used to back bulletin boards, as rustic curtains, table runners, and even upholstery (remember the rough luxe rage of a few years back?). This was a surprisingly appealing, not to mention affordable, textured wall solution.

Above: The guest bedroom of Antonio Martins' San Francisco Home.

Above: Framed prints hanging on burlap-covered walls in Martins' atelier at the SF Decorator Showcase.

Above: Burlap-lined walls in a project by Anne Central.

Above: Lining walls with burlap fabric can be done as a DIY project or with the help of a wallpaper installer. See How to Glue Burlap Cloth to a Wall from the SF Chronicle for a tutorial. The loose weave of burlap necessitates some care when hanging. 60-Inch Natural Burlap Fabric can be ordered through the Online Fabric Store for $2.77 per yard.

Above: Not up for a DIY project? Paper-backed rolls of Hemp Burlap Wall Covering are available in three colors for $43 per yard from Twenty2.

We like this twist on the family photo. With an aim to beginning another era of their lives, Brooklyn designers Loren Daye and Jesse Rowe wanted to memorialize their apartment before selling it and most of their belongings in it. What did they do? They commissioned their good friend, photographer Brian Ferry (a Remodelista favorite) to take a series of photos that captures where their thoughts have been for the last four years.

Daye and Rowe’s 1250 square foot studio in an old paint factory in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn is an exercise in filling a home with personality even if your day job as designers is all consuming. Daye who worked at Roman and Williams before moving on to establish her own studio, Love is Enough, has recently rejoined friends at Atelier Ace as Head of Interiors while Rowe, a clothing designer, worked most recently as a menswear designer at Steven Alan. “Our space is a random, circumstantial and accumulative amalgam and collection of personal history and travel,” Daye says. “So much love and attention goes into my work that home becomes a leftover respite, very rarely a design exercise in its unplanned melange.”

Photography by Brian Ferry.

Above: A listening nook for enjoying the couple's vinyl collection is anchored by a limited edition, rocking chair from the Ikea PS collection. The double wide proportions make for comfortable listening.

Above: The bed is made of blackened steel with a Baltic birch plywood headboard and was built by good friend and architect Matt Hutchinson who built the bed from a toothpick model that Rowe made. Rowe's mode of transportation around the city hangs on the wall.

Above: A map of coastal Maine from Daye's mother hangs in a Re-Frame poster hanger designed friends Paul Galli and Todd Seidman of 54Dean. "Jesse built the lamp for me from a old tripod when we were first dating," Daye says. "He bought the lampshade from Just Shades on Spring St. and vintage cloth covered wire from Sundial Wire and cobbled the whole thing together."

"It's a little janky and tilts to one side, but I love it," Rowe says.

Above: The artwork on the walls is a combination of the couples' own, that of friends and artists - a place where the couple feel they can visually catalog their experiences for a sense of time, place and connectedness. "I have an obsession with affordable art so I have always got an eye out for new stuff when I'm out and about," Rowe says. "It could be a random flyer, a gig poster on a phone pole, a page from a found book, a screen print by a local artist. The one on top is actually a painting by my uncle Tim from when he was in art school in the 60s."

Above: The floors are finished with three-parts basic ebony stain mixed with one-part Ronan Japan colors pigment in white. "The floors were kind of an experiment to approximate the look of a concrete factory floor", Rowe says. "Instead of wiping the stain back after application, we let it sit and soak in; applying 2 coats. The resulting finish has a paint-like opacity but it is actually soaked into the wood, showing its character more than paint."

Above: The bookshelf which the couple use as an ad hoc room divider is made from walnut and bent plywood and made by a local Brooklyn furniture designer.

Above: " I actually bought the bookshelf when we were living to together in a different space, but in a weird act of kismet we discovered it fit perfectly between the columns of our current space and helped divide the home office and living areas really nicely," Rowe says. "One of those happy accidents."

Above: "I've always loved models and miniature things," Daye says. "I bought this model of a house in the desert at an antiques shop while sourcing for Ace Palm Springs."

Above: (L) "On my 16th birthday, I dragged this piece of driftwood back from Assateague Island as a gift to my father," Daye says. (R) Rowe bought the motorcycle from eBay on a lark to celebrate his birthday. "I always wanted a vintage motorcycle and was trolling around eBay for bikes that were built the same year I was born," he says. "This one popped up and I bought it immediately. In my excitement, I failed to realize that it was located in Vancouver, BC and it cost more to have the thing shipped across the country than what I paid for it. We call him Elmo."

Above: The couple are selling their old oak drafting table (contact them through comments below if you are interested). "It actually has a light box built into it, which is pretty amazing," Rowe says. "I found it on a trip to Seattle and (like the bike) had it shipped cross country - don't know what it is about me and the transcontinental purchases?"

Above: The credenza is a remnant of Daye's renovation of Steven Alan's original flagship store in Tribeca and used to be the back bar to the cash register. "I didn't want to see it thrown away, so we took it home," Daye says. " It's so big we had to hire someone to cut it in half to get it through the door."

Above: "The formica on the credenza is a marvelous shade of light blue and has really interesting patterns of wear and texture on the surface from its different lives so far," Rowe says. " It's like chambray."

Above: The couple have a rotating furniture exchange with friends from down the street to keep their respective spaces feeling fresh.

Above: The couple's small kitchen was inspired by "tiny but well equipped Japanese kitchens".

Above: (L) A wooden ladder is propped up against the bathroom wall and used as a towel rail. (R) Every inch of available space is used for storage in the kitchen.

Above: A wooden walk-in closet has been installed against the building's original brick walls, which the couple painted white.

Above: A fireplace mantle becomes a garden feature when place outside.

If you liked the bookshelf that Daye and Rowe made into a room divider, see 5 Favorites: Clever Room Dividers for more.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on March 20, 2013.

You probably already know about Steven Alan's new enterprise, a home shop in Tribeca. Our favorite offering from this low-key fashion designer? A series of custom sofas and side tables by Jason Pickens. The furniture collection came about when Pickens fabricated a selection of showroom pieces, which inspired the company's vice president of design Ai Bihr to commission a home line. 

Much like the simple, workwear-inspired clothing of Steven Alan, Pickens' furniture is as simple as it comes. Lacking the springs and webbing of traditional upholstery, the sofas are made-to-order with a customizable down-filled fabric and classic wooden base. For more information, visit the Tribeca location at 158 Franklin Street in New York or online at Steven Alan Home.

Above: For more on Pickens' collaboration with the brand, see Kevin Sharkey's interview with Pickens on Martha Stewart.

Above: Custom fabrics like the light brown corduroy shown here are coupled with colorful woven straps on the wooden base.

Above: A marble-topped side table with a wooden base.

Above: The upholstered portion of the sofa attaches to the wooden base with fabric loops and buttons.

Above: A simple bench displays a cushion upholstered in vegetable tanned leather.

For more of our favorite furniture designers see our previous posts: Manor-Worthy Furniture from Christopher Howe, Designer Visit: Erin Martin in Saint Helena, and Horsehair Fabric from John Boyd Textiles.

Nature has wired us to feel protective of babies, with their oversized, floppy heads. The big, round leaves of a fiddle leaf fig tree make it the house plant equivalent of a newborn. So it was probably inevitable that the fiddle leaf fig has become the latest "it" house plant—and that I fell in love with one (and that you will too, eventually) and wanted to bring it home. But can I keep it alive?

At the plant store, I was told to keep it in indirect light. And to let the soil in its pot dry out completely before watering it. And to be careful when I transplanted it—"don't put it into a pot that feels too big or it will get freaked out," the plant store owner advised—and to sing it lullabies at night if it had trouble falling asleep. In other words, this was a finicky plant that needs a lot of, um, special attention. Great.

As I drove home, I frowned at the 4-foot-tall native of West African lowland rain forests, sitting beside me in the passenger seat (should I have strapped it into a car seat?). It suddenly looked bigger than it had at the plant store. And yet somehow more delicate. Had I just spent $49 on a plant that was going to shrivel up and die in a week?

There is no way I can simulate a rain forest experience in a humidity-free Northern California stucco bungalow. But there was a glimmer of hope. Indirect light? That I can do. Outside my kitchen windows, the neighbors' shrubs loom so high and thick that only watery green light seeps through the glass. 

I pulled into the driveway and, hoping for the best, lugged the (heavier than I remembered) plant inside to sit next to the dishwasher. It looked pretty good there. Really filled the space. And maybe it would even thrive.

But the next morning, when I went into the kitchen, the fiddle leaf tree was missing.

Photographs by Michelle Slatalla.

"Have you seen my fiddle leaf fig tree?" I asked my husband, who was standing where I had last seen the plant.

"Is that what that was?" my husband asked, not looking up from his iPhone. "It was in my spot, so I moved it."

"Your spot?" I asked.

 "It was blocking the espresso machine," he said. "Plus, this is where I like to stand when I tweet."

He tweets a lot.

"I don't suppose you remember where you #movedit?" I asked.

I found the fiddle leaf fig tree in the living room. It looked a little forlorn standing against a wall, but at least it was shielded from the window by a curtain. I figured it would be safe there until I had time to figure out a permanent solution.

"Isn't it cute?" I asked my husband. "Doesn't it look vulnerable and cuddly, like a baby if a baby had big round leaves instead of big round eyes?"

"I like puppies better than babies," my husband said. 

That afternoon at 4 pm, disaster struck. Sunlight started streaming in through the window (southern exposure).  I had to move the plant.

A fiddle leaf fig tree is not something you want to be carrying all over the house. It is unwieldy. Plus, with a skinny trunk and those floppy leaves, it looks like it could tip over at any minute if perfect balance is not maintained.

And really? The kitchen was the best place for it. If only my husband and the plant could share #thespot.

"It can be like a buddy film," I told him. "You and your pal the plant."

We were standing in the kitchen, my husband and my plant and I. I had gone to Ikea and purchased a rolling plant stand called the Socker Plant Stand. It cost $5.99, was made of galvanized metal, and had three rubber wheels. I demonstrated how they worked.

"See how easy it is to move the plant out of the way when you want to tweet or vacuum?" I asked.

"Now I have to vacuum?" he said.

The next morning I found the fiddle leaf fig tree in the family room.

"It must have rolled itself over there," he suggested.

The next day, it was in the bathroom. It loomed large in there, hogging all the sink space.

"It better not use my toothbrush," my husband said. 

Today is the fifth day we have had the fiddle leaf fig tree. I cannot tell yet if it likes it here or thinks that living in our house in Northern California feels anything at all like living in a West African lowlands rain forest.

But I think my husband is getting attached to the plant. When I tracked it down this morning—it was back in the living room—I noticed someone had watered it. 

It is only a matter of time before he starts telling it a story at bedtime.

Wondering whether a fiddle leaf fig tree is the right house plant for you? See our earlier post Consider the Fiddle Leaf Fig.

See more Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees in our Photo Gallery.

I probably spend too much time thinking about the uniformity of my closet hangers. I realized that this minor detail was really bothering me the minute I saw the handmade linen hanger covers at the Arts & Science store in Galerie Vivienne in Paris. So simple, so genius; problem solved.

Above: The linen hanger covers hold up the shapeless jackets (shapeless in a good way) and silk pieces. Photographs by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: Using a rustic but soft woven linen fabric sourced from Japan, the covers slip over the hangers (even wire dry cleaner's wire hangers look good with this treatment).

Above: From the spring collection, a printed silk scarf is wrapped around one hanger and stands out from the others.

For more DIY closet ideas, see our past posts: DIY: Clothing Rack from Love Aesthetics and 5 Favorites: Closet Storage Systems.

When we first saw the Silver Lake, LA, home of Nicole Cari, the Senior Marketing Director at  Band of Outsiders, we admired the thoughtful mix of antique midcentury furniture with textiles and accessories sourced from some of our favorite LA design resources.

Cari has designed her home (patio and pool included) to accommodate her frequent guests. Her own site, Nicole Cari, details the dinner parties, baby showers, and weddings she both attends and hosts (party-throwing is her side passion). For more of her home, go to Refinery29.

Above: Midcentury living room furniture mix with floral textiles. Photography by Mike Rosenthal for Refinery29.

Above: A rustic, whitewashed dining table is surrounded by translucent Ghost Chairs (see below).

Above: The Jens Chair by Jens Risom in a light Lychee color (shown) or in an orange Tiger Lily upholstery is currently on sale for $935 at Design Within Reach. For vintage options, sleuth sites like 1st Dibs and Midcentury LA.

Above: Cari utilizes the classic 18-inch Tolix Marais Stool as a side table between the two lounge chairs; $180 from Design Within Reach.

Above: For a similar floral rug, The Rug Company offers an array of both traditional and contemporary options (and some in between) like this Pomegranate Gold Rug, $102/square foot.

Above: Room & Board's Jasper Sofa has a midcentury vibe with tapered legs and narrow arms. Available in eight colors (shown here in Mink) for $1,299.

Above: From designer Maria La Rosa, the woven Square Pillow is $185 from Lost & Found, one of Cari's favorite design resources in LA.

Above: A similar vintage Danish Midcentury Coffee Table made from teak wood is available at MidcenturyLA for $950.

Above: The balcony door is propped open with the nautical Knot Door Stop measuring 6 inches in diameter for $54 at OK Store in LA.

Above: Philippe Starck's Louis Ghost Chair for Kartell is made from translucent injection-molded polycarbonate and stacks six high; $410 at Design Within Reach.

Above: For something similar to Cari's antique farmhouse table, West Elm's Pine Expandable Dining Table is made from FSC-certified reclaimed pine with a sun-dried wheat finish; seats six to 10 people for $1,299.

Above: We could imagine this set of six handmade, rustic Petite Stoneware Nesting Bowls being used in the dining room; $74 at Lawson-Fenning in LA.

Above: The George Nelson Saucer Pendant Lamp is $435 from Design Within Reach.

For more inspiring spaces to put you into action, take a look through all of our Steal This Look posts from our archive.

Ideal for small-space living situations: pull-out ironing boards; here are five good options, from high to low (installation required).

Above: A custom closet with pull-out ironing board by Lisa Adams Closet Design.

Above: The Maytag LRC Pull-Out Ironing Board is a built-in ironing board; £199.99 from Range Cooker King in the UK.

Above: The Asko HiddenHelper Series Hl115W retractable ironing board is $549 Homeclick.

Above: The Rev-A-Shelf CiB-16CR Chrome VIB Series Pull-Out Close Depth Ironing Board is $126.70 from Build.com.

Above: The Hafele Ironifix Built-In Ironing Board is the latest model from Hafele; go to the company's website for more information.

Above: A Pull-Out Ironing Board from Closet Works.

Above: A Pull-Out Ironing Board from Wood-Mode Cabinetry; contact Wood-Mode for pricing.

With an Indian father and an Italian mother (who owned a Bay Area clothing store for many years and had her daughter dressed in Gaultier at the age of 12), it was only a matter of time before designer Monica Patel-Cohn fell into the world of textiles. Her first job was at Barneys, where she assisted Simon Doonan with windows before she went on to work in advertising and PR in Milan for Miu Miu and Prada Sport. The Brooklyn-based designer eventually landed in Dumbo, where she launched Two, her own line of clothing, in 2010. Patel-Cohn had long been inspired by the incredible detailed handwoven saris from India but wanted to create a line that was modern and accessible. Her solution? Recraft the sari into an easily wearable piece. Below are images from an upcoming collection; the fabric is currently being woven in India; once it arrives, Patel-Cohn will start taking orders. For more information or to see more of her work, go to Two. 

Above: Patel-Cohn buys traditional saris in India and refashions them into modern, wearable pieces. "For this design we used a black/orange ikat sari found in Bengal with a sheer stripe in the body."

Above: "This is a degradé ikat cotton in a light-to-medium cafe; I love the change of tones. I found this in Hyderabad."

Above: A t-shirt dress made from a medium thick indigo ikat. Patel-Cohn notes, "It makes for a simple, easy cotton dress you can just pull on and wear all day."

Above: A soft white khadi caftan with white on white embroidery.

Above: A Jamdani sari from Bengal with an adjustable drawstring neckline.

Above: Patel-Cohn explains, "This is a really amazing piece of work. It's a gauzy cotton from the Bangladesh/India border designed with our new neckline."

Above: Patel-Cohn in her DUMBO studio. Photograph by Jennifer Causey for The Makers Project.

For a slightly different take on fashion, check out Glow: A Chronicle of Fashionable Motherhood.

Anyone who has spent any time on the design pages of Pinterest will likely have come across Dutch stylist and interior designer AnoukB (we're avid followers). We recently discovered that the prolific pinner is the creative force behind the new flagship store for Dutch clothing brand Yaya. Anouk has created a rustic-meets-industrial backdrop in neutral tones for the store's mix of laid-back easy fashion and goods for the home. For more, go to Yaya.

Photography by Vorstin.

Above: The store is a mix of repurposed wooden furniture mixed with black metal hangers suspended from the ceiling.

Above: Yaya's new homewares section for nonchalant living.

 Above: A repurposed locker as backdrop to the tabletop display (note the miniature tagine).

Above: A macrame chair hangs above the wood chevron flooring.

Above: The square rails suspended from the ceiling add a graphic visual note to the space.

Above: A rope with S hooks serves as storage behind the check-out desk.

Above: Copper lights are used throughout the store.

Above: A vintage desk serves as the makeup counter.

For more great places to see in Amsterdam, check out our Insiders Guide to Amsterdam from Dutch blogger Desiree of Vosges Paris (and friend of Anouk).

Investing in a $8 clothing brush will pay dividends in the long run: It helps your clothes last longer and best of all: it will help lower your weekly dry cleaning bill.

Above: French company Andrée Jardin offer traditional handmade brushes for both clothes and shoes. 

Above: The Redecker Compact Lint Brush is $7.95 from Crate and Barrel.

Above: The Deluxe Round Dauber by La Cordonnerie Anglaise for applying shoe polish cream is $9 from the Hanger Project. It's available with a black or natural colored brush.  

Above: A pair of Cedar Wood Shoe Trees is $24.95 from Kaufmann Mercantile.

Above: A La Cordonnerie Anglaise Leather Pocket Shoehorn is currently on sale for $19.50 (down from $32.50) from a Suitable Wardrobe.

Above: The Laundress Mesh Laundry Bags for washing delicates are $9.95 for a set of two from Crate and Barrel. 

Above:  The Ikea Bumerang Hanger is $3.99 for a pack of eight.  

Above: Redecker Cedar Hanger Rings (thread onto your hanger hooks to repel moths) are $10 from Fellow Barber. 

Above: Wool Dryer Balls (set of three) from Crate and Barrel are $19.95. The balls are free of chemicals, reduce static clothing, and make a great substitute for dryer sheet.

Looking for more advise when it comes to your clothes. Check out our post, Expert Advice: 10 Wardrobe Maintenance Essentials.

Though we love to dream about our someday remodels, the fact is that all remodels come with constraints. Sometimes they're squeezed by time (see a full kitchen remodel on a six-week deadline, below). More often, pennies must be pinched (Justine's $3,000 kitchen remodel awaits). In all cases, homeowners and their designers must work within the confines of the space at hand. Here, five kitchen remodels we think handled the challenges with aplomb. 

Before

Above: When Remodelista's Justine Hand was house hunting in New England, she intentionally looked for a kitchen in need of a remodel, dreaming of making it her own. She thought she could bear any existing kitchen until she had the funds for her dream remodel, but once she was faced with "oppressively orange" wood cabinetry, she made her modest budget work. For all the details, see Rehab Diary: Dream Kitchen for Under $3,000.

After

Above: Justine worked with the designers at Jersey Ice Cream Co. to remodel her kitchen for a total cost of $3,000. The team worked their magic with white paint, wood countertops from Ikea, new open shelving, and brass drawer hardware, turning Justine's kitchen into an open, airy space.

Before

Above: Owned by a designer and a photographer, this kitchen is located in a home by midcentury California architect Joseph Eichler; the mahogany cabinet paneling was a classic Eichler finish. To learn more, see Reader Rehab: A Respectful Eichler Remodel in Marin.

After

Above: The owners made the floating reclaimed oak shelves themselves. They wanted to offset the slick surfaces of new Caesarstone countertops and white lacquer cabinets with something rough and hand-hewn.

Before

Above: Like many kitchens in older homes, this one had undergone an unfortunate renovation in the 1970s. The existing kitchen was in disrepair, so nothing was suitable for reuse. For the full story, see Rehab Diaries: An Oregon Kitchen with a Dose of Downton Abbey.

After

Above: This kitchen by Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory member Howells Architecture + Design is the architect's take on a classic English scullery. The original 1920s Portland home had an English influence, so that was the designer's starting point.

Before

Above: Believe it or not, Remodelista editor Christine Chang Hanway's kitchen remodel involved only repainting the vertical surfaces, extending the kitchen island, and replacing a few dated appliances. Get the whole story in The Architects Are In: Minimal Moves for Maximum Impact in Christine's Connecticut House.

After

Above: Christine extended the existing kitchen island in her Connecticut home and added some pops of color after painting everything white. Learn more about her kitchen island extension in House Call: Christine's Best Remodeling Decision.

Before

Above: This kitchen hadn't been updated in 20 years and featured a 5-foot-long empty space at the end of the counter cabinetry, where a washer and dryer once stood. Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory member Amy Alper made good use of the wasted space. Read all about it in Reader Rehab: A Sonoma Kitchen Remodel with a Six-Week Deadline.

After

Above: Alper remodeled this 13-foot-long Sonoma galley kitchen in a mere six weeks, in time for the owners' first harvest of their new kitchen garden. 

Presented by Scotiabank®

Polish-born A Détacher designer Mona Kowalska studied in the US before working in the fashion industry in Italy and France; her Mott Street atelier in NYC is a must visit for anyone who cares about off-the-radar fashion. The shop is a reflection of Kowalska's passion for clothing construction and pattern making, with clothing that's an "exploration into surface, form, and function—a research into the formal posture of each garment." The brand offers a limited selection of housewares, books, and "fetish objects." Some of those pieces are on view in Kowalska's Brooklyn townhouse; for more, see an interview with Elisa Goodkind and Lily Mandelbaum on Style Like U.  

Above: A Peruvian-woven wall hanging, custom iron magazine racks, and a cabinet outfitted in red tassels.

Above: Kowalska in a black dress, diamond tights, and boots (from her collection) with her signature Felt Ball.

Above: Chinese boxes and paintings picked up from Kowalska's travel, along with a chain-draped coconut, and Mad et Len Roll-On Fragrance.

Above: Shag gone wild: a Hairy Pillow from the housewares collection (see A Hot Pink Pillow from an Under-the-Radar Fashion Designer).

Above: Patti Smith, stacks of design inspiration, and a Japanese washing-up whisk.

Above: Kowalska on the sofa with a white cotton Rose Pillow.

Above L: Stacks of plaster potter's trays and a ceramic bowl. Above R: A wall hanging woven of rust-colored fiber.

See when we first sought inspiration from A Détacher in Style Counsel: Red Tights for the Color Courageous and 5 Envy-Inducing Bath Mats.