They carry over 300 kinds of tea and some amazing tea ware and accessories. But it's the design of the space that I find so intriguing.

Contemporary and relaxed,

....with a sprinkling of tea leaves on the ceiling. Check out their website here for information for you tea aficionados who can't get enough.

Another great article about tea, it's history, tea related furniture and tea ware, be sure to check out the article on 1st Dibs: Tea Tables and Tea Drinking Equipage by Louise Devinish. Very interesting:

HERE is some more tea trivia to set you all straight.

They were just some girls out on the town in Marrakech.  All dressed up, they had left their husbands behind....

They were going to a new place in the Marrakech Palmeraie, called Le Blokk... It was said.....there was glamorous ambiance on offer.....

Oh the lighting!!! 

And the longest, most comfortable Moroccan banquettes on which to lounge......

She slipped away and spent an inordinately long time in the women's bathroom....just admiring the view up....

She wondered if she would get arrested if she took a peek in the men's bathroom.... (muffled noise in the background...oh, I am so sorry Sir!  I didn't mean to interrupt you.    ummm...do carry on....)

But it was the music, the music......that took center stage.

They listened, and they tapped their feet, and they sang along.  They danced in their chairs.  Just happy, so happy....

Oh my, these people really knew how to sing.... (and please, we're not talking kareoke...)

They drank it all in and they drank it all up.....until it was time to leave.  Ahem, late, very late.....

On the way home, they even burst into song once, okay twice......

************

Le Blokk

212-74-334334, www.leblokk.com

Palmeraie (right next to the Mehdi Palace), Marrakech

Reservations recommended.

Helen Amy Murray’s surface reliefs on everything from chairs to headboards to walls are just unbelievably gorgeous. The detail is just as amazing as the overall effect.

http://www.helenamymurray.com

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Posted by Kerstin

During this important year (presidential election and all), I readily admit that I don't rush to the front page of the New York Times or the Washington Post each morning.

More than likely, I am flipping through party pictures on style.com or my new favorite: a weekly blog feature on New York magazine hilariously dissecting the latest "Top Chef" victim.

See the latest cooked turkey, Spike, below.

I plan to return each Thursday (the day after the Bravo show airs) to read through the silly commentary. After that, I will look through this and last season's archives.

It's frivolous. I am not learning a thing. But a girl needs to ease into the weekend.

Share your online guilty pleasure -- we won't tell your boss.

Floor to Heaven has done it again. I’m mesmerized by their rug-designing and making abilities.

http://www.floortoheaven.com

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I don't know if you all noticed that Brocade Home, a subsidiary of Restoration Hardware, is no longer taking orders. Perhaps it is because of the launch of this site: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

I was looking for a Dining Table and noticed the new logo at the top of RH's website, so decided to check it out. There are quite a few nice things here (like the sweet personalized crown piece above).

The furniture, I would suspect, is the same high quality you would expect from the parent site. This four poster is a really timeless design I think. And the bedding hosts a hive of little bees fit for a little Josephine.

The lamps are great looking and quite a good price. This gourd lamp is $119, plus the shade at $25.

Cute lamp reminiscent of Jaime Young. Painted ceramic, comes in a bunch of colors (as does the gourd lamp), and different shade choices. $69! Plus a shade at $25. This is not a tiny little lamp either. It stands 22" high. (Sometimes with a price like this I double check the size to make sure it is not a mini lamp.)

And there are area rugs and window coverings as well. I thought this woven rug (comes in other colors also) was very nice!

I was very impressed overall. Restoration Hardware has great things that blend in with many different decors, so I was very pleased to discover this site. Hope you will be too. Worth a visit for sure.

Posted by Lena

I just got back from a quick trip to Portland, Maine. I was there to work, but spent a big portion of the time eating!

Dining in, dining out... both simple food and sophisticated... it was all so delicious.

Here are some snapshots of my meals in Portland, and a list of restaurants I highly recommend.

FORE STREET
Fantastic local, seasonal food in a beautiful old building.
288 Fore Street

BRESCA
A sweet, intimate restaurant with great Italian dishes, also made with fresh, local ingredients.
111 Middle Street

BLUE SPOON
The perfect place to get a really delicious soup and salad for lunch.
89 Congress St

FLAT BREAD COMPANY
Wood fired pizza with toppings like organic vegetables, homemade maple fennel sausage, and goat cheese.
72 Commercial Street

SARA'S TEA SHOP
This sweet little tea shop doesn't have a website, but the loose teas are wonderful and the homemade scones are to die for.
195 Congress street

I've been eyeing this Marimekko wall hanging at CB2 for sometime and I haven't quite pressed the order button yet. Of course, I love the primary colors.

Then I saw Joy's post on Maija Louekari, so I had to check to see if this piece was made by her. And indeed, it was. Damn that girl is talented!

Chic cushion
Woven of natural abaca, the Aqua Bead Circle pillow from Palecek showcases an embroidered bead design ($138).

GOBLET-SHAPED VASE
with Brushed Silver Trumpet-Style Base and Turquoise, Beige and Chocolate Finish, 5.5"D x 11.25"H, For Decorative Purposes Only, Glass, Brass, BB, Cs pk/4, ©2008, CBK Exclusive SUG. RETAIL $60.00.

WAVE-SHAPED TRAYS
with Light Blue and Light Green Reactive Glaze Finish, Set of 2, Lg: 20.75"L x 4.75"W x 4"H, Sm: 12"L x 3"W x 3"H, Ceramic, BB, Cs pk/4 sets, ©2008, CBK Exclusive SUG. RETAIL $34.50/ea. tray.

morning eye-candy: new plates from a series called “between us women” by lisa bengtsson. you may remember lisa’s wallpaper (here and here) but this new series was just launched at formex in stockholm. each image is representative of a woman in one’s family and each plate has a saying on the back associated with that member of the family. you can view more of lisa’s work right here.

I really went gaga over legendary magazine editor Mary Jane Pool's apartment that was featured in the March Domino. I thought it was such a beautiful mix of graceful antiques, 20th century pieces, and gorgeous fabrics and wallpaper. So, while I was reading Tiffany Taste(aka Table Settings of the Rich and Famous) the other day, I came across a chapter on Ms. Pool and her style of entertaining.

According to the book, Ms. Pool has a fondness for all things Venetian (this is confirmed by the Domino article, which notes that Pool has a decent sized collection of 18th and 19th c. painted Venetian antiques). For a summer lunch, Ms. Pool would likely start with a salad of shredded celery, mushrooms, Gruyère, white truffles, and a vinaigrette of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The main course might be a pasta gratinée of green tagliarini, béchamel, prosciutto, and tomato. For dessert? Chocolate twigs or truffles, grapes, or strawberries accompanied by mandarin orange tea. Oh, and no wine- "nothing dangerous"- with lunch, only San Pellegrino. After all, when you're an editor of a magazine, you have to stay on your toes!

What I enjoyed most were the photos of Pool's Sutton Place apartment circa 1986. Author John Loring wrote that Pool "knows as much as anyone about the domestic pleasures that make life sweet." I wholeheartedly agree.


What a sumptuous mix of yellow satin curtains, yellow walls, and red satin(?) chairs. In fact, those chairs appear to be the same ones that were featured in Pool's Olympic Tower apartment, although at that time they were covered in orange cotton pique. The mirror is 18th c. Venetian. And notice the pedestal table, which Pool still owns today (see image of Pool at top). According to Tiffany Taste, the base is in the shape of a neoclassic Italian urn.


Another Venetian piece- this time an 18th c. painted commode. The tea service is Royal Berlin, and the silver Tiffany basket is filled with chocolate twigs.


Tiffany's classic "Chrysanthemum" flatware and "Nymphalidae" dessert plates adorn the table. Strawberries are nestled in a Tiffany sterling basket.

(Image at top of Pool- photographer Annie Schlechter)

Before I left home for college, my mother warned me about mixed drinks and alcoholic punches- too much and I might end up with a lampshade on my head. Well, I heeded Mother's advice and thankfully got through school without any major embarrassments. But after seeing these lamps by mat&jewski, I say bring on the Hunch Punch! I'm ready to wear these lampshades.

Now, I'm not really a fan of flouncy or cutesy lamps and shades. And despite the whimsy of the mat&jewski lamps, they unfortunately would not work in my home. But I just couldn't help but think of those great feathered hats that women used to wear. You know, women like Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn, and the like. Maybe it's time for feathered millinery to make a comeback. And you can start with one of these lamps at your next party. Just don't say that my mother and I didn't warn you about the punch.

All lamps by mat&jewski; vintage fashion photos from Conde Nast Archives; images of mannequins with feathered hats by Stephen Jones.

From Janet:

Forget stocking up on reams of paper for your child’s creative urges: consider this simple Chalkboard Table instead. The Offi Woody Chalkboard Table is $299 at Design Public.