Redesigned Ditties: Heart Of Glass

Once I had a love and you know it was brass

Soon turned out, had a heart of glass

You know I love gold bling, but now I find

It's not enough

I need more shine

Once I had a love and it was divine

Soon found out I lusted after light

It seemed like the real thing cuz brass is so bright

It's not enough

I need more shine

In between "what I find is pleasing" and "I'm feeling fine"

Love is so confusing

There's no need, I find

To choose between the two

Glass is just so good, it's changed my point of view

Lost inside this illumination and I love the light

It's the thing I'm wanting, it just feels so right

I could even live with chrome, yeah...

Yeah, riding high on love's true vintage light

Ooh ooh ooh whoa

Once I had a love and you know it was brass

Soon turned out, had a heart of glass

You know I love gold bling, but now I find

It's not enough

I need more shine

Ooh ooh whoa

Ooh ooh whoa

Ooh ooh whooooooooa

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

There are many things that keep me awake at night: wondering if Ike will grow up "right," trying to decide whether we should move and how much to spend on a new house, fear that the world is about to erupt in a blazing ball of apocalyptic doom, oh -- and raccoons. Raise your hand if you've ever awoken to a big bang crash in the middle of the night, only to find a pair of masked bandits grazing on catfood in the kitchen and pirouetting across the living room.

Jeff Andrews Design

They are cute little bastards, but they better watch it... or else. I've been wanting a fur blanket for a long time, and I'd planned to go faux, but I could be persuaded otherwise. Ha! Just kidding! Not really.

Elle Decor

But for seriously, the thing that's really making me toss and turn all night long (all niiiight, yeah, all night) is our piece of shit mattress -- the mattress that we spent boatloads of cash on. I hate it.

Kara Mann

It's some latex pillowtop concoction by Sealy (who I will not be trading with again), and in the relatively wee span of three years (although the problem started much earlier) it looks like Mount Everest has cropped up between two valleys. I mean, the dents in this sucker are so low that if I roll any further downhill, I will be sleeping on the floor.

Elle Decor

So now we have to break out the benjamins for ANOTHER king sized mattress. And so, fine friends, my question to you is: what should we get? Karly and I have discussed the finer points of memory foam, and we both worry that it may start out the bee's knees only to break your heart -- and your back -- a year later. And what about latex? It's delightfully polyurethane free, but mine has certainly sucked. Did I just get a bum bed?

Commune Design

Or should we just get a plain old innerspring set and call it a day? I'm not getting another pillow top, but I suppose we could always add a topper for some extra squish. I like a soft bed.

Help, people! I need suggestions. What are you sleeping on? How long have you had it? Do you like it? Was it expensive? I am open to any and all suggestions regarding brands, types, etc.

I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink.

I Really Love My...

Stuff is expensive. Cool, unique stuff is both hard to find and exceedingly expensive. So it's really no wonder that interior designers have a short list of favorite finds that are either purchased for multiple clients, or -- just maybe -- shuffled from home to home. It must be nice to find that you've got the cherry on top ready and waiting, especially when the sundae already cost a small fortune.

Fornasetti Moro chair, Michael Haverland Architecture

Creepy black angel, Darryl Wilson Design

And it must be even nicer to put that special finishing piece into production, so that every Jane, Sue and Sally, can own a piece of the magic (for a price).

Hot pink lacquer coffee table, Atelier Abigail Ahern

I totally understand the attachment some designers have to their favorite pieces, kind of like a decorating security blanket. I myself have a golden boy named Brian, and even when everything else is shot to hell, Brian makes it all better.

Do you have some special piece that makes every room feel finished, whether it accents a clinically modern room or a chintz blitzed extravaganza? Spill the beans, please. And I will try not to copy you.