I can't help but chuckle over this 1954 Christmas Swim Photograph ($275) by Slim Aarons of his wife, Rita, swimming in a pool with a decorated Christmas tree and ornaments floating about. For one, it's absolutely unheard of to put a Christmas tree actually in your pool. Second, the tree is so extravagantly trimmed with lights, tree-toppers, tinsel, garland, and ornaments! I've certainly seen Read more

Acclaimed midcentury photographer Slim Aarons shot this photograph of a feline-shaped pool inspired by the Art Deco novelty Kit-Cat Clock at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami in 1955. The retro swimming pool seems pretty evocative of the era and fitting for a place frequented by celebrities and socialites. And it's only natural that Aarons would photograph it . . . after all, he often referred to Read more

I was looking at the photos from Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz's semisequel to Happiness and fell for this poolside patio. While I'm not so smitten with the tiling on this patio, I love how the ball-shaped topiary shrubs look against the modern white walls of this home. And, those outdoor armchairs are rad! What do you think? Is this space too modern for you? Or do you love it? Love Read more

At the movies the other night, before the feature rolled, my husband and I were treated to what felt like 30 minutes of movie previews. Among them was a trailer for Adam Sandler's new movie Grown Ups, which featured a scene of the four stars peeing in a pool. After urinating, the mythic blue pee-detecting chemical begins to bloom around the four "grown-ups" as they float. The public shaming Read more

With Summer just a few months away, many women have already cranked their workouts into high gear to attain a bikini-ready body, or at least tone up for all the tanks, shorts, and sundresses they'll be wearing. Health and fitness magazines are on it too; almost every subscription I've received in the mail this month has a four- to eight-week program on how to sculpt yourself beach-body-ready. Now Read more