There is nothing more beautiful than something made by hand. I love what Totem is doing with salvaging Indian textiles to create bags that have so much soul and character. We are big fans of “if you don’t love it now, turn it into something that you do”. Totem exemplifies what your creativity can come up with if you value both conservation and beauty. - Kristina
My friend Adele is French and beautiful. I love the way she sees the world. She always inspires me. Her latest creation are these gorgeous tomato plants. She decided to jump in and give composting a go just by throwing in her raw food scraps and leaves into an old wooden barrel on her patio. What popped up? A little tomato plant. Look at how lush and healthy they are and with no fertilizer. How Fantastique! Even if you don’t have lots of outdoor plants that benefit from your compost efforts, you can still put it to good use. There are tons of urban trees that would thank you for thinking of them 
- Kristina
Sometimes just changing your perspective can make things simpler and easier. After the birth of my second child, Lola, in October, I work smarter and more efficient hours to spend more time at home. Sometimes I don’t get it together to make coffee at home before I go to the studio and I pop into my favorite cafe, Spring for Coffee, and get a take-out. I finally resolved my feelings of being wasteful by keeping the to-go lid in my bag in a plastic zip bag. I realized that sometimes it’s not about the material that you use, it’s how much of it you use. Sometimes it’s unavoidable to use plastic. Try not to be so absolute in your eco-thinking and practical solutions will come to you that you will enjoy doing. Once you get into more habits, new ideas to conserve will start proliferating into your thinking. I love being home with Lola. It’s worth everything to me and I can let go of my small indulgence of a convenience by changing my approach of how I consume it. I want to enjoy every minute I can with her. — Kristina
I am one of the co-founders of Amenity. My son Roman (who was the inspiration behind our nursery collection - you can see Roman here as a toddler in our shoot), is now about to start kindergarten. His introduction to his school-age years has brought me to an interesting journey in my life, the support of public schools. I just recently embraced my public school, Micheltorena Elementary, in my urban neighborhood of Silver Lake in Los Angeles. It has been inspiring and eye-opening and I’m eager to participate.
I encourage each of you to walk into your local public school and learn about their values and goals and then consider how you can make a meaningful contribution to supporting their efforts. It can be a small or a big effort. Any effort can make a big difference! You will feel so rewarded that you are contributing to one of the biggest challenges in our country — how do we fix the public school system? We are too bright and resourceful as a population to let this be a continuing issue for our kids. We can solve this problem. – Kristina
We love summer at Amenity. If you’re longing for a beach house getaway vacation, create one in your own home with a few simple updates. Add some comfy and cozy Amenity pillows in earth-colored hues. A new set of organic bath towels from Coyuchi in oceanic-colored hues will also help set the vibe along with some potted succulents in hanging containers. We love this one available at Branchhome.com. It’s so stylish and simple. And to add just the right touch to transform your home into a real beach retreat, consider adding paper lanterns or something more special like these ceramic votive lanterns by Pigeon Toe Ceramics. Now that you’ve got the look, you’ll be sure to want to serve a quick snack to friends in style. Anything simple and organic looks great on our Amenity FSC-certified walnut trays. One of our favorites is chopped dark chocolate and fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market. Now you’re ready to sit back, relax and enjoy the summer. We know it’s going to be a beautiful one. — Amenity
