We like the festive look of pinecones, but gave up collecting the natural kind a long time ago. As kiddies, we used to load the Suburban with sap-coated beauties from Tahoe (what a mess). Years later, we graduated to the store-bought kind (call it a twisted family tradition). We’ve since developed better taste and love these porcelain pine cones by Coe and Waito. Each one is hand-sculpted to look like the real thing, but they are a better match for our minimalist décor.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, decoration, Modern Living

Crisp, clean and colorful: That’s how we like our stationery. We like our handwriting neat too, but that’s a different matter entirely. Darling Koi flat notes by Jack and Lulu can be personalized with your name or initials, as shown here. The set of 25 comes with matching envelopes. What are you waiting for? Get your prose on.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, Modern Living, patterns, stationary

Another treat from Teroforma. As you prepare for your holiday feast, feast your eyes on this loom-woven table runner (the plain-stitch pattern is designed by Anna Hellman) and four large napkins. The natural linen is thermo-regulating, hypo-allergenic, and friendly to the environment. If you’re a throw-away napkin person, consider the fact that, in some parts of the world, linens are an integral part of daily life (they have a place at breakfast, lunch, and dinner). If that’s not enough to convince you, there’s always the free ground shipping on domestic orders.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, contraptions, Modern Living, tableware, textiles

When you’re in front of a glaring computer screen as much as our correspondents are, you come to appreciate all things printed. With the holiday season here, we’ll be sending out cards in mass quantities (we’re currently resting up our wrists, if you must know). If you’ll be doing the same this month, be sure to visit Minnie & Emma Correspondence, created by a group of New York City designers who love smart design. The tasteful collection offers luxury at a reasonable price. Go ahead, we dare you to push the envelope and customize bold paper greetings that are unique to you.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, design, Modern Living, stationary

If you’re willing and able to spend a thousand dollars (or more) on a dog house, read on. Greenrrroof Dog Dens, created by Oakland’s Stephanie Rubin, are quite possibly worth the splurge. Each one is handmade using zero-VOC paint, waterproof beeswax and natural Western red cedar, which wards off rot and fleas. Here’s the kicker: the slanted roofs are “green” (a.k.a vegetated), which means they’re covered in plants that filter the surrounding air. Now that’s what we call home improvement.

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, Modern Living, pets, sustainability