Gorgeous Interiors from the Rug Company

Via Apartment Therapy

El Vaquero Reading Stool Translates

The "'El Vaquero" is a stool / magazine rack made from non-traditional materials and designed for reading pop-gossip magazines. At least, that's what I could understand from this write-up on Design Spotter.

The stool was designed by Mauricio Lara for eos mexico. Their site is in Spanish, so I'm guessing that something in the explanation has been lost in translation. However, the design, which is bold, practical and appealing, is reading loud and clear.

Bark Vases from Doe

I still can't get enough of faux bois.

Bark vases from doe.

Via Design*Sponge.

Park Planters

More witty ceramics. This time, a house plant is made to look like a tree in a public park.

Via Apartment Therapy.

Ikea's Kulla Lamp

Sometimes a room just needs a pop of color. Nothing fussy. Just one bright detail to add depth. The right red is a fabulous accent color. But finding sophisticated red accessories isn't easy.

So I was glad to see this great red lamp. The powder-coated finish has some orange in it, so it's not too sugary. And it's from Ikea, no less.

Kulla Lamp, $49.99. [AT:Chicago]

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.

The Interiors of Mad Men

I caught AMC's Mad Men last night and absolutely loved it. It was full of chain-smoking, philandering, and unabashed sexism, so much so as to make you squirm in your seat just a little. It's surprisingly refreshing.

As a bonus, the show was full of amazing 1960s interiors, like this one from a bar scene. I'm obsessed with this zebra wallpaper, but have had no luck tracking anything this sophisticated down online.

Nymphenburg Sketches Bowls

Here's another beautifully updated classic. These figural bowls, reminiscent of something you'd have found in your great aunt's parlor as a child, have a stark, graphic twist. My favorite is this bird sprinkled with gold polka dots. Other designs feature floral motifs.

These are by Nymphenburg and were designed by Hella Jongerius.

$2,140 each at Moss.

Via the D Home Blog.

While We're Talking about Bags...

Check out this fabulous post from Elsewares that touches on the pointlessness of fancy baggies, true design innovation, and eco-responsibility . It's amazing what a Todd Oldham zipper bag can inspire.

Via AT Los Angeles.

Ad Bags

I really like these bags made from recycled vinyl-mesh billboards. The ads once "graced" the Seattle skyline, but have been reused to create these tough totes. The handles are made from used seat belts.

Ad Bag (8" x 12" x 16"), $30

Via Adverlab.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

What a dark, clever design. When viewed through a full glass of water, the wolf gets bigger and badder.

Fairytale in a Glass by D-Bros.

Via AT:Chicago.

Beastiarium Prints from Wondercabinet

Darwin didn't see this one coming. These animal-plant-insect accidents of weird-evolution are from Wondercabinet's Beastiarium series, available on Etsy. Each limited-edition print is silkscreened onto the pages of an old book and mounted on board.

Via Design*Sponge.

Tranquil Bedrooms at Domino

Domino has some new content up, including a gallery of tranquil bedrooms that makes me desperate to redecorate. They're all so light and airy.

UPDATED: Libertine Line in Target Stores Now - Maybe

Libertine's new line for Target, scheduled to drop this Sunday, 7/15, may actually be in stores right now. Libertine's collection is the latest in Target's uber-popular Go. International Flights of Fashion series.

Getting your hands on this stuff can be tricky. And though Libertine's collection isn't exactly my style, they are sure to have some separates that I will end up loving. The more popular pieces sell like hotcakes, so I was planning a trip to Target first thing on Sunday morning. But I just read that Racked has found the clothing on display in at least one NYC store today!

If you really can't live without Libertine, may I suggest a lunchtime trip to Target?

UPDATE: As of 12:30 PM, Libertine is out for sale at the MacArthur Target. It's already picked-over. :(

BBQ at Acar Kent

While we were in Istanbul, the city experienced some of the hottest weather in 30 years. On one of those sweltering nights, some friends invited us to their home for a BBQ.

Turkish cuisine's appeal is in the simplicity of its flavors. They highlight a few key ingredients and let them shine. Meats are simply dressed and grilled. Salads are served dressed with olive oil and Italian parsley or dill. Vegetables are prepared in olive oil or served pureed as appetizers.

Our hosts served a very refreshing, delicious potato salad. This salad was unlike anything I've ever tasted before, a combination of potatoes, cucumber and yogurt. And, they just sent me the recipe:

Summer Potato Salad*:

1 cup of yogurt
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 tsp salt

4 Russet potatoes
1 cucumber, grated
Salt to taste

Combine the yogurt. garlic and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Place in the refrigerator.

Boil the potatoes until cooked through. Cool, peel, and mash. I used a food processor and added a little milk. Add the prepared garlic yogurt and grated cucumber and stir until smooth. Add salt to taste. The salad is good right away, but for the best taste, let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

SOUNDTRACK:
"Stop Me," a reworking of the Smiths' track by Mark Ronson.



* Thanks to Erman and Burcu for the hopitality and the recipe.

Nevermind the Pits

We don't grow a lot of cherries in Texas. To my knowledge, we don't grow any. It's just too hot. Luckily, they still find their way to our tables via the local grocery store. And this year they are spectacular.

Every time I eat cherries, I can't help but think of the scene from The Witches of Eastwick. I won't get into the details. It's just too early. But those pits can be avoided all together if you use this cherry pitter from Oxo. It takes out those stones in one swift swoop.

Via The Kitchen.

Interior Weeds

We fight them in our gardens and in the cracks of our sidewalks, but there's something delicate and beautiful about these cultivated weeds.

No word on whether the Interior Weeds planter will be available for sale.

Via Josh Spear.

Yee-Haw Wallpaper

As a Texas girl, I can't help but love this Yee-Haw wallpaper by Paul Loebach. The pattern features cowboys on horseback, oil wells, and even some tiny little football helmets.

Dallas to a tee.

Via Josh Spear.

CB2 Zebra Chairs

CB2 has their fall catalog up. I'm digging this zebra chair for $99.

Via Black, White, Bliss.

Club Cruising the Bosporus

We went to Turkey to attend the wedding of our good friend Burak. Not only was he planning his wedding, he was also nice enough to put together a few activities for his friends from the states. So on the night before the wedding he planned for us to board a large passenger boat for a floating party called the White party. Note: you were supposed to wear white.

We spent the early afternoon with another couple of friends on Baghdad Street, the main shopping drag of the Asian side of the city. We planned to cross the bridge back to Europe to change clothes and board the boat at 7 pm, but we had not budgeted our time well.

At 6 pm, we were still waiting in traffic, not even close enough to see the bridge, much less cross it. Luckily, the boat party was planning a stop on the Asian side to pick up more passengers. After a few phone calls, we all planned to meet at the second stop and Burak, the world's best host, was on his way to get white T-shirts for all of the hopeless traffic castaways.

We arrived at the boarding point at 7 pm in three separate cars. Right on time, except that it wasn't the boarding point. Or at least, that was the consensus at the time.There was a lot of discussing in Turkish and then we drove to another boarding point. No, that one wasn't the boarding point either. And so we returned to the original point in a mad rush, parked and ran through a city park filled with picnickers, strays, and fishermen to catch the boat at the shore of the Bosporus.

Even though it was 7:15, the boat had waited. We later realized that this was because the party that was designed for 200 or 300, was attended by only 50 or so. The early boarding time meant that people couldn't make it from work in time. Friday traffic in Istanbul is incomprehensible.

So we took a nearly private cruise of the Bosporus that night to the loudest mix of 80s and Salsa you can imagine. As the natives around us danced, we watched the city slink by, absolutely amazing, shimmering with light, and dotted with glorious, crumbling bits of history.

SOUNDTRACK: "Big in Japan"

The best Alphaville song I'd never heard. But if you're in Istanbul, you'll hear this at almost every club.



Image: "Bosphorescence" by icemanigation.