Who: Inhabit – Indianapolis, IN

What: Mum Hand-Tufted Wool Rug

Where: Inhabit – $142+

Why We Love It: Come middle of January, we are ready for change of scenery inside and out. Something to offset the drabness of winter, and this mix of poppy red, soy, amber, looks beautiful against its cool grey background – and has us feeling much more optimistic about the color grey. It’s not often that you see these colors in combination, so it adds a little bit of the unexpected to any room in your home. Varying loop pile heights add texture and dimension.

Inhabit’s collection of area rugs are hand-tufted from hand-dyed 100% New Zealand wool. The construction is performed by artisans and craftsman using techniques handed down from generation to generation creating an heirloom quality result. And they come GOODWEAVE USA certified which means their rugs are child-labor-free.

Available in a variety of color weaves, patterns, and sizes.

Who: Fort Standard – New York, NY

What: White Blocks

Where: Fort Standard – $85

Why We Love It: For the grown-up who never outgrew playing with blocks, or for the kid who prefers a more sophisticated toy, this artfully designed set from Gregory Buntain and Ian Collings of Fort Standard challenges block-building abilities of kids of all ages. Whether played as a game in the vein of Jenga or as personal pursuit, these faceted blocks add an interactive element to your coffee table or bookshelf. Both decorative and entertaining, we like the idea of leaving your creation on display or corralling the blocks in a decorative bowl awaiting the next architect.

Each piece is made from salvaged hardwood scraps collected from local Brooklyn furniture shops and finished with a non-toxic white paint. The 10-block set comes packaged in a handy silk screened cotton drawstring bag.

Who: Suki Cheema – London, UK

What: City Wall Throw

Where: Design Within Reach – $298 $178.80

Why We Love It: Suki Cheema, a former print designer for Diane von Furstenberg, is celebrated for his globally inspired textiles and blending traditional weaving techniques with rich colors and inspired patterns. Taking cues from the brick-and-mortar fort walls built by the Maharajas, the City Wall Throw features a patchwork of patterns in black and white that would be right at home in a modern, casual, or traditional living space.

Cheema works with local artisans in India to execute his designs (the Indonesian collection of throws is our favorite – still trying to track down the Taquile Black/White Throw – love). The City Wall throw is handwoven of 100% cotton with all-natural dyes.

Who: Deger Cengiz – New York, NY

What: Dino Desk Lamp

Where: Voos – $220

Why We Love It: Created by architect and industrial designer Deger Cengiz, this quirky lamp is certainly a one of a kind and definitely the only lamp we’ve ever seen covered in all natural wool felt. Swoon. It’s the perfect blend of fun and function.

It makes our desk lamp seem so one dimensional. With the Dino, it’s like having a comforating pet in the office, one that can nurture a plant or protect your pens and hidden snacks, all while providing light where you need it most courtesy of a flexible neck. And it’s not needy like most pets; a single, long-lasting LED bulb will keep this little guy happy. (Yes, we’ve turned a desk lamp into a pet, but come on, how can you not?)

Available in grey, red, or green.

Who: Nest – Palo Alto, CA

What: Nest Learning Thermostat

Where: Nest – $249

Why We Love It: The Nest Learning Thermostat is the iPod of the thermostat world; revolutionizing an oft overlooked object and making it smarter, sleeker, and well pleasing to the eye. And it’s no wonder, the Nest was designed by former Apple engineer, Tony Fadell, who was instrumental in the design of the iPod and iPhone.

But the real beauty of this programmable thermostat–other than it’s sexy design–is that it reacts to your behavior to create an energy efficient plan for your home. Over time, the Nest automatically adjusts the temperature settings based on your daily routine to create a schedule that conserves energy without compromising comfort, and, without you having to lift a finger. Unexpected cold front? Access the Nest on the road with your iPhone or through the Nest website, so you can be sure your house is warm and toasty by the time you reach the front door. When the Nest Leaf icon appears on the dial, it indicates that your current settings are saving energy and consequently money. Quite clever.

Who: KeepCup – Fitzroy, Australia

What: KeepCups Reusable Mugs

Where: Amazon – $10+

Why We Love It: New Year’s Resolution No. 4: Embrace reusables. Santa was good to us this year and dropped this fabulous little to-go cup in our stocking making this resolution a breeze. The easy-slide spout and sealable top keeps spill to a minimum and the color combinations are just fab! If given all the options and if can’t find combination that delights, design your own custom cup at Keepcups.com.

Your neighborhood barista will appreciate that the cups come in standard coffee shop sizing and fit with their machines, so whether an espresso, latter, or americano is your drink de jour, there is a cup to fit. For those who are creatures of habit, simply mark your preferences on the embossed silicone band and hand it to your barista.

Made from lightweight, BPA-free plastic and silicone they are dishwasher safe, microwaveable, and splash proof.

Who: Cocoon Fires – West Palm Beach, FL

What: Aeries Black Hanging Fireplace

Where: All Modern – $2,990, varies with options

Why We Love It: New Year’s Resolution No. 2: Save money… so that we can splurge on this totally unique, amazingly cool hanging fire place. Added bonus of investing in a statement item like this – ambient heat and a no-one-else-has-this conversation piece, the hard part will be figuring out where to put it. The Cocoon would be a great accent for an open living room (it rotates 360 degrees, so you can spin it towards the dining room, living room, or kitchen!), in a bedroom for a touch of romance, or next to one of those giant sculptural tubs in your dream home…

And you won’t have to chop any wood to get this fire started. This sleek carbon steel fireplace runs on ethanol–a renewable resource derived from plants like corn, wheat, barley and sugarcane, and burns cleaner than wood. And with little to no emissions, you won’t need to install a flue to run your Cocoon fireplace.

Who: Core Bamboo – New York, NY

What: Mortar + Pestle

Where: Macy’s – $24.99

Why We Love It: In this fast food world we live in, it’s good to take a step back and celebrate the ritual, the flavors, and the health benefits of a home cooked meal. As food critic, Mark Bittman, will attest, it doesn’t necessarily take much longer to prepare a thoughtful meal and you may find the ritual of cooking to be quite satisfying, more so, perhaps, than the meal itself.

Maximize flavor by grinding whole spices, fresh herbs, garlic, and more with this functional, durable, and colorful mortar and pestle. A traditional tool with a modern pop, it’s hand-crafted from 100% organically grown bamboo and comes with all the benefits of this fast-growing plant–it’s naturally antimicrobial and it’s one of the strongest yet lightest materials around. Core Bamboo uses food-safe water based adhesives, natural oils, and lacquers made from natural cashew trees.

Who: IZOLA – New York, NY

What: Izola Numeral Toothbrushes

Where: Amazon.com – $9.61

Why We Love It: Who says you can’t buy a toothbrush just for its looks? These lovely toothbrushes are made from renewable bamboo and go perfectly with any bathroom decor. Coordinating toothbrushes is just too precious and no longer solely designated to the pages of a magazine.

Each toothbrush has a numbers engraved on it which serves as a useful reminder about when its time to replace your toothbrush (it’s Q4, so on to brush No. 4!) or to designate one to housemates or guest so you’ll know whose is whose. You’ll dentist would certainly approve.

Also loving Izola’s new Practice Conservation Laundry Bag due out soon–it’s got with the instructions for eco-laundry care conveniently printed on the side.

or for grown-ups like us who may be slightly enamored with alphabet posters…

Petit Collage – $50/$120; fun factor: key on bottom with all the animal names. elements: hand-printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper; maple hardwood frames handcrafted in the U.S.A. with a no-VOC finish.

Nature Alphabet Poster by Children Inspire Design – $28/$40; fun factor – 26 cute and colorful critter collages; elements: printed on New Leaf recycled card stock with soy inks; packaged with recycled materials.

Animal Alphabet by ModernPop – $38; fun factor: multiple fonts with a splash of retro kitsch; elements: printed on radiant white watercolor paper with vivid color reproduction and archival pigment inks.

Letterpress Alphabet Poster by sycamorestreetpress – $35; fun factor – tangerine and aqua!! ; elements: printed by hand on a vintage letterpress with soy ink and 100% cotton paper in Utah.

Alphabet Signed Print by Alfabetika – $38.89; fun factor – goofy letter characters. elements: made in Paris; 5% of purchase is donated to UNICEF.

Strawberry Luna – $18 each, or 3 for $40; fun factor: a cute way to display babies initials; hand printed with grey water based acrylic inks on archival, cotton rag Stonehenge papers.

Alphabet of Design Classics – $50; fun factor: for the modern design obsessed! elements: digital print on matte finished digital paper glued to heavy stock black mat cardboard by hand.

The Penny Paper Co. Alphabet Print – $15 ; fun factor: add your name at the top and choose your color palette. elements: printed on photographic archival paper for the brightest of colours and longevity, fits in an IKEA Ribba Frame.

Colorful Modern Alphabet Poster by KimsCustomGifts – $ ; fun factor: playful, colorful icons and you can change any or all of the colors. elements: purchase the digital file and print it yourself or pay to have them print it for you.

Animal Alphabet by englishmuffin – $30; fun factor: boxes full of color, animals, words and letters, oh my. elements: printed on a heavy weight 100% recycled paper with a matte finish, using archival inks. fits in pre-matted IKEA Ribba frame.

Modern Alphabet Print by Grace Hester Designs – $ fun factor: cool graphics in an unexpected blue, brown, and green color palette. elements: printed on archival-quality photographic paper with a lustre finish for longevity.