iPhone 5 cases I die over...

So I have finally joined the masses and entered into this "new found" era of technology, trading in my trusty BlackBerry for the elusive iPhone 5. First of all, I know that it's pathetic on my part, especially as a designer to not have embraced the smartphone all others are measured by, but ehhh... I'm getting there! I'm still trying to figure out "the internets"!

Now, taking on this huge responsibility, my precious (that was also said in my best Gollum voice) should be dressed only in the finest most stylish attire...

So here are my top choices for iPhone cases!

I could just get all designer up in here, in which case it's Alexander McQueen all the way! This patent leather case with skull charm is just a charm! This unfortunately is something that will require me taking it in and out, and not really offering total protection, but quite a lovely frock for the phone.

Next find is this really chic wooden holder and stand, called the Miniot Book, still under development. This company offers quite a nice selection of gorgeous wood case options, which as a designer is so enticing!

Then there's the total BADASS in me that LOVES this creation of the old school Brass Knuckles making nice with a piece of iconic technology. KnuckleCase is a really great way to channel the "Bad Boy" image I like to pretend I have, when I'm nowhere near possessing a quarter of that coolness...

On the other hand, my inner hipster may feel that going with a 'stache might be the ticket. This is just pure fun and silliness from Zero Gravity, but come on! Who doesn't love a good Gold & Black mustache moment?!...

Lastly, and probably my ultimate favorite is this Brass & Hardwood piece of artistic engineering from EXOvault. I seriously can't even stand how freaking beautiful this is! This is like pinnacle of iPhone cases in my little world! I may have to put a deposit down on this baby as I don't know if I'll be able to convince myself there is anything else worthy of protecting my precious!
 

Never too early for Pumpkin Decorating!...

Okay, so we haven't officially even hit Fall yet, but the kid in me can't help but want to get a hold of those orange gourds we all love to decorate this time of year and get creative! Now last year I did my pumpkins covered in tacks, for that studded look... If you hadn't already read it, check out it out here. Really easy and beautiful way to add a little Rock N Roll to your doorstep!

This year, I decided to take my Dip it, Tie it, Dye it post one step further and try to go with a more "dipped" looking family of jack-o-lanterns...

Another extremely easy way to decorate... A bit of spray paint, and regular latex paint, and  you're basically good to go! Paolo and I stopped off at Home Depot as I didn't feel like paying twice the money to "pick" my own at a farm...

We grabbed a nice assortment of sizes and shaped, and tried to get with longer stems, as I always think it's much more interesting with the twist of the vine still attached.

I sprayed the various gourds in Black, Metallic Gold and in a Neon Pink (which unfortunately does not photograph as well expected)... This was serving as my base coat of color to then layer the "dipped" effect over.

I basically used those inexpensive foam applicators to apply a thick amount of the latex paint on either the top of bottom of the pumpkin, then helped gravity do its thing by tapping it, to create the desired drip areas and legs.

The application is very similar to icing a cake or something... I mean, doesn't this look like an amazing confection of sorts?...

For the pumpkins I wanted the drip coming from the bottom up, I just stuffed some newspaper into an old flower pot to stabilize the gourd to then drip the paint over...

I even drizzled some of the black latex onto the white latex before it was dry to swirl the two together...

So all in all, just a really easy DIY to do, the look is kind of awesome! Happy Decorating!

Seaglass, shiny & matte...

We probably all have memories of walking along the beach as kids then the excitement of finding what in my mind were like little jewels from the ocean... Little shards of broken bottles tumbled and honed over time, breaking away all the sharp edges leaving an assortment of etched translucent "magical" stones.

I used to love the look of it and the play of shiny and matte... Well what's not to love when this look gets translated into products we can enjoy everyday in our homes... Yes, we can absolutely still gather these gems up, fill up a bowl and nestle a little candle in center of it to enjoy that way, or fill up those cylindrical glass lamps...

 ...But here are a few other super chic versions of that childhood memory taken to the next level!

From the Jonathan Fuller Gallery, he groups and sizes these pieces into works of art! I particularly like this sculpture, as it's sophisticated and yet so playful!

Next up from Donghia isn't so literal, but Obelisco Lamp still gives the feeling of glossy and etched in one towering table lamp... The subtle bit of gold dust in the glass gives a little bit of sparkle when light bounces around.

Finally another way to bring that beachy feel indoors is through tiles... So many manufacturers have a version of a glass pebble nowadays, but the impact it gives is really unmistakable... I actually used a wonderful white polished glass pebble tile in a project a few years back.

This is Iguazu Day Spa which I designed with a good friend of mine. For those of you who don't know Iguazu Falls is a magnificent spectacle stretching almost 2 miles between the Brazil and Argentina. So we wanted to capture the feeling and movement of the water flowing...

We created a "river" of tiles stretching from the stairs, flowing towards the door, and grouted it in azure grout... It was gorgeous, set into the Brazilian Walnut floors... The spa has since changed owners and funny enough is now co-owned by Karen Gravano of VH1's Mob Wives, and called Luminque. My friend just opened up the Village Beauty Lounge, so if you're in NYC you should definitely check it out!

So as Summer winds down and everyone missed the waves crashing and the salt air, remember that you can bring that effortless carefree feeling inside, even if just in small moments around your home!

Just a reminder!... Set your DVR!

Saturday, September 22-23, 2012 is the date for my episode on George to the Rescue! Yay! Here's also the national listing times for the show!

WNBC - New York:  Sat 10a / Sat 7p / Sun 1215a
KNBC - Los Angeles: Sat 830p
WMAQ – Chicago: Sun 1205a   
WCAU – Philly: Sat 10a
WRC  – Washington: Sun 105a
KXAS – Dallas: Sun 11a
KNTV - San Francisco: Sun 1230a
WTVJ – Miami: Sun 11a   
KNSD - San Diego: Sun 3p
WVIT – Hartford: Sun 12n  
NECN – Boston: Sun 11a

I want to send out a big thank you to the entire team on GTTR! George Oliphant is a great guy, a gentleman, and just a load of fun to be around... The production team is so amazing, patient and ever-so accommodating, it was truly a pleasure to be a part of... I'm proud of the design and makeover we were able to accomplish for the Brashares! They are a lovely deserving family!

Check out the dangers a show like this can hold for everyone involved! Hehehe! (Disclaimer: TJ is fine...)

 

I know as readers of my blog you should be following me and all my super awesome finds on OpenSky... Right?!... Eh hmmm... :) You're forgiven, but do it now! Ha! 

I'm going to be launching some really great products to coincide with this George to the Rescue episode to help get your space looking as good as ours! I hope you love it!

 

This is going to just be 22 minutes of good ole fun! It's George, It's Me, It's a Dog and a Silver Pig... What's not to love about that?!...

The ultimate in recycling & upcycling your old clothes!

So this evening I attended the launch of a progressive new furniture line from Italy called Casamania... It was a lovely gathering of fashion types, interior lovers, and just the usual crowd of beautiful people. We mingled with chilled champagne and super delish hors d'oeuvres all being served by the unnaturally pretty servers who are all actually "actors" or "models"... You know it goes... Hehehe...

So the line is a pretty simple contemporary line of furnishings, but amongst the powder coated metal, and leather wrapped pieces sat this pile of... Well, I didn't really know what it was from a distance.

Well, so they were obviously chairs, but what was on them? Closer inspection proved to be a bit of a surprise!

The chairs were all molded from clothes! Yeah, t-shirts and jeans and piles and rumpled on top of one another, compressed and hardened into the form of a simple chair! So crazy!

So of course I see a skull, and I'm there, but then if you look at the detail shot there's the layers of clothes! So bizarre but super cool right?!... I was told they would produce these chairs with items that the customer provides! So if you had a favorite pair of jeans and sweater as a kid that just had so many memories in it and you just don't want to give it up, but have nothing really to do with it, this is the perfect compromise and get a cool conversation piece!

Here's another shot of a chair... Loving the backside of the jeans on the underside of the chair, and the legs of the denim as the actual legs of the chair! This is so whimsical, I'm sold! No wonder why this creation is called the "REMEMBERME" Chair! Brilliant!

Dip it, Tie it, Dye it...

Love it or hate it, this is the next reincarnation of the uber popular ombre phase in both fashion and interiors we're all still going through, but the updated look of tie dyed textiles and dipped items is a trend that's here for a while... What's really not to love about it? It's like giving an old piece of furniture a new paint job to refresh it, but now, you really only need to do maybe half a paint job for full effect for a dipped look, and the who doesn't need a bit of Jerry Garcia tie-dye in their world?!... The newer, not as psychedelic version of tie-dying of course...

 

I love the look, definitely in sparing and thoughtful applications, but it's a great and easy trend to embrace! Heck the last image is a pillow I just used in a project! So chic!

Unconventionally Chic Lighting...

I love just a bit of curiosity or whimsy in my interiors, even borderline creepy or macabre... I found a handful of extraordinary lighting options inspired from unconventional subjects. In the right environments, these could be just really chic!

Superordinate 6 Antler Chandelier from Roll & Hill

Bedside Gun Table Lamp by Philippe Starck

Machine Gun Chandelier from Rock and Royal

Backlight by Tony Wurman

Skull Chandelier by Kelly Lamb