One of the challenges with choosing materials for a design project is that there is always something new coming out.

Just this morning we finalized an order for 15 marvelous, sparkly, cone-shaped knobs. They’re going on the kitchen cabinets in the front of the showroom. The knobs have a retro, diamond-in-a-martini-glass shape that makes me think of Las Vegas, and this particular knob was my absolute favorite in this style (crystal & satin nickel) in the Top Knob hardware catalog.

Nova Lee Industry's #C14 knob with
Swarovski crystal center

But wouldn’t you know it, right after the order went through I happened to pick up a Nova Lee Industry Company catalog from the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, and what do I find but a similar knob that makes me start to think I might even like it better.




It makes me think of one of my clients who is struggling to finish a home remodel. Her ranch-style home was damaged by heat in the firestorm that swept through Rancho Santa Fe in 2007. The interior was reduced to wood studs and concrete floors, and she has been living in this stripped down interior for almost 3 years.

Her challenge—like mine—is to make choices, to decide on the very best products from among the thousands of dazzling choices available. And just when we think we have it—that wonderful, interesting-but-subtle, pale green/gray 24 x 24 floor tile that seems just ideal—we discover a new version of sea foam limestone that we might like even better.

4/28/10 TODAY’S FAVORITE THING…

Glass/Metal knobs from Nova Lee Industries Ltd, a company in Taiwan: From left, #GO160 Royal Blue, Yellow (Squares), #GO100 Black, Orange (standing, round), #GO131 Yellow (on side, facing front).