I came across this gem while browsing pictures of unique children's rooms. Named The 1984 Fishbowl, this revamped design by Danny Cheung putts a modern twist on the age old glass fish bowl. It's quirky shape is eye catching, the windows are made of magnified glass providing a detailed look at your goldfish, while the opaque walls provide refuge. I love the retro look of this funky little fish bowl, it would make a stylish addition to any room, and I imagine kids would go nuts for it. Available online for $430.Posts with tag InteriorDesign
The 1984 Fishbowl by Danny Cheung
I came across this gem while browsing pictures of unique children's rooms. Named The 1984 Fishbowl, this revamped design by Danny Cheung putts a modern twist on the age old glass fish bowl. It's quirky shape is eye catching, the windows are made of magnified glass providing a detailed look at your goldfish, while the opaque walls provide refuge. I love the retro look of this funky little fish bowl, it would make a stylish addition to any room, and I imagine kids would go nuts for it. Available online for $430.Polo Mansion Designer's Incredible Interiors
Ralph Lauren's flagship store on Madison Avenue (pictured above), aka the Polo Mansion, is probably the most luxurious retail outlet in the world. Not surprisingly, it made Naomi Leff, the interior decorator who created it out of a gutted shell, into a household word in design circles. The Monacelli Press presents a long-overdue compendium of her work in the alluring new book Naomi Leff: Interior Design. "To me it's the most beautiful store in the world," Lauren said upon the Mansion's completion in 1987, "the details, the world it creates, the textures. It's a store that has an emotional impact. I've watched so many people come into it and be dazzled when they enter." Leff went on to design several more stores for Lauren and stunning spaces for Giorgio Armani and private clients as well. See more of her work in the gallery.
Gallery: Naomi Leff Interior Design
The Tord Boontje Shadow Light
Master interior designer Tord Boontje is renowned for his decorative pieces that combine the whimsical beauty of nature with the latest technology. Ornate layers and vivid colors are his trademark, his work is breathtaking and quite often his designs look like they belong in a museum. Tord tries his artful hand at kid's decor with this beautiful shadow light, the perfect addition to any baby's nursery or older child's room. It features scenes from nature that are projected in multi colored images onto surrounding walls. I imagine any child would fall in love with a nightly light show featuring animals! The Tord Boontje Shadow Light is available online for $359.
Erickson Beamon Glam Rock Chandelier
The immensely talented, couture jewelry design duo at Erickson Beamon, have created the most fabulous chandelier ever! This exquisite handmade work of art is called the Glam Rock Chandelier, and it looks like it belongs in a castle (it has in fact had a permanent home in a few museums). Completely covered with Japanese glass pearls and Swarovski crystals it still manages to look timeless and classy not gaudy. I adore it, too bad it costs $22,500! Available on vivre.com.
Meteor Table by Christa
Bring the woodsy outdoors charm into your home with this limited edition unique find. It's called the Meteor Table, it's made by Christa and it's an actual teak tree root that's been coated with bronze. Definitely a conversation starter in any home! I guess you can't rush such a ginormous and heavy package (750 pounds) via mail so it takes 6 months to arrive. Tree tables don't come cheap, this purchase will set you back $55,000! Of course I'm trying to figure out how I can start making these things! It's available on vivre.com, a very cool decor site.
New Safari Style
Though it will always have strong overtones of colonialism, going on safari in Africa these days isn't about imposing country club comforts on the untamed wilderness or making a dent in the local wildlife population. That's only fitting in an era when more people come to photograph the animals than shoot them. That's not to say there aren't plenty of elegant luxury lodges in Southern Africa where you can be waited on hand and foot; it's just that the emphasis now is on "organic glamour," a more ecologically-minded, indigenous approach that doesn't sacrifice anything in the way of comfort or style.
In The New Safari: Design, Décor, Detail, just out from Quivertree Publications, we get a tour of 17 of the best and most unique of these lodges, from the diaphanous Singita Lembombo in the Kruger National Park to Namibia's Little Kulala with its blend of earthy and contemporary elements. Be sure to check it out before you book your own excursion.
Gallery: New Safari Style
"Moment of Luxury" on PBS, with Bill Stubbs
William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs' travels and of course, a blog, so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that?Hunt Country Style
Life in the aristocratic Piedmont region of rural Virginia from Middleburg to Charlottesville, known as "Hunt Country," is of course mainly centered around equestrian pursuits. However, the preservation both of open land and historic architecture are of equal importance. Foxhunting has been popular in the area since the late 1740s, when the young George Washington rode to hounds, later establishing his own pack at Mount Vernon. In a beautiful new book called Hunt Country Style, Kathryn Masson escorts us through some of the prettiest purlieus, including the seat of the Orange County Hunt, with which Jackie Kennedy often rode. While these days (as in any other desirable locale) there's been an influx of new money, for the most part the emphasis is still more on tradition than ostentation.
Click on the gallery below to take a tour of Hunt Country. Tally-ho!
Gallery: Hunt Country Style
Expensive Designer Bedrooms for Children
What a dream for a little girl or boy to have a bedroom modeled after their favorite fairytale or movie! Of course the rich and famous can afford to give their kids whatever they want, and they aren't hesitating to do just that when it comes to bedroom design and decor. One designer says "if you can draw it we can make it," which is resulting in every creation you can imagine -- from a $47,000 pumpkin-shaped carriage bed (Cinderella) to a Tom Thumb room consisting entirely of over-sized furniture.
It's not unusual for these designer bedrooms to end up costing $50,000 to $100,000 by the time they're complete. Would you spend that much on your child's bedroom? Especially considering they'll probably grow out of the theme and want something new in a year or two?
Via Born Rich
Daniel Ogassian Tiles
Another exhibit that I caught my eye at CABoom was the work of Daniel Ogassian. Ogassian does tile, pottery and furniture that has a modular, puzzle-like appeal. The tiles can be combined in a variety of intriguing shapes. The tiles can be customized with different glazes and patterns using your own graphics. Ogassian also carries the modular look into his ceramic pods like the pod 3 planter shown here. After the jump, check out what I found to be one of Ogassian's most compelling designs, a tile that is designed to let grass grow up through it (and to think all of all that time you wasted weeding between tiles).
