The colorful Mundvoll Cafe and Grocery, located on the Zeppelin University campus in Friedrichshafen, Germany, was inspired by Germany's mom-and-pop grocery stores.

Designed by Maria Meller and Mirja Sick, who run the London-based design studio Joint Perspectives, the interiors are clean and contemporary, with inexpensive plywood and dashes of primary colors playing a key role.

Photography by Lena Reiner and Joint Perspectives.

Above: Muuto's Unfold Pendant Lamps in black and blue match the rest of the colorful interior. The counter is made from layered plywood sheets and features movable metal baskets to display merchandise. A magnetic blackboard lists the menu of the day.

Above: A custom sofa, supported by wooden pallets, was inspired by the area's fruit industry; the three tiers of cushions are strapped down, as if prepared for shipping. Hee Lounge Chairs by Hay provides extra seating and Muuto E27 pendant lights hang from the ceiling.

Above: A built-in side table stores books and magazines.

Above: Wooden crates hold goods and produce. The blue metal strips are magnetic, a practical system for holding price tags.

When I was introduced to the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragán, I couldn’t understand why anyone would think of modern architecture as a cold discipline.

Looking back on my architecture training, one of my fondest memories was artist Lauretta Vinciarelli's Graphic Arts class, where she asked a roomful of Columbia undergraduates to render the captivating work of Luis Barragán on paper. Fifty pink Prismacolor pencils and a term later, I was on my way to becoming an architect.

Above: Barragán developed his own take on modernism, with the use of vivid colors and textural contrast as shown here in the Caudra San Christobál stables, designed in 1966.

Above: Barragán is regarded as one of the most important architects of the 20th century, and his buildings are memorable for their mastery of space and light.

Above: At Caudra San Christobál stables, there is a sequence of horse pools.

Above: Barragán was also a landscape architect; his sculptural forms and bright colors accentuate the natural surroundings.

Above: Water features are a common theme in the architect's work.

New from up-and-coming product designer Ana Kras: the Moon Table; available with glass tops in various colors (including our favorite, pink).

Kras is an up-and-coming designer from Serbia; the Moon Table is her second commission for Singapore-based company Foundry (the first was the Hug Chair). She collaborated with Antipod Studio in Belgrade on the table, which has a wooden base and a colored glass top. "The idea was to make a table with a nice volume of wood and, as a contrast, a colored top," Kras says. "In our minds, we had this image of a wooden pebble cut in half."

Above: An overhead view of the tables in grey, pink, and white.

Above: The Moon Tables are available in three sizes and in either ash ($580 to $770) or walnut ($628 to $845). Contact Foundry directly for information on availability and ordering.

Above: The tables in walnut.

Above: A close-up of a table with an ash base.

Spotted on Refinery 29: A DIY plant hanger that is as simple as tying a few knots.

If you have past experience with macrame, you have a slight advantage (but fear not—I never was a Girl Scout, and I found this project fun and easy).

Above: Plant hanger in neon pink cord, via Refinery 29.

Materials

• White ceramic pot; Ikea's Kardemumma; $1.99, or source at your local nursery.
• Bright pink cord; Amy Neon Pink Cord; $2.29 from Macrame Superstore, or find at your local hardware store.
• Scissors.
• Ceiling hook.

Instructions

Above: For the full tutorial, go to and follow the step-by-step instructions. The simple instructions show how you make the hanging basket by measure out eight equally long rope pieces and use a knotting technique to tie the ropes into a diamond pattern.

• Measure eight pieces of cord.
• Knot together per step-by-step directions on Refinery 29.
• Attach to a hook on the ceiling.

Five rooms for enthusiasts of the color pink (which would include us).

Above: Cote Sud via French by Design.

Above: A pink room with taupe trim, via photographer William Waldron.

Above: The Paris apartment of designer Jean-Christophe Aumas via Marie Claire Maison.

Above: Pink walls and a wallpapered ceiling via Marie Claire Maison.

Above: Pink walls via Ben Pentreath.

If offered a choice, a dogwood tree might not immediately jump at the chance to live in a pot on your terrace. Not even for the views from East 61st Street. But you can persuade it.

The challenge: Cornus florida rubra, a pink flowering dogwood, was not meant for a container. To convince it otherwise, start with a small tree—from three to four feet tall, say—and plant it in a pot that's at least three times as big around as its root ball. "In the beginning, it will need a lot of water," warns garden designer Marni Majorelle, who used one in a Manhattan terrace garden.

Above: A flowering dogwood keeps company with a smoke bush (L), drought-tolerant beach plums, and blueberry bushes. Image via Alive Structures.

Above: If left to its own devices, Cornus florida rubra will grow 30 to 40 feet high in the Appalachian forests where it thrives. You can also find dwarf versions at After Hours Nursery. Image via Missouri State.

Above: An April bloomer, Cornus florida rubra is available in several sizes from Willis Orchards; $22.95 for a 3- to 4-foot-tall plant. Should pink not be your thing, flowering dogwoods also come in white and red. Image via Willis Orchards.

Long before there was Design Within Reach or other sources for contemporary furniture, San Francisco had Zinc Details. This year, the independently owned store turns 20.

Founders Vas Kiniris and wife Wendy Nishimura Kiniris met in Berkeley's architecture school; when they graduated, they started a tiny, 200-square-feet shop in the Tenderloin to offer the kind of furniture that they and their friends were designing—modern pieces in wood that showed the hand of the creator. Soon, Macy's expressed interest in carrying their furniture, and the national press started taking heed of the new Bay Area aesthetic. Today, the store is located in Pacific Heights and carries international brands such as Knoll, Vitra, Herman Miller, and De La Espada, alongside a choice selection of local designs and vintage pieces, including accessories, textiles, and jewelry.

"We're a neighborhood shop, and we reflect what you see in the Bay Area—a confluence of people from all over the world who are willing to experiment, who are curious and always turning over a rock," says Vas, who gives a tour in this video. Many of the store's offerings are also available through its website.

N.B.: For those based in (or visiting) San Francisco next week, join Remodelista and Zinc Details for a free event next Thursday evening, March 29: "Fast Forward: What’s Next in Design?" Bay Area notables (Mike & Maaike, Council Design, Pablo Designs, Nicole Hollis, Proef) will share their ideas about the future of design.

Above: Zinc Details has a colorful presence on Fillmore Street. "Twenty years ago, people knew about art and architecture, but not about design," says Vas. "We went through a period of intense education."

Above: The store has an inviting informality, mixing new and vintage pieces in a way that is different from most retailers. A vintage Danish wall system holds accessories; the sleeper sofa is by Danish designer Per Weiss.

Above: A 1950s Acapulco Chair sits next to a table by Normann Copenhagen.

Above: Aalto Alvar Vases; $55 to $145.

Above: The shop stocks textiles from the likes of Finnish designer Johanna Gullichsen. Gullichsen's Nereus Pillow; $195.

Above: Vas and Wendy (shown above in their original shop, circa 1992) launched their shop two decades ago in a small storefront in the Tenderloin. "In the Bay Area, modernism has a great deal of warmth," says Vas. Photograph by Christopher Irion.

We care a lot about interiors, but we care a lot about clothes, too. Our latest obsession: Sofie d'Hoore.

I first discovered the Belgian designer's eponymous line at MAC Modern Appealing Clothing in San Francisco, and we've all been smitten ever since. What is it about her line that has us so enamored? Each season she produces pieces that are rigorously constructed but equally forgiving (we especially like her dresses), in fabrics and colors that are quietly and sensibly chic. There are no grand statements here, aside from the occasional color blast; this spring, for instance, her palette includes bright orange, cobalt blue, and a deep grassy green in addition to neutrals like navy, khaki, and stone. Timeless and modern, the immaculately cut pieces can be spiffed up at night but look equally good worn over jeans in the day. In short, it's the perfect kit.

Siblings Chris and Ben Ospital, the owners of MAC (the duo specializes in "Handsome clothing for men and women. Heavy on the Belgians," as they say) are consistently ahead of the curve, and they've been carrying Sofie d'Hoore for almost a decade. I recently dropped in on Chris to ask a few questions about the designer; see what she has to say on my iPhone video. Scroll down to see the video.

Photography for Remodelista by Janet Hall, except where noted.

Above: Perfect green shirt; contact MAC directly for pricing and ordering information.

Above: MAC co-owner Chris Ospital dressed head-to-toe in Sofie d'Hoore.

Above: Blue Cardigan with Marmalade Dress; contact MAC directly for pricing and ordering information.

Above: Orange Red Jacket (L) and Blue DNA Dress (R); contact MAC for pricing and ordering information.

Above: Blue patent belt; photo courtesy of Sofie D'Hoore

Above: Every season, D'Hoore produces a small line of shoes to round off her outfits; photo courtesy of Sofie D'Hoore.

Moving from Venice Beach, California, to NYC's SoHo was quite a transition for a young film producer, but interior designer Martin Raffone did what he could to soften the landing—by channeling his inner beachcomber.

Raffone (a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory) enjoys the spatial challenges of designing lofts, and has done many over the last two decades. "When my client sent me the floor plan, I thought: 'It’s like a bowling alley. What am I going to do with this?'" he says. The former warehouse space was long and narrow—100 feet long, 25 feet wide—with windows only on one end; to organize the space, Raffone created low room dividers of wooden planks, which are a subtle reference to his client's old life on the Southern California coast. He also worked with color consultant Eve Ashcraft, to develop "the perfect driftwood color for all of the planked paneling, the satin for the existing ancient maple flooring, and the right shade of white in the natural light–deprived space."

Photography by Åke E:son Lindman.

Above: Custom room dividers are bolted down to the floor, and do double duty as ledges for drinks when the client entertains. The loft's entrance is to the left of the windows, through a black-slatted door.

Above: You exit the elevator into a vestibule with a bench; the black door pivots open. "It's quite dramatic, when you come from the elevator and then push this large wall to reveal the space," says Raffone.

Above: The loft is on the fourth floor of an old warehouse in Soho.

Above: Raffone designed or picked out everything, aside from "a few boxes of books" and the artwork, which the client purchased from galleries in Chelsea. "It was a complete and total vision on my part," he says. "I even put food in the fridge, so it was done when the client flew out from California."

Above: Marc Newson's Wooden Chair for Cappellini has a commanding view of the living area.

Above: The dining area is separated from the rest of the open space with another low divider.

Above: Across from the dining area is a lounge area. The clip-on light is a custom design by Raffone; it has a blackened-steel clamp that allows it to be repositioned along the divider. The white floor lamp is the Anta Ella.

Above: The kitchen cabinetry is from Bulthaup.

Above: When some of the plaster fell off in the hallway during construction, Raffone painted the exposed brick a glossy white to reflect light. On the left is a study/guest room, which you enter through a sliding door of black-painted slats. At the end of the hallway is the master bedroom.

Above: As in many old buildings, accommodating plumbing is tricky. Rather than create a step up to the guest bathroom, Raffone extended the floor out to create a platform for the guest bed. The platform is paneled in cypress for its water-resistance. The painting on the wall is by color consultant Eve Ashcraft.

Above: The master bedroom features a bed from Capellini, a night stand from B&B Italia, and a Prandina Glam T1 Table Lamp.

Above: In the master bathroom, a tiled wall is framed out (again, to accommodate plumbing). The shower features a low wall of more penny tiles, and the rest of the shower is paneled in enormous sheets of Corian. The pendant is the Acquatinta by Michele de Lucchi.

Above: In the living room, Raffone put in new sheetrock (left), took out a bit of the plasterwork to expose the original brick wall (center), and gave the rest of the plaster (right) the same gray stain used for the wooden dividers. "The plaster had been patched over the years, so it took the stain differently and created this nice mottled effect," he says.

Above: The brick warehouse in Soho.

In a Georgian rectory in West Sussex, the calm light and pale interiors act as a mild sedative.

The Albourne rectory, which dates back to the 17th century, is the home of Emma Waight, the daughter of an interior designer and a former antiques dealer, and her husband, Elliot. The couple moved from "a grotty street in North London" to the country in search of a more bucolic life; in the process, they trimmed their extensive antique collection to create a fresh and uncluttered space. "We wanted the house to be spacious and decorated predominantly in white with shades of gray," Emma says. The muted backdrop sets off to advantage the antique French, Belgian, and Swedish furniture, as well as a growing art collection.

Photography by Light Locations.

Above: The sofas in the main living area were made to order from Emma's favorite East Sussex haunt, I Gigi General Store.

Above: The Hungarian-point chevron parquetry is made from French oak, salvaged from an old chateau. Emma and Elliot found the wood by "pure luck" at a reclamation yard where it had been shipped over, stripped, and reconditioned. The floor "brings everything together—our style, love of things old and new, elegance and beauty," says Emma.

Above: An antique mirror adds a note of elegance in an otherwise unadorned room.

Above: The Albourne study is furnished with antique furniture and a collection of books covered in white paper.

Above: Antique X-Ray shade sconces from Hector Finch in London are dotted throughout the house.

Above: The tapers and tiny tin houses were sourced from I Gigi General Store.

Above: The kitchen is light and airy, with exposed original beams.

Above: Springtime daffodils add a dash of color to the kitchen.

Above: The white interiors are accented with French Gray Dark paint from The Little Greene Company in the UK. It's Emma's go-to souce for paint because of the selection, with "the added bonus of having four shades of the same color. It's great to be able to build on and create different tones around the house," she says.

Above: An antique chandelier hangs in one of the house's three bedrooms.

Above: A towel warmer warms the bath on colder days in the country.

Above: The Waights culled their collection of antiques when they made their move, only bringing their favorites.

Above: Artworks line an upstairs hallway.

Above: The cloakroom features a brick-paved floor.

Above: The patio's dining set is a "very old buy from Habitat," says Emma.

Above: The patio's old Yorkstone paving was sourced from a local reclamation yard.

Spotted (and admired) lately: vintage mercury-glass lights with scalloped swirl shades, known as x-ray lights.

Produced by Canadian company Curtis Lighting, a pioneer of indirect lighting, the original X-Ray Lights from the early 1900s feature metal shades lined with mercury glass, which creates a warm silvery glow when illuminated.

Above: Textile designer Matt Dick has an X-Ray-style light in his studio (see our post: Indigo Matt in San Francisco). He went to lighting experts Dogfork to refashion his mercury-glass shade into a working lamp.

Above: Mercury-glass lampshades can be found an architectural salvage stores such as Provenance or Aurora Mills. Original X-Ray Lights occasionally turn up at antiques auctions; search for "Curtis Lighting X-Ray Light."

Above: Currently on offer from antiques shop Cosmo, via 1st Dibs, a set of early 20th century X-Ray Mercury Glass Pendants; $495 each.

Above: A Golden Armor Mercury Shade from 1914; $225 at Agent Gallery Chicago.

Simple Sussex garden trugs caught Queen Victoria's eye one day a hundred and fifty years ago, as she strolled through the Crystal Palace in London. Awarded a Royal Warrant, the baskets are still crafted the same way today—and useful for a variety of garden chores.

Above: Oxford-based Objects of Use carries handmade trugs fastened with brass pins; contact the shop directly for ordering information.

Above: Handcrafted from chestnut and willow, the Original Sussex Trug is £78 at Labour and Wait. For an assortment of traditional trugs—with bark, stripped, or painted—visit Sussex Trugs.

Above: The British garden shop Burgon and Ball offers a Medium Natural Wooden Trug; £16.95. (N.B.: We also recently admired their Children's Natural Wood Trug, £9.95.)

It's spring year-round at British company St. Jude's Fabrics and Papers, which collaborates with artists to create fresh takes on botanical themes.

Printmaker Angie Lewin and husband Simon started St. Jude's Fabrics and Papers to tilt the balance of power in favor of designers. "Many fabric companies simply buy a design for a limited fee, and give designers little to no control over aspects like colorways—and often give artists no credit for their work," says Angie. She started by applying her own nature-inspired designs to wallpaper and fabric, then slowly added a roster of eight other artists that include illustrators, clothing designers, and painters. Produced in small runs, and manufactured entirely in Britain, the fabric colors are crisp on backgrounds of heavy cottons and linens. Windmills, birds, and flowers twine in intricate motifs, and the artistry behind the designs is evident.

For UK sources, go to St. Jude's; in the US, select pieces are available through Ancient Industries.

Above: "The artists bring their own approach to color, pattern, shape, and line to the collaboration," says Angie Lewin. Artist Mark Hearld is inspired by the birds and flowers of the British countryside; shown here is the Kilkenny Armchair in his Bird Garden print; £800 at Sofa.com.

Above: The Iggy Sofa is upholstered in Angie Lewin's Hedgerow fabric; £1,580 at Sofa.com.

Above: St. Jude's has also paired with artist Karen Revill to create a series of hand-sewn, hand-rolled lampshades, available in any of the company's fabrics. The shade shown here is in Mark Hearld's Bird Garden print on heavyweight oyster linen union.

Above: Harvest Hare Wallpaper by Mark Hearld.

Above: "I'm attracted to the relationships between plant communities on an intimate level," says Angie Lewin. Several of the fabrics are available as cushion covers. Cushion Cover in Hedgerow; £36. In the US, Ancient Industries carries a selection of St. Judes Cushion Covers for $35 each.

What could have possessed Edith Wharton to call New York CIty's brownstones "drab"? We know two flowering cherry trees that would politely beg to differ.

Flanking a prim Victorian facade of the sort Wharton once described as "chocolate-coloured coating," the trees introduce visitors to garden designer Judy Kameon's version of an Upper East Side black-and-white garden. Her LA-based firm, Elysian Landscapes, has a client list that includes Sofia Coppola, nightlife impresario Sean McPherson, and the Beastie Boys' Mike D. Kameon's familiarity with the challenges posed by an East Coast climate dates to when she lived above John Gotti's social club in Little Italy. "I lost the apartment when the government seized the building," says Kameon.

Images via Elysian Landscapes.

Above: A window box and two L-shaped planters, painted glossy black to match the townhouse trim, are packed with ornamental cabbages, junipers, and variegated creepers. "This is the daily entrance, the part of the garden that says 'Welcome home,' so I wanted to make it really lovely and inviting," Kameon says.

Above: The plant list, updated seasonally, is built around a backbone of perennials that includes Juniperus procumbens 'Nana,' Hedera helix 'Glacier,' Euonymous fortunei 'Silver Queen,' and Heuchera 'Purple Palace.'

Above: The daybed (which is from Kameon's Plain Air furniture line) on the fourth-floor balcony is where the client, a film producer, reads scripts.

Above: The garden's palette echoes the cityscape, with Plain Air chairs and a custom table inspired by a vintage piece in Kameon's personal collection.

Above: The lavender flowers of Verbena bonariensis "float like wands," Kameon says, to create a visual counterpoint to the mounded ivies.

Above: The planters are made of fiberglass in a shade matched to Benjamin Moore's Dill Pickle paint color. "You want the planters to feel full and lush; it’s nice to have things spill over and break an edge," Kameon says.

Above: Planted in the terrace containers are Hedera helix 'Gold Child,' ornamental purple cabbages, Salvia officinalis, Thymus citriodorus, Pinus flexilis 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid,' and Acer palmatum 'Crimson Queen.'

Above: A curtain of bamboo screens the back patio from the building behind. Pseudosasa japonica is a popular bamboo in the United States; it's wind-resistant, tolerates both sun and shade, and creates a dense, 15-foot-high hedge.

Above: The built-in table and banquette are custom, and upholstered in blue Sunbrella fabric, inspired by the plum colors and blue-gray tones of the bluestone patio. "Every inch of the garden spaces gets used," Kameon says. "I've been to Halloween parties here, and to a barbecue in the rain, where we all huddled under the umbrella. And in the winter, they've built snowmen."

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Above: To accommodate a growing family, designers Heidi Bonesteel and Michelle Trout created a light-filled space with ample counter seating and a large dining area. For the image gallery, see Classic Contemporary Kitchen. Photograph by Karen Millet.

Above: Natural wood, a soapstone backsplash, and a vintage work table convey a rustic warmth to the kitchen of Alabama designer Melanie Pounds. For the image gallery, see Sweet Home Alabama Kitchen. Photograph by Jean Allsopp.

Above: For his family's Florida beach house, architect Tim McNamara gave the Dutch Caribbean–style kitchen a big dose of color. For the image gallery, see An ABCs and Color Kitchen. Photograph by Jean Allsopp.

A European-style garden in Berkeley proves to be a forager's secret paradise.

When I asked our friend Louesa Roebuck to come up with something floral for spring, she suggested a trip to her friend Lauren's garden in the East Bay, a frequent source for her gleaning. "There is a lot of ivory and white in Lauren's garden," she says, "and I have been working with so much pink lately—from magnolias to crab apple blossoms—that I wanted to honor the white in the garden. All the creaminess feels like March is coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb."

Photography by Aya Brackett for Remodelista.

Above: Louesa scouring Lauren's garden.

Above: Louesa cutting star magnolia. She gets her garden gear from Hida Tool in Berkeley, which she describes as "very old school. They are teeny and have a lot of woodworking and gardening tools, mostly Japanese, and they will also sharpen and repair garden tools."

Above: Louesa working on some Akebia quinata 'Alba,' which grows like a vine on the front of Lauren's house. Akebia quinata is native to Japan and typically comes in a dusty purple; this vine, however, has white flowers.

Above: Louesa sourced the single white blossom from the garden of her friend Alan Tangren, who lives in the Sierra foothills (he was the original forager at Chez Panisse). "When I first got them, the buds were were so tight that I had to keep them in a cool place for a week," Louesa says. "Yesterday, I added warm water to the bucket and put them in the sun so they would open a little bit more, but not too much. I think the really tight buds combined with the ones just opening look gorgeous."

Above: Louesa positions the Akebia quinata 'Alba' in the vases.

Above: "I like a certain level of imperfection," Louesa says. "I will do some trimming for composition, though."

Above: Lauren's studio opens onto a rambling garden, and her own floral paintings provide the backdrop for Louesa's display on the mantelpiece. Insider tip: Each vase contains a large Ziploc bag filled with water. "For vases like these, which have a tendency to leak, Ziploc bags work really well; you just stick everything inside the bag, and put the bag in the vase."

Above: Louesa's floral tribute to the arrival of spring; for more of her work, go to Louesa Roebuck. To see more of Lauren's art, go to Lauren McIntosh.

Just the thing for spring: the Red Roses Tray by an up-coming Scottish textile designer.

Fiona Douglas of Bluebellgray collaborated with Sweden's Åry Trays to transfer her design onto melamine-coated birch. Douglas, who is "influenced by a love of color and all things floral," paints each design by hand; each brush stroke is visible, giving her work a sense of spontaneity.

Above: Red Roses Large Round Tray; $58 from Gretel.

I Gigi General Store owners Zoe Ellison and Alex Legendre "specialize in items characterized by a soft and natural charm."

Located on Western Road in the Brunswick area of Hove, the shop sells a well-edited selection of housewares from Royal Staffordshire, Cote Table, Tadé, and Maison Bengal, as well as their own range of antique furniture and reworked vintage pieces; there's also a cafe on the premises.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on March 29, 2010.

Candlelight was the first—and for centuries, only—truly reliable source of flattering illumination at outdoor dinner parties. No more. Here are five up-to-date lanterns, all of which use high-efficiency LEDs to light things up.

Above: Molo Design's Hobo Lanterns owe their glow to light-emitting diodes (doesn't that sound so much more melodious than the acronym "LED"?) inside simple felt bags. With battery packs, they're portable. We'd like an assortment to light the patio this summer; $100 each.

Above: Ikea's solar-powered Solvinden Lantern ($14.99) uses the sun to recharge its built-in battery; after nine to twelve hours of sunlight, it will last for up to twelve hours.

Above: The rechargeable Portable LED Lantern comes in two colors, white or amber; three levels of brightness can be controlled by touch. It's $79.99 at Mr. Light.

Above: The rechargeable Luau can be dimmed by twisting its base; $199.99 from Oxo.

Above: The battery-powered Soji Solar Lantern is white; a colored LED inside is responsible for the amber glow. We'd hang a cluster in a tree at the far edge of the garden. (N.B.: Happily, the price has been cut to $17 since the last time we admired it.)

Currently admiring: the new Jardine line of outdoor dining furniture from West Elm.

Above: Made of FSC-certified tropical hardwood with a driftwood finish, the expandable Jardine Dining Table (it extends to a full 100 inches long) is $899 at West Elm.

Above: The Jardine Ladderback Chair is $199.

Above: The Jardine Bench is 74 inches long and is $349.