Most of the time we concern ourselves with high style for the home. But sometimes it’s nice to give thanks that we have a home, period. Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia had its annual breakfast benefit today, and the stories were both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Sosina, right, stands with husband Yohannes and their children in their new home built by Habitat for Humanity.

Executive Director Karen Cleveland spoke of helping a family who had lived in an unfinished basement for three years, hanging sheets to separate the space into “rooms.” She described another family that was able to escape an area where gunfire was common to live in a new Habitat community that was safe. And Sosina, an Ethiopian immigrant, took the stage to describe her family’s tough times while both she and her husband Yohannes struggled through school to start careers. The two-bedroom apartment they lived in with their three children was infested with roaches, one of which crawled in her young daughter’s ear one night and had to be extracted in the emergency room.

Those are the kinds of families for whom Habitat builds homes. You can see more from the video shown at the benefit this morning, and you can donate right here.

And if you want great deals on home supplies, consider shopping at Habitat’s ReStore in Alexandria, VA, where all the proceeds go back to the charity.

Let’s be thankful that we can worry about things like window treatments and fine china rather than wondering whether our sleeping children are safe from cockroaches.

This storefront says it all, right? My friend Tara Riceberg of Tweak in Beverly Hills, CA, has a knack for making people smile. And you should shop with her, too, because she has great taste. She took me around the New York Gift Show in August to all the best purveyors of home goods, so I got a sneak peek of what her delicious shop would be offering for the holiday season. She just sent out her catalog this week, and I noticed in particular how well she identifies gifts for men, who are notoriously hard to shop for. Keep reading to see them all.

Maybe it’s the gloom and doom of the financial news these days, but lately I’ve been gravitating toward looks with bold patterns and bright colors that instantly put a smile on my face. And these home and office accessories I’m loving right now are inexpensive – so you don’t have to worry about any credit crunches to get them. Here’s to a little sunshine …

Dabney Lee

Dabney Lee Woglom, the stationer known for her “happy, snappy, preppy” motto, is out with a new home collection, which includes notes, clipboards, wall art, coasters, and a cocktail tray. You can choose from a bevy of patterns, colors, and monogram styles.

Dabney Lee is just one of several product lines in this smile-inducing genre. Keep reading for more.

Ever since I first bought Anna Cote’s delightful botanical calendar last year, her art has provided me with a burst of color and design every day. And now she’s just reminded me that her 2009 calendar is out – equally gorgeous.

Anna is among a proliferation of talented letterpress designers who are producing dramatic, eye-catching work, and many of them have 2009 calendars. Most sell out by the time you might actually start thinking about a calendar for next year, so act early if you can, and the reward is something much more inspiring than you would ever find at the local office supply or stationery store. Keep reading to see more.

I’m lovin’ this change in weather, the excitement of kids going back to school, and the refreshing sense of emerging from the languid summer. And so are a lot of people who call the shots in home and design, for the Web is abuzz with new trends to expect, and most of the predictions are on the same page (or in the same living room?).

Here’s what I found:

The Washington Post just issued its predictions last week, which includes bold yellows and purples and gray-toned wood, in addition to intense pattern, nailhead trim, and the use of text in art and on furniture.

Missoni Home Collection

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Colton cocktail table

I can’t understand people who pooh-pooh faux flowers (hello, Oprah?). I love them – you don’t have to water them and they never die. What’s there to complain about?

Certainly, really obvious fakes can be just awful. But with the likes of Diane James Designs out there, you really can’t go wrong. When I saw her new introductions for fall and winter, I had to read through the descriptions because I honestly didn’t know whether or not they were real. See for yourself:

Orchids:

Bouquets:

Plants:

Carolyn James McDonough, vice president of Diane James, was kind enough to send a list of DC-area retailers where you can find these floral gems:

Barkley Limited
3301 New Mexico Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
202.363.6664
 
Dalton Brody
3412 Idaho Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
202.244.7197

Valerianne

The Kellogg Collection

Neiman Marcus

You wonder what’s in the design ether when you start to see a lot of one thing appear in many different places. This year, it was owls.

Areaware, which got substantial press a couple years ago for its shockingly realistic pig banks, now has a variety of similarly realistic owl-print pillows. Go here for purchase inquiries.

This lovely dinnerware is delightfully retro, from Iittala. Available in the National Building Museum shop, or see a longer list of retailers here.

This wonderful owl mobile from Ige shouldn’t just be for kids. And if you look closely at the image on the right, you’ll also see another small owl on a branch. You can get the mobile online here.

These sweet little owls are from Keena. To purchase, contact Alia Gray here.

Kenneth Wingard creates these little metal creatures intended to peek out from your side tables. Go here to inquire.

There were a few times at this show I just wanted to curl up into the sumptuous blankets and lay my head on the dreamy pillows that so many of the booths displayed. Here are the best of the bedding:

Marcel Miller makes pillows and blankets that resemble cable-knit sweaters. Love them! Click on “stores” on the Web site to find a local retailer. 

The pillows, blankets, and rugs from Auskin Sheepskin Company will inspire only pleasant dreams. Go here for U.S. purchases.

These synthetic and wool throws by Zoeppritz are, in a word, yummy. Go here for local stores.

For a lighter touch, nothing beats the cozy cotton feel of a worn-in quilt. Utility Canvas has some wonderful bedding you’d love to melt right into, and you can shop from their Web site.

Dorm décor is its own decorating genre. The key is to create a beautiful space that’s also temporary, and use items that can stand up to heavy wear and tear (because you never know when the party is going to end up in your room). I saw some great items at the show that fit the category perfectly.

Keep your daily reminders on these blackboard stickers from Wall Candy Arts: You can buy them from the stores and Web sites listed here.

For instant art and a better way to display photos, try these great patterns from Butch & Harold, which are available on Amazon.

After I got back from New York, I noticed there were a few booths whose gorgeous wares I couldn’t get out of my head. Here’s a survey of my favorite wholesalers, including their retail purchasing information.

Artĕl

American designer Karen Feldman established this Bohemian crystal and luxury glassware company in Prague in 1998. Its bowls, vases, and glasses are pieces of art. You can find them here in DC and also in McLean, VA.

Herringbone tumblers

Nesting bowls

Poe Cocktail – named, appropriately, after Edgar Allen Poe

Mod large bowl, Mod trinket bowls

Last week I went to New York for the semi-annual New York International Gift Show, during which wholesalers roll out their best new designs for retailers to snap up for the holiday season. I saw tons of great stuff, and this week I’ll be giving you a sampling each day of my favorites, with information on where to purchase them. 

Gold platter from Vellum

The overarching theme I noticed this time was GOLD. Everything seemed to be dipped in it, and the variety was stunning. So if you’re thinking ahead for gifts this season, gild it up!

Vellum, which sells all manner of exquisite home accessories, went bold on gold this time. This gold branch makes a great holiday statement, as do the goblets beside it. For purchasing information, just click “contact us” on the Web site.

Lunares is another one of my favorites, based in San Francisco. Go to the Web site for contact and purchasing information. These sweet gold bowls with butterflies on the edge are new this season. Continuing the nature theme are a set of leaf platters that also glimmer with gold.

With the passing of last week’s tax holiday, it became official: back-to-school-season is upon us. Even those of us in denial (me) can’t ignore the ever-so-slight drop in temperatures that we’ve enjoyed this week as an indicator that summer is exiting the building and fall is nipping at its heels. However, if you’re like us here at Spaces, you’ll find a silver lining to this cloud. Fall is a great time to shop, and stores are doing their best to fill all of your work- and school-related needs. 

But what if you’re over college-ruled paper, disposable pens, and juice boxes? Maybe you want to restock your desk or office with accoutrements of a more elegant, grown-up variety? We scouted the area for some items to help us accomplish this mission and found some excellent and beautiful things.

First, we spoke with Saskia Roskam, manager of Georgetown gift shop A Mano. Her recommendations included everyday desk accessories spruced up by leather coverings, lending these office trappings a very grown-up panache.

A leather picture frame. The gilded border “makes it elegant,” says Roskam.

One’s of Roskam’s favorite items is a leather-bound measuring tape bearing both metric and standard units. “I love the centimeter and inches because I’m Dutch. I always have it on hand; it’s practical.”

Remember the wooden ruler you’d buy for 99 cents at Bruce Variety? William Yeoward has updated it. Now it’s made of a stunning crystal, and instead of scrawling on your name on it in Sharpie, you can have it engraved.

A Mano also carries items for post-work recreation. Says Roskam: “If it gets too tough at school, you’ll need to have a drink afterwards. We have decanters and glasses for the whiskey or the glass of wine you’ll need to have after a long day!”

Carolyn Agnew of Paper Source recommends supplies dressed up with the shop’s signature charming patterns.

The Perpetual Calendar is “a grown-up planner” that offers flexibility without sacrificing any practicality or visual appeal.

This Linen File Folder Holder (shown in Pool) is a “pretty, grown-up” incarnation of the less scintillating manila version that you might find in the office.

Photos courtesy of the Paper Source

In addition to a well-equipped office, it’s important to be emotionally ready to tackle your workload. At the Georgetown custom-stationery shop Just Paper & Tea, co-owner Carolyn Waslyczuk swears by a good pot of tea to help focus the mind. Teas “don’t get you jittery” the way coffee can. “I stopped drinking coffee because it gives me that quick high—you don’t get that kind of a jolt from tea.” Instead, she says, “it’s always nice to have a cup of tea when you’re doing work” – it “just seems to ‘go’ ” with quiet, focused activities like writing letters or journal entries. The type of tea Waslyczuk brews “depends on how I feel at the time. I find it very personal.” For someone who wants to settle in and work, she recommends “a hearty black tea – you don’t want any teas that will put you to sleep!” She suggests “a really great Russian Caravan or Samovar” or “a soothing nice green” like Genmaicha, shown above. All of Just Paper & Tea’s selections are organic and imported.

Not even the big department stores have their holiday decorations up yet, and it’s starting already. Retailers want us to start thinking about our gift-giving obligations for the holidays. But that might not be such a bad thing. Many stationery shops offer great discounts if you order holiday cards before Labor Day, and gift purveyor Tara Riceberg is offering her consulting services now, so you can secure all the “IT” gifts before they get snatched up later in the fall.

And besides what you give, see how beautifully she wraps the gifts?

Riceberg is the owner of Tweak America in Los Angeles, but as an interior stylist, she hops the coasts with clients in DC and New York as well. She has an uncanny ability to talk to you about who you are buying for, and then come up with the perfect item even while you still have no idea what you would get.