Circus Circus

Sorry to go M.I.A. on ya fine folks. I've been a busy little bee lately, juggling a bunch of decorating projects and spending far too much time at Housing Works. Never thought I'd be that jackass who moans when they won't price a "Just In" donation THAT I WANT TO BUY NOW. But before we get back to our regularly scheduled consciousness streaming, why not check out my latest circus-themed trendspotting post for design*sponge? Carnie (not Wilson) style is so hot right now!!

ELLE.com

Hello, possums. Just a little heads up that I started contributing to ELLE.com in their Life & Love section. And I'm living for it and loving it!

Inaugural post: Do you know your velvets? Hmm?? Do you know your cuts of meat?


I think handing Cher your meat purse is the crowning achievement in any artist's career.

Anyway: stay tuned to ELLE.com for more decorating and fashion protein. Thanks to Keith Pollock and Britt Aboutaleb for the opportunity!

Nick Olsen Stylistics

Feeling everything about this song (PT knows why) and album cover, especially Airrion Love's pullover, the color of saffron -- IT shade for Fall, I promise -- or a lion's mane:


Speaking of Leos:



I wish she'd recorded every song ever written, and without Paul Shaffer.

Oh tall grasses are also very chic. Can we make a little fantasy vignette out of this? I'm seeing Madagascar cloth walls and sisal bouclé like in the late, great Hinson & Co. showroom. Saffron cotton velvet Breck sofa with kuba cloth and magenta satin pillows, a loden green leather cockfighting chair, black lacquer Chinese coffee table, and this Helen Frankenthaler. That is not everything, but everything is still You.

Give It a Re-think

Stick a fork in Summer 2010, she's done. I've been busier than ever with work -- not complaining -- but my tan isn't what it should be. Though Duane Reade did start carrying aerosol dry oil which makes the most precious whirring sound. Apologies to the Italian family next to me on Long Beach for any overspray.

Anyhoo I'm still on a word kick here. Currently obsessed with corny corporate expressions like "Give it a think" and "I don't have the bandwidth for that right now." My creative consultant pal Michael gifted me "We don't have the brandwidth for that" and Shane says there's an ad sales practice called roadblocking?? This all counts as exoticism for the self-employed.

And I've got lots of time for Thinks while assembling a truckload of CB2 furniture, but lately I've come across so much that deserves a Re-think:

Bath ensembles. I just tried to stage a powder room and was appalled at the utter hideosity of accessories out there. Okay, sure I could run to Waterworks and drop a small fortune on gorgeous pewter and rattan, but then I'd have no money left over for ... anything. What's so wrong about solid colors and pure geometry, even in plastic? I bought my black lacquer Jonathan Adler set six years ago (when it was still sold at Bed Bath & Beyond) and haven't found anything to rival it on the design-price spectrum since. Time to rethink the Amethyst Hibiscus Explosion above.


Tissue boxes. I know the point is to cover these, and that Kleenex tried to jazz up the packaging a few years back, but what's going with the smoky flower damask fantasy up there? Seriously hurts my peepers in the paper aisle.

Inexpensive lamp shades. An 80-dollar shade can make a flea market lamp sing (you thought I'd go for "shine," didn't you?) but who wants to spend that much to fix, say, Horchow's mistake? Not me. Target has some great classic shapes but they all seemed to be covered in fabric or have that Ikea-ish, base-mounting armature which makes it impossible to use a harp. A faux-leather bell shade but no simple ivory paper Empire? I think not.