I was in and out of Pinterest this last week and a half, but I did find some great things to share with you. Be sure to check out my over 11,000 pins here.

1. Someday all this will be Dirt by Matt Shlian: These paper sculptures are amazingly detailed and perfectly placed. Be sure to flip through his great portfolio of work.

2. Haerfest Collection B: With backpacks, duffles and totes in gorgeous leather color choices, these bags are just lovely. I'm taken with this tote that looks like it can be held with either a long or short handle.

3. Halo Bowl by Benjamin Hubert: Found via MocoLoco, I like both the visual simplicity of these bowls s well as the practicality of keeping as much airflow around fruits as possible.

4. Bottle Humidifier by Cloud and Co.: This humidifier will be available in July, and is powered via USB. Seems like a good office option, and it looks quite nice.

5. Terra Planter for Fort Standard: Spotted via Design Sponge, this combines my love of a terrarium look with a larger sculptural piece. This would look super in a corner as part of a sweet vignette.

6. Home of Swedish photographer Jonas Ingerstedt: Good clean Scandanavian modern with a fresh color palette. I love the soft blue of the cabinet/shelf unit and the great use of contrasting lights and darks in this space to keep visual interest without looking cluttered. Via La Maison d'Anna G.

Today's inspiration comes from modularity. My jewelry designs are typically multiples of an item or a combination of similar yet modular pieces. My favorite designs I have done for houses have been those where I began with a modular system and used those pieces to organize space and materials. 

There are tons of modular systems we use every day, and many of us have at least one in our homes. You might have a shelving unit or closet system that is a kit of parts, like an Elfa or Vitsoe shelving system, or you might have a utensil drawer in the kitchen that is organized by multiple bins that hold the items in their proper place. Perhaps you have one of the newer sofa systems which are built from end, middle and lounge pieces.

My favorite modular system is one from my childhood: Legos. These teach us that the great thing about modularity is the way it can support absolute freedom while having parameters that keep things well organized and able to work together.

Modular shelving: Vitsoe and Tentacle systems

Modular seating: ZipZip modular cushion

Modular toy: Legos!

Modular type: Mode

Modular coffee table: Fix Table

Found a number of great things on Pinterest this week, but I managed to pare it down to my top 6. If you'd like to see all the other images I pinned this week, check out my Pinterest page.

1. Opera Camper by Axel Enthoven: this foldout trailer is both innovative and cool. After years of camping in a tent trailer as a kid, I never thought I would want to do it again, but this great little design may make me rethink my stance.

2. Tori Tori Restaurant in Mexico by Rojkind und Esrawe: The exterior of this restaurant is abit much for my taste, but I could stay in this room all day. The extra-high vertical garden wall paired with the wood finish of the walls and floor is to die for.

3. Aesop store by Tacklebox: Of course I dig the minimalist vibe of this store, with the very neutral background that really highlights the products, but what interested me the most about this space was the use of newsprint as wall material. It really has a felt-like look, and will age over time.

4. Chocolate pencils created by Japanese designers Nendo for Tokyo patissier Tsujiguchi Hironobu: Although the original article was meant to highlight the chocolate pencils that sit in the background of this image, I love the matte finish of the 'pencil' shavings against the super-shiny pastry.

5. Les poupées by Luca Nichetto: These stacking pieces can create a sculptural piece when the glass vase is inverted on top of the cermic candle holder or can be used separately. I love modular thinking, and these are two of my favorite materials.

6. Catena Wall Clock by Andreas Dober: With all the technology that surrounds us (and I wouldn't live without,) it's refreshing to see a purely mechanical piece. This clock moves along its chain, and you have to interpolate the actual time based on the location of the hour markers.

I found some more lovely things on Pinterest this week. If you would like to see the other things I pinned, and there are lots, visit my Pinterest page.

1. Dual-purpose extra long table: A gorgeous image from the online Magazine found through Lovenordic Design Blog. Of course you need a room that can support a lengthy table, but the idea is a great one, and I love how they delineated the spaces through a change in the seating.

2. Ape Aperitivo Set by Guilio Iacchetti: You had me at white, wood and metal. This is a great idea for an appetizer table. Stylists often work to put items at varying heights to add some vertical interest, and this set does it all by itself. It even includes a metal pick stand that can be used inside one of the vessels or on its own.

3. Canteen Tequila package design by Think Kaleidoscope: With glass faces and metal sides in different finishes to delineate the quality of the tequila, this packaging gives a cheeky nod to the old canteen while still looking fresh and modern.

4. Mossy Atrium: I have no idea where this image originates, but it was spotted on the This is My Future House blog. (updated: space by Gary Gladwish Architecture - thanks to Janet Myers on Pinterest for the info!) The moss, rocks and trees that echo the exterior landscape beyond look beautiful brought indoors and viewable from both a gallery and through the fireplace. Serene.

5. Type Embroidery: Unfortunately, this image from the Manchester School of Arts Textile Department didn't have an attribution for this image. I assume it is a previous student, although I looked through the galleries and somehow couldn't find it. The modularity of the type combined with the differing densities is really appealing, not to mention a ton of work.

6. 'Floral' cake: Not your typical floral cake, the single large flower spanning all four tiers is eyecatching without being frou-frou. This image looks like it was pinned back and forth between Pinterest and wanelo, so I have no idea who made this lovely creation.

I have been asked to provide individual images as well as my 'round-up' image, so I have added the single shots to the picture gallery to allow for your own pinning!

I spend lots of time chatting with friends and perusing new products and ideas on Twitter, so I decided to pull together some of my favorite finds for the week:

Ceramic and cork Tiffin lunch box seen at IDS Toronto via @mocoloco - I love bento boxes and tiffins of every kind, and adore the combination of these two materials.

Carnitas recipe (one of my favorite foods) from Tide and Thyme via @tasteologieFEED - can't wait to try this one out!

Mark Laita's new book Sea featuring stunning underwater macro photography via @brainpicker

A lovely small dining space posted by @DwellStudio

Angle-o-tron, a new mathematics-based video by my favorite, @vihartvihart about how to creat your own angles without a protractor.

Strengthbox, a MovNat based gym experience from Inside Fitness via @MovNat

Demetri Martin's photo of the day, which made me giggle via @DemetriMartin

Clear, reviewed by Fast Company, an upcoming productivity/to-do app that looks beautiful. Will check this one out when it's available. Via @UseClear

And a final though from @patrickrhone of Minimal Mac: 

Simple Mission: Start and keep a "Yay Me" list. Whenever you do something you are proud of, write it down. Whenever you feel down, read it.

Please leave me a comment if you'd prefer links to be Pinterest pins or the original source!

1. Open view bedroom: There is nothing I don't love about this space. The neutral color palette, low bed, wood floors, large panes of glass, sheepskin and that gorgeous Jacobsen lamp, it's all good. Makes me want to curl up with a good book and some hot Earl Grey.

2. Rosewood Earbud Holder: I love beautiful wood, and there's something about the combination of technology and the tactile sense of finished wood that really appeals. Plus, I hate the way those silly earbuds get all tangled, no matter how hard I try to wind them carefully.

3. Glass fruit bowl by Rogier Martens: Glass is my medium, and transparency is something I play with a lot in my own work. Using the moveable nature of glass (FYI, it never is actually solid) to echo the forms of the fruit it is meant to hold is lovely.

4. Tangent 33 watch by Nomos: This watch is clean, simple and gorgeous. The condensed typeface used hearkens back to traditional type, and the bright blue hands on the neutral background give it a a modern edge.

5. Ylva Skarp home via Plaza Interiors: Although there is a decided lack of color in this living space, Ylva Skarp has added layers of texture through her use of type on the wall, rug and pillows. This adds a sense of depth and keeps the space from looking stagnant.

6. Shower connection to the outdoors: The materials here, concrete, smooth stucco, wood and glass and some of my favorites to work with. The wood floor keeps the space from feeling too cold, and the view to the exterior is really stunning. 

There are certain things people use (or there ought to be) in the course of a day that make them happy. Products that work flawlessly, artwork that inspires, and best of all, items that are both practical and beautiful. I picked up an Eva Zeisel Hallcraft white bowl quite a number of years ago, when my husband and I were out scouring a few antique stores for small treasures. I didn't really know anything about the piece, except that it was lovely. It's lines are fluid, the lugged end fits perfectly in the hand, and it fits a medium size one-bowl dinner or a good size soup. 

I use this piece any time I can fit a meal in a bowl, and gently wash it out by hand each time. It has a few small blemishes that I don't mind in the least - it's well used. But it is something that I use on a regular basis that brightens my day. These are the type of things that I would like to cultivate; items that improve the quality of my life whenever I use them.

What do you use that makes your life better?

I was toying with putting together a gift guide, just products that I think look great, and I realized that I have a real thing for white. So I decided to limit this guide to white-only items. My picks range from a $13 container to a $9000 camera, so take this with a grain of salt. I do have to say that I'm eyeing the stackable cookware, however, and think I may end up ordering a few of those for myself one of these days.

Leica M8, White Edition, $8999
Stackable Cookware, Christian Bjørn, $49-$118
Humidifier, PlusMinusZero, $318
Toilet Roll holder, Ai Collection, $40
Molecule Dish, voonwong & bensonsaw, $48
Iceberg glass, Reiko Kaneko, $39
Drop Bank, Rita Botelho, $44
Helium P pendant lamp, Hans Sandgren Jakobsen, $425
Enamelware Containers, Noda Horo, $13-$21