long weekend playlist.

happy 3 day weekend. summer is coming to an end so make sure you enjoy the next few days and live it up. indulge yourself. pour those glasses of margharitas and eat those forbidden calories. and, as always, make sure you have a fantastic soundtrack to the weekend. here are some songs to add to your labor day playlist.

emeli sande. next to me.

the lumineers. stubborn love.

train. 50 ways to say goodbye.

passion pit. take a walk.

miike snow. black and blue.

the killers. runaways.

a couple of room scenes.

nyigf

i wasn't completely wow'd by this year's nyigf. i saw a lot of the same thing. however, there were a few companies and/or displays that knocked my socks off.

i am a big fan of the show, 'shark tank.' i always put myself in the sharks' shoes. i try to imagine if i would commit to an idea or not. aside from the profitability, i look for its usefulness and its wit. sometimes it's that gimmick that will make you buy something. well, that was the case with this company. they created a line of napkins & placemats that you rip off of a paper towel roll. after one use, they can be washed or they can just be thrown out. there are a ton of colors to choose from.

i've seen a pad of disposable placemats before. heck, we sold them at just 4 the home. but it was this woman who saw the same pads we sell and decided to make it a bit more chic. she created more than 25 designs, some completely textual, some with a bit of humor. for example the pad with the boy on the cover has a girl page alternating with the boy. it's an easy replacement for a place card.

oly has a special place in my heart. no matter how absurd some of their designs are, they maintain a very classic feel. whenever i'm in their showroom, i never want to leave. it's classic meets chic meets some hoofs for legs. 

in the colors of the dusk.

dance with me in the colors of the dusk
-ben harper

one of my favorite lines to use as a designer is 'a pop of color'. well that is a huge understatement at the festival of colors. holi, better known as 'the festival of colours', is a religious spring festival celebrated mostly by hindus. so where do the colors come in? well, one of the earliest rituals attached to holi is throwing colored powder and water at each other. spring blossoming trees once supplied the colors, but modern day celebrations use dyed powders.  this festival has presented itself in mainstream pop culture; in linkin park's music video for 'the catalyst',  in "the amazing race', in regina spektor's song 'fidelity.' spanish fork, utah recently celebrated holi and thomas hawk documented some of the most beautiful images from there.

i'm out on the border.

i'm out on the border, i'm walkin the line
don't you tell me 'bout your law and order'
i'm tryin to change this water to wine
-the eagles

sometimes you need to give your room a little face lift. usually that includes buying something new. but what if i told you that all you needed was a little ribbon and some sewing skills. now i've got your attention. an new [and easy] trend is the inset border. this little added detail goes a long way. whether it's on a pillow, on an ottoman, or on your window treatments, you can use a color and/or a pattern for added pop. greek keys work very well. my favorite store for trims is samuel & sons.

caitlyn wilson design.

elle decor.

royale surf.

massucco warner miller.

decor8.

house beautiful.

houzz.

melanie turner.

rue magazine.

shelter interior design.

ty larkins.

[kind of obsessed with this room]

usa. usa. usa. usa. usa. usa. usa.

in honor of the olympics, i decided to do this.

weirdexistence.com

i am obviously kidding. i am not capable of such a difficult feat, but props to whoever did.

cody hamilton.

banksy.

banksy.

sarah hyndman.

graffiti artist zevs.

yeah, but you didn't.

mathematically turning the page
unequivocally showing my age
i'm practically center stage
-the white stripes

i love when i look at modern art and i over hear people say 'i could do that.' i always think to myself, 'yeah, but you didn't.' well, artist craig damrauer depicts that exact scenario in a piece of modern art. how ironic!

after doing a little research on colorado native craig damrauer, i immediately fell in love with his 'math series', where he artistically defines human nature through a mathematic equation. it's his way of "quantifying the world."