Cool Stuff: Industrial Chic from CB2

I'm finding myself more and more drawn to items with a rough, industrial vibe these days -- whether they're vintage workshop finds with the wonderfully battered patina that can only come from being well-used, or new furnishings that take their inspiration from the factory floors and shop classes of days gone by.

I love to picture a brick-walled converted loft accented with pieces that allude to its previous life, or a spare, serene, and quietly feminine farmhouse with just a few notes of masculine industriousness injecting a bit of aesthetic tension.

So while I was flipping through the latest CB2 catalog last night, my eyes immediately lit upon these new items from Crate & Barrel's hipster younger sibling. Clockwise from top left: Wire and rattan Contour Baskets, $60 and $80; steel Industry Pendant Lamp, $199; Track Brass Wall Strips, $129 for three; chromed-steel Mantis Floor Lamp, $119; welded-iron Spool Coffee Table, $449; and wood and steel Alchemy Stool, $129.

(Hint: If you crave the real thing, trying running a search for "vintage industrial" on trusty old eBay.)

Shameless Plug: My Article on Open-Plan Design on HGTV

If you're lucky enough to live in a loft or a home without a lot of walls carving up the public rooms, you know that pulling together these wide-open spaces presents as many design challenges as it does opportunities.

In that case, click on over to Home & Garden Television's website to read my new article on open-plan design, which is packed with expert tips on creating a cohesive and beautiful open space.

One of the most exciting things for me in working on this piece was having the opportunity to chat with Kenneth Brown, host of HGTV's reDesign. Of all the HGTV designers, he's the one I have the biggest design crush on (that's his own fabulous Santa Monica loft, above), and he was just as nice and down-to-earth in person as he is on TV.

Anyway, you can find the article here.