Inspiration: Four beds all lined up with matching coverlets look fun with contrasting shams amidst the three shared night tables with matching lamps. The striped wallpaper pulls all the colors together and creates a visual lift from the dramatic horizontality of the beds in handsome alignment.
When the Macdonald boys were captured on oil in their various tartans, it was around the year 1749.
Click on the photos for Martha's directions.
National Geographic has just completed its second annual study on personal choices toward making the world more sustainable. Working with GlobeScan, an international polling company, the results are presented as their Consumer Greendex.
Discovering beauty and wisdom in simple forms that use minimal resources. Enabling people around the globe to generate and share wealth. Powering the world with clean energy. As designers tackle these concepts with new products or prototypes they help us address globally relevant social and environmental issues.
Not surprisingly, the boldest and brightest hues were winners last week in Benjamin Moore's contest for best use of color in architecture and interiors. A lifetime achievement award was presented to the NY design team of William Diamond and Anthony Baratta. Above, an entryway in Captiva, Florida, by Diamond Baratta Design.
Need a little archaeology fix today? Take a stroll on Google's Street View of Pompeii and don't worry about the crowds of tourists, your passport or the exchange rate. The 360 degree panoramic street-level service of Pompeii is so fascinating to visit, you'll probably want to make several excursions.
Strawberry Hill, the 18th century summer house of Horace Walpole was undoubtedly an exuberant experiment in Gothic revival. In 1748 Walpole purchased the house built in 1698, and set out to make "a little Gothic castle" with the help of 2 talented friends, referring to themselves as a Committee of Taste. In several phases of improvements over 30 years the house grew and changed. There did not seem to be a fixed plan and additions were made based on loose interpretations of earlier baronial architecture he admired, as the chapel at Westminster Abbey and engravings of chimney pieces from early churches.
Gothic became a popular architectural theme in the nineteenth century, perhaps in part because of Walpole's Strawberry Hill. What was unheard of in his choice of blending and recreating ancient styles and details of various periods has now become common for draftsmen and builders of new suburban construction and developments of mini mansions marketing grand traditional homes.
Fortunately, Walpole's writing, many of his collections (over 4,000 were displayed in his home for tours during his lifetime), architectural drawings, engravings and the house itself survive to visit and enjoy.
Images of Strawberry Hill courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library collection at Yale University, top to bottom: The Tribune, 1789; View of the Great North Bed Chamber, n.d.; The Great Cloister; Sketch of the Gallery, 1759; The Round Drawing Room, n.d.
Begonias aren't getting the attention they deserve. Every once in awhile I'm struck by a beautiful flower and am pleasantly surprised to find it's a begonia variety. In Brussels, every other year, for one weekend in August, the cobblestone paved Grand Palace market square is transformed into a flower carpet spectacular. What do they use? Why begonias, of course.
With Easter almost upon us, here are a few baskets to enjoy. Cheery daffodils and moss are joined by little chicks for a sunny tabletop landscape above, while the monochromatic greens of the basket below offer a more sophisticated take. At the bottom, the paper basket crafted from a lunch bag offers the simple elegance of nature and resourcefulness.
All images are from Martha. See more beautiful ideas here or click on the images.
Here are 3 easy ideas to add to your repertoire of spring holiday decorations and centerpieces. They are all from Martha, of course.
I am definitely going to do this one. I'm quite certain all the materials needed are on hand.
The delicately dyed lavender egg shells with tiny blossoms are so sweet. They would look lovely in a cluster or at each place setting.
Here's a little inspiration for your dream garden (and climate) -
There are few possessions I treasure as much as my whistling kettle. I bought it when we were living in Italy and splurged to have an Alessi kettle to call my own. We had a very efficient and modern European kitchen with a tiny 4 burner hob. The kettle was the perfect size.
Imagine stepping onto a New York city subway car and entering the visual delights of a Dutch collector's salon. Take the S shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square before March 4 and you can experience the fabulousness for yourself. Mahogany wainscoting, damask wall covering, paintings by Dutch masters, even ceiling medallions and tufted seats have all been thoughtfully faux furnished to invite you away.
Brighten up your winter with a new tropical color combination or two. In this inspirational rethink of a simple chandelier, the fixture was painted a cheerful canary yellow and the shades were re-covered in contrasting wallpaper patterns of pink, yellow and red. Pink trimming on all the shades adds a dash of style and subtly pulls the various papers together.
In this photocollage from the 1860s, the artist painted the interior scene and added photographs of 14 family and friends (including the pooch) to liven things up a bit. 
German born artist Horst Glasker is not only a painter. His art includes his music, performance, sculpture, installation, and architecture. This project of color, architecture and words was created in 2006 in Wuppertal, Germany on the Holstein, steps built in 1900. It is called "La Scala" the Italian word for stairs.
It's winter alright and no one is going anywhere. There is so much snow outside, the entire town has just called it another day off. After the second big snowfall this week, even the sturdiest snow shoveling enthusiast might feel a tad overtaxed.
With advances in photography in the mid nineteenth century, sharing and swapping inexpensive photo booth style portraits became so popular it was called cardomania. The availability of photo portraits inspired amateur watercolorists and artists in the 1860s and 1870s to include cut outs of these images and insert them onto scenes or create scenes around them.
Ever since I saw the goldfish trash bags, I've been feeling nostalgic for the little swimmy pet that entertained us in his traditional goldfish bowl in the kitchen of my childhood. Maybe goldfish, real or imaginary, are making a comeback through industrial and home design? Where will we see them next?
Stylistas are going wild for zig zag rugs this season. There are many designs to inspire a clever and patient frugalista (or frugaliste) to make her/his own bold design underfoot. 
