Who knew that Julianne Moore was a closet budget decorator? In the new issue of Domino, the actress explains how she transformed a friend’s apartment for $15,000. What I love about this story is that it’s so accessible — most of the pieces are from stores we can all shop from like Crate and Barrel, Urban Outfitters and Ikea. Yes, there are some pricey collectibles sprinkled in, but the before and afters offer some genuine tips we can all learn from. Click here to see to see the slideshow at dominomag.com. — Angela M.

Here in Minnesota, we’ve been pretty crabby about spring — let me clarify, the lack of spring. April was a big sloppy mess of snow (yes, snow) and rain. But this first week of May has been glorious — dry and sunny — so I thought I’d post this cheery centerpiece that I pulled together for my sister’s second-baby sendoff party (more on that later). I layered red place mats for the base, and then cut bright orange and pink tulips at different heights and placed them in small glass vases. It’s been my standard centerpiece for ages — I’m not an elaborate bouquet kind of girl. Care to usher in some May sunshine with some of your favorite centerpiece creations? –Megan K.

Not ready to commit to wallpaper in a big way? Just think of all the fun projects you could do with a single roll of modern, graphic wallpaper: You could paper the back of a bookcase, affix the paper to drawer fronts, layer it under a piece of glass cut to fit a dresser-top or a coffee table, wrap it around plain lampshades, make a faux headboard, paper the inside of a paneled door, paper just the wall behind the vanity in a small powder room… Danish design company Ferm Living makes some of the most
beautiful wallpaper patterns around — whether you’re papering an entire room or experimenting with wallpaper in smaller doses. Each 21-inch by 32-foot roll normally retails for $85 — but it never hurts to check eBay to see if you can get a better deal because someone is selling off the extra roll they wound up not needing or chickened out on using. Right now, eBay seller danclarkatlanta has seven single rolls of seven different Ferm paper patterns (including Orchid, Berry Black, and Silhouette, among others) listed with Buy It Now prices of $55 per roll. (So grab ‘em before they’re gone.) What sort of projects would you use one of these for? –Leah H.

Meg found some recycled rugs that got a positive reponse, and now Leah finds us even more.

I’m continually amazed by the sheer breadth of handmade goods available on Etsy — not just art and pottery and the like but, increasingly, major household items such as handcrafted furniture and even area rugs. Let’s take a look at some of the unique (and often eco-friendly) floor coverings currently on offer. Above is a 5-by-7-foot Grey Astrakhan Rug made from six vintage sheepskin coats. $2,500 from Ouno.

8-by-13-foot Felt Block Rug, available in a variety of custom-dyed colors, $1,875 from feeldesign.

So many more rugs after the jump! (more…)

We’re always on the lookout for new ideas for Mother’s Day gifts, and this new series of LOVE Candy posters from MadeByGirl could fit the bill nicely. Available in Lemon, Pretty Lavender, Cotton Candy and Sky Blue, the posters are 16 x 24 inches and $25 each at MadeByGirl’s Etsy shop. We really like the ABC Love poster, too! Look for more Mother’s Day gift ideas coming up.

We recently visited online art store Petaline and were pleased by their selection of affordable art. Most work hovers in the $100 range (and there are plenty of pieces for far less). Best of all, however, is the quality — these aren’t mass-produced mall-store posters but beautiful and engaging original paintings and limited-edition prints. We especially like the rogues’ gallery of giclee prints from Chris Crites — last-century mugshots that he originally painted on paper sacks. Elizabeth Soule’s “Little Zoo” series of photographs are colorful and fun, while paintings by Irene Wood are soothing and serene. See all of Petaline’s affordable art offerings here.

Update: Check out Leah’s expanded post on more of Chris Crites’ work.

As much as I love the look of wallpaper, I haven’t been able to make the leap from admiring wallpapered rooms in Domino to actually papering a room in my own house. There’s something so adult, so permanent, and, yes, so expensive about the whole process that I haven’t been able to bite the bullet quite yet. Still, if I were to paper, I’d want to do it with a bang — I mean, why go to all that trouble if you’re not going to make a statement? Isn’t drama the whole point of wallpaper? I have a fantasy of papering a dining room with something wacky and fun like this Woodson & Rummerfield green birdcage wallpaper, which is made with recycled paper and vegetable dyes ($55 at Green With Glamour). What do you guys think — is wallpapering worth the trouble and expense? –Meg D.

Read more of Meg’s tips for stylish, green living at her blog, Style Saves the World.

Here’s a collectible, decor-friendly item we haven’t thought about in a long time: stamps! “I’m an anthropologist by day, and I’ve found a lot of world stamps that reflect many countries’ historic and prehistoric past,” writes reader Melissa. “I eat this stuff up!”

“I mount them into a shadow box so I can hang them all together. I hang them up using a combination these double-sided putty things called Zots and use pins for extra support.” See more of Melissa’s collection after the jump. (more…)

Via Freshhome, I see that the iconic Egg Chair has been given a facelift for its 50th anniversary. It’s giving me bad Preppy Handbook flashbacks. What do you think? The Egg Chair says, “On the occasion of the chair’s golden anniversary, Fritz Hansen asked the well-known conteporary artist Tal R to interpret 50 Egg chairs designed by Arne Jacobsen…This series of the Egg visually expresses its 50 years of fame as if every piece of textile represents a period of time with past and present trends.” Okay, that makes it understandable, if still not a look I’m loving.

I much prefer this version — The Golden Egg in leather and suede on a brass base. Beautiful.

Speaking of Arne Jacobsen, remember the European McDonald’s featuring Jacobsen furniture designs? Turns out that Fritz Hansen severed ties with the chain last fall, lambasting McD’s for putting “terrible copies” of their iconic furniture in some of its UK stores. What McDonalds was doing was legal, but not lovable. –Mary T.

It’s not often that hardware stops us in our tracks, but this new Karbon articulating faucet from Kohler did just that. Like something from a hi-tech chemistry lab, it’s designed to move and stick in any position you need it to, for hands-free hosing. The sleek lines make it a thing of beauty as well as beyond practical. This one’s going into our “dream kitchen” file. Someday, someday. Click here to see more at Kohler’s site.