The New York Times has a jaw-dropping article, "A Fixer-Upper to End Them All," and coinciding slideshow about the 1902 Stanford White-designed Beaux-Arts sporting pavilion in Rhinebeck, NY, which was purchased and renovated by Kathleen Hammer, a retired producer for Oxygen Media. The building was originally designed for John Jacob Astor IV, great-grandson and heir of the fur and real estate magnate, and originally served as a weekend retreat and entertaining spot.

Astor's elder son Vincent inherited the property, and his third wife, Brooke Astor, made it more of a residential spot. Brooke donated it to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and it became a convent and nursing home, and later a residential home again.Shown above is the main hall of the home, which connects two wings. It can be closed off by French doors on all sides, and is the most central part of the pavilion. It measures 35 by 60 feet in magnitude, and for this reason was considered by Stanford White “one of the greatest rooms in America." Aside from its overwhelming size, the hall's heavenly domed skylight with elaborate plasterwork and vast fireplace are astounding, to say the least. Unfortunately, years of neglect left Hammer with a lot of work to do to restore it to its former glory. So, she hired the best person to do the job, Sam White, architect and great-grandson of the original architect. To see this room as it is today, read more

Interested in a throw that's a step above the ordinary? Then try the Y&L blanQuette, a lightweight blanket resembling an oversize plush Turkish towel. Made of 50 percent organic cotton and 50 percent bamboo, the blanQuette measures in at a generous six-and-a-half by almost five feet wide. It's available in five different collections: The St. Moritz, Nevis, Laguna, Milan, and Furano, which each feature varying colors and patterns. Each blanQuette sells for $195 to $235.

Yumi & Lauri was founded by mother and entrepreneur Laurie Suzuki, who was inspired to turn Turkish towels into something more luxurious and versatile — which led to the birth of the blanQuette. Her commitment to eco-friendly practices also contributed to the organic content of the blanQuette.

I recently had the opportunity to test out a blanQuette from the Laguna collection. To hear my thoughts on it, read more

Domino market editor Jennifer Condon has a fun slideshow of products with a quatrefoil motif, an ornamental design of four lobes or leaves resembling a flower or four-leaf clover, which you know from Van Cleef & Arpels's "Alhambra" jewelry pieces (and Heidi Klum's knock-offs). Her slideshow was inspired by this image in a 1971 House & Garden story showing readers how to create a Moroccan mood with quatrefoil stencils.
I've been seeing this growing trend of quatrefoil design in the home in plenty of other places. So, I figured I'd show you where it's taking shape. To see my finds, read more