The Latest From Linen Haus!

I had great luck finding unique pieces for Linen Haus at one of our local flea markets over the weekend.  The hardest part of setting up this shop is letting go of these beautiful finds!  A few might become a permanent part of my personal collection; however, most of these will be added to the inventory and find a great home via Linen Haus very soon.

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

 A circa-1930 Hungarian Soda Bottle.



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Hand blown, vintage French 5L Bottle. 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Bronze Tray - a Ring Holder, a Soap Dish, a Candy Dish. 

You (or your client) can decide.

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

A vintage map from an old school house, showing France and England.

Enjoying the process with one of my favorite vendors...

This guy is so fun to work with, which is a big part of why I love doing what I do!

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

These bottles were hidden away a bit in this great old trunk, covered a bit by some burlap. 
I love the thrill of the hunt!  

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

A cool old wooden ship... 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

There seemed to be a lot of old trunks at this market.  If you or a client are looking for a special one, let me know.  I'll be there again often.

Until Linen Haus opens, if you're interested in any of these items,

please contact me at hausdesign@hotmail.com directly.

Apothecary Jars

My husband and I have a coin collection from our travels that is fun to look through once in a while.  The kids love them too - they are curious to see the designs of each country and then hear about the adventures for each location.  I thought that it would be neat to display the collection in apothecary jars, so on my trip to the US last year I bought several in different shapes and sizes.  They are safely stored away in the US, awaiting our return.  :)

Since then I have come across a lot of other great images using the jars in a variety of ways.  I love it when I buy something that be re-purposed so the look doesn't go stale.  I am excited to put all of these ideas to use.  The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas: 

Put candies in canisters for a playful kids' (or grown-up!) birthday party.  It also looks great in a range of colors within a hue to match the theme of a wedding, or in black and orange for Halloween, candy canes for Christmas, etc.

You get the idea!


How great it is this?  You could use them in a kitchen to hold pastas or other pantry items.  I love the whole composition actually - open shelving, beautiful vinegars on display - even the cookbook is one of my indulgent cooking faves:  Feast: Food to Celebrate Life

{Pottery Barn}

 This would be fitting for a wine tasting party or an Italian feast

paired with a variety of great wines.

{Martha Stewart}

A chic, simple, natural Fall look.  Not exactly apothecary jars but it could still work!

They look so pretty in a bathroom holding sand and shells, or a nice collection of bath soaps and salts.  I plan to use the soaps that I have collected on my travels through Europe in my canisters, including the ones I wrote about here from Portugal.

{Pottery Barn}

I love to go on forest walks with my kids to see what we can find, so I created something similar to this soothing Fall display with them this year.  It was a great way for us to explore nature, spend time together and bring the “design” home with us.  To glam it up a bit, the kids and I painted some pinecones and sticks with with a bit of matte gold paint.  It looked beautiful October through December!

I thought this was a really beautiful, easy way to smarten up a bath. 

Add an orchid in a pretty pot and some inexpensive glass bottles and you get instant elegance!

{Pottery Barn}

They are great paired with some simpler glass containers to hold holly, ornaments, cranberries, floating candles, pinecones, etc. on a table or mantel. 

And, of course, even empty they look stunning! 

Are there any other great ideas for these beautiful jars out there?

Loving Portuguese Soaps

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

In 2009 we traveled to several spots in Portugal and my favorite stop was Lisbon.  I'm a city girl anyway, but this city really has something special.  I found it to be authentic, quaint and fascinating.  While there I fell in love with their soaps.  Apparently the Portuguese used to provide French royalty with their soap so they know what they are doing!  I found a few products with such great scents and to-die-for packaging that I thought I'd share them with you. 

These are my all time favorites - from Claus Porto.  I bought some for myself and several for friends at my favorite shop in Lisbon called A Vida Portugesa.  This shop had the same feel of Anthropologie although more authentic since it is a one of a kind.  I am a sucker for packaging and I loved the combination of a beautiful pattern and art deco designs. 

I also discovered Castelbel soaps and candles in Lisbon.  They were heavenly.  Period.  I spent a lot of time in a florist sniffing the selection and trying to decide.  I remember the florist had the most stunning black wall paper with birds and branches all over it - it created such a sultry mood in her shop.  I have been trying to figure out a way to work it into one of my design ideas ever since.  Anyway, here is an example of what they have to offer:

Who knew Portugal had such a great soap selection, among other things??  What are your thoughts?  Do you prefer the looks of these over the more well known Provence style soaps?

As an aside, how beautiful is this entry from a house we passed by in Lisbon?  Very unique, I thought...

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler