Travel: Packing Everything in One Bag

Many airlines are starting to charge extra if you have to check more than one bag on your flight.

If you're like me, and can't imagine going anywhere without at least 4 pairs of shoes, read this article from NPR. It's full of tips for limiting the amount of stuff you pack and for getting more out of the space in your luggage.

Trends: Black for Fall

Black is back. And it's amazing how this once daunting hue lends warmth and depth to an interior.

Decor8 has an amazing guest post by Rachel Perls of Hue Consulting about decorating with black. It's filled with amazing photos.

And in response, The Kitchen Designer has a post about black kitchens (a trend I'm considering for my own home).

I'm especially fond of the black bathroom. It seems very elegant and really makes a the white porcelain pop.

Classy Pet Bed from Ikea

I've seen a million pricey designer versions of this sort of furniture-like pet bed. But, finally, Ikea is offering us a cheap but chic alternative.

The $69 Batis Krona is for a cat or small dog and has a removable, machine-washable cover.

Thanks to my friend Pablo for the tip.

Water Tower Housing

Someone in the Netherlands has made apartments out of an old water tower. And apparently, they're not the only ones. How gorgeous and ingenious is this? It's a grown-up tree-house.

This patio on the top looks like a fabulous blender.

Say Anything

Typography is going to be big this fall.

The Alphabet pillow in black, $79 at Room and Board.



Custom quote wall decals from Blik.




Screen-printed city names, $135 from Granada Design.

All in the Details: Ottomans + Nailheads

Moroccan inspired ottomans are a nice trend. But add a nail-head accent and you've got a really striking centerpiece.

Girl Meets Glamour has collected several fabulous ottoman + nailhead options here.

Inspired Turquoise in The Darjeeling Limited

I just watched the trailer for The Darjeeling Limited, directed by Wes Anderson. I've loved the look of all of Anderson's movies, especially The Royal Tenenbaums. And this film looks exceptional.

Darjeeling follows three brothers on a train trip across India. The colors are amazing. There's a touch of turquoise in almost every scene. Though it's bright and brash, there's a peace and serenity in turquoise that you can't deny.

Check out the movie's trailer here.

Chinese Lattice Wallaper

I love the geometric busyness of "Chinese Lattice" from Bob Collins. I had to look at the top photo a few times before I was 100% convinced this is wall paper. It almost creates an optical illusion.

The images are from House Beautiful's June issue. You can order the paper at 1-800-282-9971.

Trends: Bicycles in Design

Bicycles are really quite beautiful. They're simple, good exercise, easy on the planet, and look spiffy on everything from wallpaper to ceramics.




From top left,
Flower Pedal wallpaper, Crescent, acrylic on paper by Taliah Lempert.



Left, the Links spice dish set from Modnest. Each piece features a stylized bicycle component.

Below, Recycled Bicycle Chain Bowl from Elsewares, a poster from the ArtCrank poster show.

Ikea does Brocade Home

Ikea is taking a slight detour from their ultra-simple clean lines with these two pieces (Bedside table, $99, and mirrored chest, $249) from the Hemnes collection.

With decorating tastes leaning towards the ornate, it makes sense for a company like Ikea to embrace Brocade Home's boiled-down takes on the classics, like the Silhouette side table (below), to which Ikea's Hemnes bedside table bares a more than passing resemblance.

Photos from Tillman's Roadhouse in Dallas

Tillman's Roadhouse is a restaurant I have only seen on the internet, though I have it on good authority that the food is excellent. It certainly looks good on the site. But I am most impressed with the amazing decor. This place is truly "Cabin Chic."

Pretty in Pink, Lavender, and Sky Blue

What do you get if you mix a little pink, a pinch of Hollywood glam, and a little fairytale whimsy? The below vignettes from this month's FD-Luxe featuring classics reinterpreted in vibrant hues. I wrote about the vibrant pastel trend in more detail last week on Shak in Style, so I'm happy to see I'm not the only one thinking pink.

To see more photos from the FD-Luxe slide show, click here.

The lavender, lacquered "Duke of Alba" velvet chair caught my eye. $4504 from Allan Knight & Associates.

An whimsical wire loveseat looks like an unlikely bet to support even a slight fashion model. Nonetheless, the F.eH. Campana stainless "Corallo" loveseat seems up to the task. It better be at $4200.

I half expect this lacquered turquoise commode to dance and sing. $1500 from James McInroe, Inc.

Modern Firewood Holder

More contrast. This time it's rustic modern.

Remember all those Cabin Chic interiors we saw last winter? They always had the coolest log holders. I'd never seen a sleek version until today.

The Bebop Log Holder from Urban Mode, $395.

Dark Art and Lemony Walls

I'm all about contrasts today. Phoebe at Silk Felt Soil has just posted this image of dark paintings on a lemony yellow wall from the May Domino. I'm bitterly jealous that she's already home reading it. But she has it right when she comments that there is something too peppy about yellow walls.

I love this room because the vintage art is really toning the color down. The yellow frames really make the transition flawless. These dark images would be too much if they had been framed in black.

Just swap out the girly furniture for something a little more subtle, and even the gloomiest of pessimists can enjoy the yellow trend with out reservation.

DUH UPDATE:
This is from the May '06 issue. I was thinking this was from June '07 Domino, which isn't out yet. Apartment Therapy has a sneak peek at the June cover here.

Decorative Design Returns

If you haven't had a chance to head over to Shak in Style, please check out my post on the return of decorative design. Today's designers are finding fascinating ways to combine Minimalism and ornamentation.

DIY: Deconstructed Deer Head Coat Rack

From Design Spotter, a very cool deconstructed version of deer head coat rack.

Looks like you could put this together from local hardware store finds. Personally, I'd like to see it all one color: either black or white.

I may give it a try this weekend.

Minimalism + Goth: Can't Wait to See It

I scanned across an aside in AT Chicago that piqued my curiosity this afternoon. Designer Kara Mann (pictured left), has a penthouse which is, "a paean to minimalism with decidedly goth undertones." I'll admit I had to look up paean (song of praise), but once I cleared that up, I was even more interested. The quote goes on to say that most of the rooms in her penthouse are painted brown so dark they're almost black.

I love dark color on the walls. I've experimented for years with a mocha brown in my living room and a charcoal gray in the bedroom and bathroom. We also have an almost-black deep teal in our home-office. I like the colors we chose, but always considered going darker, maybe even to a matte black in our sunnier rooms.

I love the look of minimalism, but I never see minimalist rooms with dark paint. When I redecorate, minimalism was the direction I was planning to head. I'd even been toying with the idea of going white in the living room and I was feeling a little sad about the whole thing.

Luckily, Ms. Mann's home will be featured in the upcoming issue of Metropolitan Home, which I will plan to track-down like a bloodhound. I only hope the style is a interesting as it sounds.

The Driftwood Mirror

Riffing on the Cabin Chic theme: The Atlantic Mirror from Devon Driftwood Designs. No price on the site, so you know it's going to hurt.

Cabin Chic

Part modernism, part summer camp: Cabin Chic is popping up everywhere. Inspired by the outdoorsy elegance of this room from Zara Home, I spent a few hours cruising the internet for Cabin Chic inspiration, which I collected for a post over at Shak in Style.

All Things Yellow at Anthropologie

I visited my brother in Austin this weekend (more to come on that) and we stopped off at their new Anthropologie downtown. The store is absolutely beautiful, of course. They had some amazing displays, including a huge array of hanging terrariums.

What most caught my eye, is the eruption of yellow in decorative accessories. The store looked like a bed of daffodils, with yellow peaking out from piles of pillows, upholstery motifs, and their new spring rugs.

I've got more on the new yellow trend over at Shak in Style.

All products shown to the right available at Anthropologie.com.