Designer Harry Allen’s Brush Vase in White brings back the raw excitement of a blank canvas that I often felt as a child in art class. Of course, that was before I realized that I’m terrible at painting. Even if you are a Picasso of sorts, this vase allows you to put down your brushes and take time to assemble the roses. Your guests will inquire about your eye for design as well as art.

Harry Allen’s Reality Series celebrates a tradition of found art by immortalizing objects that typically pass unnoticed. He dips objects like Rollerskates, nuts, bananas, (even his own hand!), in resin to create a mold. The result becomes art that wins the approval of Marcel Duchamp appreciators. The Brush Vase in White as well as the Bestow Vase/Candle Holder recently featured in NY Times Home and Garden, are both part of this curious collection. For more work by Harry Allen, please go here.

Things to do when you are not looking at fresh new design: watch literal versions of 80’s music videos.

Take a break from design for a moment and make yourself a batch of rhubarb crisp.

Ali’s Mama’s Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:
2 cups rhubarb, diced
2 Tbl flour + 3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange rhubarb in greased baking dish. Sprinkle with flour and sugar mixture. Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over top. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes. Enjoy!

(p.s. Sorry I don’t have a picture of the actual rhubarb crisp to woo you…only one of me eating it. I licked my plate this recipe is that good).

The STAACH Enos Collection Serving Tray reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend this past weekend…this may sound silly, but I proclaimed that I want to start collecting serving trays, cake trays and tiered trays of all varieties. How great would it be to have walls of open shelving with an assortment of trays, or even better, walls of open shelving with amazing food on each tray?! But, the overall criteria with each try is that it has to have character, whether old or new. The STAACH tray draws its character from the fact that it is completely hand made in-house. The simplicity of the form is absolutely beautiful and really puts the focus on the food. Yes, I think I know where the collection needs to start!

View all of the STAACH Enos Collection Serving Trays on DP.

My kitchen gets a lot of use. I cook an actual at-the-stove meal at least once a day (sometimes twice) and I am not neat doing it. I envy chefs who keep their stoves and counters spotless while they sauté. I don’t.

The flip side of this is that I also really love art and I think the kitchen – where people always hang out – is an ideal spot to showcase cool pieces. Fun, irreverent stuff that may look out of place in the living room just feels right in the kitchen.

Nobody wants to ruin their prized paintings with olive oil spray or the after-effects of a particularly steamy mistake. But the kitchen is for cooking. So how to reconcile?

In my case, with distance. I’m lucky to have a big wall far from my stove, sink and counters – that wall is now home to a favorite painting. If your floor plan doesn’t allow you to put space between your art and actual cooking area, look for hardy framing options, go for sculptures or cool mobiles that add interest but stay out of the way.

Or, focus on inexpensive and resilient art – and cook away.

-Kit

Kit Pollard is a Baltimore, Maryland-based freelance writer, market research analyst, stay-at-home mom, and, when she has time, a food and design junkie. She blogs about food, design, and pop culture (among other things) at www.mangoandginger.blogspot.com.

The Fatboy Avenuee has me sold. Ever since my trip to Morocco I have been contemplating adding some sort of pouf seating option to my home but wanted something a bit more modern than the traditional Moroccan pouf. Yay for Fatboy! I love the square shape of the “First Block” for a simple seating option, but imagine combining all of their Avenue shapes together to create a long chain of seating. Fun for a home, great for a communal space like a library or lounge and even better for an outdoor party! It is never too soon to start thinking about warmer weather.

Check out all of the Fatboy Avenue options on DP.

If I were to collection action heros hands down, no doubt about it, the new k studio organic pillows would be it. Her pillows are not just pillows, obviously. They are about as close to true characters as you can get from a hand made piece stuffed with feathers.

If I had to give a wedding present to someone, this would be my gift.

Check out all of Shelly Klein’s sustainable k studio pillows on DP>

Last week at this time while Ali was blowing out her birthday candles…

Sina and his wife were in the hospital welcoming little baby girl Alexa Marie! Sina said he took 29385792875983 photos but I don’t have one to share…yet…

Congrats Sina, Jen, and Sara!

There’s nothing better than visiting someone’s home and checking out all of their personal photos, ticket stubs, fun little scraps of ephemera and memorabilia tacked to the refrigerator door. I don’t even care if I know the people in the photos, it’s just great entertainment from a human interest stand point. In less gentle terms, it’s great fodder for the snoopy snooper that I am.

Photo courtesy of Camilla Engman

That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of the curated collage wall. First and foremost, it’s about the easiest fix for a barren wall screaming for a little design mojo. It requires not much more than gathering your favorite art, cocktail napkins with scribblings, funny photo-booth photos….even great vintage photos found at flea markets can be fun. You’ll also need a few cheap frames (and bonus: they don’t even need to match~ let’s be done with the uniform black frames). Now the fun begins, starting at about eye level begin hanging you’re ‘art’. Don’t stop at eye level. The key here is to place your treasures from floor board to ceiling. The more the merrier.

Photo courtsey of Rachel Robertson aka “Display Lady” on flickr.

Don’t be surprised if at your next soiree the party no longer lingers in the kitchen but rather in your newly curated corner.

-Megan

Megan Arquette is a Los Angeles interior designer, illustrator and blogger of beachbungalow8. She lives with her 1 husband, 2 children and 3 dogs, in a little bungalow by the beach.

p.s. Need more collage inspiration? Check out our Wall Art Guide and our Modern Wall Art Inspiration group on Flickr.

In honor of one of the greatest fashion designs known to man, I have to post an image of my dad in his lederhosen. Random? Yes. Does this have anything to do with design? Nope. Doesn’t my dad look dapper? Absolutely.