"I CAN'T - A ; I CAN - A ; - IKEA !"

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINALLY MADE IT INTO IKEA!  THE ONE IN TRENDY RED HOOK, NO LESS.  THERE I SAW THE USUAL AND A FEW UNUSUAL THINGS.  AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY FAVORITE FIND WAS A BAR STOOL NAMED Glenn !  HOWEVER A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE AISLE WAS THIS INGENIOUS Fusion TABLE FOR 4 WHOSE CHAIRS TOTALLY TUCK UNDER WHEN NOT IN USE, THE CHAIR BACKS THEN APPEARING TO BE Hugging THE TABLE TOP.  GREAT FOR NY SPACES AND THOSE ON A BUDGET $299. for table & 4 chairs; Can't beat that & Can't go wrong! 

LAURA ASHLEY ON A MAN HUNT

Ok, ok what's the first thing you think of at the mention of Laura Ashley?  Need I say?  The image is branded on our brain.  But - -look - -something very new and different.  Take these Dining Chairs in the photo.  Why they're downright brawny!  A slightly updated take on a French design with bulked-up proportions.  These are chairs men wouldn't be embarrassed or afraid to sit in.Way to go L.A.!  Any other reactions?

Halloween, Already

Ok, ok - Labor Day really is over so now let's jump the gun. It's time for........Halloween!  Seriously once the sun and sand fade away we Designers (and humans in general) seek the heat in other ways.  Like let's talk wall colors.  Shown here is the delicious wall scheme at Lychee House, the Modern Chinese restaurant on 55th Street.  Ok in the summer, but especially appealing in the Autumn.  Marketers are well aware of this phenomenon.  Check George Clooney's latest billboard for the movie that just came out (Fall release) "The American" with a photo image background created to draw you in: ORANGE!   

Warm to Cool / Cool to Warm - Opposites Attract in Nature's Role Reversal

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Soon as we move from warm Summer to the cool Fall and Winter something odd happens.  We designers & humans in general crave the opposite.  In colors, that is. For example check out the walls  I found at my local Bally Fitness gym.  The blue mosaic tiles feel like a welcome cool relief from our sometimes brutal NY summers!  Yet the warming yellow / orange -terracotta tones are what we seek in the the dead of winter.  But I'm not quite ready to let go of my blue relief just yet, are you??

Just Around The Corner - Crate & Barrel Is Already There

Well most of us will not let the Summer go so quickly but Crate & Barrel is already in full Autumn bloom.  This season their theme is "Plum & Berry" - - slides off the tongue nice 'n easy, yes?  The result is a fairly unlikely combination that works: saturated oranges / terracottas paired with deep lush variations of purples.  See below, and better still go to Madison and 59th and see for yourself.  How many give this a thumbs up?  

Hot, Hot, Hot! - Neuvo Latino restaurant "Cabana" is Very Cool

Because I always like to stay in step with Designer Previews' Karen Fisher her latest blog looked in on Nuela, a colorful new Latino restaurant downtown.  Instantly I was reminded of a favorite haunt of mine Uptown called Cabana.  It happens to be something of a secret.  The decor is also done in a hot color scheme. The food is fresh, imaginative and never disappoints.  You will feast your eyes and your taste buds!

Shine The Light : A Cool Lamp for a Hot Summer

I'm still on lights, the lights are still on, it seems.  Well, small wonder - it IS the summer!  This floorlamp is a classic gone cool.  Cool? Because it is shown in brushed silver rather than polished or brushed brass.  I have to hand it to Pottery Barn for bringing this guy up to date.

The shade is also a bit unusual; blue/green like pine rather than ivory or linen; it feels cool.  The double banding is also a nice simple detail.  Are many of you preferring silver over gold these days?