Smiling now? If you know the Swedish couple’s work, you can’t really help yourself. Bengt Lindberg and Lotta Glave are a design team admired for their playful and practical home and personal accessories.  Their respect for Swedish folk traditions, their lively sense of humor, and the strength of their personal and professional partnership is evident […]

Sweaters wrapped in warmth, style, and tradition In Norway, where the winter weather forecast consistently calls for cold, followed by long periods of colder, it’s no surprise a company that makes exceptional knitwear would thrive. Dale of Norway, founded in 1879 as Dale Fabrikker, is Norway’s premier knitwear manufacturer. This woman-owned company has spun multiple […]

Wedding season is almost here! I always look forward to being a part of wedding celebrations and watching the smiling couple enjoy their big day. Choosing a memorable wedding gift and wrapping it with style is part of the fun. While I often try to select an item from the couple’s wedding registry, sometimes a step […]

From the moment I experienced products by Graf Lanz, I was intrigued and infatuated — first with the texture of the soft Merino wool, then by the simple perfection of the designs. Where did these stunning pieces come from? Who made them? And can I buy them all? I decided to dig deeper. Holger Graf […]

A fresh year is finally here. And we are thinking about products we expect to take off in 2017. The products we selected were released previously, but they have yet to receive the attention we feel they truly deserve. There is plenty of modern style, exceptional comfort and functional technology to go around in 2017! […]

  Stick Vega is all about the “boom.” The gunpowder artist from Madison, WI, draws inspiration, and a mildly perverse thrill, from the intentionally uncertain act of putting fire to fuse. Each time Vega “blows something up,” he says with a spark in his eye, it is an act of art and faith. Using layering and […]

I’m not sure when I acquired my love of dressing the dinner table but it began before I hit double digits. My mom would take down our special-occasion dinnerware (until I was big enough to reach it myself), tell me where she wanted everything placed on the table, and then set me free to complete […]

It’s that first cool day of September that brings back all of my favorite Fall memories. I step outside first thing in the morning to discover the air temperature is about ten degrees cooler than expected. The humidity has dissipated. And I feel compelled to take a deep breath of that fresh, cool air. I […]

When I think of parrots, I think of tricks and mimicry. (Except for the feathered “performers” that I used to watch on Johnny Carson’s version of The Tonight Show that, despite copious cheerleading from their handlers, would invariably sit at Johnny’s desk like brilliant pieces of taxidermy.) But when I listen to Parrot’s Zikmu system, […]

Nothing makes me more aware of the fact that the long winter months are quickly approaching than the first snowfall! Personally, I need a color change to make it through the dark months. The bright colors and bold graphic of Marimekko have become my latest inspiration. Here are a few tips when playing with patterns […]