Gun! To! Head!

It's been a while since I've played Gun! To! Head!, the game where I flip through a catalog and pick the one thing I'd buy (gun to head) before throwing said catalog into the landfill. The main reason I stopped playing is that I have been making a conscious effort to put a halt on the endless catalogs that, once they start coming never stop. But West Elm manages to keep getting my address back on the mailing list. So, screw them, but here we go.

In West Elm's latest Light the way mini catalog, I found myself going back to their (now somewhat classic) Pebble Coffee and Side Table. There is something so pleasing about its shape. It's made of cement concrete, which is weirdly light enough to move around. The table is natural enough to blend in outside but funky enough to add that pop of industrial chic in an indoor living space. Ideally, I'd get a few and put them out back, so they'd create both a nice visual within the landscape while also offering a stable resting place for my Gin and tonic. Papa loves his gin and tonic. Xo

Les Nécessaires d'Hermès: Furniture As Porn

That sweet little bag company Hermès is getting into the furniture business with a new line of eight stunning pieces designed by Philippe Nigro called Les Nécessaires d'Hermès.  I will take one of everything, please. Have it wrapped and send the bill to Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Tell her I'm a huge fan. I'm sure she'll be fine with it.

Susan Frost Ceramics: Dying From The Gorgeous.

Uch, these pieces from Susan Frost are insanely beautiful. These fit into the category of "are they art/are they dishware" but either way, I say yes. Yes, I say. You can read a nice article on the artist HERE (Design Files). Xo.

Color Mixing

I came across this image of the Mikado suite in the Grand Hotel in Oslo on Stylizimo, and it really spoke to me. So often, people are freaked out about mixing different like-minded colors... fearful that conflicting shades might create horrible results. I think this is a great example of how colors that look like they might clash (do they?) can work so beautifully if done with confidence and a gentle touch. What do you think? Xo.

IMAGE: STYLIZIMO

Sawkille Penn Table

I find this table a delight. It is handmade in a shop in the Catskills called Sawkille. I love it. Xo.

Architectural Digest: A Before And After (Of Sorts)

Architectural Digest has a fun story about rich people. These rich people were really rich ten years ago when their huge, swanky home appeared in the pages of A.D.  The look was all Colonial Revival and Sotheby's.  Lots of ornate moldings and antiques, which, to be honest, went with the Greenwich mansion.  But someone got bored!

Butterfly Table by Angelo Tomaiuolo

Well, how about this? I saw it over on Contemporist, and I think it's really special. The table, designed by Angelo Tomaiuolo for Tonin Casa, comes in a few shapes and the choice of wood, marble or glass top.

Super swelegant. They seem to want to show it with mod/leather chairs. Personally, I'd do more of a white powder coated metal Tolix chair (I prefer this MUCH cheaper version from Industry West) with a good cushion. Xo.

PICS: Contemporist

Objects Of Curiosity From Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware has a new section of decor items called Objects Of Curiosity. For the most part, they seem somewhat silly to me. Not that I don't get the need for a Trojan horse Fragment ($445) or want a fun mirrored obelisk ($245-$445) on my shelf. It's just that purchasing them at a mass market store like RestHard feels too easy.  Granted, some seem to say they are handmade, but still. If you love the look of steampunk, shouldn't you have to work a little harder for it, and not just be able to run in and pick up a few chemistry fragments in a glass cloche ($445) and call it a day?

That said, I do quite like the Wood Carved Game Trophies (above), so there's that. Xo.

Myoung Ho Lee Tree Series: My New Obsesion

I saw images of Myoung Ho Lee's Tree series in the NY Times T Magazine and I am totally crazy for them. Lee, a native of South Korea, shot the images in his homeland, creating these tree portraits (?) by simply separating the background, allowing part of the landscape to become the subject.

By framing out a lone tree with a white canvas, he has managed to make such a strong statement...and show such a beautiful image that might have otherwise been lumped in with the entire horizon.   These are really wonderful to my eyes.

After the jump there are more images. I love them. What about you? Xo.

Shadow Chairs From Duffy London. Genius.

I was (am) a total Anglophile growing up. After spending a year in London, I came back to the States desperate to dress like a proper English gentleman.  But I also loved the English approach to decor; Their super regal poshness mixed with total whimsy and humor. Case in point: these Shadow chairs from  Duffy London. I mean, seriously! The shadow is, in fact, part of the base. These as dining chairs would be a dream.

And then there are the extreme versions like the Tree Shadow, which is a total delight (the shadow is actually a felt rug attached to the back...)

See what I mean about those Brits? They got something special going on over there. Must be in the water.  Xo.

New From DWR: The Helix Coffee Table

Here's a new one from DWR. It's the Helix Coffee table (and side table, too) from Atlanta-based industrial designer Chris Hardy. It's good, right? Man that brass is really becoming the new normal, huh? Xo.

Dwell: A (Super) Brooklyn Loft

I am not gonna lie. I love this loft I saw in Dwell. I love wood and this is how I think it should be done (that ceiling!).  I am kind of a dumb-dumb when it comes to fully understanding sustainability but obviously, it's super that the bulk of the home was built with reclaimed and rescued wood.

BeoPlay A9 Speakers

I walked by the Bang & Olufsen store and this beauty was spinning around on a Lazy Susan in the window. Check out the gams! The speaker connects wirelessly from any device, which is super. The price tag is huge, which is not. Regardless, if you have a big open loft with the room to place this beauty so you can see its backside, and a spare $2,700, I say go for it! Also, there are more cover colors (white/red/silver), so there's that. Xo.

New York Magazine: The Home Design Issue

Last year, I was a bit harsh about the New York Magazine Design Issue. I bemoaned the frustration of a subject that I love (design) being so weighed down with an antihero approach to it all. To my eyes, it felt like the magazine purposely used ugly images and spaces (last year they were all celeb spaces) as if to prove that everyone involved was too cool for school. This year's issue feels much more interesting... or maybe I've just mellowed and I'm not so angry on my insides. I also knew the images wouldn't be "Elle Decor worthy" this time, so there was less expectation. Expect the world and you're constantly let down. Expect nothing and you're always pleasantly surprised.

Public Art: I See London, I see France...

A beautiful Sunday yesterday in NYC. Watched my little buddy's little league game. Ate hamburgers with the people I love at the pier cafe, and then strolled home holding hands with my dreamboat (future) husband.

Along the way we came across this huge lady sitting on the grass, contemplating life. Divine. Xo.