Hair of the New Year's Dog

Good morning, kids and Happy New Year!!!  If you find yourself reading this through blood-shot eyes, I'm hoping it was one of the following picture perfect aperitifs that did you in:

Now, even though you may have left your house to ring in the new year that does not excuse you from being design-minded at all times.  No matter how many cocktails you may have imbibed, I pray to all things holy that you were never seen with an unsightly tall-boy and instead, had one of these:

1.  Champagne glasses by Michael Anastassiades (psst, check out the showcase section on his site)

2.  Champagne to go by formstark (do you think that will fit in my cup holder?)

3.  Inside Out Champagne Glasses designed by Alissia Melka-Teichroe available at The W Hotel Store

4.  Veuve Clicquot Globalight available at The W Hotel Store  I'm really not sure how this works (who has time to read pesky descriptions?) but I'm sure you would have been the bell of the ball had you been caught carrying it last night.

5.  Piper Heidsieck Champagne bucket and bowl designed by (are we getting sick of him yet?) Jaime Hayon

6.  Veuve Clicquot and Porsche designed Ice Cube (hopefully this comes in other colors, unless, of course, you have something to prove)

If you found yourself at a big-fat-open bar (lucky you) hopefully your hostess fully comprehended the importance of appearances and chose one of the above in a larger scale:

Piper Heidsieck champagne design by Jaime Hayon

Can you imagine the conference call where this little gem was thought up:

PH:  So, Jaime, you know that bucket and bowl you designed for us before?

JH:  No

PH:  Well, we're worried that a few people may actually be able to afford it, so we're going to need something a bit, um, bigger

JH:  You can't pay me in champagne any more

PH: Right, anyway, we want it bigger. And with a lamp.

Ok, that was the stupidest imagined conversation ever.  But really, a lamp?

Moving on.  If you're the type of person who completely overhauls your decor according to season, then you surely would have needed to impress your guests with this:

Veuve Clicquot Loveseat

Had you planned accordingly, your new years could have looked like this:

Don't you love advertising?  These people really capture my lifestyle.

If you aren't much of a drinker but still wanted to be in the Champagne-y new years spirit you could have jetted on over to London to enjoy this:

Portrait, Installation by designers Fredrikson Stallard for Veuve Clicquot.

I guess those lights are supposed to conjure up the image of champagne.  Pop Quiz:  How many of those lines do you see after a full bottle of bubbly?

And finally, if sparkling wine just ain't boozy enough for you, I hope you tried these:

Cointreau Pearls infused with Strawberry and dropped in Champagne

um.  hells yes.

So, what the hell does all of this have to do with interior design?  Nothing really, but I'm sure after a few sips of today's post, you may find the courage to paint your dining room that hot shade of electric pink you've been considering.

Pretty Picture Party

I'm a bit distracted by the evening's impending festivities so I don't have a lot for you guys, but what I do have is scumdillyumptious. How many times can I rave about Ngoc Minh Ngo's awesome interior photography without having a restraining order issued against me for stalking and virtual harassment? Watch me throw caution to the wind as I tempt fate by posting some of her gorgeous work once again. Enjoy.

And then there's this one, which I know I've already posted, but it bears repeating:

New Year's resolution: make my entire life look like this.

So what do you have planned for the new year?

Resolving to Tear. It. Up.

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions.  Seriously, I have enough guilt already, I don't need to make myself feel even worse by failing to cease one of my (really not that bad) vices.  Besides, when was the last time you ran into someone in August who looked all crazy fit and they said "yeah, it was my New Year's resolution to stop drinking, eat healthy, and go to the gym"?  Don't lie, it was never.

I do think, however, that the New Year is a grand time to look back on the last year to consider what you've accomplished and compare that to what you'd like to achieve.  This is where the drinking comes in.  Once you've nursed your hangover it's time to get crackin.  I have lots of goals delusions of grandure both personal and professional for 2009 but I also have a ridiculous list of crap I need to take care of around the house.  Mainly, some big, expensive, overly-involved renovations.  I swear on all things holy, I will not let 2010 peak it's ugly head around the corner until my guest bathroom is completely gutted and looks a little more like one of these rooms:

Because I'm working with a laughable budget and Matt is a genius with concrete, I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of this going on.  Minus the lame bench and utterly useless mini-counter.

Overt your eyes from the vassal sinks and focus on the counter, tub and poufy things.  See, concrete, not so bad. 

But then again, I do love the idea of a concrete floor and tub juxtaposed against a wooden counter:

Murdock Young

Don't give me none of your "where do you put your junk" jive talk.  Here are some solutions:

Living Etc

Nothing makes my heart race like neatly folded, matching linens.  Sigh. Of course, one day I'm going to have a gaggle of kids running hay-wire around this joint so I may need something a bit more practical:

Nice.  But in dream fantasy land, this Nakashima style counter would be the crown jewel of my bath:

I know, I know, why bother even showing another bathroom after this, it's potty perfection.  But we'll move on none-the-less:

Living Etc

Lemme tell you,  I really don't like chandeliers in bathrooms.  And don't try to sell me on those new-fangled chandelier shower heads either, they're even worse.  It's like, I'm trying to relax and take a bath then BAMB!  I'm assaulted with an electrocution fantasy.  You're talking to a girl who shuts the toilet lid when she blow-dries her hair, so, nope, no convincing.

Here are some other things I don't want in my salle de bain:

• Glass or fancy painted vassal sinks.  Or any other vassal sinks.  I'm ok with raised sinks, but no bowls, please.
• Anything not gold.  
• A big deep cabinet, common in rentals.  Hey home builders:  these things are too deep.  All the stuff in the front gets knocked over when we're trying to reach to the back.  A cabinet should be no deeper than a towel folded in quarters (the only way to fold a towel, right?)
• pedestal sinks.  pretty, yes, functional, no.

Here is what I do like:

point click home

God give me the strength not to knock down all the walls in my home in order to achieve this look.  Breathtaking.  And, well, are we sure the kids will need cabinet doors?

Since I don't have the stunning view, a wall treatment link this should do the trick:

I'm going to pass on the clock and the embroidered "sanctuary" towels.  Gross.

A big, bold shower curtain should liven up the joint, too:

via decorology

While I'm not a fan of the country-cute, I'm not too mad at the idea of patch-work.  What I really love about this curtain is the scale.  I want mine to reach all the way to the top of my 10-foot ceiling.  Lika-so:

Ok, you got me:  it's not a bathroom, but that is EXACTLY what I want my shower curtain to look like.

And it shall surround this tub:

Gruppo Treesse

I love how the legs look all robot-y.  Ok, ok, we're scratching everything and moving in a new direction:  Gold Transformers!  I want everything to look like a giant pixelated transformer dipped in gold.  Where are my smelling salts??!!

Philippe Starck via Desire to Inspire

If I can't wrangle a bunch of shiny robot toiletries, this Starck tub should fill the void.

Or, I could just scrap the tup altogether:

Left: Murdock Young; Right: Sorry dude, I can't remember where I found this.

Ok, so there's a tub on the left, but that oval glass shower is clearly the star.  And yes, I know, I know, kids need a tub.  What's with those babies, why can't they just shower like normal people?  And get jobs?

When I was in Virginia in October, my mom and I went to go pick out faucets for her renovation project. Surprisingly, she didn't choose any of my selections:

Note:  that dolphin comes in gold.

Who says no to a gilded dragon head faucet?  A crazy mother with "professional architects" that's who.  Whateves ma, you're going to be crying a river of tears when we have the renovation face-off.

And finally, just so you can get a firm grip on what I'm up against, here's the dreaded bathroom as it stands today:

See, it's going to be great, so long as we get rid of every. single. thing. in there.

There you have it, 2009 goal numero uno.   Of course, if I were going to make a real-life, honest-to-gosh resolution, it would surly be one that all of you would appreciate:  I would work on my spelling.  But, hey, I've managed 30 years without knowing the difference between sense and since, what's one more?