alexandra valenti

I freely admit that I'm stealing this from today's Daily Candy. But Alexandra Valenti's decorated horse photographs are too good to pass up.

project nightstand

Arhaus

I'm helping a client give her (already cool and beautiful) house a fresh start after the end of a relationship. I'm having lots of fun finding art to complement her collection—and she's even trusting me to scout out some furniture pieces for her. For her bedroom, she wants new bedside tables. We're still on the hunt for some small enough to fit her space, but in the meantime, here are a few pretty options: mirrored and retro but fairly simple, so they're feminine but not ditsy. I always thought I'd take my own bedroom in the sleekest direction possible—but if we ever get around to redoing it, these could change my mind.

Horchow

Pier 1

Z Gallerie

Lamps Plus (!)

pinterest grab bag

Weego Home

I'm grateful for Pinterest to inspire me when I'm in the midst of a project. These prints turned up in my feed, and their precision and beauty are just what I needed to see.

Z Gallerie

Lovely Sweet William on Etsy

Jorey Hurley on Etsy

monday thoughts (on a thursday): homeward bound

I'm reading Homeward Bound by Emily Matchar. It's a study—researched and annotated, but with a conversational, anecdotal tone—of, according to its subtitle, "why women are embracing the new domesticity." Matchar talks about her own ambivalence toward all things homey and retro, and she explores the cultural forces that led so many women to try a different path from our career-minded elders. Matchar knows this shift isn't only for women; men too are making artisanal pickles and tending backyard chicken coops. Progressive, blue-state hipsters and conservative home schoolers alike are part of this movement. And they all seem to read mommy blogs. (She also makes the case that the "new domesticity" isn't necessarily working; artists and craftspeople who truly support themselves with their work are extremely rare. And the blogs can present an unrealistically rosy and unattainable picture of home life. Is "domesticity" just another way for women to feel bad about themselves?)

I've thought about this cultural movement myself, if you'll forgive the term, and I relate to it: I'm a mother who left work to be with her kids, and now I'm an art consultant who embraces the accessibility and affordability of Etsy. I like supporting (and buying directly from) independent, small-scale artists. So the book (and responses to it, on Etsy and Amazon) is definitely making me think: about mass production versus handmade work, and the merits of each; about the overlap between environmentalism and traditionalism; about nothing less than women's life choices, including my own.

too late for leaf crafts?

Looking over my recent Pinterest activity, I was struck by these images. Our trees are mostly bare at this point—but maybe it's not too late to gather some pretty leaves from the ground and fancy 'em up with some paint and markers.

Of course, there are always sticks around:

philip barlow

Today I'm loving these blurry paintings by South African Philip Barlow. They're so intriguing and mysterious—I don't want to ruin them with words.

tessa horrocks

Tessa Horrocks is a London printmaker. Her intaglio and screenprint pieces are eerie and lovely. And her name is OK too.