Casamidy presents a unique selection of furniture and garden objects. The original designs reflect a modern sensibility while celebrating the artisan traditions of Mexico. They offer an extensive selection of beautiful, over-sized lanterns, perfect for the ubiquitous great room or seaside applications. Visit www.casamidy.com to view the entire collection.

Passionate designer Karim Rashid is best know for bringing his contemporary design aesthetic to the masses. You can’t help but feel the joy and energy in his whimsical creations for the home which he expresses through color and form. “My real desire is to see people live in the modus of our time, to participate in the contemporary world, and to release themselves from nostalgia, antiquated traditions, old rituals…” Simply browsing his website lifts the spirits! His creations include contemporary seating, tables, casegoods and lighting, in addition to many mod objects for your home. Did I mention that he also DJ’s? How cool is that!

The “Ring of Fire” made quite an impact on us at the Architectural Digest Show last month. Artist Stefan Dag has created a dramatic, modern lighting fixture designed to simulate real candles. The minimalistic style of his lighting sculptures is evident in all his designs, from the dramatic “Sea of Lights” fixture to the more subtle “Silhouette” wall sconces. The resemblance to the real deal is striking as the artist has designed the lights to sit above the wax candle not inside a wax sleeve, and utilizes motorized wicks to gracefully replicate candlelight movement. Most of the sculptures have fifty or more lights yet only use the power of two 75 watt light bulbs. The artist reminds us that “the frequency of candlelight is scientifically known to be soothing to human beings”. We just know we love the look and feel. Visit www.candelierart.com.

Greener Grass Design, the hip, new home design resource started by an artisan duo out of Texas, presents an eclectic collection simply based on great design. What a concept!

One of our Spring favorites (it’s gotta be Spring somewhere in this world) is the textile collection from Judy Ross.

Each Judy Ross rug and pillow is hand embroidered using the finest New Zealand wool. The wool is hand-dyed which gives amazing depth and richness to the color. The chainstitch wool runner is made in Northern India by master embroiderers schooled in the traditional trade. Runner is 36” x 72” and retails for $850.

The Clover wool pillow from Judy Ross is available in Spring Green/Cream as well as the reverse color combination. The pillow has a canvas backing and goose down stuffer. 18 x 18 retails for $190.

Enjoy the luck of the Irish all year round with these glam textiles!

This Chicago based retailer has recently added a small but special selection of vintage pieces to its ten year old home furnishings collection. The underlying design philosophy behind Jayson Home & Garden’s Vintage Glam Collection is “rediscovering and thoughtfully refreshing playful, new classics for the modern home”. Some highlights include the retro Director’s Chair in black leather with stainless steel faux-bamboo frame, the vintage Campaign Chest with bamboo detail, and the classic Wing Chair newly upholstered in a mod trellis linen fabric. The Rare Finds section of their website will soon be shopable (now just browsable) showcasing many eclectic pieces from their new container. Well worth bookmarking…

Down to the final four….Microsoft’s Ultimate Challenge; finding the best small business idea in America. The prize: $100,000 in working capital and retail space in New York for one year. Perhaps we’re biased, but we’ve been huge fans of Given Campbell’s custom designed wallpaper since discovering her collection over a year ago. In fact, she designed the groovy chartreuse background of our blinkdecor website! Her business idea is to make modern custom designed wallpaper more accessible and readily available for the end user! Check out her website, Custom Design Projects for the freshest looks in modern wallcovering, and more important, click on www.Idea Wins and vote for Given Campbell! Brilliant concept, brilliant design!