West Elm jumps on the indie artist train.

I love having a West Elm right in my hood. It's always a fun source of home inspiration for me, and I like quite a lot of their accessories--even if some of their wood furniture gets beat up in like two seconds if you have kids.

What I was particularly excited to see was the shop taking the Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie route by including more fun small housewares and accessories, and embarking on some super cool collaborations with small brands and artists. Like a whole table devoted to CMP fave Lotta Jansdotter, including these beautiful soy wax candles; though unfortunately they seem to be out of stock on the website. Bring them back!

So what cool artist collaborations will you find online at West Elm right now? Here are a few that caught my eye.

[don't miss more indie coolness after the jump]

 

I really like the new dessert plates from Sesame Letterpress, whose letterpress calling cards were a previous Cool Mom Pick. They make me ready for spring. Now.


Although they're not identified by name, I'd know the distinctive Cate + Levi upcycled hand puppets anywhere. (Psst...West Elm: credit your artists.)

Artist Jason Polan's glass decoupage trays would be so great on a night table-out of reach of little ones).

This John-Paul Philppé sketch rug is among a new series of rugs made by artists that are modern and fun.

Also of note: West Elm is now working with their Brooklyn neighbors at Etsy, and incorporating work from selected artists in their catalogs. If you see an accessory you like but don't see it available at West Elm, you can find a list of them on the West Elm/Etsy page.

Yay for big brands working with the little guy. Together, we all end up with prettier homes. -Liz

Find More: Around the House, Art+Decor (Sounds Fancy), At the Table, Big Brands Doing Cool Things