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Gift Guide: Serving Trays For the Party Girls
Since I'm a design fiend, I think my friends expect to receive decorating gifts from me. But it really can be just as hard to shop for décor gifts as it is for clothes. Year after year, I struggle to find something that appeals to their tastes and lifestyles.
Home Library: Majestic Metropolitan Living
Just a week after the fold of Metropolitan Home, I've got my hands on another city-centric design volume: Sue Hostetler's new book Majestic Metropolitan Living: Visionary Homes in the Heart of Cities. The shelter and design editor for magazines like Gotham, Hamptons, and LA Confidential, and the host of Plum Homes With Sue Hostetler on Plum TV (which "targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world"), Hostetler has tapped her cronies for tours of their unique and luxe urban dwellings.
The American dream of retiring to the pool and tennis courts in your countryside home is squashed by this book, which showcases a range of sprawling, real-life city homes.
Great Set Design From 2009's Emmy Nominees: Big Love
While Big Love is nowhere near as hip as Mad Men when it comes to its sets, there's no denying that the careful crafting of the show's look adds depth to the series. Since the show's central thesis is the importance of family (even if it is a rather unusual family), the set design reflects that idea, as well as the personalities of those family members. Let's take a look at the homes of Bill Henrickson and sister wives Barb, Nikki, and Margene.
Do You Sleep on the Sofa When You Visit Friends or Family?
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my husband and I are staying at his mom's Whidbey Island retreat. Luckily, the house is big enough to allow us the luxury of staying in a guest bedroom. I've spent a good many nights sleeping on sofas, and I don't mind, but a guest bedroom is always a wonderful luxury!
Home Library: Inside the Not So Big House
My fiancé and I share a house that's under 1,000 square feet. It's a great size for us, and even if we do sell this home and move into a larger one, I can't imagine going much bigger. Having a small home helps with everything from organizing to cleaning to culling unnecessary belongings.
Sale Alert: Macy's Big Fall Home Sale
I'll be the first to admit that Macy's has a lot of sales, some of them just so-so. But when the retailer says "big home sale," it isn't joking around. Not only are these sale items reduced 20 to 50 percent, but there are a lot of them, and you get free shipping on orders of $99 or more.
This Just In: Mr. Big Makes a Commitment
According to Real Estalker, Chris Noth, a.k.a. Sex and the City's Mr. Big, and his longtime girlfriend, actress Tara Wilson (and mother of their son Orion Christopher Noth), purchased an 1,854-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath Joseph Eichler-esque modernist home in Sherman Oaks, CA for $1.445 million in August 2007. I'm sure the anticipation of his paycheck from the Sex and the City movie made it easy for Noth to fork over a big million or so for the house, and a three bedroom is also the perfect size for his family of three.
Do You Use Layaway?
Stores like Kmart, Sears, and Toys "R" Us are bringing back layaway programs. This service lets customers pay a small down payment, and then holds goods until the entire price is paid off. Big-ticket items, such as electronics, are increasingly being paid for through layaway programs, especially since shoppers are reluctant to rack up more debt on their credit cards.
Crave Worthy: Big Game Rug
I'm a big fan of children's room decor that's both fun for kids and stylish from an adult perspective. (Chalkboard paint, anyone?) Right now, I'm loving this Big Game Rug, which would look cool even if it didn't double as a twisting roadway for toy trucks. Made from hand-tufted virgin wool, the freeway-inspired rug even comes with three wooden cars.
Casa Quickie: Warm Up Your Kitchen With Red Appliances
Not ready to take the plunge and invest in an all red kitchen? Then create a big impact with minimal color investment by using a red stove or refrigerator in your kitchen. You can paint the rest of the kitchen with more neutral colors, or, as in this Amsterdam kitchen, you can choose gorgeous natural wooden cabinets.
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