Reuse Outlet sale

Score a deal on some new or gently used building materials, and help support a foundation's charitable work at the same time.

The annual spring sale at the Recycle, Renew and Reuse Outlet Store will be April 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The store features building materials, model-home furniture and accessories and other items donated by members of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC). Items for sale include hardwood cabinets, granite countertops, windows, doors, dishwashers, stoves, ceiling fans, vanities with sinktops and lighting fixtures.

Proceeds of the sale help fund BATC projects, such as building a home for an Army veteran. The store, at 5905 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, is open twice annually after the Parade of Homes events, and by appointment. Contact 651-697-7563.

Get ready to garden

Are your lawn-care skills a bit rusty after the offseason? You can pick up a refresher course — or a fresh perspective — at a class on Yard and Garden Prep, part of Bachman's 2015 How-To Series.

Just because you can't plant for several weeks doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do in your yard. Bachman's horticulturist and Master Gardener Abby Davis will take you through the necessary steps to prepare your yard and garden areas while we wait for full-fledged spring. The seminar will cover such niceties as soil amendments, fertilizers, weed prevention and mulch.

Classes are April 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. and April 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Heritage Room at Bachman's on Lyndale, 6010 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. Visit Bachmans.com for more details. Or call 612-861-7311. Cost is $10, which includes a Bachman's coupon.

Martha Buns

New Ikea collection

London-based designer Ilse Crawford, founder of Studioilse, makes furniture and environments that are stylishly low-key: breezy, minimalist, prioritizing functionality over spectacle. Perhaps due in part to family roots in Denmark, Crawford developed a modern, "human-centered" design sensibility more typical of Scandinavia than Great Britain.

Suffice it to say, her forthcoming collaboration with Swedish furniture behemoth Ikea makes a lot of sense.

Announced at Stockholm Design Week recently, the Sinnerlig collection — due out this summer — consists of about 30 products highlighting natural materials and neutral colors, adding a much-needed dose of earthiness and warmth to Ikea's offerings.

Expect bamboo-lattice pendant lights, baskets woven from dried sea grass, cotton-blend pillows and handblown glass bottles. The chief material? Cork — popping up everywhere from cork-covered tables and stools to cork-topped jars.

It's enough to make us long for summer: Sinnerlig hits stores and online in August.

Chicago Tribune