Leather in Marquetry by Loewe

I'm still catching up on the news from Milan last week, but one thing is clear: Fashion houses killed it at Salone del Mobile. Between the Marni Ballhaus Colombian collection, Berluti's dressing stations, and inspiring presentations by Nike, Tod's and COS, there were plenty of fashion/design crossovers to go around. My favorite? The Marquetry in Leather collection by Lowe with its modern take on traditional craft.

Led by Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, the collection involved laying colorful fragments of leather onto furniture for a painterly effect with varying textures. This painstaking marquetry process is informed by traditional bookbinding and woodworking and can be seen in the video below. 

Colored Glass is Having a Moment at Salone del Mobile

Spectra collection by Kukka Studio

Just two days into Salone del Mobile 2016, and colored glass is already proving to be a major trend at Milan's annual orgy of furniture and home design. Some of the design world's superstars are making their marks with the material, as is a fellow Israeli who's won my heart with her luminescent tables.

COS x HAY Spring 2016 Collection

[photos via Dezeen]

Scandinavian superstars Hay (the Danish home furnishings brand) and COS (the Swedish fashion label) have expanded their collaborative line for spring with homewares in tone-on-tone sorbet shades that look sweet enough to eat. The hues of blue, pink and green pair with cork and blond wood accents in the COS X HAY collection comprising furniture, lighting, desk accessories, rugs and more.

South American Pastoral: Art Rugs by Alexandra Kehayoglou

Using discarded wool scraps from her family's Buenos Aires carpet factory, artist Alexandra Kehayoglou hand tufts carpets worthy of a gallery wall. Yet her textured grasslands, glaciers, forests and desert isles—all inspired by her native Argentina—function just fine on the living room floor.

Wave City Coffee Table by Stelios Mousarris

Remember Inception? Of course you do (because no one forgets Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Inspired by the movie's special effects and its most memorable scene, Cypriot designer Stelios Mousarris created the unbelievably detailed Wave City Coffee Table (€4,000) of wood, steel and 3D-printed technology.

Back to School Week: Moving Day with Sactional

[all photos courtesy of Lovesac]

Brace yourselves, Boston: Moving Day is coming! In case the hapless drivers with out-of-state plates weren't forewarning enough, September 1st is nigh and, with it, a hoard of students, their U-Hauls and the endless traffic they create throughout the city. There will be laughter; there will be tears; there will be at least one moving truck wedged under a bridge somewhere along Storrow Drive.

I can't say I'll miss it, but at least Lovesac is taking some of the pain out of moving with its latest product, the Sactional. Read on, because it's a game changer.

Introducing Stokke Home: Scandinavian-Style Nurseries for Modern Bebes

[all photos courtesy of Stokke Home]

Even if motherhood's a little ways off, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate some great kiddie design when it comes along. Brand new line Stokke Home just launched at Stokke.com and in the Boston area at Magic Beans. Featuring modular Scandinavian-style pieces that transform as your child grows, the line fits right in with my clean, modern, aesthetic. Because you know I'm not compromising on style once this hypothetical little one comes a long.

16 Unique Kitchen Island Designs

from top: Live edge island [via homedit] / Simon Pillard and Philippe Rossetti’s Lego kitchen [via Dwell] / Mirrored island [via Jakub Čech]

Well, it took two months of searching, but we finally found our perfect Tel Aviv apartment. Now, of course, it's a manic rush to get the place ready before we move out of our temporary pad on Friday. One thing we'd like to add? A kitchen island. With the kitchen built against one wall, it seems like the best option for dividing the large open living area while adding some extra storage and counter space.

Mr. Catwalk has a cousin here in the kitchen business, so we'll be relying on him for advice, but there's always the wormhole of Pinterest for inspiration. We'll, no doubt, be opting for something that matches the existing kitchen, but these less conventional kitchen islands are too fun to keep to myself.

The Latest from Italian Furniture Maker Driade

from top: Rikka easy chair by Maurizio Galante / Sereno coffee table by Fredrikson Stallard / Megara sofa by Gordon Guillaumier
[all photos courtesy of Driade]

Since Driade's launch of a New York branch in 2013, the Iconic Italian furnishings brand has been on a mission to expand its presence stateside. As of last week, Miami showroom Anima Domus helped to pave the way by launching a partnership with Driade and serving as the line's exclusive South Florida retailer.

Of course, it wouldn't be a launch without a party, and in addition to mingling with Driade designer Gordon Guillaumier and Italy's consul general, party-goers had a chance to check out Driade's latest collection. Pieces on display included the hand-woven Rikka armchair, the modern-classic Serrano coffee table and Guillaumier's sleek Megara sofa (all above), but you can see more from the playful collection below...

Get the Look: Marble & Brass

Last week, I posted 14 glamorous interiors in marble and brass, and I promised you a way to get the look without undertaking a major renovation. Well, here you have it: loads of marble and brass products to adorn both your home and your body in just about every price range. Click on the arrows above to scroll through them all.

17 Accent Chairs in Winter White

clockwise from top left: linen accent chair / rocker / swivel chairs / tufted chair / wood frame nailhead chair / brass leg shearling chair

If you have children, pets or the occasional bowl of chocolate ice cream in front of the TV, turn back now, because there's nothing practical about white upholstered furniture. Then again, there's nothing quite as chic either. Above and below, find 17 accent chairs and lounge chairs for adding a cool touch of winter white to your living space (if you dare!).

The Well-Appointed Catwalk's Top 5 Posts of 2014

If looking back at 2014 has taught me anything about my readers, it's that you're an eclectic bunch. From my very own wedding style and decor DIYs to Indian architecture and flags with a culinary twist, it's seems your love of design is just as varied as my own. So, without further ado, here are the five most popular posts of 2014.

1. Organic Architecture by Robert Harvey Oshatz

Whoever said a house should have four walls? Certainly not Robert Harvey Oshatz. A recent cameo on Portlandia (and a subsequent piece on Houzz) introduced Oshatz's curvaceous Fennel Residence to the public, but it turns out the rest of his work is just as wildly wonderful.
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Reflection Collection by Lucas en Lucas

[photo via Trendland]

Well, I'm sitting in my apartment now as the movers wrap everything up. (We delayed the move a few days so that we could upgrade to business class with points; woohoo!). There's so much I'll miss about the home I've lived in for the past three years and the only one I've lived in with my husband—the coziness, the perfectly pressurized shower, the incredible view of the Boston skyline.

One thing I won't miss, though? The mirrors! Our living room walls are covered in floor-to-ceiling mirrors. While they certainly make the room feel larger, they also make it feel like we're living in the '70s. Plus, the fingerprints are the bane of my existence.

I much prefer my mirrors on my furniture, as in the Reflection Collection by Lucas en Lucas. The Dutch husband and wife team of Sander Lucas and Marijke Lucas-Geurts released the collection earlier this year during Milan Design Week, inviting users to look at themselves from a different perspective.

Our Temporary Tel Aviv Apartment

[all photos via Airbnb]

As I mentioned last week, I didn't find a loft in Tel Aviv, but I did find a pretty sweet furnished apartment for our first couple of months there. Since my husband's company is giving us a generous stipend for two months of temporary housing while our furniture find its way to us by boat, we were able to go all out on this uber-modern three-bedroom/three-bath just steps from the beach.

The only problem? No permanent apartment within our budget is going to match up to the likes of this!

Cobogó armchair by Roque Frizzo for Saccaro

[all photos courtesy of Saccaro]

Brazilian furniture brand Saccaro celebrated the launch of its newest piece last week, designed by architect and furniture designer Roque Frizzo. While the new Cobogó armchair is interesting enough in its own right, the inspiration behind the luxe-looking chair is even more fascinating.

Modern & Modular Rugs by Kinder GROUND

The brand name implies that these carpets belong in nurseries and playrooms, but why limit yourself? Available in a number of unconventional patterns and shapes, I'm thinking this new modular rug system by Kinder GROUND would add some visual interest just about anywhere!

Midweek Covet: Cloud by Richard Clarkson Studio

the original Cloud and, at bottom, the lamp-only Cloud [all photos via Richard Clarkson Studio]

I was saving this for a (literal) rainy day, and today seems as gray and dreary as any. The Cloud, created by New York- and New Zealand-based Richard Clarkson Studio, is an interactive lamp and speaker system that mimics a thundercloud. Using motion sensors, Cloud detects a user's presence and sets off a unique thunder and lightning show dictated by the user's movement. Color-changing lights and a nightlight mode can be controlled by remote, while the speakers are able to stream music from any Bluetooth-enabled device.

This ingenious piece can be had for $3,360, but an equally beautiful lamp-only version is a bit more attainable at $960. Click through to see a video of Cloud in action!

Get a Sneak Peek at the Debut Collection from Hem

from top: Bento dinner table and chairs by Form Us With Love, Bowling bowls by Skogstad, Homstvedt, Anderssen & Voll / Custom shelving by Hem Design Studio / Hai lounge chair by Luca Nichetto, Scribble cushion by Sylvain Willenz, Key table by GamFratesi

From the modern-minded crew behind Fab.com comes a new furniture line modeled on Scandinavian minimalism at affordable prices. With a promise of quality pieces and tool-free assembly, Hem already has a leg up on Ikea. Throw in options for easy customization, and you may never buy another [enter unpronounceable word with an umlaut] again. Of course, Hem doesn't sell $1 cinnamon rolls, so there's that.

Midweek Covet: Invisible Chandelier by Castor

How gorgeous is this chandelier by Canadian Design studio Castor? The Invisible Chandelier, as it's called, takes upcycling to the next level with dozens of burnt-out light bulbs in various shapes and sizes illuminated by hidden LEDs. Made in Canada (to order, I assume?), no two chandeliers are the same.

Such ingenuity will cost you, of course: the 36-inch chandelier goes for $18,000, while the 64-inch version costs $24,750. If you're up for a serious investment piece, the Invisible Chandelier is newly available from 2Modern.

'Excellent Swiss Design' Opens Tomorrow at MassArt

from top: Armchair by A C E Furniture Company / Slow Light by Jakob Schlaepfer / Happy Tears AW '13 collection by Julian Zigerli [all photos courtesy of Massachusetts College of Art and Design]

Ah, September in Boston! The U-Haul trucks have come and gone, and now we have the renewed joy of drunk college students singing outside our windows at 2 a.m. after a blissfully quiet summer. But as much as we like to rag on the dorm-dwelling masses, at least the new school year brings with it a whole slew of cultural events, like the Excellent Swiss Design exhibit opening tomorrow at MassArt.