Who: Dinah Coops; Seattle, WA

What: Tablemats & Coasters

Where: Dinah Coops -  Tablemats – $35;  Coasters – $12

Why: Looking for a fun and sustainable way to dress up your table? Try these simple, modern and colorful designs from Dinah Coops. She hand silk screens each one with her signature combination of organic images and whimsical doodles. Fun to mix and match colors and prints for an artfully inspired table setting, that would look equally at home on your walls.

And the canvas for this table art is none other than Paperstone, the same material we coveted for our kitchen countertops.

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Who: EnergyHub – New York, NY

What: The Smart Thermostat

Where: EnergyHub – coming soon!

Why We Love ‘Em: Not sure if any of you have ridden in a Prius, but we got to take a tour of Oregon in a Prius through wine country to the coastal sand dunes and along the Columbia River.  Along the way, it was hard not to get caught up in the game of how high the miles per/gallon was particularly the amount of energy we were gaining on the downhill from Mount Hood. Felt like we were able to get better mileage because we were more aware of the amount of energy we were using at any point in time. So imagine if you could monitor your household energy consumption in the same way… Click to continue »

Who: Mod Green Pod – Austin, TX

What: ‘Delight’ Wallpaper

Where: Mod Green Pod – $75/roll

Why We Love ‘Em: Very exciting news – just heard from the gals at Mod Green Pod that they’ve added a new print to their collection of chic eco-friendly wallpapers, and ‘Delight’ may just be our new favorite. Love the colors and the mod/art nouveau graphics of this print. Now just need to convince the husband that this is just the look for the master bedroom… mmm, teal and grey! Click to continue »

Who: Maine Float-Rope Company – Waldoboro, ME

What: Down East Doormats

Where: Maine Float-Rope Company – Large $79.95 & Medium $49.95

Why We Love ‘Em: Penny Johnston is one of our new heroes (and as a fellow Mainer, we couldn’t be more proud!) When she saw neglected barns left for ruin, she salvaged the boards and turned them into spectacular tables. When she saw a need for stone, instead of mining for granite she worked with local Mainers to reclaim stones from abandoned fields and quarries. So it was no wonder that when she learned that Maine lobstermen were being forced to replace their float ropes with more expensive silk ropes she found a practical, economical and environmentally friendly solution.  That just ‘Mainers being Mainers’….. Click to continue »

Who: Plywerk – Portland, OR

What: Plywerk – Custom Plywood Photo Mounts

Where: Plywerk – ranges from $6 – $800 based on size & finishes

Why We Love ‘Em: First saw these on a visit out to Portland, Oregon and were instantly impressed by their streamlined and modern look. Such a great alternative to traditional custom frames.

Plywerk’s custom framing is a sleek and eco-friendly way to display your personal photos and artwork. Simply send them your photos and Plywerk will mount them on their plywood panels. Or order blank panels with a pre-applied PH neutral adhesive to mount your own artwork. Great way to showcase your art. Click to continue »

Who: Stray Dog Designs – Chattanooga, TN

What: Artichoke Lamp

Where: Stray Dog Designs – $625

Why We Love ‘Em: Such a playful and fun accent piece. This lamp has texture, spunk and the carefree spirit of the tropics. Perfect for a beach retreat or to add some color to your room.

Each lamp is handmade by artisans in Haiti and made of papier mache from recycled materials. You can leave the base white or go for a pop of color with your choice of 15 different paint colors, all low-VOC, ranging from the bright Bahaman Sea Blue pictured to a cool African Violet to the sharp contrast of a basic black. All bases are paired with a white paper shade. Other items in their collection are crafted from repurposed tin, glass and even cement bags.

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Who: Reinhard Dienes – Germany

What: Cardboard Bookshelf Dickens

Where: fashion 4 home – $759 $419 w/free shipping

Why We Love It: Looking head on, you would never know that this sturdy, yet lightweight bookshelf is constructed from 100% recyclable cardboard. Who knew cardboard could look so good? From an angle the layers of compressed cardboard reveal a rich texture and interesting design element.

The vibrantly colored front surface is made from SGS certified color-film made of PVC and is comes in black, red, blue, brown, green, yellow and white. Looks great paired with the coordinating sideboard in a contrasting color. Click to continue »

Who: Two’s Company - Elmsford, NY

What: Bar Harbor Knot Door Stopper

Where: Two’s Company – $55 in navy; also available in natural at  Uncommon Goods – $40

Why We Love ‘Em: Must be because it is still the middle of winter up here that we have been even more obsessed with all things nautical. Now if only we had a door that needed propping against a warm ocean breeze, this navy knot would definitely be our stopper of choice. The natural jute fibers are rugged enough for indoor or outdoor use and the 3lb weight of the hefty knot easily anchors the heaviest of doors. Of course, living in a city, we don’t have many doors that need propping, so we’ll be using ours as a bookend. Click to continue »

Who: Kristina Petrovic;  Miami, FL

What: Kafu Coffee Table

Where: Etsy – $1300

Why: This is the coffee table we have been looking for! One where we can neatly stow away our inevitable stack of magazines while still keeping them within arm’s reach. One that’s a sleek mix of modern materials with the thick 100% wool felt (by none other than FilzFelt) set against the smooth finish of the formaldehyde-free sustainable plywood.

Such an innovative design with great interplay of space, great curves, and great functionality. You can display the magazines vertically exposing the titles or on their sides for a more streamlined look.

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Who: spin spin handmade; Melbourne, Australia

What: Linen ‘T’ Towel

Where: Etsy – $21

Why We Love ‘Em: We are complete suckers for typography and have an inexplicable penchant for tea towels, so it was no wonder that this sweet tongue-in-cheek ‘t’ towel caught our eye.  With its collection of hand drawn rendering of ‘t’s in font types Garamond, Hoefler, Kevlar, Mrs Eaves and Caslon… Love this for a kitchen paired with the red ‘t’ towel.

We also loving having fun tea towels like this handy for last minute housewarming gifts or thank yous – simply laying the towel in a basket and filling with homemade goodies for a sweet treat. Click to continue »