I spotted these in the Daily Candy London edition today and had to share because I think it’s the neatest strangest most odd yet somehow interesting thing ever. Want to work at home but feel the need to break away from the family and the overall home environment? Find that working from home often involves folding the laundry while on a conference call? Maybe you need a home away from home with a Sanctuary Garden Office. True, you could just go to the office, but why bother when you can hang out in your adult play house, aka the sweet little shed in the backyard. No chores to distract you, no television talk shows to interrupt your thoughts, and no more nosey co-workers popping their ugly heads over your cubicle. The best of both worlds, sort of in between.

For a mere 15,000 british pounds (around 28,000 USD) a chic shed can be all yours. Constructed of natural materials and finishes according to specifications, not to mention fully insulated, you may never surface again.

Your honest opinion? C’mon, don’t hold back…

(images from sanctuary garden offices)

Now this is what dreams are made of. Sugarcoated dipped in honey dreams you have of selecting invitations and greeting cards, running the tips of your fingers over quality paper, smelling that fresh paper scent as you crack open a card to pen your words of endearment.

*ahem*

You mean, you don’t dream about cardstock? Oh. I guess that makes me the weirdo in the room.

Combining full color illustrations, quality heavy paper, rounded corners and complementing illustrated envelopes, Felix Doolittle stationery is exquisitely individual and a treat for both giver and receiver. The talented Felix Fu is an artist and visual storyteller from Hong Kong that currently resides in West Newton, Massachusetts (just outside of Boston), creating intricate perfections on paper in watercolor that are not only charming and whimsical, but have a magical element to them. As Felix puts it, “Perhaps it is the flavor of the English influence in Hong Kong blended with New England tradition and a dash of child-like enthusiasm.” Ah yes, Felix just perhaps.

Felix is exactly the kind of man I’d love to visit for a day, observing him as he works in his studio on his many illustrations. What talent!

Please visit Felix Doolittle online for more information and to view his complete line of stationery. The doolittle that does a lot for stationery!

(images from felix doolittle)

I don’t usually write about handbags (I’ll leave that to the fashion experts), but as a lover of textiles and handmade goods, I dared to tiptoe outside of my comfort zone so I could briefly mention Tiffany Pushkar’s Tiny Marie design studio. Tiffany draws inspiration from interior design (go Tiffany!!), sculpture and painting, and creates lovely earrings and handbags that I know you’ll want to get your hands on. Visit Tiny Marie online for more information, great website too!

Thanks to Freshly Blended for the tip!

(images from tiny marie)

There’s something about Red Chair Antiques in Peterborough, New Hampshire that often calls me from my sleep. Maybe I’m drawn because you’ll find nothing that is brand new except for the soaps imported from France. Perhaps it’s the soothing hues of blue and gray (each wall in the store is a different tone of the two), the bright sunny space, the smell of fresh lavender in the air. Could be all the European vintage buttons, dress forms, photographs, keys, coins, chemistry sets, glassware, shells, stamps, letters, textiles, trims, envelopes… All displayed throughout the store so lovingly in beautiful cases and boxes, just waiting for you to comb through at your own laid back New England pace. It’s like venturing into a beautiful attic, without the dust, searching through piles of neatly stacked treasures, gently revealing items that, for very little money, you can take home to love and cherish for years to come. Upon checkout, a nice lady hand wraps every item, using a glue stick to fasten a neatly trimmed fabric square to seal the tissue paper. There’s slightly chipped white enamelware from France and Germany filled with vintage tea towels and fabulous antique beveled mirrors (the frameless kind with the chain) . I wish every town had a Red Chair Antiques that you could visit and enjoy.

If you ever visit southwestern New Hampshire and Mount Monadnock, make it a point to stop by Red Chair Antiques located at 16-20 Depot Square in Peterborough, NH. There’s a few lovely stores in this square like The Shop and Garden at Cross Road (garden store with waterfalls and lots of vintage modern wares for the home and lots of succulents, flowers and plants, along with the quaint Toadstool Bookstore and an excellent eatery next door called Twelve Pine to enjoy gelato, homemade quiche, Mediterranean stew, and other satisfying bites all in a huge restored barn. There’s an excellent descriptive review of Twelve Pine here.

I just visited Red Chair Antiques the other day and snapped a few photos (click on images for a larger view), so I doubt I’ll be heading back up there anytime soon. This weekend, I plan to work on some projects around the house and attend a local Strawberry festival and of course, hit a few flea markets.

Happy Friday everyone, and hello weekend!

(photos copyright decor8 2006)

IKEA sent their press release kit to me today announcing new products due to hit stores soon along with the release of their 2007 catalog in August. Some of these items are already online, others will slowly be rolling out over the next few months.

I’m impressed with their low consoles for televisions, their new sofas, modern line of bedroom furniture available in 4 different finishes, a cool new bed with a rolling storage unit tucked into the headboard, and some of the thier kitchen cabinets that can double as storage units in the dining room or office. I’ve posted photos of some of my personal favorites so remember, check out the IKEA website frequently and click on new products to see what’s available. Have fun!

(images from ikea usa)