sometimes you just need a little zebra in your life and if you are an animal rights activist, a zebra skin rug just might not float your boat. but this gorgeous nina campbell throw would excite just about anyone. its a little pricey but for lambswool and for a fabulous design statement, it's worth it! hey, put it on your xmas list...let someone else splurge. and with animal prints taking a huge leap back into style, this gets you right up there with the other trend followers.

where most people would look at this light and see something that needs to be used when reading, i see this fixture with a whole new outlook. i love taking this traditional light and throwing it in a nontraditional setting. place two of these above your kitchen window and it would make great task lighting. you could also use this as a bathroom fixture over your mirror....who says you have to use the same old sconce with frosted glass? or it would look great on the wall next to your window seat (and i guess this would be slightly taking it back to its original purpose but we'll let it slide). spacing these around a room (like at eye-level) or mounted them on the tops of bookshelves also make a dandy use for this extremely functional light. but in order to achieve these nontraditional looks, you need to make sure you remember to review this with your electrician. they will have to install electrical wires in these not-so-typical places. this is something that you definitely want to think about when you are building a house and make sure to point out during your electrical walk through...another great reason why working with a designer can be a real plus...

if you don't go to antique stores or flea markets than you are truly missing out. i fell in love with big daddy's antiques ; there is only one problem....its in LA. but if you are looking for inspiration or just something different, check out his site (i assume its a "he" since the store is big daddy). and if you fall in love with something like i just did, you can always email "big daddy" and see if they ship. the only problem is that you might pay a whopping fee to get it here from cali....but none-the-less, it shows you that great things do exists and gives you instinctive to find something locally.



but for now since i am stuck home (baby is napping) while my hubbie is at the beach w/ the dog, i will envision this industrial zinc work table as a kitchen island (and boy does it make a great one). the kitchen would have white painted cabinets, my beautiful carrera marble counter tops (honed of course), simplistic, white subway tile as the backsplash that would extend all the way up the wall, a farmhouse sink, and my lovely zinc island with pendant lights hanging above......



and you know what else if fantastic about using this found piece as an island, the bottom shelf is great for storage and an eye-catcher for displaying cool things....find some woven baskets and keep kitchen supplies in there, or put your "all-clad pots" down there, or vintage mixing bowls, or your red wine collection....


this zinc island also saves a heck of a lot of money that you would spend having an island built and nobody else will have the same one as you.....priceless :)

what a funky bathroom...i love the mixture of old and new. living etc called this "rustic modern" and i love the play of those words together as well as the actual outfitting of this bathroom. i guess there are things i love more than others in this space....i love what the actual sink sits on....an old table reinvented as a bathroom console is very clever (a little more interesting than purchasing the whole kit and caboodle prepackaged), the sink and faucet look amazing on the wood (the knob on the faucet is extra cool), and i love the propped up mirror. i think the walls are interested...i would love it against an old, exposed charleston brick wall more :) ! and the naked light bulb could be replaced with something a little more finished but still keeping with the simplistic nature of the room. all in all, the combination of rustic and modern make a great bathroom.....don't be afraid to mix and match....the possibilities are endless and the look will be a style all of its own!

i love this chair and think that everyone needs something fantastic like this in their home. two of these chairs would be amazing as occasional chairs in a living room. i could not believe how well priced these chairs are. if you are in the market for something like this, you can find them here.





i can see the room now...an all white palette....benjamin moore dove white(OC-17) would be amazing as the wall color, light floors, sisal rug layered with a zebra accent rug over top, a classic- line, slip-covered white sofa with turquoise and orange accent pillows, a metal and glass coffee table with a wooden bowl filled w/ iridescent, hand-blown glass balls, a weathered mocha leather chair with a white cashmere throw tossed in it, and these beautiful elliptical side chairs flanking the all white, brick fireplace.....these are cool chairs....