umbra

This Aaron Thomas Hand Screen Printed Pillar Umbrella Stand ($389) was designed specifically for design fiend and international hotshot Kanye West. But, after Thomas carefully hand-illustrated the Roman-style pillar, burnt screens, and laid out the design, West ended up not purchasing them! It's made of acrylic and measures 10x 24 inches. If I had the dough, I'd snatch one up in a second. But, I doubt there are many folks out there who'd spend so much on, essentially, a waste basket. For those who dig the trompe-l'œil effect of this stand, and the monochrome palette, I've found a much more affordable alternative. To see it, read more

Have you checked out the Umbra Loft line at your local Target? It's like their younger, hipper home decor stuff at decent prices — and they didn't forget home tech, either.

Their Charging Valet Studio has a modern Victorian look, with ornate curves on a black MDF box for your power strip and cords. I rather like the look — it feels fresh and stylish, and the best part is that it's so inexpensive: just $22.50. Thank the gods for Tar-jay.

If my job is any indication, I'm not exactly a numbers person. But, paint-by-numbers? That's another story. So, when I spotted the Umbra U+ Collection Photo Clock ($80) on a recent trip to the SFMoMA (in the gift shop, of course), I thought I'd died and gone paint-by-numbers heaven. A clock, with a beautiful design, ornate hands, that I can personalize with my own raw direction-following talent? Where do I sign!? Lucky for you, the clock is new at Velocity Art & Design, so you won't have to fly to SFO to pick one up. And, if you want to be a real rebel, you can paint reds where the greens go, or use your own color palette to be a badass DIY queen. Oh, and if mechanical clocks aren't your thing, you can order the matching frame on sale ($19) from the SFMoMA's online shop.

One of the best ways to add some flair to a baby shower or a baby's birthday party is to print out some pictures of the guest of honor and display them. For a baby shower, take baby pictures of the expectant couple and make photo copies of the originals. For a kid's birthday party, find the tot's best shots and do the same.

Use a corner cutter ($9) to soften the edges. If you want to make them a little fancier, double–stick tape to the photos to scalloped circle note cards ($7 for 20 cards).

Then decide how you want to show off the pretty pics. If you have a chandelier, you can punch holes near the top of the pictures and dangle them from the light fixture using ribbons. Or, you can use an Umbra fotofalls ($20) photo holder. Clip the snapshots to it and use it as a centerpiece for your party.

Your guests will ohhh and ahhh at the lil Martha Stewart you've become.

It's always nice to have a 2-in-1. Shampoo+Conditioner. Boyfriend/Roommate. The possibilities are endless, and they certainly come in handy when you're trying to save space. One place in the home which easily collects clutter is the coffee table, so I was ecstatic to see some great magazine rack/coffee table combos out there.

Good:
This Magtable Coffee Table ($158 ) has been around the block a few times lately in the blog world. And you know why? Because it's a cheap catch, and it has slots for all of your monthly subscriptions, even the ones you've been hording since last year.

Two even sweeter magracktables follow, so read more

Umbra already wowed me with its Conceal Book Shelf ($10.50) and Conceal Towel Shelf ($18), which make things appear to float in mid-air. Now, the company is appealing to one of my major obsessions — magazines — with its newest product.

The Illuzine Magazine Rack ($31.50), designed by Satina Turner, is equipped with metal rungs for hanging magazines. When all of the rungs are covered, the magazines appear to hover in space. Oooh, I want one. What do you guys think? Check out the Conceal shelves and tell me which one you like better when you read more

I love the slightly surreal effect of this Umbra Biblioteca Bookshelf ($525), which was designed by Matt Carr and goes on sale next month. The designer came up with the idea for the piece after finding two vintage coffee tables and using them to make a similar shelf for his own house. I love the something-from-something-else look, and as Happy Mundane points out, a crafty type could make a similar shelf the DIY way.