Blog Posts by Valerie Rains, Shine staff

Thoroughly down-to-earth interior designer Chloe Warner recently gave Domino a video tour of her feminine and just-a-little-bit funky San Francisco home, and now we're sharing it with you. In the 3-minute clip, Chloe shows off her taxidermy collection, shares tips for mixing (lots and lots of) patterns, and doesn't even try to hide the life-size cardboard cut-out of her husband that she hasn't found a good place to store. Watch it here.

Related video links on Shine:
Because Some of Us Are Visual Learners: Clutter Control
Because Some of Us Are Visual Learners: Displaying Art
Designer Interview with Louise Campbell

Photo Credit: Terrence Moore/Chronicle BooksHaving spent many a childhood Spring Break riding in the back of a van for 12-16 hours in order to reach the ski slopes of New Mexico and Colorado, I have fond associations with the adobe structures that often marked the end point of such an arduous journey. That said, they're not always considered the most modern or versatile in a design sense. The new book Living Homes: Sustainable Architecture and Design (Chronicle Books, $29.95), by Suzi McGregor and Nora Burba Trulsson, with photographs by Terrence Moore and an introduction by sustainable-design expert and Cradle to Cradle author William McDonough, may just change all that. The book's mission is to increase awareness of and inspire the exploration of some of the oldest (and most environmentally sound and efficient) building materials-adobe, rammed earth, straw bale, and recycled materials-and to show them in a variety of stylistic iterations. The 22 homes photographed for the book range from the traditional Nuevo Pueblo to the

Photo Credit: D. SharpAlthough my heart remains with the industrial-looking Wisteria model, D.Sharp's bookcase post last Friday may have made room somewhere near my left ventricle for this honeycomb-with-a-hangover shaped unit by designer Sean Woo. I love the haphazard shapes and sizes of the compartments, and how it would make it easy to lump your books into categories like, "Would definitely read again," "Just keeping it around to look smart," and "Borrowed titles I need to return to friends": So much more fun than arranging them by color. The recyclable, stackable Opus Incertum unit measures 39.4" x 13.8" x 39.4", is made from expanded polypropylene, and can be had (with a little waiting time) for $467 (for the black or white versions; additional charges apply for gray or orange) from Unica Home. [via D.Sharp]
How do you arrange your books?




Great bookshelf-fillers on Shine:
Bazaar Style: Decorating with market and vintage finds
A Guide to Green Housekeeping
American Photobooth

Photo Credit: Julie Haslam via Remodelista...For great product round-ups, surprising design finds (like the grocery-list inspired napkins here), for inspiring our wooden-box debate and for following up with the backstory. We salute you, Remodelista. Scroll down for more pretty pictures from their site.














Photo Credit: Ochre via RemodelistaA London loft designed by the Ochre group




















Photo Credit: Paul Loebach via RemodelistaA Paul Loebach chair with sexy curves

























Photo Credit: Koizumi Studio via Dwell.com via RemodelistaBeautiful, weightless-looking stairs by Koizumi Studio plucked from Dwell magazine
























Related links on Shine:
Blog Crush of the Week: Swiss Miss
Would you pay $220 for a wooden box?

Photo Credit: Chronicle BooksAbout a month ago, I was knee-deep in planning a semi-surprise 30th-birthday party and simultaneously neck-deep in planning the launch of this site. The conditions were far from ideal for pulling off a once-in-a-lifetime affair with handmade decorations and party favors (although I did manage to pull off homemade cupcakes). Anyway, as I was frantically scouring the racks of the local party-supply shop just before the big day, I absentmindedly picked up a shiny-lettered Happy Birthday banner, only to find out when I got home that it was actually a make-your-own whatever-you-want-it-to-say banner. Now, perhaps I am easily excited, but I think this is just the kind of detail that is even more fun to mess with because it flies under the radar. You expect the shiny letters to say "Happy Birthday", and then when they say, "You're a real dinosaur now," or "Hope you wore some butt pads because you're about to get spanked," it's even more subversive. Wait, you already knew about this? Okay,

Photo Credit: Shelterrific/Met HomeNormally I don't buy into the pink-products-for-ladies marketing strategy-particularly when it comes to things you're spending a lot of money on, like digital cameras or appliances-but I was sort of enchanted by this pink water hose by Cynthia Rowley for Target that Shelterrific blogged this morning. It could actually look sort of simple and graphic looped against a plain wall on the back of your house (or shed), and you could also pair it with Pink of Perfection's d.i.y. gardening boots and be the picture of an eccentric (but loveable) movie character all summer long.

What do you think? Would you buy a pink garden hose?



Related links on Shine:
The family that gardens together stays together (well, it's worth a shot, anyway)
Install a window box if you don't want to get (that) down-and-dirty
Pinkberry: another rosy-hued marketing ploy that's not quite what it's cracked up to be (even if it is tasty)

Photo Credit: NightwoodIn case you missed it the first time, Nightwood is an awesome new furniture and design company based in Brooklyn that works with salvaged wood, fabric scraps, and other rough-but-pretty materials. The founders of the company, Myriah Scruggs and Nadia Yaron, also have a pretty sweet house, of which they've graciously let us have a photo tour (and for which they've given commentary). Prepare to swoon.

From Myriah: "[This] was our first apartment after moving back from Los Angeles last June (2007). It is in Clinton Hill [Brooklyn] and we both love this neighborhood so much. We have been in this neighborhood (aside from the brief and terrible stint in Los Angeles) for four years. The apartment itself was a large source of inspiration to do many of the things we've begun. It basically started here. We were on a budget and needed furniture fast. We left everything in LA, so we got creative. The apartment was a godsend and I will never stop being grateful to my landlord for picking us out

Far be it from me to tell you what to buy your dear mom for her special day-or how much to spend-but if your inspiration well has run dry (or your bank account has), here are a few affordable places to start:

Photo Credit: Chronicle BooksExhibit A: If your mom is anything like mine, she sends birthday cards to family members you couldn't even pick out of a lineup. This is a beautiful tradition that deserves to be upheld. Pay tribute with a perpetual birthday book to which she can add new family members as they come into the picture, and check the list year after year. Full-color illustrations of Japanese flowers make it even more inspiring. $9.95, chroniclebooks.com



















Photo Credit: Weego HomeExhibit B: This Porcelain Arbor Votive is bigger than it looks, at 4.5 inches in diameter and ten inches high, and is so sweetly springy. She could use it to hold tea lights or as a catch-all for jewelry. $24, weegohome.com










Photo Credit: 20x200Exhibit C: Ky Anderson's "Many Mountains" 8.5"x11" archival pigment print is gorgeous, seasonless, and modern (without being