Flameless Candle Chandelier

{Kevin Riley} is the originator of this design trend, creating customizable one-of-a-kind lighting pieces. His simple yet beautiful designs have inspired a lot of admirers. One of those admirers is {Restoration Hardware} who has made both the {rectangular} and {circular} version of these flameless candle chandeliers.

"The Gardener" Berkeley, CA

Last weekend I went up north to the Bay Area where my family lives and had a wonderful time - reminding me of how much I miss living there. We spent one of the days in Berkeley - walking around and exploring the shops in the 4th Street shopping district. Though it was a pretty small strip of stores, there were quite a few gems! One of these was {The Gardener}. The Gardener was opened by Alta Tingle in 1984 in Berkeley, CA. In 1987 they moved to the current location, into a space nearly triple the size. The second store was opened in Healdsburg, CA in 1998 in a barn surrounded by a large garden. The third store opened in the new Ferry Building in 2003. I was so happy to have stumbled upon such a great store! They had everything from beautiful garden and outdoor furniture and supplies, seeds to plant fruits and vegetables, and even great interior design and kitchen/dining ware.

Alta is a former garden designer and lecturer on landscape design. She is an avid gardener and photographer as well. "The Gardener is a collection of all the things that Alta, through her talents and interests, has learned to enjoy and appreciate in her life - a great pair of Japanese scissors for cutting flowers, the purest bar of lavender soap, a big ceramic bowl for the kitchen to hold the season's offerings - things that before had required trips to nurseries, hardware and specialty stores."

When it first opened in 1984, the collection at The Gardener was the first to recognized that even the most avid gardener lives indoors. They specialize in carrying accessories and furnishings for indoors and out. Each location offers merchandise specific to that location. It is Alta's lifelong affinity for texture and minimal design that has guided her buying. She is influenced by the season, which has always guided the product selection.

I took some photos of a few favorites as I walked through the store and recommend that if you are ever in the Berkeley area, that you stop by and take a look for yourself! One small detail that I thought was really cool were the {Ceramic Easel Placecards} used with one of the table settings

Lamp Sweaters

New EU regulations are aiming to prohibit the sale of non-CFL bulbs in Europe. In an effort to improve the quality of light emitted by CFL as well as the look of them, designer {Lise Lefebvre} from Amsterdam has been knitting these mohair covers using a seamless 3D knitting machine. She also knits a long tail that covers the ugly cables. Due to the low temperature of CFL bulbs, there is no risk of the covers catching fire. The cover comes in different sizes and patterns to accommodate many types of CFL bulbs.

Edison Chandelier

Who doesn't love Pottery Barn? I am a bit obsessed, but was even more excited to see such a cool lighting fixture. This {Edison Chandelier} stood out to me as being very different and unique from what is usually seen in their stores. It was inspired by the work of 20th century designedrs like Adolf Loos, who were drawn to the austere beauty of industrial light fixtures and adapting them for home interiors. They have taken the bare essentials - wires, sockets and bulbs - and raised them up to be a great chandelier.

Ligne Roset Boutique

For years I have been checking out all kinds of concept designs on the web and was excited to hear that {Ligne Roset} opened a new boutique {concept store} (unfortunately far away in Austin, Texas). They are known for their keen eye for talented designers and recently partnered with French designer {Philippe Nigro} to produce his new line of upholstered furniture called Confluences. Ligne Roset is one of the world's leaders in luxury contemporary furniture design and introduced its first concept boutique. They will provide superior quality and design for every aspect of modern lifestyle, from living to entertaining. Consumers will receive the instant satisfaction from their purchases - being able to take them right out of the store. The store layout will evoke a gallery-like atmosphere. Aside from the modular seating by Philippe Nigro, I loved the concept hanging light fixture.

Hemp Pendant Lamps

LOVE these {Hemp Pendant Lamps} found over at {Crafty Nest}, along with the instructions to make them yourselves.

Supplies and tools
- large bouncy balls of various sizes
- clear drying craft glue - approx. 1 bottle per ball
- hemp string 20lb. weight
- estimated amounts needed:
- 16 inch diameter ball—400 yards
- 14 inch diameter ball—300 yards
- 9 inch diameter ball—100 yards
- plastic gloves (optional)
- trash bag or small drop cloth
- permanent marker
- something sharp to pop the ball
- light fixture and hardware

1. Draw a circle on the ball with a permanent marker. This circle will mark a space on the lamp that needs to remain clear of string. The empty circle will be used in assembling the light fixture and will allow you to have access for changing light bulbs. If the light fixture you are using has lamp shades, make sure that the circles are big enough for the shades to easily pass through.

2. Cover your work surface with trash bags or a drop cloth, and put on gloves (this gets messy).

3. The best way, I found, to apply the glue is to squeeze a quarter size amount onto your fingers and run the hemp string through the glue and then wrap it around the ball. The string should stick fairly easily to the ball. I tried two other methods that also worked reasonably well, but were much more time consuming and made a bigger mess. You can fill a shallow tub with the glue and run the hemp string through it, or you can apply the glue directly to the string from the bottle.

4. Glue and wrap, glue and wrap, glue and wrap. Just keep going. Try to wrap randomly to avoid criss-cross patterns. The more densely wrapped the lamp is the stronger it will be.

5. Make sure to avoid wrapping string over the circle area. If there are any areas that seem weak, you can apply a little extra glue to give it more strength.

6. Repeat the steps 1-5 to make multiple lamps. Let the glue dry completely. (The glue I recommended takes about 48 hours to cure completely.)

7. Deflate the ball with a sharp object

8. Remove the deflated ball from the lamp.

9. This part takes some basic electrical skills. Follow the installation instructions that come with your light fixture. While installing the light string, feed the wires through the circle hole of the lamp and up through the top, so that the light bulb will hang down in the center of the sphere.

Bocci

Omer Arbel was trained as an architect in the late 90s - in 2003 he founded a multidisciplinary design studio focused on blurring the boundaries between architecture, industrial design, and materials research. In 2005, Arbel became Creative Director at {Bocci}. His creative approach, prototyping, fine craft, manufacturing and distribution, has led to creating a collection of conceptually driven lighting, furniture, electrical accessories and objects. His work has gained a significant presence and impact within the design community. Aside from the beautiful lighting, I love the new approach to electrical outlets not having the ugly cheap looking plastic cover!

Some Sweet Lighting

I think these are some pretty sweet lighting fixtures, some of which I would LOVE to have in my house one day! The unique forms of glass and lighting are both structural and functional. This is work by {AM Studio} - Architectural Art in Toronto, Canada.

thomaspaul Designs

I found this designer, {Thomas Paul} on the {blog} by {2Modern}. 2Modern works to recognize the works of designers who are supporting our local economies and keep all manufacturing in the US. Thomas Paul graduated from the New York Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in textile design. He got started as an intern for DKNY and then moved on to work for many other designers. All of this eventually led to the creation of the thomaspaul pillow collection, launched in 2001. The line has steadily expanded into other categories, with the ultimate goal being to have products covering every aspect of a home and all including thomaspaul patterns.