Ligne Roset’s Pan Pan Decorative Rabbit and Pan Pan Table  are a  little something out of the ordinary, a rabbit integrated right into the table top and his larger buddy, a free standing decorative object. Both pieces were designed by Barbara Kuehne-Thompson, whose background is similarly intriguing.  She left the United States for Vietnam at the age of 24. While there, she met Swiss entreprenuer and founder of Wetter Indochine, Michel Kuehne. Together they have managed to combine the skills of Vietnamese artisans with creative design to “…transform the pure forms of nature, bringing them into the home in a subtle, elegant way…” @ Linea

Flower Loop by Black + Blum was reportedly inspired by the Fibonacci Curve, you know that series of numbers that accounts for so many of the spiraling shapes that occur in nature… Well, in any case, the vase is pretty and simple. Executed in free flowing wire with a chromed finish, the vase is equipped with a water tube  that is concealed inside. Consider linking several Flower Loops together for a greater impact.

 London based Black + Blum is an Anglo-Swiss design consultancy that ventured out to develop their own product line. Seems is was a good decision as their modern accessories  line continues to grow.

Available through Emmo Home @ $36.00 each.

Decorative Pillows that have broken the mold – designs with themes that are edgey. Mean Street by Lovegrove & Repucchi is more of an artwork, an observation. While Green Octopus Boudoir Pillow by Ige Design features a nature-inspired theme, the execution in materials that are in stark contrast to the subject give it that extra edge – after all, who expects an octopus to be rendered in rich velvet and gold embossing? Jonathan Adler also hits us with the unexpected by pairing buttons and tassels with a handgun in Collage 22 Pillow – that one caught me a little off guard. I love the idea of using these pillows with their more traditional cousins. Check out a great selection of pillows from many designers and showrooms.

Re-design, re-creation and re-invention are not easy – but that is the challenge for designer Susanna Kost who works with many repeat clients. Often projects require rethinking the client’s original collections and furnishings, with an eye towards simplfying.

Kost believes “Rooms should leave space for the occupant’s personality…for candles, flowers and music and party guests…” Rooms should celebrate the client’s personality, which can be complicated.

One of her favorite quotes is from Jean Cocteau “Style is a simple way of saying complicated things”. Kost uses art, collections and accessories in rotating combinations to keep a room fresh. Her feeling is that rooms that do not evolve, become stale.

So how is style expressed without becoming cluttered or overdone? According to Kost, restraint and careful editing aka controlled exuberance. Displaying collections allows each piece to retain its importance and yet the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Current passions? “My current passion is metallic anything – I love reflection”. The wall panels in this library are finished with a metallic automotive paint (the backdrop for a rotating art collection), under a mirrored ceiling and furnished with metallic pink leather chairs. “The shimmer in the night with candles is spectacular”.

How to describe her work? Kost loves to combine divergent styles in what may be described as uber-eclectic. She has completed projects that she labels “The Jetsons meets LA Confidential” and “Mid-Century meets Cribs”. Currently she is working on her own home which looks to be moving in the direction of “Zen-Glam” – think hemp, metalic gold, Asian antiques.

See more from Susanna Kost.

When I attend a design show, its usually in some sort of a non-descript hall, so one of the things I most look forward to is, well – design. What can be done with a trade show booth? One of the most interesting I saw at dwell ON DESIGN in LA was this installation of Clouds by Ligne Roset. Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec follow a recent trend towards additive design. Each of these fabric tiles is connected to the other via a sort of high-design rubber band. The design allows that tiles to hold 2 or 3 dimensional shapes, depending on how you utlize the scored fabric tiles. Designed to be used as a room divider or art installation, the gigantic Cloud installation at dwell ON DESIGN certainly caught our eye.

Loft spaces are generally expansive – open floor plans with very high ceilings. Working that into a human scale can be challenging. Susan Diana Harris, a San Francisco based designer did it by “…introducing sculptural details that invite us to touch and play.” She took a loft space in a Yerba Buena loft South of Market in SF and infused it with color, curves, pattern and organic materials. I found this vignette she created on a zebrano wood sideboard to be a nice composition of color and balance. She selected the pieces in contrast to the modern industrial space. She felt these handmade, “imperfect” pieces were the perfect complement to the clean modern lines of the architecture. The ceramic bowls and stands she selected are by Marilyn MacKenzine Ceramics, the wood vases from Cost Plus and the console from West Elm. Photography by Frankie Norstad Photography.

Finishing strong is not easy. Sometimes it comes down to that last pillow… today I was on a hunt for black and white pillows. There are alot of options, but I thought this group was a nice mix of inspired by nature, graphic pattern and art. First off is Flower Power, sort of a 1960’s thing made from felted wool. Next is Monach Sails from Hable Construction, handprinted graphic on cotton canvas. Hable Construction makes limited quantities of many of its pieces, including this one. So if you like it, better act fast. Daisy Pillow by Paper Cloud is a simple, nature inspired graphic hand printed on a 16″ linen pillow cover. Ok, its not really black, its chocolate, but I liked it so much, I included it anyway. If you aren’t feeling the Black(Chocolate) and White, it comes in a ton of color combinations. Kabuki Pillow by Thomas Paul is a 22″ square pillow of 100% linen. I love the Asian-nature inspired modern graphic. Pillow as art, art as pillow, not surprising coming from HZL by Henzel. Awakening Pillow is a 20″ square cotton blend pillow cover. You may know HZL Henzel by its X Module Rug collection that was introduced a few years back. Pienet Kivet Pillow cover from Marimekko is made from heavyweight upholstery cotton and is pretty well priced at $52.00. Onion Pillow by Wallter Fold is 20″ square and made from wool flannel and boucle. Tuuli, also by Marimekko (they have a boutique in NYC), is heavyweight upholstery cotton and is also available in black on grey. Last but not least is the little Zebra Pillow by Areaware, he’s so cute in a photorealistic kind of way and only $25.

Several years ago I received a postcard from a florist who was part of a design collective. She did beautiful, interesting work. I don’t use a florist frequently, but I always went back to this same designer. As those things go, she became very popular and could no longer handle small orders like mine. So I asked her for a referral, she suggested Krislyn. That was several years ago, but the work was just as beautiful. I still only use a florist on occassion, but I had forgotten about Krislyn until recently. I visited ICON Interiors, a modern furniture showroom in LA. There were these beautiful “permanent” floral arrangements – they were from Krislyn. A few nights later, my husband and I went out for dinner. We passed by Krislyn’s shop and the arrangements were creative, innovative and beautiful. I’m not likely to forget about this special place again.