tastemaker

You may have noticed a common denominator in the chic nurseries (or grown-up spaces!) you've pinned lately: chances are, they're related to animal photographer Sharon Montrose.

A darling among design bloggers, she takes a strikingly modern approach to capturing her subjects — which range from farm inhabitants to exotic species — for her wildly popular Animal Print Shop series. She's a relatively private person, so we were delighted to peel back the layers during a long chat. Aside from talking animal shop, we discovered other intriguing traits, like her self-described crass sense of humor, Angeleno drawl, and something that could be dubbed as a sixth sense. Keep reading to catch up on the conversation!

You may not expect clocks made of concrete to feature intricate, lace-like designs, but that's the idea behind Para Clocks, the stylish pieces made by LeeLABStudio. Handcrafted at the founders' Brooklyn, NY, shop, the striking clocks offer a surprisingly delicate take on concrete and a unique perspective on design.

Lindsey Lee founded the design and fabrication studio with her husband, Brian, and his brother, John. After successfully raising funds through their Para Clocks Project Kickstarter campaign, the trio applied their backgrounds in architecture to the design of beautiful clocks that are now sold at a variety of retailers, including Anthropologie. We spoke with Lindsey about the family dynamic of their workspace, the creation process, Kickstarter, and more, so read on for our full interview with Lindsey Lee!