The June 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens features the lovely home of designer DD Allen. It’s a casual, comfortable Cape Cod full of lots of character. We think she has exceptional taste, because some of the items just happen to be Paper Cloud napkins and pillows.
Looking at our designs, you’ll see that a lot of our inspiration comes from nature. So this year, we finally got around to creating a place for a small garden, so we can start growing our own inspiration. We planted the garden the first week of May, and the little guys are just starting to pop their heads up. On the menu this year: cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and two kinds of lettuce (romaine and spinach).
How do we keep this all straight– garden signs! But seriously… our garden is only 4′x8′… the garden signs are just for fun. All you need are some markers, popsicle sticks, clear tape (for waterproofing) and decent penmanship.
Interior Designer Jessica Helgerson shows off her sophisticated palette over at Design Sponge, creating a fresh room with blues, greens, and neutrals, and giving a nod to one of our pillows.
Actually it was a trip to Nashville, but we picked up a heaping helping of inspiration from Hatch Show Print. If you’re not familiar with the name, you’re probably familiar with the work. If you’ve ever gone to a concert, county fair, or anywhere else that needs a poster, they may have had a hand in it.
They’ve been making block printed and letterpress posters for more than 100 years. We toured their studio, full of presses, woodblock type, and posters covering every inch of wall space. We even picked up one of their awesome prints. Definitely worth a visit if you’re near Nashville.
On our recent trip to Italy, we went to Santa Croce in Florence (Firenze for all you Italians). It’s a beautiful cathedral full of renaissance art and renaissance people. It houses the tombs of the world’s most notable Florentines, including Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo, and Donatello.
While there, we stumbled upon a small room off to the side of the courtyard that contained a display of prints and posters, some old, some more current. There was a range of works from religious prints to theater posters. We’re suckers for anything hand printed, and these fit the bill.
