History has always been revered and carefully preserved here.  When you add a large, fluid expatriate population to the mix, the result is a thriving secondhand market in furniture and some great chances to find good quality deals.  A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a Saarinen-style tulip table for my kitchen and placed an advertisement for one, not thinking I'd get a response.  Much to my surprise, the very next day I received an e-mail from Delight Morris saying one was available.

As most buying and selling of secondhand furniture is done by way of private sale, estate sale or auction, Delight and her husband Rudy launched Orange Bay Company in 2009 as a means of providing buyers with a new source for high-quality furniture and sellers with a convenient way to dispose of unneeded items.  Named after the area near Negril, Jamaica from where Rudy originates, Orange Bay Company is situated on the top floor of a large warehouse and currently is only open on weekends.  Delight and Rudy buy and sell carefully curated pieces, from large items like sofas and beds to accessories and tchotchkes which help to make a space really memorable and unique.  Orange Bay Company also accepts donations of furniture and part of the proceeds from the sale of these items are donated to charities on island.

Image: Kelly Wearstler | My Vibe My Life

Kelly Wearstler, one of my favourite designers and who I wrote about here, has just launched her very own blog. I am sure I will be checking it every day to see what ideas and inspiration she comes up with.

You can see Kelly's blog here.

Image: via Coolhunting

I'm not really the athletic type having only recently gotten "into" sports and was always of the opinion that active footwear was ugly and overpriced. However about 10 years ago I was considering adding sneakers to my stable of shoes and I decided to buy a style which had been around for years and had become a design classic. I invested in a pair of clean, white Converse Chuck Taylors; unmistakably iconic, but perhaps the most unexciting pair about.

That's why I think this pairing of Converse and Marimekko, is win-win.  By combining the classic sneaker with Scandinavian textile house Marimekko's equally ageless designs, they have produced a line with just the right amount of a twist on the original to keep it current and fresh. In addition to the classic hi and low Chucks, two new styles: the Helen (pictured above) and the PJ will get the print treatment.

A short film which explains the concept behind the collaboration is after the jump.

Fashion seems to be fixated on heritage brands at the moment - not that that's a bad thing. These lines have proven track record of quality, durability, and sustainability, and are not overtly affected by changes in fads or fashion.  J.Crew for example, in addition to selling its own branded products, sells a very limited number of heritage brands like Timex®, Belstaff® and Quoddy®.   Levi's has taken this one step further with Made & Crafted, an Amsterdam-based company which launched in the Spring of last year.

The designers at Made & Crafted have trolled the archives to produce classic pieces under that banner.  At Made & Crafted, the focus is on simple but well-made clothing with interesting details such as their signature curved pockets and buttons made from compressed fabric of the shirt material.

The line is sold in specialty stores in Europe and Japan, Barneys in New York and online.  See some of the Fall|Winter 2010 looks after the break.

An association of Caribbean designers and artisans has banded together to form New Caribbean Design.  The Love, Freedom, Flow project, spearheaded by Patty Johnson, was originally produced in collaboration with six designers from the Caribbean region. Working closely with artisan producers, communities and craft production factories, the group created twenty new furniture, textile, home accessory and lighting products which represent the work of twenty-one companies from eight Caribbean nations including Haiti, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

Image: Blu Dot

I love the sentiment printed on this bag as much as I love the design of the bag itself. Canvas and leather tool bag from Blu Dot.

I think it's an interesting concept when a store limits the colour scheme of its goods. The White Company, a UK retailer, was built on this premise and has been in operation for a number of years selling mainly white linens and accessories.  This trend appears to be gaining popularity in America now with stores like Sparrow & Co selling home wares and accessories in muted shades and a restricted colour range.

While not everyone will embrace this trend, I can see how it could simplify the choice for the consumer and make curating a store's inventory much easier, because if a product doesn't meet this very strict criterion, it simply won't be eligible for sale.

Image: via Warby Parker

Suno and Warby Parker, two labels that have been previously featured here and here, have banded together to create three limited edition frames in SUNO's Afro-centric prints for its 2011 collection.

Both lines share a similar social mission.  SUNO employs local Kenyan talent and with the aim of creating lasting social and economic change in that country, while Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses for each one purchased to people in need worldwide.

The sunglasses come with polarised lenses and will be available in the summer. 

Image: Blu Dot

It's that time of year when winter turns to spring and then to summer and we start thinking about spending more time outdoors.  

This lounge chair by Dwell/Rapson put me in a summer frame of mind.  The chair has been designed to be as comfortable as it is stylish.  Made from a nearly-transparent mesh and steel, the chair is available in two finishes, stainless steel or black, and can be purchased here.

Image: apartmenttherapy.com

When I was 13, I built a bookcase that looked a lot like this one.  Of course it wasn't styled quite so well... It was (and remains) a fairly stylish, low-cost way of building additional shelving and it did the job.  I thought it was funny to see one featured on a design blog.