Nature calls
Even if you’re an urban shut-in, you can’t avoid the mainstreaming of barnyard design. Fans of flora- and fauna-themed decor must no longer pony up an entire paycheck to own a Philippe Starck gnome stool—similarly kitschy woodland designs can now be found in popular mail-order catalogs, like a resin tree-stump side table from West Elm and a branch-shaped soap dish or ring holder from CB2.
Other reminders that nature is today’s most fetishized commodity: The woodsy home page of San Francisco gift boutique The Curiosity Shoppe and I.D. magazine’s January/Febuary 2008 issue, with a coverline that reads “The I.D. 40 Creative Workspaces”—wherein the “creative” part seems to refer to a doe sitting atop a white laminate desk. Back to the land has never been easier to enjoy from the comfort of your couch.
