Using reclaimed or found items to create a focal point in a room can really make your space stand out. I love image below (found on design sponge). The designer/owner created interest by incorporating multiple found mirrors all ranging in size and style.  All it took was a few thrift shop runs to create this look! Its easy,inexpensive and keeps these items out of the dumpster.

Here's a great find from www.dailygrommet.com: 

The end of a tree's growing life is not the end of its useful life by any means. Spencer Peterman from Western Massachusetts can attest to that personally. Spencer spends his time scouring the woods for fallen maple trees that he makes into fine bowls for your dinner table. 

Spencer's spaulted bowls - named for the natural veining or cracking that occurs during the decomposition process - are available in a range of sizes. He also offers spaulted maple salad tossers. All of his products are made from fallen or donated trees - no trees are cut down. Spencer can even make a bowl out of your own beloved fallen tree! 

Today is Blog Action Day 2009, and this year’s topic, selected by popular vote, is climate change. 

If you haven’t heard by now, there is a lot of scientific evidence that the earth’s atmosphere is changing due to man-made side effects of the consumption of fossil fuels.  Along with the atmospheric changes come weather and elemental changes such as melting glaciers and loss of habitat, rising oceans, droughts and loss of potable drinking water, tsunamis and hurricanes.  There is a tipping point, beyond which we cannot stop the mounting effects that will destroy much of the life on this planet.  It’s probably the single biggest challenge of our generation, and may be the defining act of humankind, how we respond to this self-created crisis.  So what can we, as designers, do to positively affect climate change?

Live, work and design sustainably.  Take a serious look at your workplace, your home, and your designs.  Do they incorporate sustainable principles?  Are you taking every possible measure to reduce your consumption, reuse what you have already and recycle anything else in a responsible manner?  Are you considering environmental and chemical factors when selecting products and finishes?  Do you provide a transparent service to your clients and educate them?  Are you educating yourself with the latest information on products, services and eco-design techniques?  (Furnicology.com can help you here!)

If you think the best way to have a green garden is with a huge expanse of lawn, you’re like most people. Lawns are a part of our culture, and are a ubiquitous feature of front yard landscaping. Unfortunately, they also need a lot of water to maintain their lush good looks, and water is a precious commodity in sunny California.

So, how can you maintain your yard’s good looks without that gorgeous lawn? The answer is simple – get creative and go with native, drought-resistant plants.  I was recently inspired by the wonderful landscaping at the Dierberg Winery (http://www.dierbergvineyard.com/) tasting room up in Santa Barbara County. Simple outcroppings of sage and lavender, coupled with rock lined beds and bark, really worked well together.