There's a reason I should have one of these

'villa julia', javier mariscal for magis at this year's milan design week. it's a cardbord playhouse you build and design on your own.

Natural Fibers

I've been experimenting (with some help from Lee and our friend Daniel) with newspaper 'yarn'. I got the idea from Greetje van Tiem when she was featured on Greenupgrader. 

We've made some yarn and then crocheted it with thin, copper wire. I made a lampshade out of our first batch. I'm a little obsessed...

It throws a fantastic shadow and the variations in print color really stick out.

I've been looking for furniture and lighting made from non-traditional materials. I ran across these chairs and lights from Yonoh of Spain made with rope. 

Quality Packaging

When I was in Paris last month visiting friends and attending Masion et Object, I did a lot of grocery shopping. Visiting groceries and fresh markets is one of my most favorite travel activities.

On one shopping jaunt, I found these yogurts from St. Malo. I was drawn to the logo and the packaging: various kinds of yogurt, same logo, different colorways for each; waxed carton tub (vs. plastic!) and foil tops.

At my local market here in Heidelberg, I found another packaging treasure: Yogurt la Fermiére. These yogurts are in ceramic pots with a lovely logo imprint. 

The ceramic pots are made by Cermer. I love to see this kind of quality in product presentation.