If you  have been reading this blog a while, then by now you know about my slightly unnatural undying love for graffiti (see here and here). Perhaps I’m a latent graffiti artist, because I love seeing text transformed into bold art and I’m pretty open to any form of creative expression even if it happens on the city streets. So you can imagine that my heart got all aflutter when I saw these beautiful porcelain tiles. Graffiti might be better on the floor.

Making their debut this year at Coverings, these porcelain tile beauties are a part of the Banksy Collection by Peronda, a Tile of Spain branded manufacturer. For use on wall and floor, they come 17″ x17″ and use digital printing technology to capture actual images of  some of  the world’s best graffiti onto the the tile. ( At work, I’ve been reading and talking to reps about digital printing technology on tiles and I’m fascinated by the realistic look .)

Seriously, I can’t get enough; these are art pieces for your space. I get so much inspiration from seeing amazing materials and right and now I’ve got a billion ideas whirling around my head.  All I need now is the right client!  I can’t wait for that day!

So, my dear readers, I’m off to to work then to start the weekend fun! I hope you have a great weekend! I will be out treasure hunting and exploring the urban landscape this weekend. Hopefully, these tiles will inspire me to look  for unconventional beauty everywhere I go.

Happy Weekend!

xoxo,

Jessica

Happy Monday! I want to wish you a good week. I’m going to to the Bright Star later this week  so I can do a special post today.

I consider myself an eternal student, especially when it comes to issues of design, resources and  sustainability. That’s why,  last Wednesday, when I had the opportunity to pay  a visit GoodWeave USA (formerly Rugmark) to learn more about ethically produced rugs, I practically ran there.

GoodWeave is a non-profit organization that works in two  countries, India and Nepal, to put an end to child-labor practices in the rug industry. At work ,we source rugs all the time and most are constructed in the areas GoodWeave serves.

{the goodweave label}

Since GoodWeave started in India, the number of children affected by child labor has been reduced from 1 million to 250,000. And those children who rescued, are given educational opportunities, that ordinarily they wouldn’t have access to as part of a black market labor force. But there’s still more work to do if GoodWeave plans to corner 15% of the rug market. Designers and Retailers can help with that if we increase demand for ethically produced rugs.

To make it easier to source a GoodWeave approved rug. the organization, has put out a resource guide for the trade that covers different styles of rugs, enough to fit into a number of interiors. Here’s a few companies that proudly wear the label.

Company C:

Malene B:

Florence Broadhurst Handmade rugs:

PS…This rug is being given away in the 2010 GoodWeave raffle.

Because clients entrust designers with their money, it’s really important that it is spent wisely. For me that includes making the best ethical choices possible. The  next time i source another rug, I will definitely be looking for the Goodweave label.

Need a little (more) Fashion in in your life? Well what about under your feet? If that’s a resounding yes I hear, then check out a few of the designer Tibetan carpet collaborations available from Elson and Company‘’s Fashion Underfoot Collections.

Marchesa:

Thakoon:

Stephen Burrows:

Tory Burch:

Other fashion favorites include, Doo Ri,  Peter Som, and Oscar de la Renta (swoon), plus a host of other fabulous designers. And of course the collection comes with another bonus other than your home being impeccably dressed. Ten percent from each sale goes to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. Don’t you just love good design with a heart?

xoxo,

Jessica

I love pretty much everything Patricia Urquiola designs. At this year’s ICFF, I fell head over heels for the line of rugs, called Mangas, she designed for Gandia Blasco.

{images via flickr}

I know that the first pick is a tad blurry, but it illustrates the scale  of the hand knit, cozy quality that I’m just in love with right now.  The second one is a the detail. I’m not sure whether to wrap myself up in it, lay on it , or walk on it. They all seem like viable options, don’t they?

{image via yellow trace}

Mangas is the perfect rug to warm up a modern, minimalist interior. I can’t wait for the client that is ready to put this in their home.

Hi everyone! We made it to the end of another week and hopefully you will get the opportunity to have a bit of you time. Today I have some Fun news. I’m doing my very first Design Wonderland Giveaway courtesy of Rugs USA.  I look at as a thank you for reading and being awesome as well as a fun way to jump start the weekend. I’m giving away this Rug Market Cotton Jersey Shag Rug in White. The size is 20″ x 32″ and super soft underfoot.

{here’s a shaggy closeup of your future rug.}

So how do you win? All you have to do is leave a comment on the this post by Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at noon. Simple, right? I’ll pick a winner at random on Thursday and announce the winner next Friday.

Because of the giveaway I excitedly decided to look for shaggy inspirational ideas. Here’s two that I love…

{images via material girls, elle decor}

I love the texture that shag rugs adds to the floor, be it used alone or layered.  Anyhoo, I have my fingers crossed for you! Good Luck and Happy Weekend!!!

xoxo, Jessica

Alice +Olivia always has a dress that I totally fall in love with.  In today’s case it’s this lovely silk chevron striped dress.

With it’s  navy and white stripe, this one falls in line with my maritime love  from yesterday’s post. Click here for more details about this frock star.

Happy Monday!  I’m back from a quick mini-break to NYC and I’m ready to tackle the week! I really hope your week is amazing and fabulously short (due to Thanksgiving if you are in the US). This week marks the beginning of my favorite time of year and I can’t wait to break out the holiday music this week!

But I digress…back to swooning over design…

Amy Butler’s handmade rugs collection for Chandra are bold, colorful and just dreamy all around. They come in two sizes, 5′ x 7′ 6″ and 7′ 9″ x 10′ 6 and are sure to brighten up any living space. 

{caracas}

{field poppy}

{morning glory}

{chrysanthemum}

I featured just a small sampling  of her wool rugs but is it bad to want them all? Anyhoo, they are available for purchase here.