Fancy Feeders

From cast resin, aged stone finish and embellished with carved scroll work detail - these pet bowls give a whole new meaning to fancy feast! Now pet owners can blend in their friends dishes within their home decor. A few examples you might adore are below. Visit http://www.unleashedlife.com/ for more products.

Amazing Spiral Staircase

Found on Dezeen, this amazing staircase is in the former home of Portuguese poet and philosopher Antero de Quental. Though he lived there for only a decade — 1881-1891 — the building was recently converted into a literary center and the spiral staircase with integrated book shelves takes center stage.

Pebble Floor Cushions

Pebble floor cushions featured in a recent post on the LoftFloat houseboat by Magma Design. And we can understand why. Livingstones are a modular seating concept developed by French designer Stephanie Marin that is both practical and poetic.

Treat Yourself to Better Spring Flowers!

10 Tips for Better-Looking Bouquets
Nothing sets off a room or table like fresh flowers.  It's the ultimate sign of Spring and can make any guest feel special while visiting your home. Keep your flowers fresh longer by following these techniques.
 

1.Think of cut flowers like ice cream. Don't buy them unless you're rushing right home.


2.Use clean vases and tools. Mold speeds up the decaying process in flowers. (Make sure everything is well rinsed, too, since soap changes the pH of the water.)

3.Remove leaves that will be below the waterline. They promote bacteria growth that hinders circulation.

4.Don't bother cutting stems underwater. Just have your vase ready. The difference in life span is inconsequential.

5.Use a small hammer to smash the woody stems of flowers such as hydrangeas and lilacs so they can absorb water more easily.

6.Flowers from bulbs do better in cold water.

7.Don't mix daffodils with other flowers. They produce a sap that gums up other stems. (Soak daffodils for a few hours in a separate vase first if you plan to include them.)

8.Force unopened flowers to bloom in minutes by putting them in very warm tap water.

9.Wilted flowers, especially roses, can be revived by submerging them in cool water for a few hours.

10.Flowers will look fresher longer if they're kept off TVs, appliances, and heating or cooling units, which give off heat that wilts them. Also keep them out of direct sunlight and away from hot or cold drafts.

7 Coffee-Table Art Books

Richly illustrated books sure to get creative juices―and conversations―flowing.

No. 1: First Works by 362 Artists
Hundreds of artists, including Edward Ruscha, Matthew Barney, and Pipilotti Rist, showcase frank, funny answers to the question "What was your first work of art?" (Distributed Art Publishers, Inc.)

Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today

An accompaniment to the 2008 MoMA exhibition of the same name, the tome addresses the critical impact of premixed off-the-shelf pigments on artwork over the past 60 years. Includes 230 illustrations, with works by Ellsworth Kelly, Gerhard Richter, and Sherrie Levine. (The Museum of Modern Art)

Magritte

This collection of 200 of the most gripping works by paradoxical Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte is presented in a hardbound slipcase. (Assouline)

Fornasetti: Conversation With Philippe Starck

In this illustrated memoir, the son of Milanese artist Piero Fornasetti converses with Starck about the countless contributions to, and influences on, 20th-century art and furniture design made by the visionary painter-sculptor-decorator. (Assouline)

Turner

British landscape painter William Turner was admired for his masterful rendering of natural light. This paperback studies the artist’s entire body of work, from early Romantic watercolors to shimmering Impressionistic oils. (Taschen)

Damien Hirst: Requiem I

In addition to images of the Turner prize-winning Brit’s pieces from last year’s Pinchuk Art Centre exhibition in Kiev, Ukraine, the book includes photos of his early ’90s sculptures and recent never-before-seen skull paintings. (Other Criteria)

Georges Seurat: The Drawings

This survey of the French artist's career illustrates how his romantic early works on paper begat his creation of Pointillism―and the colossal canvases for which he is most revered, including A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and Bathers at Asnières. (The Museum of Modern Art)

E-Cycle Your Home Electronics

Electronics giant Best Buy is attempting a new green feat by offering a recycling service for all customers, no matter where you bought your old electronics. As E-waste is a growing problem right here at home and in developing nations where we often ship our used devices to be "dealt with," Best Buy's new campaign, part of their Greener Together™ program, pledges to safely dispose of electronics responsibly. They do so by working directly with recyclers that must meet certain guidelines and standards for the disassembly, repair, reuse, or disposal of all parts, so they don't end up in landfills or foreign countries. has a new service that, no matter where you bought it, they’ll recycle it, to encourage customers to bring in their old electronics. E-waste is a growing problem in third world countries where many “recycling” programs ship our used devices to be sorted by the surrounding communities. Read more about their comprehensive recycling program here.

Designer's Role by Matvey Panov

"I think interior designers these days are becoming more and more a part of popular culture. It seems like designers are the celebrities for lifestyle. We change people’s ways of life and their enjoyment of it. Some designers are like the complimentary champagne served at brunch. Others are the heroes and heroines for creating people’s lifestyles. This gives a lot of responsibility to designers now. Everyone is relying on us, unlike in earlier, simpler times, where people relied on themselves to build an identity. Today you rely on someone else to fix you. A change of pace in the modern world, I presume. Perhaps we no longer have time to do things for ourselves and therefore need assistance. This has created the field of design, and we are being enhanced since designers have to study the arts of design. It certainly sophisticated design, and now I believe we as designers are the scientists and doctors for creating, improving, and repairing lifestyle and living environments." - Matvey Panov

TV Land

Does it bother anyone else that the TVs we used to relegate behind closed armoire doors or conceal among book shelves are now the focal points of our primary living spaces? Granted, the armoire doors at our house were almost always open, but at least we didn’t “display” the TV like a great piece of art.


With the advent of the thin–but huge!—flat panel TVs, more homeowners and even interior designers we respect are placing these big guys front-and- center in elegant living rooms as well as more informal family rooms. It’s almost standard design now to hang a flat panel over the fireplace.

There are some attractive consoles with surrounding shelves that help the television blend better with your furnishings. Many also offer nice storage features to toss DVDs and gaming accessories.

You don’t need to sacrifice style for function. There are functional and beautiful pieces of furniture out there that can house a flat screen television, yet be stylish enough for an upscale interior. Take a look and I think you’ll agree, this puts TV in it proper place!