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Design Sleuth: Skulls Collection Wallpaper by Beware the Moon

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I recently stopped in at the new St. Ali Cafe in Clerkenwell for a meeting, but found myself focusing more on the shimmery flocked skull wallpaper than on my coffee companions. A quick search turned up the source: it's the Skulls Collection from Beware the Moon, a London-based company started by by father-and-daughter duo John and Louise Wakefield, who are devoted to keeping the handmade British wallpaper tradition alive. As a wall covering, it's slightly sinister and strangely beguiling; we think people will flock to it.

Above: The Skulls Collection wallpaper in situ at the St. Ali Cafe.

Above: Skulls Collection wallpaper, Black on Gunmetal; £125 per roll at Rockett St. George.

Above: The paper's skulls glitter against a velvet-flocked background. Skulls Collection wallpaper, Bronze Flock on Oil Slick; £258 per roll at Rockett St. George.

Above: Skulls Collection wallpaper, White on Snow Glitter; £25 per metre at Firefly House.


Shopper's Diary: Les Mauvaises Graines in Paris

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Located in the 18th arrondissement, Les Mauvaises Graines is a garden concept store with an eco-warrior-meets-rock-and-roll vibe: Owner David Jeannerot balances beauty with biodiversity, featuring what he calls "eco disco" products for the urban gardener: patent leather planters, trendy tools, "rock gardens"; there's even a vintage motorcycle parked indoors. Go to Les Mauvaises Graines for more information.

Above: Who could resist a garden shop called "The Bad Seed"?

Above: Motorcycle as planter in the interior of Les Mauvaises Graines.

Above: Potted plants, books, candlesticks are among the eclectic offerings (note the mirrored disco ball).

Above: Les Mauvaises Graines' take on "rock gardens," on sale in the shop, are inspired by Japanese bento boxes.

Above: Porcelain garden gnomes.

Above: Unexpected touches (butterflies attached to lamp cords) abound.

Above: A hippo head mounted to the wall displays hanging gardens.

Above: The back area of the store features a mural of a forest.

10 Easy Pieces: Doormats

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Just in time for the rainy season—our roundup of doormats designed to handle the inevitable stampede of muddy shoes and boots.

Doormat with Bristles

Above: A Remodelista favorite is the Swedish-made Iris Hantverk Doormat with Bristles featuring a beechwood slatted frame and rows of stiff bristles; $68 (normally $80) at Design Within Reach.

Rectangular Wire Coir Doormat

Above: We like coir bristles combined with a steel wire frame for sturdiness, such as in the Rectangular Wire Coir Doormat for $34.99 at Wayfair (also consider the Coir Overlapping Cross Hatch Doormat; $41.09 at Wayfair.)

Teak and Stainless Steel Doormat

Above: The streamlined Teak and Stainless Steel Doormat from Skagerak Denmark is $353.70 at Fixture Universe.

Heavy-Duty Teak Doormat

Above: Naturally mildew-resistant, the Heavy-Duty Teak Doormat is $58.95 at Crate and Barrel.

Braided Jute Knot Doormat

Above: The Braided Jute Knot Doormat works for both indoors and out; $29 at West Elm.

Medium Float-Rope Doormat

Above: The Maine Float-Rope Co. offers doormats that are handmade from recycled lobster-trap rope, available in an array of solids and stripes; prices start at $49.95 for a Medium Float-Rope Doormat (18 by 30 inches).

Hive Rubber Doormat

Above: The Hive Rubber Doormat is $38 at Chiasso.

Kikkerland's All Black Doormat

Above: Kikkerland's All Black Doormat is made of coiled PVC; $14.99 at All Modern.

Ribbed Doormat

Above: Made of aluminum and artificial rubber, the Ribbed Doormat comes with a 10-year guarantee; €122 at Manufactum.

Boot and Shoe Scraper

Above: The simple coir and steel wire Boot and Shoe Scraper is a good item to pull out for the wet and muddy months; $14.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Accessories: Halloween Illumination

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A trio of Halloween-ish candleholders that can be used any time of year (no need to stow them away in a cupboard).

Sparrow & Co.'s Handmade Lantern

Above: Sparrow & Co.'s Handmade Lantern, made in Morocco from recycled tin (13 cm tall); £15.

Season Metal Lanterns

Above: Season Metal Lanterns from notNeutral are available in three sizes; prices start at $50 for the 14-inch-high size.

Six Tealight Holders

Above: Set of Six Tealight Holders from Rockett St. George; £15.

Domestic Science: Shaker Broom from Justamere Tree Farm in Massachusetts

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We'd have no need for a utility closet if all our cleaning implements were as appealing as the handmade brooms from Justamere Tree Farm in Washington, Massachusetts. Owners J.P. and Marian Welch have been making brooms according to Shaker methods for more than a decade (they produce about 3,000 a year), using an antique broom vise. To see the full line, go to Justamere.

Shaker Broom

Above: The Shaker Broom features a pine handle and measures 54 inches long; $40 at Justamere Tree Farm.

Shaker Broom

Above: A detail of the Shaker Broom; the broomcorn stalks are compressed using an antique vise.

Design Sleuth: Slatted Oak Dining Chair from Terrain

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We bookmarked this French kitchen from Marie Claire Maison a while back, with the intention of scouting some similar wood and iron dining chairs.

http://marieclairekitch.jpg

Below: The Slatted Oak Dining Chair from Terrain is one of those all-purpose pieces that can move from room to room and indoors to out. The chair looks vintage, but has the contemporary advantage of being stackable and features a contoured oak seat and iron frame; $278 at Terrain.

Slatted Dining Chair

Slatted Dining Chair

Shopper's Diary: The Ministry of Stories and Hoxton Street Monster Supplies

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Running low on monster essentials? Hoxton Street Monster Supplies is the place to go to stock up; while you're there, keep an eye out for the hidden entrance to the companion organization, Ministry of Stories. Inspired by American writer David Eggers' 826 Valencia project, London-based graphic designers We Made This Ltd. collaborated with a group of like-minded people, including British writer Nick Hornsby, to create a writing center where children ages 8 to 18 can get one-to-one tutorials with professional writers and other volunteers. Following the model of the 826 Valencia centers—which are disguised as pirate and robot supply stores, among other things—the Ministry of Stories is fronted by a fantastical shop, firing up the budding writer's imagination as well as generating income for the Ministry of Stories. Launched in November 2010 on Hoxton Street in East London, Hoxton Street Monster Supplies is about to usher in its first Halloween.

Photography by We Made This Ltd.

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, The MInistry of Stories, We Made This

Above: The storefront for Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, whose tagline is "Purveyor of Quality Goods for Monsters of Every Kind."

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, The MInistry of Stories, We Made This

Above: The greengrocer of London's monster community.

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, The MInistry of Stories, We Made This

Above: The rules of the shop are spelled out at the entry.

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, The MInistry of Stories, We Made This

Above: Well-stocked shelves of monster supplies hide the entrance to the Ministry of Stories.

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, Tinned Fear, We Made ThisHoxton Street Monster Supplies, Tinned Fear, We Made This

Above: The labels of the Tinned Fear product line are digitally printed in a single color to keep costs down and then applied to blank tins by volunteers.

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, Tinned Fear, We Made This

Above: Balls of twine are transformed with inventive graphics.

Ministry of Stories, We Made This

Above: The humorous logo of the Ministry of Stories.

Ministry of Stories, Heather Sloane, We Made This

Above: Playful illustrations by Heather Sloane give Ministry visitors something to think about.

Ministry of Sound, We Made ThisMinistry of Sound, We Made This

Above: A selection of Ministry button badges and pencils.

Paints & Palettes: Black Ceiling Roundup

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It takes a bit of daring to paint a ceiling black; if we lived in a space with lofty ceilings and intricate mouldings, we'd be tempted. Color experts say a dark ceiling helps make a cavernous space feel more intimate; if you're not ready for a full-on noirish effect, charcoal gray is another moody shade to consider.

Above: An antler chandelier topped with red lampshades makes a dramatic counterpoint to the black ceiling; photo via OWI.

Above: A wood ceiling stained black in the loft of Dutch designer Paula Leen.

Above: A warehouse transformed into a living space, via OWI.

Above: An otherwise white, bright kitchen with a contrasting black ceiling in a Madrid loft; photo via Kikette.

Above: Anna of Door Sixteen was a trailblazer when she painted her bath ceiling black a couple of years ago (she used Olympic Knights Armor eggshell); "By painting the upper portion of the walls and ceiling black, I was able to give the room a greater feeling of width and space," she says.

Above: A Noguchi Akari lantern and a pitch-dark ceiling add a modern note to this dining room by the McGill Design Group.


Furniture: High/Low Black Rattan Chair

Accessories: Halloween Menagerie from Design Skool

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This Halloween, instead of disposable dime store decor, I'm thinking of investing in these slightly sinister creatures (crows, rats, and other natural menaces) spotted on Etsy and made by artists around the world. See the full Halloween menagerie at Design Skool.

Above: Needle Felted Wool Crows; $58 each from Daria Lvovsky's Etsy shop, the Art of Felting.

Above: Knitted Charcoal Gray Cat; $23 from Tin Tabernacle in Whitstable, Kent.

Above: Leather Royal Bats; $12 for a pair via Royal Buffet.

DIY: Table with Painted Runner

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Here's a genius idea from Ikea's Livet Hemma design inspirations blog (which is written in Swedish): A DIY Dining Table with a painted "runner." The top is made from ten boards, and the middle two are painted to create the stripe. The top rests on a pair of inexpensive IKEA trestle legs.

Above: Pay a visit to your local lumberyard to purchase pine boards that are 3.75 inches wide, and cut them to a length of 6.5 feet.

Above: Paint two boards the color of your choice and place them together in the middle.

Above: Secure the boards by nailing in boards crosswise; place one on each side of the trestle legs to ensure stability, since the top isn't actually fastened to the trestles, but resting on top of it. Once the project is complete, seal the surface with a clear coat to protect it.

Above: For the dark gray paint, we like Benjamin Moore's Witching Hour; image via House Beautiful.

Above: IKEA's Vika Lerberg trestle legs in white are $10 each.

Lighting: Seed Cloud Lights from Ochre

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Ever since we first spotted the work of London/NY-based Ochre at 100 Percent Design in London a few years back, we've been coveting the company's luminescent lighting fixtures (the Pear Chandelier in particular); we're adding the new Seed Cloud Lights to our ever-growing wish list. To see more, go to Ochre.

Above: The Seed Cloud Linear features solid cast-bronze stems with LED-illuminated tempered glass drops.

Above: Each of the 114 glass drops in the Seed Cloud Installation is illuminated with an LED and suspended from a tension wire.

Above: The Seed Cloud Pendant showcases three glass drops.

Architect Visit: Alemanys 5 by Anna Noguera in Spain

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Medieval meets modern in Alemanys 5, a project in Girona's historical quarter by architect Anna Noguera. Noguera and her husband originally purchased the 16th-century building with the intention of renovating it and living here, but after they had children it became more practical to settle in nearby Barcelona. They've since turned the space into a vacation rental: for more information, visit Alemanys5.

Above: The building is in Girona's medieval quarter, within the old city walls. The house has been organized so it functions as two separate apartments: The top two floors form one unit ("El Badiu"), and the ground floor ("El Jardi") is another.

Above: A sleek kitchen rail organizes equipment while allowing the back wall to take center stage.

Above: in El Badiu's living room, contemporary furnishings and finishes contrast with the original stone walls.

Above: The covered terrace looks out over the old quarter.

Above: The dining table is on wheels so that it can be easily moved to the terrace.

Above: The master suite features filmy curtains and a simple neutral palette.

Above: The bathroom in El Badiu features original stone walls with a new concrete tub.

Tabletop: Stoneware by Charlotte Storrs from Terrain

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From the pottery shed in her Oxfordshire garden, Charlotte Storrs produces delicately textured stoneware glazed in subtle shades of pale gray, green, and white. Born in Holland, Storrs came to the UK to study violin but then devoted herself to ceramics. A selection of her pieces (some incorporating akebia vine handles) is available at Terrain.

Thrown Stoneware by Charlotte Storrs

Above (L to R): Thrown Jam Pot; $98, Thrown Cutlery Jar: $128, Thrown Casserole Dish; $198.

Fabrics & Linens: White and Gray Curtains in Barcelona

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We have a love-hate relationship with curtains: They add texture and warmth, but they can also hide or mask the architecture of a space. So when we spotted the home of Barcelona-based designer Montse Esteva on Kikette, we took notice. Esteva uses blocks of gray and white curtains to bring a modern accent to his high-ceilinged, traditional living room; by installing the curtain rods several inches above the French doors, he highlights (rather than hides) the traditional door frames.

Photography via Nuevo Estilo.

Above: There is ample space between the simple curtain rod and the top of the French doors.

Above: The gray curtains, arranged in pairs on either side of the white curtains, gives the room a touch of formality.


Furniture: Mun Collection by SlowWood

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We love the simplicity of the side tables and desks in the Mun Collection by Dutch company SlowWood. The goal of designer Christien Starkenburg is to create "timeless pieces of quality furniture with a raw natural elegance and a low impact on our planet." The pieces, which pair solid ash or oak tops with iron bases, are made by local craftsmen in the Netherlands. To view the entire Mun Collection and for more information, go to SlowWood.

Wishbone Chair

Above: Mun No. 15 with base in earth black, paired with Hans Wegner's classic Wishbone Chair; €2995 ($4,130).

Mun No. 11

Above: Mun No. 11 has wood legs; €595 ($820).

Mun No. 11

Above: Starkenburg uses natural finishes and non-toxic paints.

Mun No. 14

Above: Mun No. 14 with base in yellow ochre; €595 ($820).

Mun No. 6

Above: Mun No. 6 with base in umber; €545 ($750).

Mun No. 1

Above: Mun No. 1 with base in oxide rust; €595 ($820).

Above: Mun Collection by Christien Starkenburg.

Shopper's Diary: La Formiga d'Or in Barcelona

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The 2001 bestselling novel The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon has convinced us that there is a secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books in Barcelona, or at least that there could be such a place, in a city with so many romantic, historic spaces. The bookstore La Formiga d'Or, while not exactly secret, satisfies our imagination: It's tucked away in a side chapel of the Barcelona Cathedral, or Le Seu, in Barcelona's famous Gothic quarter (El Barri Gòtic). Not to be confused with Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, Le Seu is one of the most impressive cathedrals in Spain, known for its large bell towers covered in Gothic pinnacles and high arches, and dates back to the 13th century. Local architect Estudio P. Libano created a jewel box: Simple, unadorned materials enable the little bookstore, which sells religious books and souvenirs, to sit comfortably within the awe-inspiring, medieval structure.

Photography by Marian Martinez.

Above: The bookstore is tucked away in one of the side chapels of the cloister.

Above: The bookstore's footprint measures just 350 square feet, in dramatic contrast to the chapel's 82-foot-high ceiling.

Above: The bookstore is outfitted with iron shelving and oiled wood displays.

Above: The new iron bookshelves echo the old iron gates.

Above: A display box contains a religious figurine.

Office Visit: Techbuilt House Renovation by Ogawa/Depardon Architects

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The architecture of New York-based firm Ogawa/Depardon Architects (a Remodelista Architect and Designer Directory member) has a quiet, assured confidence; perhaps it's because the principals trained at two great iconic American architecture firms, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and I.M. Pei and Partners. Begun in the mid-century, both firms represent the postwar idealism and enthusiasm that swept across the country last century; a heady moment for architecture when artistic influences from Europe (think Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe) were mixing with new technological construction advances in the US.

It seems fitting then that Kathy Ogawa and Gilles Depardon would work on the renovation of one of Carl Koch's first Techbuilt Houses, assembled in 1956 from prefabricated panels in only three weeks. A pioneer in prefabrication technologies, Koch believed that prefab housing systems were the way forward in accommodating America's post-war housing shortage. This particular Techbuilt House in Tuxedo Park, NY, was in such a state of disrepair that the architects had no choice but to gut the interior. Respectful of Koch's original design intent, especially with regard to the structural system, the architects have skillfully adapted the house to 21st century living.

Photography by Carl Bellavia via Dwell Magazine.

Above: On the exterior, the original redwood siding, a material that is resistant to insects, mold, and rot, had held up well while the infill panels needed replacing, allowing the architects to add a new color.

Above: The architects created an open plan living area by removing a wall that originally enclosed a family room and replaced it with one column. The light was also maximized by replacing the existing plywood walls with painted sheetrock.

Above: The architects installed a new kitchen complete with one of their signature kitchen islands. While the original floor was concrete, a new concrete floor with a radiant heating system, which is heated through rooftop solar panels, was installed.

Above: The skylights, translucent stair rail made from Japanese rice paper sandwiched between two layers of glass, and transom widow into one of the bedrooms are all new.

Above: The architects kept the original post-and-beam frame structure intact, painting the beams a highlight color. The roof, with its original four-by-eight-foot modules, remains, but the ceiling is now faced with a stained birch plywood that is lighter in color than the original mahogany ceiling.

House Call: Dennis Severs in Spitalfields

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California-born artist and history fanatic Dennis Severs became fascinated with England at an early age; he moved to London in the late sixties, where he supported himself driving horse-drawn carriages around Hyde Park. Severs later purchased a 1724 Georgian terraced house in Spitalfields, which he meticulously restored into a living tableaux inhabited by the fictional Jarvis family. In Severs' narrative, the family were Huguenot silk weavers who lived in the house during the period between 1724 and 1914. Severs used the home as a canvas to create multi-layered tableaux suggesting that the family was still in residence (if only just out of sight): his sensory devices included olefactory cues (the smell of cloves), visuals (a knife poised halfway through cutting a loaf of bread), and auditory enhancements (tape recordings of passing carriages and creaky stairs).

Severs passed away more than a decade ago, but his house still remains open to visitors; for more information, go to Dennis Severs' House.

Above: The shuttered windows on Folgate Street.

Above: A gas-lit carriage light over the doorway.

Above: Severs lived in each room in the house before he concocted the story of the Jarvis family.

Above: The parlor features a distinct Victorian vibe.

Above: A parlor features a display of blue and white Delftware.

Above: Ceramic earthenware by Simon Pettet; photo via Flickr.

Above: A glossy black painted door with Halloweenish house numbers announces the entrance to 18 Folgate Street.

Lighting: Morten Table Lamps from West Elm

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Inspired by mid-century Scandinavian design, West Elm's well-priced Morten Table Lamps feature a glazed ceramic base with a solid wood plinth and come with a natural linen shade; $149 each.

Morten Table Lamps

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