Located on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, near the bustling Place de la Bastille, the Pause Cafe was immortalized in the 1996 cult movie Chacun Cherche son Chat.

The sidewalk scene may be happening, but the interior is even more appealing; a mashup of brightly colored industrial chairs and tables, a haphazardly tiled floor, and a custom chandelier suspended from the ornately plastered ceiling. N.B. The cafe has no website, but the address is 41 rue de Charonne.

Photos via Le Blog de la Mechante.

Above: The custom chandelier mixes orange glass globes with simple industrial fixtures.

Above: Bright dashes of primary colors enliven the interior.

Above: A salvaged railway clock juts out from a tiled wall.

Above: The mosaic floor is made from ceramic tile fragments.

Above: The cafe is located at the corner of rues Charonne and Keller.

A while back we posted on the innovative—and inspirational—offices of Fuzzco (see Steal This Look: Fuzzco in Charleston); we were especially taken by the communal kitchen.

When redesigning their new offices in Charleston, South Carolina, Fuzzco founders Helen Rice and Josh Nissenboim took the employee kitchen into careful consideration: "Our emotional and cultural needs dictated the balance of personal and professional, private and public," says Rice. Get the look iwith an undercounter refrigerator, a Bertozzoni gas range, and other elements sourced below.

Above: The all-white communal Fuzzco kitchen.

Above: Custom birch plywood and poplar cabinetry by Michael James Moran with black drawer pulls by Peyton Avrett.

Above: Barn Pendant Lamp in black with a white interior surface; $315 from Design Within Reach.

Above: Fiskars 10-Inch Terrapot Taper Planter in clay; $2.45 each from Amazon.

Above: American Standard Double Handle Wall-Mounted Kitchen Faucet; $173.40 from Faucet.com.

Above: Bertazzoni Heritage Series K36HERX Range Hood; $1,809 at AJ Madison.

Above: The Bertazzoni Master Series 36 Pro-Style Gas Range is $3,119 from Amazon.

Above: The Uplift Tea Kettle in brushed stainless steel with a cork handle; $69.99 from Oxo.

Above: The Jura Capresso ENA3 Automatic Coffee Center in White is $699.99 at Bonanza.

Above: Waring Pro Cool-Touch Toaster in white; $22.99 from Tiger Direct.

Above: The True TUC-60 Undercounter Refrigerator 60 is $2,143.15 from Globe Equipment.

It seems I'm constantly pining after Belgian furniture that is beyond my means, so when I spotted the Boerum dining table at West Elm recently I felt a glimmer of hope.

Above: The dining table of my dreams is the Belgian-made Teak Kubus Table finished with organic oils; $1,700 for the 71-inch table at Lekker Home.

Above: When I spotted this West Elm dining table last weekend, I experienced a glimmer of hope: the 72-inch-long Boerum Dining Table is made of solid mango wood and mimics the look of higher-priced European tables it's also currently on sale for $509 (down from $599); the 92-inch-long tabl is on sale for $594 (down from $699).

Short on space? Here are five kitchen tools with a small imprint (they also reinforce the idea that not all kitchen implements need to be plastic).

Above: The Multi-Purpose Cookset 1 from Japanese company Snow Peak is a heavy-duty cook set including pots, a colander, and a frying pan (the entire set can be stacked). Originally designed for campers (but we can see it working well in a studio apartment), the entire set is $169.95.

Above: Handcrafted wooden Whale Tongs from Design House Stockholm feature a magnetic hinge that make them easy to take apart to clean (and to store); they can be used both as tongs and salad servers; $50 from Lumens.

Above: Kyocera's ceramic knives are smaller and lighter than traditional knives; the White Ceramic Knife is $59.95 from Cooking.com

Above: This Propeller Trivet folds to a tube shape and is easily stored in a drawer; $20 from Luminaire.

Above: The Five Piece Bamboo Utensil Set can be easily stacked in a drawer: $19.95 from Crate and Barrel. Made from organic bamboo, the set includes cooking spoons, two turners, and one slotted spoon.

The ubiquitous (and utilitarian) washing-up bowl looks a lot smarter in black; here are two options.

Above: The Ole Jensen Washing-Up Bowl from Normann Copenhagen is $87.50 from Y Living.

Above: The Boholmen Rinsing Tub from Ikea is compellingly priced at $9.99.

A simple cold frame keeps seedlings warm when the garden is frozen. The baby lettuces will love you for it.

As humble as many of these mini-greenhouses may look, cobbled from bits of scrap wood and salvaged windowpanes, cold frames have an amazing ability to create micro-climates. You can of course buy a perfect one, ready made, or build your own in an afternoon, following Martha Stewart's meticulous step-by-step instructions. Or wing it, with an old piece of glass and some two-by-fours, because as the garden writer Henry Mitchell once put it so aptly, "it is more important for the gardener to be enchanted than for critics to be pleased."

Above: A sheltered sunny spot in the garden; image via The Turnip Truck.

Above: Another use for flea market finds or your neighbor's castoffs; image via Green Upgrader.

Above: An elaborate Victorian scheme, in the melon yard of the Heligan estate in Cornwall, England.

Above: Fill hollow eggs with potting soil, as they do at Stony Run Farm, for a clever homemade seed-starting kit. Another environmentally friendly option is to start seeds on a bed of coir fiber pellets, available from Grow Organic ($6.49 for 20 pellets).

Above: Monitor soil for optimal germination temperatures for healthier seedlings; image via Burbs and the Bees. We favor using a simple dial model, like a sturdy Taylor, available for $9.99 from Grow Organic.

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Above: Dutch bulbs, including hyacinths and daffodils, forced in a cold frame; image via Growing with Plants.

Above: Transplants in simple clay pots brighten a windowsill; image via Growing with Plants.

A mix of nursery garden starts and flowers welcomes spring in Montana; image via Knitting Iris.

Make that high, medium, and low. It's February, after all, and we restless gardeners are craving any variety. Please, make the snow melt.

In the meantime, indulge the African violets on the windowsill with an assortment of stainless steel watering cans:

Above: Designer Peter Holmblad's Classic Watering Can, $229 from Stelton.

Above: The Blomus Aguo comes in three sizes, from $79.01 to $141.71 (finally, a use for pennies), at Mod Decor.

Above: Modern Stainless Steel Watering Can; $44.95 at Signature Hardware.

Whenever I'm in Brooklyn Heights, I head straight to the Iris Café for a bit of back-to-the-earth sustenance. New York called it the Best Cafe of 2010 and Francesca is a devotee; endorsement enough for me.

Proprietor Rachel Graville is a fresh-faced foodie from Washington State who opened the cafe after plans for a similar project in Montreal fell through (she came to NYC in 2007 for an internship with the Slow Food organization and later worked for Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan). "I realized I should stay in NYC and open a cafe based on the idea of simple organic cafe fare," she says. The premises formerly housed a flower shop and features a tiled space in the back and a pressed-tin ceiling. "I did very little in the way of design; the history and the charm of the space were enough," Graville says. For more information, go to Iris Cafe.

Above: Pressed-tin walls in contrasting hues and patterns add a vintage feel to the space. Photography by Michael A. Muller

Above: A vintage rattan table.

Above: Our friends over at Food 52 share our enthusiasm; for the recipe to Amanda and Merrill's favorite lunch from the Iris Cafe, go to Food 52.

Above: "The pressed-tin ceiling is original to the space," Graville says. "It was one of many things that made the location too good to pass up." Photograph by Michael A. Muller.

Above: "The framed chalkboards were inspired by Finch's in Vancouver, BC, a lovely cafe where I worked after college," Graville says.

Above: A selection of chocolates from Mast Brothers and coffee from Stumptown.

Above: The cafe is known for its Stumptown coffee and pastries made on-premises; a ham-and-cheddar biscuit topped with a soft-boiled egg is a standard bearer.

Above: The Iris Cafe is located on a quite side street in Brooklyn Heights. Photo via by OK Mitch.

Above: A detail of the oil-paint-on-glass window detail by OK Mitch.

We've cornered our 10 favorite linen-slipcovered sofas, beginning with the costliest ($14,000) to the most modestly priced ($778).

Above: The Lucca Sofa, slipcovered in Belgium linen, is made to order; $14,000 from Lucca & Co.

Above: The Washington 90-Inch Sofa is slipcovered in Belgian linen; $5,675 from Lekker Home.

Above: The Duke Sofa by Verrellen is slip-covered in a linen-cotton blend; $5,155 from Amazon.

Above: The Montauk Geoffrey Sofa can be customized with linen upholstery; $4,000.

Above: The Philip Timings Oswald Flax Linen Sofa is $3,885 from the Conran Shop.

Above: Restoration Hardware's Belgian Classic Roll Arm Sofa is $3,625 for the 7-foot version with a linen slipcover.

Above: The Morgan 90-Inch Slip Covered Sofa in a shale-colored linen blend is $3,325 from Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams.

Above: Add a Bemz Belgian Linen Blend Slipcover ($459) to the Ikea Stockholm 3 1/2 Seat Sofa ($999); the total comes to $1,458.

Above: The York Slip-Covered Sofa is available in gray (shown), linen, or pebble-colored Danish linen; $1,299 from Room & Board.

Above: Add a Bemz Belgian Linen Slipcover ($379) to the Ikea Karlstad Sofa ($399) for a total of $778.

Declare your allegiance to Scandinavian design with a geometric throw (perfect for draping over your linen sofa; see today's earlier post). You choose: the higher version is $139, the lower is $39.99.

Above: Last summer, I spotted this wool twill blanket at Stilleben, a store in Copenhagen. The Twist a Twill Blanket in dark gray, designed by Tina Ratzer and made in Denmark from 100 percent virgin wool, is $139 from Gretel.

Above: The similar Henny Bedspread/Blanket in a blend of 80 percent wool and 20 percent acrylic is $39.99 at Ikea.

I am a slavish devotee of Maryam Nassir Zadeh, stylist and owner of the Lower East Side shop that bears her name. Why? The world she has created is more experiential than commercial.

Zadeh, along with her business/life partner Uday Kak (a photographer by training), takes a sideways approach to glamour, blending high and low with old and new. Polished concrete flooring and thrifted furniture comprise the backdrop for a selection of previously unseen clothing, sculptural jewelry, and found objects. Jewelry is displayed on a marble slab table salvaged from a nearby pizza parlor, and textiles are draped on an abandoned church pew. For more information, visit Maryam Nassir Zadeh.

Photography via The Selby (except where noted).

Above: Zadeh and Kak debate the placement of jewelry on a vintage table.

Above: Flea-market finds and a black fabric sculpture coexist in a corner of the store.

Above: Bleached coral, paired with off-white brogues.

Above: A clothing rack is stocked with pieces by Electric Feathers, Susan Cianciolo, and Isabel Marant.

Above: Dried gourds sit below colorful Fredricks & Mae Arrows ($95 each). Photo via Shopikon.

Above: A clothing rack functions as a sculptural element in the space.

Above: The Palm's Necklace by Lauren Manoogian; $196 (L). Summer hats, shoes, and jewelry (R). Photo via Claudia Cifu.

Above: Blankets on display; potted cacti and succulents add a note of green to the urban space. Photo via Refinery29.

Above: A white poplin dress from Japanese designer Undercover, available via the website (photography by Uday Kak and styling by Zadeh). Photo via Maryam Nassir Zadeh.

The appeal of a terrarium is obvious: it's a tiny, perfect world that is totally under your control. No one has kicked off smelly sneakers and left them by the door for you to trip over.

I believe this is why I love almost any terrarium and have even gone to extraordinary lengths (once I bought special tweezers and a bag of miniature rocks) to make my own. But my imagination is nowhere near as vivid as Paula Hayes'; to gaze through the glass at one of her amazing miniature landscapes is to see a place where one most certainly would want to live after drinking "Shrink Me" potion.

Above: Some day, when I am wealthy, I will have a Hayes terrarium in every room. Prices range from $4,000 to $26,000 for what the New York Times describes as "fantastical herbaceous art pieces." The delicate, hand-blown glass spheres are available through the Paula Hayes studio and require devotion: purchasers sign a "Living Artwork" agreement, promising to "maintain the life of the artwork." There is a less labor-intensive way to enjoy them, as well; next month, Hayes will publish a monograph on her work. Photograph by Eva Heyd.

Above: Made from recycled glass, each Roost Recycled Glass Bubble Terrarium is free-blown without a mold, creating giant glass bubbles that are then flattened and curved into shape. Prices start at $150 for a small (9 inches high) and go up to $215 for the extra large size (19.25 inches high); plants are not included (we'd fill them with miniature plants from the Violet Barn).

Above: Add a layer of Stones to evoke the forest, or the sea, available for $8 to $10 from Terrain.

Above: Tools that enable one to achieve a surgical precision when placing delicate plants and small objects inside the terrarium include Long-Armed Tweezers ($12), narrow-bladed Okubo Shears ($38), and a double-sided Terrarium Rake ($18), all from Terrain.

Those of us who live in the Bay Area may think we've got it covered when it comes to local, sustainable food (we are on Alice Water's terroir, after all), but Jordan Colón of EAT in Brooklyn takes locavore to a whole new level.

Colon took over the erstwhile coffee shop/record store in 2006; since then, he has transformed the space into a low-key neighborhood hangout offering locally sourced food—served on made-on-site pottery (fired in a kiln in the basement), and furnished with tables and chairs made by friends. It all embodies a handmade lifestyle that could unfold from the pages of Kinfolk magazine. What's great about Colón is that he allows us to see what what's possible, nudging us to think differently and reminding us with his daily culinary offerings that eating locally and seasonally is an attainable goal. EAT is located just off Greenpoint Ave. in Brooklyn; for further details, go to EAT.

Above: A handmade cart stands at the ready for local deliveries, including house-made bread. Cooking classes meet weekly on Mondays when the restaurant is closed. Photo via Inhabitat.

Above: A table at EAT, set with pottery made by Arla Bascom and vintage flatware and jelly-jar glasses.

Above: A seasonal salad of greens, seeds, and radishes.

Above: All the pottery is available for sale.

Above: Strands of drying peppers and herbs create instant decor and can be used throughout the year when out of season.

Above: Hand-made mugs in the retail section.

Above: A potted plant and local flowers complement the natural color of the clay.

Above: All the furniture was made from locally sourced woods by friends.

When a sculptor wanted to bring more light into her Brooklyn Victorian brownstone, she called on Elizabeth Roberts to help her radically reshape the space without compromising its historical details.

“The woodwork and the narrow width of the house meant it was very dark,” says Roberts, who has a degree in historic preservation and is a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory. “But my client could see past the darkness and recognized the potential.” The 19th-century Victorian brownstone, located in Prospect Heights, is slightly narrower than the standard size (18 feet vs. 20 feet); Roberts' solution was to connect the front and rear of the house by removing the dividing wall in the middle, essentially creating one open space on each floor. She also reshaped each floor for modern living by inserting storage units-cum-room dividers. And instead of stripping the interior of the original details, Roberts retained elements of the dark woodwork, adapting it in innovative ways for this family of three. The result is a comfortable balance between the old and the new.

N.B. Also see House Call: Elizabeth Roberts in Brooklyn.

Photography by Sean Slattery.

Above: Roberts removed the existing wall between the entry hall and the living room to open the space up and added bookcases that double as seating during parties.

Above: In the kitchen, Roberts adapted an old wardrobe to house the kitchen appliances and tableware.

Above: The open kitchen has a contemporary island in dark wood to match the wardrobe. Robert painted the window trims throughout the house to brighten the space.

Above: In the master bedroom, Roberts took the existing dark-wood mantels to Old Good Things, an architectural salvage shop in Scranton, PA, and came back with simpler marble fireplace surrounds. The master suite, which takes up the whole floor, combines the bedroom area with the master bath.

Above: The master bath features a freestanding tub and a collection of antiques.

Above: The master bathroom sink and toilet are tucked away behind a dividing wall. The floors are bamboo, dyed with aniline.

Above: The stairs leading downstairs to the cellar had very little natural light, so Roberts stripped the floors, whitewashed them and lightened up the wainscoting by painting it a light gray.

Above: An image of the kitchen before its transformation shows the dark Victorian window trim and the wall that separates the room from the hall.

Above: The old wardrobe, before it was repurposed.

Above: An image of the second floor during the renovation shows the walls before they were removed.

Bridge faucets are a link back to the turn of the century, when newfangled indoor plumbing was first implemented.

We spotted a handsome version in designer Elizabeth Roberts' renovation of a brownstone (see Victorian, Revamped). Re-create the look with one of these models below, ranging in price from $3,028 to $194.97.

Above: Roberts used a Kallista bridge faucet in this Brooklyn kitchen.

Above: Kallista's For Town Kitchen Faucet with Lever Handles and Side Spray was designed by Michael Smith; $3,028 for the chrome finish (shown above); it's also available in nickel silver and brushed nickel.

Above: Kohler HiRise Deck Mounted Bridge Kitchen Faucet is available in polished or brushed stainless (shown above) finishes; $785.41 at Faucet Direct.

Above: Cifial Highlands Hi-Rise Bridge Kitchen Faucet with cross handles, shown in polished chrome; $327.60 at eFaucets.

Above: A pared-down faucet at a pared-down price, the Elements of Design Deck Mount Kitchen Faucet in chrome is $194.97 at Plumber's Surplus.

Architecture as magical realism: Guilherme Torres' kitchen in Sao Paolo, Brazil (first spotted on Arch Daily). We haven't seen this before, a pristine white box opening onto a tree-filled atrium, with a rustic, paint-spattered work table as kitchen island.

Above: In Torres' kitchen, a reclaimed table serves as a central workspace.

Above: An orange rubber floor contrasts with a polished concrete floor.

Above: A stainless cooktop set into the rustic work table; an antidote to the suburban island.

Above: A seductive mix of materials embodies the (much discussed) rough luxe spirit.

Above: Culinary preparation in action.

Weary of rusty steel-wool scouring pads? We are too; so we were pleased to discover copper scouring cloths, a much more appealing sinkside option.

Above: New at Sur La Table, Redecker Copper Cloths (made in the Netherlands); a set of two is $9.95.

Above: Our friends at the Laundress offer the nontoxic, biodegradable Copper Cloth for $16.

Is it just us, or are we all coveting a Moroccan Beni Ouarain rug? Here are a couple of options spotted recently.

N.B.: For sourcing ideas, investigate Breuckelen Berber.

Above: West Elm is currently offering a range of one-of-kind Beni Ouarain Berber Rugs; prices start at $1,499 for the smaller Found Moroccan Berber Rugs.

Above: The Flokati Diamond Rug (measuring 5 by 8 feet) is $898 from Anthropologie (other sizes also available).

Above: West Elm's well-priced Souk Rug, an interpretation of the traditional Moroccan Berber design, sold out quickly but will be back in stock in 8 to 12 weeks.

Your mother-in-law's tongue belongs under the bathroom sink, and you can tell her designer Chad McPhail said so.

Or, for the sake of politesse, call it Sansevieria laurentii. This humble house plant, last seen gracing groovy interiors in the 1970s, has made a comeback, in the Williamsburg apartment of McPhail and singer-songwriter Ed Droste (of Grizzly Bear).

Above: "I saw it in a magazine, putting plants underneath the sink, because it's an ugly area," said McPhail of MR Architecture + Decor. If more incentive is necessary, consider this: Sansevieria laurentii has earned NASA's seal of approval, as well, after a space agency study proved the hardy plant's ability to filter such toxins as benzene and formaldehyde (not that there are dangerous levels in your bathroom) from the air. Image via Timeout New York.

Above: The plant thrives in shade or sun, and may even reward you with spikes of yellow blooms. But please don't over-water it. Get one from Real Ornamentals (as seen above) or from your corner florist.

An idea we haven't seen before: porcelain ceiling sockets arrayed in a semicircular pattern, a device for adding drama to a whitewashed interior.

Above: A living room in southern Sweden, via Emmas Design Blogg. Photo by Jenny Brandt.

Above: Here's another Scandinavian room with a smart-looking row of porcelain sockets; via Skona Hem, photo by Daniela Witte; via Solid Frog.

Above: For an artist's barn in East Hampton, New York, architect Annabelle Selldorf keeps it simple, with a plywood ceiling and hardware-store porcelain fixtures for lighting.

Above: The Thomas Hoof Porcelain Ceiling Light is €22 at Thomas Hoof Produkt.

Above: The Defiance light fixture is $99 from Schoolhouse Electric.

Above: The simple (and inexpensive) Leviton Porcelain Keyless Fixture is $11.32 at Amazon.