AND THE WINNERS ARE... THE MEN

I'm not a huge awards show person, but I found myself eagerly watching the Oscars last night among friends. While most people focus on the stunning dresses (and there were many last night), I'd like to turn our attention to the guys for a moment.

I'd like to give a huge round of applause to the men, like Justin Timberlake who shunned the hipster skinny black tie and instead donned a well tailored tux with wide lapels and a perfectly hand-tied bow tie, staples of the old Hollywood glamour of the 1930s. The late, great Cary Grant would have been proud. Well done, Justin. Jesse Eisenberg and Zach Levi please take note.

Other standouts included... The ever elegant Colin Firth in Tom Ford. Perfect for his Best Actor win.

Jeremy Renner traded his track suit for a well-tailored tux with a midnight blue lapel. Interesting twist.

Kevin Spacey and Josh Brolin both look perfectly polished, one opting for a classic single button tux, the other looking smart in a 3-piece tux.

And Hugh Jackman shined in his double-breasted Ferragamo tux. His wife, eh not sure what that was...

Well done, guys. I'd like to see more men opting for this timeless look in the future...

OH AND THIS...

Almost forgot this. I love everything about this book cover. Happy Friday!

Found via Pinterest via Jennifer Martinez Darling

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

Well at least my plants are enjoying all of this rain we're having. Here's hoping the clouds go away and we have a bright and sunny day tomorrow.  Have a great weekend!

A NEW KIND OF CAR...

Let me just first start by saying this, I'm not really into cars. I mean they're great to be able to pop out of the city for a weekend, but gas guzzling, bulky, hunks of metal and plastic really don't excite me. That was until I found the BMW Gina concept car.

I mean this car is sleek and has a very high coolness factor. They've taken a hard frame (with all the stuff you need like air bags, etc) combined it with a powerful motor and then stretched a fabric over it. This fabric is tough made of plastic and metal, at the same time stretchy and waterproof.  Think of a skin for your iPod or phone on a much larger scale. Even better, this car weighs about 500 lbs less than the average and the skins take only about two hours to apply.

While this is still a concept car and probably will need a lot of alterations if it ever makes it to market, I love the idea that you might be able to customize your car's appearance in the future. Who says you couldn't have a car with a cool Missoni stripe or a preppy Ralph Lauren plaid. Now that's something I could get excited about...

Check out a video on the Gina concept car by BMW

A NEW CABINET...

The flood in January left my bathroom in a disaster state. Plaster, paint and water everywhere (ugh). It's all been fixed and covered with a fresh coat of white paint, but I still wanted to make some updates.

One of the problems was the bathroom cabinet. The flood left tiny rust spots on the back wall, while not harmful were definitely an eyesore. This weekend, I decided to spruce up the interior with some vintage wallpaper I'd found at Housingworks. Check out the before and afters and how I did it below.

This project took me about 15 minutes to do and is easily removable when I decide to leave, or want to change it down the road.

1. Clean the cabinet and remove shelves. 

2. Take some measurements. I decided to leave an extra half inch on my length and width measurements to ensure my paper would go all the way to the corners.

3. Grab some double-sided tape (non permanent) and run the tape along the top edge, sides and bottom of your cabinet back wall.

4. Double check that you have the design facing the right way and slowly press the top edge against the back wall, pressing down firmly as you go across. Slowly unroll the rest of the paper down the wall, continuing to press firmly to hold the paper in place. 

5. Run an X-ACTO knife around the borders to trim off any excess paper.

6. Replace shelves and stand back and admire your new cabinet. Instant transformation!

PRINTING SUSHI?

Okay I am definitely geeking out this week, bear with me. But I had to share this video I watched last night in my design class. See the video above as Swedish design firm, Front uses stereolithography (3D printing) to make real full sized chairs from scratch! It's not a new technology, but the new directions sound fascinating. Can you imagine eating at a restaurant where your food is printed layer by layer? Check out this article on a chef in Chicago who's printing his own sushi.

Also, I learned about the world's most famous chair. You'd think it something of the Eames variety, or something beautifully recreated at Design Within Reach, but instead, it's  an everyday common patio chair, called the Monobloc chair, sold all over the world. Huh....

FROM THE SOURCE

I don't like moving, I mean on my list of things I dislike it's right up there after beets. After a huge cross-country move, I vowed not to do it again for awhile. The good news is that a lot of my friends have moved recently and they've asked me to help decorate their new apartments (the fun part).

Yesterday, I took my friend to some of my favorite thrift stores in NYC, Housingworks and Angel Street Thrift to search for some one-of-a kind finds. My friend adores rustic, natural furniture and suddenly it dawned on me that From the Source would be a great option.

Made from responsibly harvested, reclaimed and recycled wood, stainless steel and wrought iron, their pieces feel more modern than woodsy. The wood is beautifully polished and comes in these terrific natural, warm colors. I think any of these pieces would become an instant focal point in a room. Check out more of their items here.

 Custom workspace

Ciao Coffee Table

Ligna Chair

Ring 20 Occasional Tables