Shopper's Diary: When Harriet met Ozzie

For the past couple of years, the online magazine This Is Paper has been one of our favorite daily reads, so when they launched their own shop we took note.

It doesn't take us much convincing that the botanical world is an intoxicating one. But in case there are any non-believers out there, let us introduce you to Amy Stewart's latest book, The Drunken Botanist. In this encyclopedic little volume, Stewart catalogs the plants that have played central roles in the great drinks of the world. An introduction to botany through the lens of the cocktail? We'll take it.

Summer baths need summery soap dishes; here are our 10 favorites.

Building on its mission of engaging the public with contemporary art and supporting the revitalization of American downtowns, 21c Museum Hotels renovated the 100-year-old Metropole Hotel building—a historic landmark in downtown Cincinnati—restoring it into a contemporary art museum and cultural center against the backdrop of Cincinnati's Backstage District.

An easy way to add some freshness to a bathroom is to switch out an old shower curtain for a new one. Here are five we like, all of which have a summery feel to them.

Spotted in the San Francisco flat of Nir Stern; an industrial steel hutch turned into a freestanding sink console. Pure genius.

A friend emailed to say she was searching for a porch swing, which made us realize we hadn't covered this category before. It also made us realize that it's actually hard to find a good exemplar; here are five we like (plus a bonus DIY project).

Admired in an SF urban garden by landscape architect Scott Lewis: a cheery red concrete planter by Mary Martha Collins, a California-based artist who specializes in vibrantly hued concrete vessels (planters and fountains) for the garden.

With their new undertaking, Sir and Star, Chefs Margaret Grade and Daniel DeLong have taken a simple roadhouse and created something sophisticated and quirky yet accessible to all (with a subtle nod to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," which was filmed in nearby Bodega Bay).

Every few years design gurus Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan either move house or latch onto a new one. They call it the upward mobility syndrome, but if their latest move is any indication, the potter-turned-style guru and the window dresser-turned-author just like change, and a design challenge they haven't met before.

Three appealing woven wicker pendant lights—ranging in price from $800 to $195.

We've partnered with the chic girls of Of A Kind on this iPad cover giveaway. Tell us your favorite summer essentials in the Comments section for a chance to win!