Another experiment to let sit and age. It may be too much or just enough. There is a lot going on, but the more I look at it, I think it works. However, tomorrow I may want to throw it in the garbage.

Rattan is a great way to add interest, warmth and a bit of sculptural style to a room. I found the vintage bedside table above on eBay... it may actually be bamboo. Because rattan and bamboo are fairly hearty, fast growing plants, they are renewable resources, making them good options when considering sustainability in a design plan. Bamboo and rattan, along with wicker, are typically thought of as the things that garden rooms and grandma cottages are made of, but these natural fibers have gotten a bad rap. You need to have faith in the fiber. A lot of great rattan pieces came out of the mid-century and if you can find vintage pieces you are earning even more eco-cred.

Franco Albini got busy with nature indeed, just look at those chairs. That said, more classic pieces can still offer an unexpected surprise to a room. The juxtaposition of the wicker chairs and Saarinen table works well in the living room below, which was designed by Tom Scheerer. Well, Saarinen tables really never fail, but that is a topic for another post.

Another designer that often throws in a piece of rattan is Angie Hranowsky. A flip through her projects shows that she has got this down. These white chairs keep this dining room feeling fresh where as something more traditional might have been too stuffy.

And below you can see a little touch of rattan with the side table or with a daybed in a different room. Well done, no? The key is to tread lightly and mix it up.

Need more inspiration? How about Emily Henderson's side table or Morgan Satterfield's Albini stools below? You know these ladies have style for days, right.

I'll even throw in my own Albinis below - well, "attributed to Albini" - I've never been able to figure out if they are in fact originals, but I love them anyway. I found these on eBay as well, on two separate occasions. I keep toying with converting them both to the same color, but it is low on the priority list.

All of the sustainable style sources can be found here. The chair in the room is still available right here, in fact. And the chair I used here is still available at IKEA in black or natural. So, vintage or new, you can get your rattan on.

images: Tom Scheerer, Angie Hranowsky, Emily Henderson, Morgan Satterfield

This is a piece I did recently. I have not updated the studio page or store in ages, but I am letting these recent pieces marinate a bit. I still have some more experimenting that I would like to do. Things have been quiet on the journal this last week, but I am busy with various activities behind the scenes. The weather has yet to realize it is spring here in NYC, so it is easy to stay in and work on the cloudy, rainy days. I should be adding some more information on the Sustainable Style Room later in the week too. Coming up will be rattan and recycled aluminum.

Design Week is rapidly approaching - get ready folks. Check out all there is to do, I get tired just looking at the list. I am going with my friend Jill to the LO-TEK Whitney Studio opening and I have a dinner planned with Victoria and a bunch of design media folks which should be fun. Otherwise, it is ICFF and who knows where else I will end up. See you out there!

I have been bookmarking and filing away images of tiny abodes in nature for quite some time, so I really am not short on inspiration. However, buying property can be an adventure, especially when you also have a place in the city, are running your own business and trying to keep all the balls up in the air. Yes, I am a professional juggler. Not to mention there was this thing called the housing crisis. Heard of it? The good news is that it may be more of a buyer's market. The bad news is that banks are not giving money away like they used to. Well, I suppose that is good news really, but leave it to me to find the most unmortgageable properties.

Deal number one fell through when the beautiful wooded lot was discovered to be mostly shale underneath. My engineer could not find a spot for a septic system and advised that trying to get any composting system approved by the county would be a challenge. Deal number two fell through recently when many problems came to light upon inspection and the renovation quote went through the roof - the roof that needed to be replaced. I found another place recently but was told I couldn't get a mortgage without a heating system in place. I spent a lot of time solving that problem and then the seller decided that he'd only take cash.

So, while I am not short on inspiration, sometimes I am short on enthusiasm (and cash, apparently). However, ELLE DECORATION (the UK edition of ELLE DECOR) frequently features small, humble and beautiful homes that hit all the right notes. It puts some wind back in my sails. Given my own apartment, it is no surprise that I am fond of white paint, warm wood and natural textures. I've mentioned before that I want to export this to the country and redo the city space, so I obviously think this lake front cottage in the May issue is fantastic.

It has just enough space to spread out and relax, loads of light, lots of outdoor living and a sleeping loft. This feature is also the cover story, so I put this issue on my bedside table to remind me not to give up the search. Then this morning, while flipping through a back issue of the magazine over breakfast, I saw this space below that was featured in August 2010.

That is about the extent of it. This one room cabin serves as a weekend escape for a family five. It is on the Danish island of Zealand, situated in nature and has no running water. It was a former hunting shelter that was brightened up by owner Louise Jarvad by adding windows, opening up the ceiling and painting the floor. Louise is an artist and therapist (sounds familiar). They cook outside, have built adorable sleeping sheds and baths are substituted by a morning jump in the ocean. In the article Louise says, "I wanted the children to explore a different side of themselves and discover what really is a necessity in life... The more you rid yourself of, the more you have both physically and mentally. You feel freer."

I want to use my place year round, so I will need a few more amenities, but I am drawn to the value in living close with nature. The Garden Project really underlined how time in nature can enhance happiness for me. I am not one to preach, not everyone is going to take to this lifestyle and that is fine, but it is kind of my idea of perfect - and it is what I can afford. So, kudos to ELLE DECORATION for consistently giving us variety and featuring homes that put value not just on a perfectly styled combination of high end possessions, but also the cultivation of style and happiness in homes of many shapes and sizes.

• ELLE DECORATION UK

Playing around some more. Still liking it. What do you think?

Late breakfast, sun streaming in, light a candle, put on some music, lay on the sofa, flip through some magazines... hanging out at home. Sometimes a simple Sunday can be so great.

Look what came in the mail. My lovely friend Kee sent this dress over for me from her line Loup Charmant, which is made up of beautiful organic cotton pieces that you can live in all summer long. This piece is extra special because Kee dyed it with her own hands in her backyard Upstate - very near to where I grew up. I met Kee early on in my foray into sustainable style with fiftyRX3. She was just getting started with Loup Charmant back then and it has been great to see the line take off. Thanks Kee!

This week I found myself in a kindergarten class with 30 minutes to kill - and a supply of scrap paper, scotch tape, markers, glue sticks and scissors. Voilà. Random, abstract art. I think I could hang out in kindergarten again... snacks, naps, lots of art supplies plus blocks and legos. It seems pretty good. I'd pick the kindergarten at The Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs, which is a forest kindergarten where the entire morning is spent out in the woods. Yes, that is what I want to do, hike in the woods, make art, build things, nap and eat... if there was only wine. Then they'd never get me out of there.

Patchwork is a practice born from function and frugality that is almost as old as the hills. When things wear out, take the good parts and sew them together - done. It might have been more popular back in the day when people actually used things until they wore out. In the 70s it was very popular to patch your jeans, but that was probably an aesthetic driven practice. I was the youngest of three girls and had a lot of used denim in my elementary school wardrobe arsenal. And, guess what, if the hem came above my ankle, it was perfectly acceptable to sew a band of some funky fabric around the bottoms of those bells and rock. them. out. I also grew up in Woodstock, NY, so if you couldn't style up some patched bell bottom jeans there, I don't know where you could.

Anyway, you get the idea, patchwork has been around and even as a design aesthetic is nothing new. Overdyed vintage rugs and vintage patchworked rugs have become more popular in the last year or so. They are readily available from 1stdibs to eBay (these sellers have some very low prices, btw) to RugsUSA and come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes.

This chevron rug creates a more chic look than random patchwork. It is from Kush, a Portland, OR based company committed to eco and socially responsible practices. Multicolored is another option if you decide to forgo the overdyed look or you can forgo the patchwork and just get a vintage overdyed rug.

In full disclosure, I have absolutely no idea how eco-friendly the dye is. I do love the hot pink in the Sustainable Style Room though and this green above with the neutral furnishings. It just depends on your room and the vibe you are going for. More neutral tones also work in these spaces below.

There are plenty of options to meet your design needs.

Some of my favorite rugs are from Australia-based Loom... they even have rugs woven from yarn that has been unraveled from vintage kilims. They have such a beautiful selection...

You can check the Sustainable Style page to see all of the sources for the room in one place.

other sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  I wish I could give more credit to the original designers and photographers for some of these images, but, alas, internet images have become republished so many times it is often difficult to find the original source.

Playing around with this a little bit. Liking it.