Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

I read somewhere that every room should feature a sculptural element that adds dimension to the space. Does that mean that Michelangelo's unsheathed schlong should peep out at your guests from the darkened corner of the living room, like a creepy neoclassical sex stalker? Not so much. I also feel that this is inappropriately inflicted on visitors:

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There is a worse view, but I'm really too kind to force the full frontal on you. I think the lesson here is to save the kinky stuff for the bedrooms, people. And also that it would be cooler to keep anatomical sculptures above the nipple line. Clothing is nice, too.

Abigail Ahern

Trust -- you need a bust. True, the eyes may track your movements across the room, but that's better than... other things following you.

Francois Halard

Karly is going to like this post because she has enough heads to fill a stadium full. Of heads. But not as many as a certain someone else we all know and love:

Kellz is totally into heady tableaux, as seen on her overstaffed dining room table. Click this link to check out more examples of her head games.

Skona Hem

Never fear. Despite her best efforts, La Wearstler hasn't (quite) cornered the market. Busts abound.

Paul Costello via Roseland Greene

I want to live in this room forever and ever, amen. The chairs.. the logs... the windows... the lady head. Yessss.

Eddie Ross

Miles Redd

Simon Upton

Nick Olsen

Abigail Ahern

Paul Costello

Now these heads are all well behaved, polite and easy to talk to. But tune in on Wednesday for a collection of busts that belong only in the homes of brave and adventurous people. That means you, right?

I thought so.

Another Black and White Post

Interior decor is as much a part of the fashion world as clothes are -- trends are born and then trends die. It's the cycle of style. Because I'm short on time and have to work whenever I find a spare minute or two, I tend to bookmark my posts well in advance (and for my responsible nature I deserve a gold star, right?), but the downside is that I often find I'm tired of the pictures before I even get to post them. So, yeah, I've had this awesome black and white roundup lassoed and hogtied for weeks, but I was all sick of it because I've already seen a zillion (good) black and white roundups splashed all over the blogosphere. Anyhoodle, this is my long and rambling way of saying that you're getting a (mostly) black and white post whether you like it or not, because there are some good things about black and white, and besides -- it's a classic, dammit.

Sabrina Bignami

Nicolas Matheus

Richard Powers

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Francois Halard

Studio Ilse

Style Files

Studio Ilse

Jeff Andrews

Emmas Designblogg

Elle Decor

Skona Hem

Jeff Andrews

Sabrina Bignami

Did you see how many pictures I had bookmarked??? I'm nothing if not thorough, and I couldn't exactly let all that gorgeousness go to waste.

So what do you dudes think? Is black and white itself too chilly? Does it need a pop of color or the warmth of wood to make it work? Tell me your favorite picture, and I'll tell you mine... Inquiring minds need to know.

Cheap Chic

Someday, I dream of building my own home in the country. It's a pastoral dream, filled with ponies and haybales and verdant acres of rolling hills and dales. Ok, so it's not likely to happen, A) because Austin is too damn hot to be verdant, and B) because the prices for new construction make my eyes gog out like a cartoon character. And that horn sound happens, too. So, maybe what I need to do is cut the finishing costs on my dream home. I can live without fancy molding, polished concrete would be ok by me, and why not jettison the sheetrock while we're at it?

The Wall House by FAR architects does away with many luxuries to create an ultra modern space that hovers in the nether region of home/tent/cave. What I am not ditching in the name of cost are those windows, since I plan to lay in bed and watch the ponies graze my sun scorched estate all morning long.

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Don't worry, I'll still take my books and cute furniture with me. Just cuz I'm living in a plywood hut doesn't mean I have to live like a nun.

I'm hoping the shower area will be a bit nicer, not that I don't find the rubber duckies and oceanic liner, uh, charming. This just looks like a mold factory in the making.

Living, Etc

Well, that's better. Yep, those walls are plywood, cut and set in fancy pattern, so fancy that glorious lucite chandelier looks perfectly at home.

In living spaces, I appreciate the contrast in materials. This home of an art loving couple mixes high and low to the extreme. That console table would be an overwrought nightmare anywhere else; here it's kind of ironic. And the head is staring at me.

I found this beauty over at Roseland Greene. I've always liked wood on wood, but this is on another level. I have to say, the walls really set off the gorgeous credenza. Hmmm... everything looks better next to plywood?

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Of course, if I tire of plywood in my country estate, I could always turn to particle board for a change of pace. What do you think? Grandma and Grandpa obviously approve, and I could just throw a bale of hay in the corner for the ponies.

It certainly looks like an aristocratic country estate, right? I might be a bit concerned about relaxing by the fire with a pipe, though. In any case, I'd double up on the fire insurance for this little tinderbox beauty.

Oh yes, I saved the best for last, yes I did.  No joke -- I would move into this gorgeous Paris loft in a heartbeat. Except that I do not live in Paris. Wait, why do I not live in Paris, again?

I'll just steal the ideas for my future plans, because I bet this kitchen cost substantially less than my own remodel, and it's pretty fresh. Can you imagine it stained dark dark brown? Hubba hubba.

Sleeping under a big Texas sky with the ponies lowing in the fields below (ponies can low, right?), I would congratulate myself on living a modern life out in the country. As long as I can get HBO out there, I think I will be ok.