Decomancer

Adam Skalman Design

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:24:00 +0000

It's in the works, folks! Check back soon for updates!

Smell This

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:17:00 +0000

The weather was criminally gorgeous yesterday, so it follows that I would be working inside all day. I was moping at my desk, mumbling something or other about Vilebrequin swim trunks and frosty beverages, when my nostrils perked up at the loveliest scent.

A designer client of mine had just walked in, and she seemed to be emanating the smell of summer personified. It's difficult to tell someone that they smell heavenly without seeming like someone who collects human hair in scrapbooks. However, I was compelled by sense of duty to ask.

The culprit: a bergamot cologne from Le Labo, the New York-based parfumerie with a decidedly apothecarian aesthetic.

I'm a big fan of colognes, but they rarely stick to me for long...nor I to them. A candle is, for me, the next best thing. And luckily Le Labo has taken some of their most popular formulas and made them wick-ed. If you're not groaning too hard, take a look at their offerings.

And yes, "wick-ed" just happened.

Yule Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Hello again, friends!

Looks like I've climbed out of my serious Glee/GaGa/carbohydrate hole and have finally seen my shadow, if not my feet. Holiday awesomeness is predicted for all, and here are some lead indicators (and a de facto xmas list for those of you who gave birth to me and are reading this):

My family and I waded through the Thanksgiving Day post-parade melee to see the Lewis Carrol-inspired Bergdorf windows, and as usual, they did not disappoint. A particularly fantastical favorite (below) features a cacophany of chromed musical instruments, disco unicorns and a Naeem Khan-clad social X-ray standing on the mantel.

The fantasy here, I suppose, is that an 85-pound body could support a 90-pound beaded gown, let alone scale a fireplace. In my YouTube re-creation/your dreams, I will be wrapped in tin foil, standing on top of my bathroom vanity and flatironing my emo-bangs.

Also loving the new David Stark holiday goodies for West Elm (below). For the uninitiated, Stark is the go-to genius for the fete set in NYC, planning some of the chicest and most creative parties this side of...well...time and space. He captured some of his signature flair for his WE collection, no hand-engraved Crane & Co. invite required:

Check out David's webiste for some gorgeous party ideas, as well. (I need help deciding between Cipriani's and Lincoln Center for my imagined commitment cermony to Orlando Bloom. By the way, we're registered at Mary Boone Gallery and the Library of Congress.)

West Elm has some other holiday niceties, as well, for those of you in need of some low-paycheck, high-payoff wintertime entertaining supplies.

WE's Manzanita candelabra has an echo of Michael Aram without the sticker shock. And with spots for nine mini-tapers, it's a perfect hostess gift for that Hannukah bellini-and-bagel brunch you're attending.

Other items on my Secret Santa list:

- anything monogrammed

- the rights to turn Troop Beverly Hills into a stage musical

- a monetary donation in my name to the struggling shelter mag of your choice

- floor seats to the Gaga show next month (or cheap seats along with really stylish opera glasses)

- early parole

Thanks for reading...and the happiest of holidays to all three of you!

(0) Days of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Labor Day weekend is like Sunday of the whole year. That back-to-school melancholy is in the air, along with the Hampton Gitney's last breath of exhaust, and I find myself entertaining wistful thoughts of sunny L.A. ranch houses, bright blue swimming pools and endless summer bonfires back in my native SoCal. (Going going back back to...)

My last post was all about getting a jump start on fall. But today I just want to cling onto summer like a schoolboy with ADHD. Part of that means wearing my Ray-Bans on the subway, listening to Solange Knowles on loop, and making my own Bumble&Bumble Surf Spray in my kitchen sink (hint: salt+water = saltwater).

But I thought I'd put together a little greatest hits list of summery Cali style, as well. If used wisely, you may never have to buy a new Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper for school again....

I'm all about using art as inspiration, especially when you're trying to evoke a particular energy or texture in your decor. For instance, David Hockney's swimming pool paintings are so piquantly summer-sexy that I can almost feel the sting of chorline in my eyes and the residual prickle of a fading sunburn. I'm an indoor kid at heart (Scrabble and spray-on tan to the core), but I like to pretend that my past is filled with debauched Malibu pool parties chez Geffen. No reason I can't decorate as if. Like my mom always says: "If you can't do lines on the lanai with Carly Simon, then you should go shopping at CB2 for accessories."

Oh Ma, you're so right! To get that Hockney look try a mix of the following:

Art Deco Table Lamp from Target, sunny and funky:

A few Astroturf floor tiles from FLOR underfoot:

A Kartell stool in your favorite shade of shallow/deep end:

If Hockney is too-too for you, take a look at one of Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park paintings. There's a beachy rustication to the simple shapes and sunbleached colors that, to me, conjures up images of the Venice boardwalk and the bungalows along Abbot Kinney.

Since a Diebenkorn is a little out of my wannabe beachbum budget, I found these great photos in Union Square from a company called She Hit Pause Studios. Sold in perfectly weathered frames, they look like Holgaroids that have been left out by the pool on a sunny day. The photo doesn't do them justice, so check out their site at shehitpausestudios.com.

Enviroments Furniture has a collection of reclaimed wood furniture that seems ready-made for your Venice Beach bungalow/Murray Hill 1BR, with a little 70s romper room mixed in for good measure. Fabrics are in earthy tweeds and funky felts. Check out their Union Square showroom if you're in the hood.

Any other cures for the summertime design blues? I'd love to hear 'em.

Ahhhtumn in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:13:00 +0000

There is just a soupçon of fall in the air this morning (not to be confused with a falling soupcan in the air...a common occurrence in Brook-nam). But like all pleasant New York weather, I'm sure it will last about as long as your/my most recent obsession with Miley Cyrus. That is to say (sadly) I probably won't be wearing a hoodie again tomorrow.

Predictably, I was that kid in high school who would wear a J Crew turtleneck and plaid wool trousers the second they appeared in the August catalog, ignoring the 90 degree September days in San Diego. I have since learned to abstain from the bushels of cable-knit whatnots that pop up in all my favorite clothing store windows come late summer, and instead channel my craving for fall wardrobe into an arena less likely to make me sweat profusively....namely stuff for my new-ish apartment.

This year there are plenty of peacoat- and cardigan-inspired home goodies, enough to placate one's inner yearning to dress like Claire Danes circa 1995. Just promise not to henna your hair and wax ironic about Jordan Catalano...

These cable knit pillows and throws (below) from West Elm are asking to be hugged, unlike that witholding family member you talk about in group therapy. Squeezing is pleasing, I say, and this pillow is Charmin for your sofa. (DickWilson, RIP.)

Grey flannel is not just a cheap cologne you can buy at CVS. The tradish sartorial fabric has transcended the overcoat and joined the home decor party. These grommeted curtains (also from West Elm) are crazy affordable and force me (non-optional, really) to make a pun about Don Draper(y). An applied grosgrain trim would add a little rep-tie pop, non?

These cashmere throws from Williams Sonoma Home look almost wearable, even if they do cost as much as a mixed-breed puppy. (Does the word recessionista make you want to vom as much as me?) I would order one in Autumn Glaze, which totally sounds like something your aunt de certain age would order at a cash bar at a wedding. Ooooh, and they come monogrammed....unlike that Snuggie you're hiding under your sofa.

I'm also digging the flannel Henning sofa from Anthropologie. The contrasting preppy plaids hit that cozy fall sweet spot, and the acid orange piping saves it from full-on Revenge of the Nerds. Pair with neon sunglasses, Louis Vuitton sneaks and auto-tune and you are approaching the furniture equivalent of Kanye West.

Have any of your own back-to-school must-haves? Comment away, dear reader(s). That means you, too, mom...

(P.S. If you haven't already, go see The September Issue. Grace Coddington should be knighted.)

Nate's Motel

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:57:00 +0000

Being a procrostinator in general (and a terrible Netflix subscriber specifically), it should come as no surprise that I am just now watching Gossip Girl for the first time.

First season, first impressions: Why does the Palace look a Trading Spaces blooper reel? Faux-finished walls and Z Gallerie bleh-cessories do not a penthouse suite make, and no trust-fund baby/babymama worth their (insert white powdery substance of choice) would live there full-time. (I, however, if asked, would be there in roughly two seconds, Mervyns-brand duffel in hand and an obsequious smile that says "I will totally clean my own room, guys.")

I'm almost onto Season Two, and hopefully hit-show status gives the digs a much-needed upgrade. Until then, here's a list of some hotels worthy of full-time residence (and maybe a Blair-Nate-Serena throwdown/threeway?)...

If Nate Archibald decided to embrace his WASPy roots and don kilt and tartans, two things would likely happen: I would achieve levels of happiness hitherto unreachable without the aid of pharmaceuticals, and Boy Bangs would probably book a room at the Hotel Missoni (above) in Edinburgh. I will forever associate the city with the grody pub WC in Trainspotting, but clearly the town has sobered up and glammed out.

Leave it to the venerable Italian fashion house to build an entire hotel around a line of $250 bathrobes. Outposts in Kuwait, Cape Town and Oman are forthcoming, as are (I'm sure) scores of rap video location scouts. And in a surprise twist worthy of GG, rooms start at around US$250.

Check the website for more (unpaste-able) photos, and a soundtrack that includes either Jill Scott or Prince. Honestly, sometimes I can't tell the difference.

Attention Rufus Humphrey: The Ace Hotel (above) just opened a new location in Manhattan, and Seattle-based hotelier Alex Calderwood (think Andre Balasz in Rouges Gallery and galoshes) has brought that old PacNoWe feelin' to Midtown with particular aplomb. The rooms are succinctly furnished but never short on humor and rockstar cheek. Even the brown-papered front windows (not all the retail/restaurant spaces have opened for biz) have a lo-fi charm.

Although the turntables in the rooms might be two (or eleven) steps beyond, my inner Fleet Fox is definitely nodding along with the rest.

For those of you attending prep school on partial scholarship, check out the Jane Hotel (above) for cool-kid digs on the cheap. Cons: shared baths mean trimming emo mullets and beard scruff in the company of strangers. Pros: you can roll over in bed and reach the closet.

Finally, if it's honest-to-Ivana NYC hotel superchic you want, I don't think anything can ever top the Mandarin Oriental (below). It's not cutting edge and it's not overly jaw-/panty-dropping. But it exudes luxury from every limestone paver, without any pretense or irony. A hipper hotel would let Chuck Bass trash his room. The MO would never let him check in to begin with.

XOXO, Decomancer.

Bedroom (Set) Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Sort of sickly fascinated with New York's Model Search gizmo, where you can search for fashion models based on specific physical attributes. (Is it just me, or does everyone get pop-ups for Prozac and mayonnaise when using this site? Just me? Ok.)

I totally wish there was the same thing for online furniture shopping. The best I can come up with is searching bedding at Overstock.com by color and thread count. (Rehab seafoam in 200tc or less, please!)

I want a chiffonier with faux bamboo brass legs, a carrera marble top and the washboard abs of, say, Sean O'Pry. Where's my search engine, Hinternet?

Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka and....doh...John Mayer

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Just when I'm ready restrict my design-related reading to the Soviet Home Catalog and Edith Wharton novels, Elle Decor comes along with a whizzbang trio of "At Home With..." articles that really tickles every corner of my magazine-addled brain. The breakdown is below the fold:

Anna Sui's Greenwich Village apartment (above, photo courtesy of Ctrl+C and then Ctrl+V) is the design equivalent of black licorice, except that it doesn't make me want to wipe my toungue off with a paper napkin after eating a whole box of it.

Love the inlaid commode. Love the etagere with her signature creepy dolly-heads. Love the black-and-whites of rock stars (that probably came with a birthday card signed "XO, John V.") We don't really need to discuss the peacock, do we? It defies explanation, and pecks at your eyes if you cross it.

I would totally love to curl up in her living room with a crossword puzzle, a plate of Oreos and a Boston terrier....but where wouldn't I want to do that. (If you can think of anything else black and white that would go, by all means comment away! Perhaps a penguin playing a tiny piano. Adorbs.)

For more B+W mayhem, check out the Badgley Mischka vacay manse down in Kentucky (above). Somehow, they have hacked into your/my brain and figured out how much you/I love eat-in libraries, chesterfields, and vintage trophies (see first-ever Decomancer post!). Uncanny. My copy of the photo spread has been ripped out in full, stuffed in an envelope and mailed to God with a note that says "If you have a sec..."

And since there has to be a Martin Short in every Three Amigos, Elle Decor decided to round out its little celeb home trio with a profile of John Mayer's SoHo pied-a-douche.

I'm not sure what happened here. Did he buy the model home? He must have been shtupping someone at Elle....or at Armani Casa....or both....at the same time. Because this looks like My First Apartment Since My Dad Got Me That Awesome Job At Goldman Sachs....except the stylist hid the 60" plasma and Wii. Yawn. Stretch. Barf.

But two out of three ain't too shabby, ED! Keep up the good work.

Catalogorrhea -- Urban Outfitters

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Sometimes I like to play this little game where I flip through the home section of the Urban Outfitters catalog and try to find items are not ironic, meta, po-mo, kitschy, retro or otherwise too cool for school. Most of the stuff they sell belongs on Look At This Fucking Hipster's Bushwick Walk-Up, so it can be a real head-scratcher. Not unlike "What's New in the LL Bean Catalog?".

UO is currently in the throes of a mini-obsession with 1970s Marin County macrobiotic chic. This means macrame pot hangers, scratchy needle point pillows in avocado and burnt orange, and pictures of owls that look they've taken the last Quaalude. It's the decor equivalent of the Williamsburg mustache, and if it doesn't make you want to open a vein in protest then you've been watching too many reruns of Phyllis.

However, I did find a few kindasorta cute things that I wouldn't be totally ashamed to own, which probably means that they were the sloppy seconds from an Anthropologie buyer's drunken shopping spree. I give myself 10 points for each of the following:

I might love this magnifying glass stand a little bit too much. I picture it atop of a stack of Victorian surgical pictorials holding a perfect specimen of Acherontia styx...or a tear-stained petal from your prom corsage...or the likelihood that you will achieve your dreams before you die.

This desk has a utilitarian spareness that mixes corporal punishment cheekiness a la The 400 Blows with an insouciant wink of nuclear holocaust drill. Super-sexy! It figures largely in the recurring nightmare I have of taking the GRE naked in a room full of morbidly obese Kabuki dancers.

I also love(ish) these tuxedo ruffle curtains. They prove that on rare occasions, UO can contain itself. You know some design intern in gladiator sandals wanted to silkscreen them with production stills from Joanie Loves Chachi, but somehow cooler heads prevailed.

Your turn, friends! Highest score gets to throw this at this.

Does anyone else...

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:30:00 +0000

think that House Beautiful is trying too hard to be the new Domino?

HB, you're not my real mom!

That being said, sometimes fake mom is better than dead mom.

Fake Mom's Fall Color Issue has lots of pretty pictures, and as always, my favorite drunk aunt.

My New Design BFF -- The Egg from "Risky Business"

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:27:00 +0000

While there are a beaucoups things from Risky Business that make my insides warm (see: Ray Bans, chintz sofas, half-shirts), Joel's mom's crystal egg is clearly the star of the whole film.

It is a one-off from Steuben made just for the movie, and although I slogged through about 745 tragic YouTube recreations of Tom Cruise's tighty-whitey dance , I can't seem to find a picture of the real deal. This will have to suffice:

The original is about eleven times sexier, and when Tommy makes his amazing slo-mo diving catch at the end of the film, you can see a special glint in his eye that says, "This egg is the crystallized brain of L. Ron Hubbard, and one day, I too will have my brain turned into a glass egg for others to put on their mantle and enjoy."

As a non-Clear, I will have to make do with a "stunning" knock-off.

I'm picturing the 2009 version with some Baker barrel chairs in white ostrich, a giant Franz Klein on the wall, and a pantsless Nicolas Ghesquiere breath-polishing it to a perfect shine. Alternately, you/I could use it to hold up your/my well-thumbed collection Sookie Stackhouse novels, with an unopened copy of Heidegger's An Introduction to Metaphysics thrown in to impress your/my internet dates.

In reality though, I would probably just pretend I was Edie from Out of this World, and use it to talk to the disembodied voice of my alien father.

See? It has so many uses! Thanks, Egg!

Welcome Back, Blogger!

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Inspired by the new food porn/blogging epic that is Nora Ephron's Julie and Julia, I've decided to unearth My First Blog and add a little more digital narcissism to the Hinternet. If Julie Powell can write a wildly successful blog, get a book deal, get her book adapted into a movie, and make millions of dollars, then why can't I? This is a rhetorical question, and all answers should be forwarded here.

Not only does the film contain an accurate protrayal of a blogger who does not use a Macintosh laptop, it has some real design hotness as well. Three examples are in this picture:

Pretend this is (Decorating) Highlights for Children and find the following:

-The LeCreuset enamel cassoulet in sunset orange that I got for Christmas four years ago. Thanks Aren and Rebecca!

-A pegboard for copper cookware that will surely haunt my dreams for months to come.

-The Shoes. These shoes surely have a standing table at Da Silvano and engage in brief but widely publicized amours fous with yacht-owning financiers. They complain listlessly to their maids about how hard it is to find a decent maid. They summer. I would put them on my nightstand and throw my keys and change into them, if only my keys and change were worthy of such a magnificent vessel.

Go see J&J, and let me know your favorite design bon mots.

Shine a Light

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:55:00 +0000

Lighting a modern/contemporary space can be difficult if you don't have the budget for hardwired fixtures. A lot of what's on the market is either IKEA-disposable or looks capable of opening the pod bay doors.

I'm always on the lookout for lighting solutions that are modular, simple and unique without being space-age gimmicky. Here're a few that struck my fancy recently:

Tobi Wong's Sun Jar (below, bottom left) and Moon Jar (above)capture the just-caught vibe of bayou fireflies with Japanese techno flare. Gorgeous as a nightlight for midnight refrigerator spelunking...or as a centerpiece for all those al fresco dinner parties you wish you had enough stylish friends to populate. And they're both powered by stored solar energy and rechargeable batteries....like the Osmonds.

The String 10 Light (right) by Patrick Townsend is a more stylish version of those Christmas lights you still haven't taken down. Get off your slacker duff and plug one in!

The Corner Lamp (below, top right) is a chic solution for any space-starved and/or lighting-challenged abode. Simple, spectral and just a lil creepy, it's like a Robert Irwin sculpture for your living room.

Hironao Tsuboi's LampLamp (below, bottom right) straddles the fence between "way too cute" and "Damn, I wish I had thought of that." I think it tips toward the latter enough to warrant a mention here. A single bulb hanging over each of two Rococo nightstands could be kinda cheeky and fantastic, or float a flock of them as a dining room chandy.

Although not technically lighting, the Color Light DVD (above, top left) is too cool not to include here. It cycles through the complete spectrum in about 20 min, turning your TV into an LED color fiesta that should entertain design aficionados and stoners alike. Less of a fire hazard than Dad's old lava lamp....and with more character development than all your Adam Sandler DVDs combined.

Have any lights fantastic of your own to share? Lemme know!

Premium Seating

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:26:00 +0000

A really beautiful occasional chair is like an artful piece of high fashion: stunning purely as an object, beheld with reverence (if not mild fear), and probably out of your price range.

The new(ish) Boomerang chair from Plantation is that Thom Browne suit you've been eyeing at Jeffrey. Hitting a sweet spot between Bauhaus and Danish modern, I think it really sings. Too bad I have to pay rent this month.

A little bit Marcel Breuer (sans chrome) and a little bit Hans Wegner (sans teak), it would look amazing next to my imaginary Kagan sectional and sack of gold bullion. Also Orlando Bloom would be sitting in it whilst reading aloud from an unpublished David Sedaris manuscript.

I'll take two, please!

It places the Kiehl's moisturizer in the basket...

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:57:00 +0000

I think I have more cool containers to put stuff in than I have stuff to put in containers. But, hey, what's one more, right? Especially if it's this charmer....

With a whimsical lace cutout pattern, the Carrie shopping basket by Marie-Louise Gustavsson is right up my/your Mod Victorian alley. While the green handbasket hearkens back to its supermarket ancestry, the black bicycle version is a perfect mix of Tord Boontje and Elvira Gulch.

Take it produce shopping and be the fiercest sumbitch in Whole Foods. Moooi muy bueno, si?

Or, put a couple in the WC for catching your Malin + Goetz. I can't imagine a better place to put the f***ing lotion....

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog...

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Whenever I see a vintage typewriter in an antique shop, I can't help but peck out a sentence or two. (Same goes for old pianos, usually against the directions of the "Do Not Touch" sign on the music stand.)

In mint condition, an antique machine can set you back over $300. However, A Repeat Performance on First Ave. in the East Village has a great collection of vintage typewriters (in styles ranging from His Girl Friday through 9 to 5) for pretty decent prices.

I'd love one as a doorstop, or tucked in amongst some paperbacks for a little bookshelf garniture.

Or better yet, pull out that ream of 20 lb. Crane and handtype the invites to your next soiree--or make your own personal stationery/ransom note. A little steno pool chic goes a long way.

If you're feeling especially craft-happy (don't despair - it's perfectly healthy!), buy a selection of antique typewriter keys and dress up your drab drawer pulls and cabinet knobs. A handfull in a glass bowl could be sorta curio-licious, n'est-ce pas?

Mavis Beacon would be oh so proud.

Capital Climbs

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:50:00 +0000

I usually consider myself a pretty fearless DIY-er.

However, while I was re-painting my kitchen last month (Glidden Ribbon Yellow), I found myself without a decent ladder. Teetering atop a stack of dictionaries straining to reach a particularly elusive corner, I suddenly realized that a subdural hemorrhage was not a price I was willing to pay for a decent paint job.

But if you're anything like me, you have nowhere to hide an ugly ladder. (You also think you might start watching Gossip Girl, and are possibly lactose intolerant.)

Prospects are kinda grim on the non-hideous, non-invasive ladder front, but here're a couple ideas:

The Household Telescoping Ladder (left) from good ol' Target is compact enough to hide in that ne'er-dusted space betwixt cabinet and fridge. For most projects, it's ideal. However, much like Whitney Houston, it can't stand up without leaning against a wall.

If you want something a little funkier, I suggest buying a wooden stepladder (Werner makes the best ones) and painting it a color of your choosing. For my place, I'm thinking a high-gloss black.

Leaning seductively in a corner, it'll be unobtrusive yet stylish, and useful for changing a light bulb.

Hmmm....can you date a ladder?

"Mrs. Carrington, are you trying to seduce me?"

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:47:00 +0000

Slim Aarons, Joan Collins and a pink poodle? Is it Christmas already?

For fans of the late celebrity photog, this Joan Collins print from Lumas is a must-have. For fans of the erstwhile Alexis Morell Colby Dexter Rowan Carrington , it's a no-brainer. For fans of the color pink, it's oh-so-pretty. And for fans of all three, I believe there is some sort of support group that can help.

As for me, this little treasure will go perfectly with my Anne Geddes portrait of Linda Evans dressed as a giant daisy.

Shall I Lichen You to Spring?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:59:00 +0000

Maybe it's my recent addiction to 19th century British literature, but I'm really digging these mossy finials from Smith and Hawken:

Steeped in faux baronial decadence, they're almost downright...well...Wuthering, no?

One on your entry table would be the perfect spot to toss your fog-drenched bonnet after a lonely walk through the moors, spent contemplating the infuriating gender norms and social constructions that have made it nearly impossible for you to escape the unbearable prospect of an arranged marriage to a moneyed but overly-pious landowner, all the while wistfully recalling that perfectly sun-dappled picnic/tryst that you shared with the sensitive son of the town cobbler but a fortnight past.

Or they could be bookends.

Sarong It's Right

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:14:00 +0000

I was never clamoring to board the batik bandwagon that has been circling--and circling--around town these past few seasons. (Did anyone see India Hicks' Safari QuikWipes collection for Kleenex?)

However, these parsons chairs from Jayson Home might make a batiknik of me yet.

They're a lil' bit mid-centch, and evoke just enough Palm Beach 70s glam without having to drag out the macrame pot hangers.

A quartet of these bad boys round a Saarinen tulip table would make any breakfast nook a swell place to eat grapefruit. Or pair a pair with a crisp linen daybed for a beachy keen convo group.

Cozy up with your favorite Isak Dinesen novel (or Chico's catalog) and enjoy!

(Note: India Hicks has not, to my knowledge, ever designed products for Kleenex, Cottonelle or any of the Kimberly-Clarke family of consumer brands. But she should.)

And the winner is....

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:38:00 +0000

Annette Bening says in American Beauty: "In order to be successful, one must project the image of success."

I can't agree more. And nothing projects high-strung WASPy chic better than a delicious mantle full of old trophies. Who cares if the last thing you won was the Project Runway office pool? Start collecting and start projecting!

I always keep an eye out for particularly quaint-bizarre-ancient specimens at flea markets and vintage stores, and there are definitely some amazing deals to be had. (I found a perfectly tarnished 1950's Women's Bowling League of Staten Island trophy for eight bucks at a cute resale shop in Williamsburg.)

But if you can't start your collection quickly enough, Paris Hotel Boutique has a veritable Hall of Fame just waiting to be shopped.

Try a cluster of three or five different heights on a mantle or console, or just fill one with florist's moss or your favorite jelly beans (be sure to wash it out first!).

Or just hold it in front of the mirror and practice your acceptance speech.

They like you, they really do...