I am a defiant modernist. Le Corbusier, Mies, Schindler, Neutra - I gave them my heart years ago (and my last boyfriend accused me of having a fear of commitment!). As my life and my choices have turned a lovely shade of green, these two sensibilities have naturally melded into one. It's fairly easy to … Continue reading Modern Balance
Category: Shelter
Create a New Kitchen With Old Glass
If remodeling your kitchen sits on the top of your most-wanted list but on the bottom of your most-affordable, I am here to suggest an option that will give your kitchen a fresh little boost for the spring season. It's easier than you might think. And it's recycled. Adding new hardware to your kitchen cabinets … Continue reading Create a New Kitchen With Old Glass
The Proof Is in the Pillow
This past weekend the clocks jumped ahead and stole an hour right out from under us. One hour of precious beauty sleep - poof, gone! As I set my clocks ahead on Saturday night, I pondered the necessary adjustments - loss of sleep, waking in blackness, longer evenings. Then I crawled under my duvet and … Continue reading The Proof Is in the Pillow
Sink Your Toes Into Shaggy Bamboo
Some fashion and design trends of years past should be left well enough alone. They had their moment in the spotlight, their five minutes of fame or maybe they were just a one hit wonder. But now they're just old and so very outdated in my humble opinion. The problem is, such trends always seem … Continue reading Sink Your Toes Into Shaggy Bamboo
Save a Tree, One Gift at a Time
Are you tired of showing up to a dinner party with the usual hostess gift - a bottle of wine or basket of soaps or bouquet of flowers? Or maybe one too many times you've forgotten about getting a gift at all, until 30 minutes before the party starts? Whatever your gift-giving dilemma, this pretty … Continue reading Save a Tree, One Gift at a Time
Not Your Mama’s Wallpaper
As recently as 10 years ago, if you said the word "wallpaper" I had visions of orange shag carpeting and my mother on a stepladder with a plastic bucket of gloppy paste. That toxic and tres passe technique would never be found on the walls of my home. But today that same technique has become … Continue reading Not Your Mama’s Wallpaper
Countertop Composting
Why throw away bits and ends that can be used to fertilize your lawn and enrich your garden soil? Almost any organic material can be used - composting is a spectacular way to recycle kitchen and garden refuse. Composting can seem a serious endeavor, not for the faint of nose or easily distracted. Why? Because … Continue reading Countertop Composting
Green Clean Your Home into Spring
I trudge through winter - the rain and cold and dry skin - with as much enthusiasm as possible for someone whose fingers go numb walking from my car to my front door. That isn't to say I don't enjoy the coldest season of the year - the cashmere sweaters and warm fireside snuggles - … Continue reading Green Clean Your Home into Spring
Eco-Friendly, Organic Linen Spray
I've been doing a lot of business traveling of late and my sense of smell is on overload. Maybe I'm becoming more sensitive, or maybe even the best hotel room can turn musty and stale over time. Opening the sliding glass door to the balcony is a lovely option during summer months in California, but … Continue reading Eco-Friendly, Organic Linen Spray
Waste Me Not
Valentine's Day cards and chocolates make me think of one thing, and it isn't love. All the paper and plastic wrap and commercialized waste! I prefer not to participate in it, and now I don't have to. Instead, there's this precious, eco-friendly and handmade gift made of twigs, delicately tied together and shaped into a … Continue reading Waste Me Not
A Couch Case
I have been in the market for a new sofa. The navy blue, "transitional" IKEA purchase (did I just admit that? Oh dear.) had more than worn out its welcome by more years than I care to admit. You'd think this would be a fairly simple process, especially for the self-proclaimed strategic shopper that I … Continue reading A Couch Case
Lavender Eye Candy
In the last five years or so I've become a firm believer in naps. (A fact that baffles my parents who vividly remember pleading with their 3-year-old daughter to come inside for "quiet time", so-called because the word nap sent me into a fit.) Maybe it's my busy schedule or dare I say my age, … Continue reading Lavender Eye Candy
Decorative Days and Sweet-Scented Nights
Pillow acquisitions are not always appreciated by the male of the species, but the aspiring designer in every woman knows how a simple switch of pillows can reinvent an entire room. I have dozens: standard sleeping pillows, square throw pillows, Euro sham-covered pillows, boudoir pillows, floor pillows, cushions, rests, stops. Pillows give us a quick, … Continue reading Decorative Days and Sweet-Scented Nights
Your Own Personal (Portable) Luau
I'm certain you've seen it - the generic cartoon character with wide eyes and a light bulb next to its head. The image fairly screams "I've got a bright idea!". Imagine that, but stylish and eco-friendly, and I'll show you the Luau Portable Lamp designed by Vessel for $199. A lighting solution that works inside … Continue reading Your Own Personal (Portable) Luau
The Staples of Modern Life
It's the irony of the universe, that when you really need a staple-remover all you can find is a stapler, and vice versa. I usually resign myself to attacking said staple with my fingernail, even with the scolding clucks of my manicurist running through my head. Now, I don't actually cry over broken nails, but … Continue reading The Staples of Modern Life
Kim Derby 
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