By Allison Arieff, Sunset, Editor at Large

A few days ago, I had no need to buy plants but definitely had the urge to pop on over to Flora Grubb.

Named for its co-owner (could she have gone into any other business?), Flora Grubb is not only one of the grooviest, most sustainable, most-forward thinking nurseries on the planet, it is one of the greatest places around just to hang out.

They have an amazing selection of plants to be sure (specializing in palms, succulents and specimens that look as if they've come from another planet); they also have fantastic books on gardening and a wonderful array of garden-related stuff from twig-shaped candlesticks to owl lamps that glow from within. And if you go (and of course you're going to now, right?), you must have a coffee at the cafe inside run by Ritual Roasters. It's not called "ritual" for nothing.

Off the beaten path, but just right off the "T" streetcar line in San Francisco, this not-so-secret anymore garden is definitely worth the trip.

[All photos by Marion Brenner]

By Jennie Nunn, Sunset associate editor

Armed with the essentials: flip flops, a notebook, pen, digital camera, and a sturdy canvas bag, I walked through Coverings, (an international stone and tile show) in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, combing the place for the latest and greatest in tile and stone.

I knew the show was going to be huge, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see during the two-day event May 1 and 2 with 1,200 exhibitors.

From round penny tiles made from tiny bits of recycled glass to hand-stenciled subway tiles with elegant damask patterns, glittery metallics, and porcelain reminiscent of faux leather (so realistic I had to touch it to see for myself), my favorite had to be the “Vintage” tile from Spanish company, Inalco Ceramica.

The tiles, reminiscent of puffy quilted upholstery, were strategically placed above a queen-size bed for a luxurious look complete with indentations that doubled as buttons. (This image hardly does it justice, but I just love the inventive use of tile in the bedroom).

So, who needs a headboard when you can just use tile? Not to mention the fact that it’s easy to clean. I used to think tile was only practical for use in the kitchen, bathroom, garden, or even a fireplace façade, but now I’m inspired.

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

We're three weeks away from placing furniture in our Menlo Park Idea House. This is when activity at the house is at full throttle. It's also the time when co-workers walking the house are guaranteed to ask, with genuine concern, "Are you guys going to get this done in time?" Don't they watch Extreme Makeover? We've had eight months to build this house, of course we'll get it done! Check out the progress this week.

How many guys does it take to get a 42" refrigerator into a house? When they're rolling it uphill, on soft dirt, it takes about five. Plus, two women in the background yelling, "BE CAREFUL, sponsor product!"

Another beautiful handmade tile from Fireclay Tile. This is on the face of the Living Room fireplace.

Here's the kitchen just before the appliances went in. The red lamp, from Croft&Little, is a fun punch of color  against the cool blue tile and white counters.

Whew, the range fit. Always a nail-biter till it's installed. Glass backsplash tile is from Modwalls.

Vintage 1949 school map that we were going to use as a window covering, but instead it will be wall art.

Bob, our builder, who's driving us to the finish line. Great work, Bob!

By Allison Arieff, Sunset editor-at-large

We had our back deck rebuilt recently. Where we once had a sort of Winchester Mystery House  sort of crazy stairwell that ate up nearly all the actual deck space, we now have just the perfect amount of space out back  for a small dinner table and chairs or two lovely lounges.

I have been coveting this teak and hand-woven fiber one from Design Within Reach:

I think they’re gorgeous, somewhat evocative of designers like Hans Wegner but also of Mediterranean fishing nets. There are also folding chairs and a complete dining set available.

But at $1400 a pop, I’ll probably end up with a pair of these from IKEA  instead:

This kind of high/low alternative exploration is a wonderful feature of one of my favorite design sites, Remodelista created by a trio of women with terrific eyes for design. They’re great at showing you the most out of your price range cooktop, bed, lamp, or chair but then they make you feel better by finding a reasonable facsimile from a store like CB2 or West Elm. Check it out.

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

Blossom Home, an adorable vintage furnishings shop in Los Gatos, has been on my gotta-see-it list for a few months. I wish I could say that I discovered this lovely gem, but I'll confess, I read about it on the sfgirlbybay blog, a source for extraordinary design finds in the Bay Area and beyond.

We're still searching for some vintage pieces for our Menlo Park Idea House, so during our mini heat wave last week I escaped the triple digits and took a step back in time into this charming shop. What a find! The owner, Sylvie Oxman, is a thrifting genius with a fantastic flair for combining different styles and eras to create a look that says French flea market chic. 

Sweet display of vintage lamps.

Luscious vignette, straight out of a set design for a '40s movie.

We're considering this beautifully refinished makeup desk for the girl's room.

Great idea for displaying a collection. Finally, something to do with all my cupcake tins that haven't seen a cupcake in years.

Sylvie and her cute family.

For more of Sylvie's inspiring style, check out her blog or view her Flickr photostream.

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset Home & Design writer

Green is everywhere. Whole sections of bookstores are now dedicated to sustainable dictionaries, eco-friendly handbooks, and guides to everything green. The fact that there's almost too many "how to lighten your carbon footprint" manuals out there is a positive situation to be in, but it's good to know what's worth space on your eco-bookshelf.

I'm currently loving Green Chic, Saving the Earth in Style, by Christie Matheson. It's not hard core anti-consumerism advice, but it's not fluffy either (gotta love the "green glossary"). It's can-do tips for those of us who believe being green doesn't necessitate knitting needles and hemp—those of us who insist that being sustainable and being stylish aren't self-canceling*. It's kind of like Eat, Pray, Love meets An Inconvenient Truth. Good green hard facts (and tips for every part of your daily lifestyle) with a personal I'm-your-best-friend tone and a good dose of wit.

It's hard not to fall in love with this book before you even get to the table of contents. An intro page reads:

"It's a question of discipline," the little prince told me later on. "When you've finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet."
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery, in The Little Prince

Classic.

BUY IT: $12.95; Sourcebooks Inc.

*Another style-meets-sustainability resource we adore is ecofabulous, recently added to our favorites list at right.

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

We're about a month away from furniture deliveries at our Menlo Park Idea House. Viesso, a furniture maker in Los Angeles, will be making the sectional for the Family Room. You've got to be careful when selecting sectionals, as they can suck all the life out of a room if they're too large for the space.

The other day Kelly and I spent a lot of time in the Family Room trying to determine the size of the sectional. We did a dance around the room with a measuring tape, she at one end and me at the other. Still couldn't get a clear picture of the size of the sofa. One of the painters left a roll of masking tape. Boy did that help!

Here is the style of the sectional, color and fabric still to be determined.

By Allison Arieff, Sunset editor at large

I love www.20x200.com. Jen Bekman, a gallerist and curator with great taste and an amazing network of young, artistic talent, selects two ridiculously affordable pieces per week to post online. Archival pigment prints of their original works are created by top quality artisan printers and shipped to you via Priority Mail for $20. Yes, that’s right. $20! (Larger format versions in smaller editions are available for $200 and $2000, respectively.)

I bought this one last week. I’m going to hang it in my office at home (and I wish my home office looked just like this! So dreamy).

Doug and Mike Starn—amazing photographers who work together on highly evocative imagery (and are twin brothers)—did this special image to benefit the photography journal, Blind Spot.

I missed out on this one by Laura Levine which made me sad as our household currently has a major owl obsession:

Works sell out fast so put yourself on the 20x20 email list to get notified about new editions weekly. www.20x200.com

by Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

What is it about swaying in the breeze that's so blissfully nostalgic of pre-teen years? And why now does the idea of spending an afternoon lolling seem like such a novel (and maybe foreign?) concept?

Well, we're bringing it back.

For a splurge/steal story in our May issue we highlighted these two hanging chairs. The adult-sized chair proved to be l-u-x-u-r-i-o-u-s—as it should for 700 bucks.

The kid-sized version (just $60) proved to kind-of-almost fit the smaller adult staff, but was a hit with some staff's kids (unfortunately no pics of these cuties).

Special thanks to the Sunset staff who had to rough-it on the job: MacKenzie Geidt, Molly Berman & Jeff Prentice.

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

Okay, so this is not your typical Idea House glamour shot, but there is a lot of behind-the-scenes wow here that you typically don't see during an Idea House tour. What we have here is the installation of our rainwater harvesting system at the Monterey Idea House. The cisterns, from Triton Stormwater Solutions, collect rain and storm water that will be re-used as a gray water source for irrigation and toilet flushing. Made of soy resin, the cisterns hold more than 125,000 gallons of water! That's enough water to irrigate the 1/2-acre landscape for an entire year. The cisterns are now buried six feet under (no pun intended) what eventually will be the driveway at the house. 

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

One of the projects percolating for our Monterey Idea House is a new spin on the family tree. The word genealogy brings on an uncontrollable fit of yawns for  me, so forget I even said the word. You've got to admit, though, family history is fascinating. So, we were batting the idea around with our interior designer, the fabulous Joseph Hittinger, and he said what if we took our inspiration for the "tree" from the magnificent mature oaks that surround the property. We've got plenty of wall space in the house, so why don't we paint a very stylized, haute couture kind of tree on one of the walls, in black. From the branches, we'll hang family photos in white frames. Love it!

We're still determining the exact look of the tree, but found this whimsical, framed inspiration on the British site, Famille Summerbelle.

By Sarah Gaffney, Sunset Idea House program manager

This week tile went up in the bathrooms and on the floors at our Menlo Park Idea House.  For me, the tile installation is almost more exciting than seeing fresh paint on the walls. It's sort of like applying makeup: if paint is your foundation and eye shadow, then tile would be that great lipstick that ties the look all together. 

Here's a shot of the shower tile in the home's guest bathroom. The subway tile is from Fireclay Tile. It's a 2x8 ceramic tile in a blend of three shades of white. We mixed up the whites to add some depth and warmth. The pattern was randomized by the tile setter. Since we already have an all-white kid's bathroom, we decided to intersperse the tile with blue squares of 2x2  "Lush" matte glass tile from Modwalls. The adjoining guest bedroom is painted a similar shade of blue that ties the look together. So fresh, so fun!