Here are a few new objects for our design drinking games. “Take a swig” everytime you see one of the following:

A Globe Collection:

Not-so-casually-tossed Hermes boxes (”casually tossed” Hermes boxes count too). Do stylists just keep a bunch of these in their cars for photo shoots?:

Gaining on the Tom Ford book and The Cabinet of Natural Curiousities, it’s the Tony Duquette book! Also in this picture, another trend, putting an entire shrub into a vase.

Tortoise shells, real and faux. By the way, picture number two is chock full of extra points, so look carefully:

Zebra rugs. Because these are so ubiquitous, to be fair, let’s say the magazine or blog post has to have at least three of them in order to count (I really love both of these rooms by the way, especially the first one):

Photographs in order from top to bottom:

• Southern Accents

• Metropolitan Home

• Metropolitan Home

• Elle Decor

• Domino

• House Beautiful

• Southern Accents

My brother just sent me the funniest email and I thought I’d share:

Hey!

I took this by my house yesterday, D.O.T. at their finest:

Upon the event that you are in West Hollywood this Saturday, put on your swankiest designer walking gear (ha!) and head to the 11th Annual Art & Design Walk. This is the must-do event on the calendar of style conscious Angelenos and is staged along Melrose Avenue and Robertson and Beverly Boulevards—the favorite shopping destinations for LA’s celebrity and design elite.

The skinny:

what: 11th Annual Avenues of Art & Design Art Walk, a mile long open house of over 300 fashion boutiques, interior design/furniture showrooms, fine art/antique galleries and restaurants. Over 90 events, including exclusive receptions, personal appearances, food and entertainment hosted by individual showrooms, shopping discounts and other special surprises.

where: Along Melrose Avenue, and Robertson and Beverly Boulevards

when: Saturday, May 31, 2008. 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

how much? Free! Meters on the Avenues will not be enforced during the event.

For the full scoop check out the Avenues of Art & Design website.

Master merchandiser, shop owner extraordinaire, new mom and my dear friend and former neighbor Suzannah Fischer (or is it Fisher now? She actually married a guy with the same last name, minus the “c”) has started a blog for her store, O’Suzannah Goods, called o’suz news. It’s a great blog for perusing the coolest gifties and accessories - Suz has an enviable eye for finding the freshest products. I owe most of my grad school credit card debt to Suzannah.

The Cape Cod Modern House Trust as seen on Modern House Notes. I spent hours this week catching up on Tom and Gina’s blog, after seeing a story in The NYTimes about the Alice Ball House I was sure was written by Tom (we linked over to this post back in January). Turns out it was written by someone who clearly had appreciated his research on the subject. Anyway, I recommend catching up with all of Tom and Gina’s posts, as the buildings they find are phenomenal, but in particular I want to help spread the word about The Cape Cod Modern House Trust. Here is a little more information from their website:

In the late 1930s, on the isolated ‘back shore’ of Wellfleet, a group of self-taught, architecture enthusiasts began building experimental structures based on the early Modern buildings they had seen in Europe. Through mutual friends they invited some of the founders of European Modernism to buy land, build summer homes and settle. Like their local hosts, the recently emigrated Europeans admired the traditional Cape Cod ‘salt boxes’. These ancient houses were simple, functional, owner-built and designed for long winters. The Modernist summer houses were inversions of these, oriented to capture views and breezes, perching lightly on the land. In the three decades that followed, these architects built homes for themselves, their friends and the community of internationally influential artists, writers, and thinkers that took root nearby. Though humble in budget, materials and environmental impact, the Outer Cape’s Modern houses manage to be manifestos of their designers’ philosophy and way of living, close to nature, immersed in art and seeking community. The work of these architects and their clients spread around the world. These houses are the physical remnants of this unique convergence.

The Trust is trying to raise money to save and maintain some of these modern treasures…

… and in conjunction with the Truro Castle Hill Center for the Arts, has organized a Modern House Tour on August 24. I’m going to try to attend. Truro is probably the most beautiful spot on the Cape. The picture above is from the Truro Castle Hill Center for the Arts Home Page. As a chair-obsessed freak, I had to share it! The chairs themselves honor this group of artists.

The Tunnel House, as seen on Home Rejuvenation. Check out the post where they found it over at Designverb - the pictures are pretty mind-blowing!

Get your office looking sharp by checking out “Office Eye Candy” from Emma’s Design Blog.

•Jack Phillip’s Bug House photo courtesy of Florence Phillips via modern house notes

• Castle Hill chairs from CastleHill.org

•Tunnel House pictures from flickr member Brother O’Hara via Designverb via Home Rejuvenation.

• Office picture via Emma’s Design Blog

Sorry this post is so late.  I had so much to tell you from the weekend break that I lost track of time today!  How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was mixed - on the sad news front, my iPod bit the dust. It is so outdated that it’s hard to even find on the website - it looks like an antique compared to all of the new ones!

•On happier notes, Sex and the City is worth the price of admission just for the fashion. What did you all think of

(SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT: DON’T READ THE NEXT FEW PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET AND WANT IT ALL TO BE FRESH)

Carrie’s apartment makeover? It seemed like good Apartment Therapy philosophy to me - clearing out Aidan’s heavy chair (it was literally weighing down the room), getting some bright new color and prints (I loved the blue), getting rid of the wedding gifts, clearing out so many books and magazines (something I am completely unable to do), arranging all the artwork on the walls instead of leaning it up against the walls. I also enjoyed all of Patricia Fields’ color combos on the clothes - the raspberry pink and red; red and purple; taxicab yellow, black, and white, et. al.

OK SPOILER OVER!

•I’d like to thank my blogger pal Holly over at decor8 for inviting me to dish about design reality television shows. A few of them are gearing up to start this month, like Design Star and Top Design. Holly let me introduce myself to her readers by introducing my block in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood in the city of Atlanta. After journeying out to the ‘burbs for the flick last night, I appreciate my ‘hood all the more!

•Thanks to my neighbor Lily for inviting me over to see her amazing home. Lily saw the blog post I wrote and invited me to come see the inside. I cannot wait, and I’ll be sure to share the experience with you here as soon as I do!

•Thanks to commenter Charlie for giving me the heads up on another fire station renovation (the first post on this topic is here). Engine No. 44 Firehouse is completely renovated and available for the low-low price of $6,375,000. This was one of, if not the first, fire station renovations, originally bought and used in 1959 by an artist couple. Built in 1910, the firehouse included a stable for the horses that pulled their fire wagon. Check out all the photos of this remarkable property here.

• Thanks to Elle Decor magazine for all of the chic inspiration over the years.  I am so happy that I finally own So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces. Now  I can throw out my copy of the magazine with SJP’s Hamptons house in it.  The magazines I save are starting to overtake my house.  This book deserves its own post, so I’ll try to tell you more about it later this week.

Images:

•Sex and the City image from sexandthecitymovie.com

•Firehouse 44 photos from Firehouse44.com.  Be sure to check out the rest of the renovation photos on their site!

•So Chic photo by William Waldron as seen on from Amazon.com,

I am particularly fond of viewing photos of Design Public products in action…like folks swinging on a Fatboy Headdemock, or modeling with their Vitra Nelson Clock, or dressing up their OFFI My Pet Lamp. In this case, the “action shot du jour” is of four legged friend Mr. Buddy scratching his little heart out on a Marmalade pet care Sweet Lounge Cat Bed and sitting on a Hepper Wave Pet Bed. Obviously, Mr. Buddy’s owner, Anthony, has done a might fine job of pampering his purry pal.

Name: Anthony and Mr. Buddy (the cat)

Where do you live? Seattle, WA

What do you do? Director of Development

DP Purchase/s: Marmalade pet care Sweet Lounge Pet Bed, Hepper Wave Pet Bed, Hepper Nest Pet Bed, Weegee Floor Lamp.

What’s your favorite DP product and why? All the cat goodies. Mr. Buddy (our cat) can’t live without them! All the items in pet stores are bland.

How would you describe your design style? Retro modern

Sites/blogs you visit daily: velonews.com, yahoo.com, nytimes.com

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you? Don’t shave your legs with goosebumps (I’m a cyclist and yes we shave our legs!)

Tell us about your home, office, workspace, or favorite nook and cranny. New modern dwelling built by elemental architecture (elementalarchitecture.com)

What’s your favorite color or material? White

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Silver

If you could redo any space, past or present, what would it be? The “Biblioteca Nacional” in Buenos Aries. Great buuilding that needs a little love

Any favorite design ideas? Old spaces revamped with an acute design sense for interiors

Any design pet peeves? “Euro” Modern, overstuffed couches and “knick-knacks.”

Do you collect anything? Tell us of your treasures….Any prized possessions? Not really a collector, but I own lots of fancy race bikes that I’d die (or get fat) with out.

Favorite member of the A-Team: Their black and red van.

Movies you can watch over and over: Anything that DOES NOT include Tom Hanks and/or Julia Roberts.

Four places you would rather be right now: In Phuket, Thailand at Twin Palms resort; Winthrop Washington hiking in the woods; Italy watching the “Giro D’Italia” bike race; Stumptown coffee shop with my wife.

Thanks Anthony and Mr. Buddy!

Your turn! We can’t wait to see your photo of your friend sitting on your Orange22 Botanist Bench, or an incredible spread set our on your Blu Dot Strut Table. Join our “Design Public Peepsâ€� Flickr group and upload a photo showing how you use your Design Public purchases.

Maria Beatrice and Leonardo Ferragamo’s Villa Le Rose

Oh how I want to be Margaret Russell, the Editor of ELLE DECOR. In addition to her unparalleled editorial skills, she must have about 8,000 cocktail dresses that look fabulous on her. In the foreward to my new favorite book, So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces, she defines what makes a space chic:

But what exactly is chic? Webster’s defines the word as “cleverly stylish; smart; a woman who adapts fashion to her own personality.” When it comes to interiors, chic is that and far more. A chic space can be razzle-dazzle glamorous or quietly unpretentious, seriously sophisticated or unapologetically bohemian. The unifying thread is indisutabley confidence, no doubt boosted by splashes of joie de vivre and flair.

Jaouad Kadiri’s Moroccan Country House

Kenneth Jay Lane’s Stanford White Designed Park Avenue Townhouse

This is a really good way to describe ELLE DECOR. They offer a wide range of styles in their spreads unlike any other magazine, from over-the-top opulence of say, Kenneth Jay Lane, to the lived-in rustic look of Ralph Lauren; from the eclectic vibe of Anh Duong to the elegant Grey Gardens-esque decay of John Derian; from the vintage but modernly crisp Thomas O’Brien to the exotic shapes and textures used by Jaouad Kadiri. This book culls the best examples from the magazine’s archives, and the range of styles is remarkable. The common thread is that they are all, undoubtedly chic due to the designers’ individual styles, whether they be influenced by the Ottoman empire, mid-century modern, vintage, Hollywood Regency, Morocco, the eclectic mix, et. al.

Ranjana & Naeem Khan’s SoHo Loft

For example, I took note of the different wallcoverings in the book. There were crisp white walls, classic murals, antique Chinese wallpapers, grasscloths, ethnic tiles, genius artwork arrangements, mirrors, bold stripes and luxurious printed fabrics.

Muriel Brandolini’s Upper East Side Townhouse

Tamara Mellon’s London Flat (O.K., I want to be her the most; she has every Jimmy Choo shoe in her closet!)

Sheila Bridges’ Harlem Apartment

Thomas O’Brien’s Wall of Inspiration

Delphine and Reed Krakoff’s Southampton Home

Anh Duong’s West Village Loft

Sarah Jessica Parker’s Hamptons Home

John Derian’s Lower East Side Pad

It was impossible to pick favorite photos from this book, but I thought these were some great examples. Here are the photo credits, in order, from the elite group that shoots for ELLE DECOR:

• Pieter Estersohn

• Henry Bourne

• Pieter Estersohn

• Simon Upton

• Pieter Estersohn

• Simon Upton

• William Waldron

• William Waldron

• Reed Krakoff

• Simon Upton

• William Waldron

• William Waldron

Yeehaw! The DP Outlet is open once again! I know these are sweet words to the eyes of many a Bay Area customer so enjoy it while it lasts…

Here’s the full scoop:

*All items are returned merchandise and are sold “as-is.� The majority of the pieces are like new but if there are any flaws to an item we have made a note about the condition of the piece under the item title.

*All Outlet sales are final. No cancellations, returns, or exchanges on Outlet purchases.

*Products are available for pickup only from our office in San Francisco, CA (see map). You will be given an opportunity during checkout to choose a pickup time. No shipments or shipping arrangements.

Check out all of the mind-boggling sales!

Do you have a flickr surfing pattern? I’ve just started to recognize my own pattern. First, I desperately look up “recent activity” to see if anyone has commented on anything I have, which rarely ever happens and it’s very exciting when it does. Then I go to photos from my contacts, flip through the first four pages or so, and then I head to my groups. The first group I always hit is our Anti-Depressive Living group, and that’s where I found this gem. I love Revolutionary Girl’s frame wall, but I think I love her dog even more. He’s just the most photogenic pooch I’ve ever seen - I think he could give the Anti-Depressive Living Group’s mascot, Liberace, a run for his money on the cute scale. Here’s another shot - he does not seem to have a bad side!

Revolutionary Girl’s pictures are really fun to look through - she includes all the prices of her flea market goodies, and you can see how her rooms have evolved. I did not see that she had a blog anywhere, but if she did, I’m sure it would be a daily read for me.

Good news! If you do not yet have your tickets to the Dwell on Design 2008 exhibition in Los Angeles, our friends at Dwell are now offering free passes to Hatch readers (free entrance to the exhibition only).

To get the goods you’ll need this code: BDODEC.

To register, follow this link: http://www.dwell.com/peopleplaces/conferences/17691009.html. All the details about the event can be found here. Enjoy!