Metropolitan Home is being put to bed for good.

I suffered reflux trying to digest the death of Gourmet, one of four Condé Nast publications closed recently. I didn’t sample the food bible much but felt nostalgic about it as an American institution. I only picked up Modern Bride a few times when plotting my wedding. (I had the main prop but needed flowers and a dress.)

Now, achy-breaky heartburn ensues from Hachette’s news about …

Tags: accessories , ad recession , apartments , broadcasting , Conde Nast , Crackberry , decor , design , Donna Warner , Dorothy Kalins , dwell , eco , fabrics , furniture , Gourmet , home , home magazines , journalism students , Kenny Scharf , Magazines , Metropolitan Home , Modern Bride , Northwestern University Medill School , paper , print is dead , remodel , small spaces , sustain

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There’s a sad sight. After they’ve lugged your belongings from one corner of the world to the other and obviously won’t last another mile, the final stop for your careworn companions is the trash. There’s no alternative. It’s a fact.

Nonsense, says the team at Junktion!

If you’re keen to make your life a trashless one (particularly on Tuesdays), there are many ways to upcycle your garbage – but there’s a limit, surely? There are some items …

Tags: art , chairs , decor , design , furniture , junk , recycling , sofas , sustainable , tables , trash

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The sad truth is the carpets that hold up best to traffic are the ones coated with toxins. And we don’t want those in a place where humans dwell.

If you do have a healthy wool carpet in your home, you can still clean it without harsh chemicals like perchloroethylene – which the EPA has linked to kidney and liver damage. Naphthalene, made from coal tar, is also considered a carcinogen that can harm the central nervous system.

Ask cleaning services if they simply steam to lift dirt or …

Tags: baking soda , blotting , cancer , carpet , chemicals , cleaning , EPA , furniture , naphthalene , natural , natural cleaning methods , perchloroethylene , rugs , shoes , sisal , stains , steam cleaning , upholstery , vacuuming , vinegar , water , wool

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The color purple ruled last fall and it’s still raining plums, eggplants and violets in the interior world. From chairs to carpets, pillows and bedding, the deep wine country shade is being harvested in cool pads everywhere.

Here are some ripe picks from the groovy grape file:

Fruitful Folds: Designer Dror Benshetrit should take pride in his Peacock chair exhibited at the recent ICFF 2009 in New York. Designed for Cappellini, no weaving, sewing or upholstery glue was applied to the comfortable lounge seat with a price tag too high …

Tags: bedding , chairs , cotton , decor , duvets , Fall color , felt , furniture , grape , organic , pillows , Purple , rugs , upcycle , wallpaper , wool

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My memories of high school are not what you’d call nostalgic. In fact, you couldn’t bribe me with eco-gifts and organic treats to return and relive the nonsense of it all. Despite the oodles of teen angst, I did manage to graduate with a strong B average while spending most of my time playing sports or hanging out at my locker.

Which brings me to today’s cool, clever décor object of desire. The Basket Locker is made of four found and refurbished locker baskets, colorfully painted and placed in a …

Tags: creative reuse , decor , furniture , reclaimed , refurbished , storage

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“It’s funny how new furniture has a way of restoring people,” says the sweet, pastel-coated spread (above) appearing in online and print magazines.

Why the reminder to hug a couch today?

It’s all part of a $20 million ad campaign launched by Ogilvy & Mather to spur Americans to focus on the bird in the hand, namely homes they now own and can play with even if the economy ain’t recovering and we can’t bid on new real estate.

Decor spending is in the toilet with showrooms hurting and closing in …

Tags: ads , advertising , chairs , decor , design , furniture , High Point , housing , Las Vegas , marketing , North Carolina , recession , showrooms , sofas , sweepstakes

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Sit on the grass; look out at the trees; wake up in the field; float on the water.

These four frolics in nature are woven into the fabric of the vintage French furniture reclaimed by Chair Couture, a delightful contemporary source that seeks to make stuffy, highbrow seating more down to earth.

In salvaging original French antiques for her quirky collection, owner Margaret Elman carefully selects fabrics that fits the mode. She says the recycled polyester or organic cotton used is derived from photographs of nature.

It’s all designed to bring the …

Tags: dandelions , fabric , French furniture , furniture , grass , green , nature , ocean , photograph , polyester , recycle , upholstery , vintage

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Nobody does stools like VivaTerra. I didn’t even know I had a thing for stools until recently, but as I’ve learned, I do. I’m really trying to limit myself to one, but it’s hard. Just check out the selection (fortunately, all are 100% handmade and eco-friendly):

The brilliant Wave stool I’m in love with…could it fit one’s booty any better?

The on-trend Hammered Drum stool. You know, stools are really useful. You can move them around. …

Tags: design , eco , furniture , handmade , stool , VivaTerra , Wave stool

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I’m totally Swede on the Stockholm-based Jantze Brogard Asshoff studio and the thoughtful, elegant designs these craftswomen are producing for both eco function and beauty.

Founders Moa Jantze, Hanna Brogård and Johanna Asshoff strive to simplify their surroundings to improve everyday life.

“We create sophisticated, useful products with a poetic soul and playful character,” they explain. “Our backgrounds from different parts of Sweden will always be a great source of inspiration. We like to mix modern with traditional, folklore with decadent luxury and regional Swedish handicraft with industrial production.”

The results are …

Tags: compost , containers , decor , Dwell Magazine , eco , ecology , felt , furniture , green , modern , Scandinavian , trash , wool

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