This past Labor Day I proposed the question to my significant other, “Signifcant other, what would you like to do this holiday weekend?” His answer: “Complete our bathroom makeover.” So we did. ***disclaimer: we like the color white.

Our bathroom had been quite a sore sight…pea green walls, a sink that was cracked and looked a bit like a urinal, a tub with chipped paint, no storage…overall blahness. The ultimate low was storing our bathroom goodies in tupperware containers or plastic bags on the floor under the sink.

So, starting with the sink area we redesigned the space to provide maximum storage within a small corner of the room. The walls were painted white, a new towel hanger was installed and the tub was painted black (this part was done some time ago).

Finally, all of our orphaned toiletries have a home and I can brush my teeth with a peaceful state of mind.

We are pleased to announce that our DP Outlet is open!

I know we have talked to a number of you who felt a little left out with our Bay Area only outlet, so we decided to make the great deals more accessible to everyone in the US.

Here’s the scoop:
• All items are returned merchandise so the majority of the pieces are like new.
• If there are any flaws to an item we have made a note about the condition of the piece under the item title.
• Items are priced 30-70% off of their retail price. Shipping is additional.
• Wondering if we can ship to Canada, Hawaii, or Istanbul? Check out our shipping guidelines.
• All outlet sales are final.

Check out all of the steals at the Design Public Outlet.

Let’s start off the week with a little serenity (now!), shall we? I love this picture from Michael Freeman’s book, Pocket Gardens. It consists of horizontal bands made up of white gravel and moss, which are mounted vertically. Love the pattern, love the palette, love the composition.

These shots show some scrumptious color. I never really thought a yummy snack could inspire a room, but now I realize I was wrong (from flickr member leinestein):

I am loving these green mums from flickr member emma lamb:

Loving these cheerful paper lanterns from the fabulous ninainvorm:

A blue door and a party from veronikanika:

Today I’m enamored with these clean white spaces on flickr. Here’s one from flickr member ivy style33:

I love how the white base has allowed her to do what she wants with accessories – you can mix and match a little more liberally with that white base. Also, I noticed how white is working out for Ivy in the bathroom – so nice and clean, yet it still has warmth. Hygienic yet sterile…ha, just kidding, I’m going to stop with the goofy words now and let the picture speak for itself!

I was just surfing around poppytalkhandmade and saw this AWESOME Shell Rocker Onesie from mimimouse, and I am DIGGING IT! It ALMOST makes me want to have a baby…

Oh, and look! It’s a tea party complete with Panton chairs!

Images from poppytalkhandmade and mimimouse. To order, click here.

Yesterday I mentioned reading an article and I could not remember where I’d seen it. When I picked up today’s New York Times I remembered that it was in the Home section last week. Dan Phillips of East Texas builds homes from the castoffs of others. One of my favorite move was how he made this beautiful ceiling from leftover frame shop samples:

To view the entire article and the fascinating slideshow of his creations, click here.

photo by Michael Stravato for The New York Times

Today is recycling day in my ‘hood. This got me thinking about a man I think of as the ultimate recycler, Mr. Thomas Wold. Thomas has a fantastic feature in ReadyMade where he struts his creative repurposing stuff. The most recent project was inspired by this pile of salvaged pieces:

With a little magic Wold-dust, some Thomasvision, and some elbow grease, this was the result:

Bravo Thomas! To see the whole story and Thomas’s process, I highly recommend clicking over here. As a side note, ReadyMade magazine has always been cool, but lately the content has been off the charts. They feature so many ingenious and do-able D.I.Y. projects, as well as the hip and innovative people who come up with them. I especially love the features on creative types’ abodes. You can get a taste of ReadyMade right here.When I clicked over today, they had a two year subscription for the price of one special! To shop Thomas Wold’s other creations, click here.

Do you have anyone you’d like to nominate as the ultimate recycler? I just read about someone this past week who makes houses from recycled materials that reminded me of Rural Studio and Samuel Mockbee – there was an entire ceiling crafted from recycled framing store sample frame corners. As soon as I remember where I saw it, I’ll provide a link. If you know of any great links to creative recyclers or stories of your own creative recycling, please let us know in the comments!

photographs from Thomaswold.com; first photo by Thomas Wold, second photo by Markham Johnson.

For some inspiration on this fine Labor Day Holiday, I thought I’d give you a last hurrah, via the vivid colors of David Hockney’s takes on California:

The Little Splash

California

Pearblossom Highway

Nichols Canyon

Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica

all images by David Hockney. I apologize for any that are a little skewed; I have an antique scanner.

Don’t start flickring through Carolina Eclectic’s photos unless you have a lot of time to spare. I kept going through until my laptop battery died. Carolina Eclectic is the owner of Carolina Saunders design, and has a fabulous blog here. Photos include lovely shots of even lovlier shops, fun flea market trips, creative designs, her dream homes and more. Check out the images that have inspired her here. Here are just a few faves to pique your interest:

Thank you Carolina Eclectic!