Memphis-Inspired 'Super' Notebooks by Write Sketch &

from top: Super! Confetti / Super! Joy / Super! Sprinkles / Super! Squared

If you keep up on design trends, you know that all things Memphis are back in a big way! So it goes with Write Sketch &'s very first collection of Italian-made notebooks. A tribute to Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini and other members of the Memphis Group, Write Sketch &'s Super Collection is comprised of four notebooks, each sporting two different cover designs and each as brightly colored and hectically pattered as the next. 

Culture Lab Design Pop-Up Pairs Renowned International Designers with Detroit Artisans

Recyled Hanging Tire Planters designed by Kelly Behun and made by Cass Community Social Servies. Photo by Marvin Shaouni. / Ceramic Disks designed by David Stark and fabricated by Victoria Ashley Shaheen. Photo by Susan Montagna.

You know by now that I normally keep local coverage to my dual hometowns of Boston and Tel Aviv, but when a city with as blighted a reputation as Detroit is doing something amazing design-wise, it deserves some recognition! Enter a soon-to-be-released line of products by Culture Lab Detroit, an organization fostering conversation and collaboration between Detroit and the international design community.

Named Culture Lab Design, the product line has a "green space" theme that includes planters, vases, lighting and even a set of gardening overalls produced by internationally renowned designers in collaboration with Detroit artists, businesses and manufacturers.

The design teams participating in the project are David Stark with Victoria Ashley Shaheen, Kelly Behun with Cass Community Social Services, Estudio Campana with Todd Erikson, Sebastian Errazuriz with Samuel Arambula at TechShop, and Paola Navone with Andrew Ward at Line Studio and makers at Detroit Denim and Detroit Sewn.

Native Fashion Now at Peabody Essex Museum

All photos courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum. See captions below.

In these days between Columbus Day and Thanksgiving, we've all hopefully been reminded of Native Americans' vital role in history. But the role of Native Americans in today's society? That's a topic that is far too often overlooked.

Beginning on November 21, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., is shining a light on modern Native design with Native Fashion Now, the first large-scale exhibition of contemporary Native American fashion. Through nearly 100 garments and accessories by more than 70 indigenous designers, the exhibit will reveal how Native artists are breaking boundaries with designs that go far beyond expectations of buckskin, feathers and fringe.

One Fifth Avenue by Tamara Magel

Sleek, modernist and glam aren't the words that usually come to mind when I picture "Parisian farmhouse" style, but call it what you will, Tamara Magel, because your latest project is giving me all the feelings! 

Designed for a Manhattan power couple as their first home together with their baby, the elegant but previously outdated unit at One Fifth Avenue was filled with dark artwork, furniture and floral tapestry. Magel renovated the place from the ground up with chic herringbone floors (my favorite!), classic black trim, clean white walls and artwork commissioned by her long-time friend, Peter Brockman.

Designer Discovery: Gudrun & Gudrun

[all photos via Gudrun & Gudrun]

Speaking of knits, there's nothing more ethereal than the stunners I came across from label Gudrun & Gudrun. Founded on one of the 18 tiny Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway, it's no surprise that Gudrun & Gudrun does traditional Faroese hand knits beautifully. But it's the avant garde designs that have grabbed a hold of me: mohair and alpaca open weaves that seem more suited to the streets of Paris and Stockholm than the hills of rural fishing villages.

Giveaway: Win a $150 Minted Fabric or Art Print

Minted has released its latest trend report, showcasing its original art prints and home fabrics against fall's runway trends. Swoon! I just love a good design crossover. Patterns swing from bold and abstract to nature-inspired, and like all Minted designs, each is created by an independent artist from one of 40 countries around the world. With designs unique to the online marketplace, and loads of printing and framing options, these are prints (and fabrics) that are a serious cut above.

But here's the best part: I'm teaming up with Minted to give one reader $150 toward any Minted art print or fabric!

Caterpillar House and Butterfly House by Feldman Architecture

Butterfly House [photos by Joe Fletcher Photography]

It hasn't rained here in Tel Aviv since sometime around March. Seriously, not a drop. It's not a drought; it's just how things work in this part of the world. But in California, where droughts are now the norm, water preservation has become a key feature in architecture, and two homes on the Saint Lucia Preserve in Carmel have done an exquisite job of addressing the problem.

Completed by Feldman Architecture in 2011 and 2012, respectively, the Caterpillar House and the Butterfly House are two representations of the same species—both custom-built, sustainable homes that harmonize with their natural and biodiverse surroundings. The homes are two of just 300 built on the preserve, which spans 20,000 acres.

Let's work backwards from the Butterfly House's three separate pavilions. Topped by expressive roofs, the design is inspired by butterflies alighting on a meadow.