Brenda Danso, a California native turned Toronto resident, brings an educational background in mental health to her interior design practice, BD Interior Design. The spaces she designs are soothing, functional, joyful and the perfect fit for her clients’ needs. Brenda prioritizes using neutral colors, natural elements and playful pops of color. Her projects range from home staging and residential design to commercial design.

Today Brenda’s joining us for Friday Five!

1. Facial Steamer
I cannot live without my in-home facial steamer. The use of this product creates an at-home spa experience. After nine minutes of using the steamer, I feel relaxed and look forward to the added benefits of brighter skin. If you can’t go to the spa, bring the experience home.

2. My Kids
My girls, ages 5 and 6, really help me get through the day. From their witty personalities to their contentment around the … Read the rest

Art often aspires to reflect the scale and grandeur of nature. But Gregory Orekhov’s “Black Square”, a large-scale sculptural installation literally turns the world inside out into an infinity of possibilities and realities – a passageway mirroring the landscape of Moscow’s Malevich Park in multitude.

Located in an open space dedicated to Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich, Orekhov’s “Black Square” compels visitors to find passage through a path guarded by a pair of ominous black monoliths. As visitors continue to travel between each sculpture, their initial blankness gives way to “an endless corridor of reflections” created by two full-length mirrors made from highly polished stainless steel along the interior length of each monument. The effect is a disorientating reminder of nature’s presence that perseveres, a multidimensional “space” outdoors.

Orekhov utilizes the sculpture’s enormous volume to intentionally preserve its “unnaturalness” against the backdrop of the park, seamlessly integrating each structure within … Read the rest

A quick google search and you’ll find that there aren’t many modern playhouses on the market. Most of them look too kiddish or dated. Some of them have out-of-touch, gendered design elements that are truly cringe-worthy. For the more contemporary options, you’ll have to employ some DIY skills, or pay a premium for the ready-to-build – and you still have to put it together yourself! When we found out about HAUS, we got excited because it solved all these pain points. Designed by Janos Stone, HAUS is a unique playhouse that acts as a blank canvas for kids to explore their creativity and imagination. Its design is rooted in Bauhaus principles that believe kids develop their academic, social and emotional skills from tools and environments that encourage exploratory play. Stone, whose grandparents Gyorgy and Juliet Kepes were members of the Bauhaus movement, designed this playhouse to carry on their … Read the rest

As long-time fans of Chef Francis Mallmann, we jumped at the opportunity to interview him for TASTE. Sure, as food designers we are fascinated by his theatrical cooking methods, his expansive contraptions dripping in spectacle, all while rooted in culinary history. But in digging a little deeper, it is clear that chef has more to offer us. His insight on listening to the planet, embracing mistakes, stopping to smell the Basmati rice… A chef full of passion, lessons, and willingness to eat with his hands, we hope to share the poetry of Francis Mallmann’s primal and honest approach to food and life.

What makes a food experience memorable?

What makes a good experience memorable is the spirit, art and inspiration of sharing. That’s the only reason to sit down and eat. It’s not about the food or the wine (if by the way they are both … Read the rest

Are Spring plans for your outdoor living space still in the inspiration phase? Ours too, but we have our eye on some bright new colorways for outdoor kitchens from Danver Stainless Outdoor Kitchens, Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens and Trex Outdoor Kitchens. Thirteen new cabinetry colors bring a shot of bold, unexpected color to an industry you might associate with plain stainless steel. These new additions bring their collective color offerings to a whopping 59 finishes.

Curated by the Creative Director of the trio of brands, architect and designer Daniel Germani, the colors build on current trends in fashion, art and the design world. “Color is emotion. Color is light. Color brings projects to life,” Germani says. “Many of these new hues push the design envelope and were selected to inspire homeowners to be bold and create a space that is both eye-catching and sophisticated.”

New colors to the … Read the rest

The kaleidoscopic sculptures of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1922-2019) are currently on view at both locations of the James Cohan Gallery in New York. These incredible works hold thousands of mirror sections that dance like a diamond under a microscope. Ignited by your own abstracted reflection they offer an otherworldly surprise with every step.

Both locations of the James Cohan Gallery are worth a visit. The Tribeca gallery is the most dazzling, showcasing several large three-dimensional sculptures and the inescapable “Maze” works. The Lower East Side location dives deeper into Monir’s practice of works on paper along with additional mirrored works.

Born in Iran, Monir’s devotion to mirrored sculpture began after a visit to mirror mosaics of Shah Cheragh Mosque in Shiraz, Iran. Additionally involved and inspired by the New York art scene, her works dance between the principles … Read the rest

The following post is brought to you by Lexus and the new Lexus IS sport sedan. Our partners are hand picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design. Just as Lexus went all in on their new sport sedan, the designers featured here go all in on their passion.

Imagine this: you’ve been offered the opportunity to redesign, redecorate and completely reimagine a room within your home limited only by your own originality and efforts. The premise, while simple, presents an unusual challenge when offered to a professional stylist typically employed to realize other people’s aspirations. It’s somewhat analogous to asking an architect to design their own home or a chef to improvise a holiday meal for their own family – a straightforward request complicated by the reality that a creative’s most discerning critic is typically themselves. Ironically, a no limits, all in proposition … Read the rest