A Few Of Our Favorite Things.

'Tis the season and before we sign off for the holidays we wanted to give you a few fun last minute gift ideas of some of our favorite things. We're wild about each one of these items and hope this will inspire you to give something special to those who are most special to you. And stay tuned because we'll be back with a few more suggestions of our favorite holiday reads this year. Enjoy!

1-Modern Quill Pens available at Jayson Home & Garden. Priced from: $28.00 to $32.00

2-Elsa Peretti Bean Box in black leather available at Tiffany & Co. Price: $110.00

3-Sword & Ax Image from one of our Favorite Design Books of the Season: The Book of Job. This limited edition book is a must have for any design enthusiast. The tome itself is a work of art and looks like a leather-bound Bible with gilded pages-gorgeous! Price: $150.00

4-Leather Phone Case available from Orvis. Price: $59.00

5-Pewter Hand Gimme Power iPhone Charger available from York Street Studio. Price: $265.00

6-Piet Hein Eek Baskets made from scrap wood by local craftsmen in Vietnam available at The Conran Shop. Priced from: $150.00 to $225.00

7-Black Military Chrono Watch available from Timex (love this watch) available from LuxuryDiscountStore.com. Price: 149.95

8-Moore & Giles Meehan Waxwear Rangertan Portable Bar available at Moore & Giles. Price: $740.00

9-Bonsai Forest Kit available from Uncommon Goods. Price: $50.00

10-Jonathan Adler's Hashish Candle (may be our favorite scented candle of all time). Available at Jonathan Adler. Price: $68.00

11-Dolle's Salt Water Taffy Caramel Corn. Made fresh in Delaware-Trust us...this is beyond! Available at Dolle's. Priced from: $5.00 to $69.99.

12-Twin Shadow's CD Forget. One of our favorite albums this year. We especially like the song Slow (check out the video above-and don't worry about the NSFW warning...it's fine!). Available on itunes or Amazon. Price: 8.99

Surprise Surprise.

We had a rather hectic fall season and at one point over the past few months (we can't remember exactly when) we got an e-mail from Canadian House & Home asking us for permission to use one of our photos for an upcoming issue.  We quickly said yes, but didn't ask any follow-up questions and continued on about our business.  Well fast forward several weeks and imagine our surprise this evening when we went to the mailbox and pulled out the magazine's January issue, only to find our project on the cover!  We literally had no idea, but obviously we're pleased as punch!  The accompanying article is titled Top Trends of 2011 and our project represents The New Modern: Soft & Layered. Thank you to the crew up at Canadian H&H...we can't tell you how much we appreciate all your support! And boy do you guys know how to keep a good secret.  Be sure and pick up a copy to learn more...it's a terrific issue! (Photo courtesy of Patrick Cline).

Shine On.

Deemed “The Original Architect's Lamp” Lampe Gras is a perfect example of beauty and function in an exquisitely made piece of functional art. In 1921, an engineer by the name of Bernard Albin Gras designed a series of lamps for use in offices and industrial locations. Held together without screws or welded joints, the Lampe Gras became the darling of not only architects but also of those with an eye for interior design.

It was the favorite of such notables as Le Corbusier, the ‘godfather of modern architecture’, who dubbed the lamp ‘type-object’, meaning it was an ‘object reduced to its pure function’. Production stopped at the outbreak of World War II and only now, after more than of a year of experimentation, they are once again being made by hand, in France and sold exclusively to consumers through Holly Hunt. We also think they're very reasonable...prices range from $425 to $995. To learn more click here!

For The Birds.

We hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. We had a nice relaxing visit down south and it was good to unwind for a bit and go "off-line". One thing we discovered while we were away was the website for artist/photographer Paul Octavious. We don't know that much about him, other than he currently lives in Chicago, but we're crazy about his work and his eye. In particular, we were drawn to these photos of birds he took while visiting the Yale Peabody museum. The birds themselves are rather handsome, but we find the colors in the images to be sublime and quite inspiring. Be sure though and check out his website, because not only is Paul a great lensman, he's a terrific storyteller who uses few words and instead depends mainly on his own photographs. This guy is incredibly clever and a huge talent...hope you enjoy his work as much as we do.

Into The Woods.

We were excited to learn that Joshua Vogel, co-founder of NYC based furniture company BDDW, has opened a new company, Black Creek Mercantile & Trading Co., where he is producing one of a kind, sculptural woodturnings, pieces of limited edition furniture and meaningful small products. Recently, Vogel sought a new challenge and direction, getting back to the essence of cottage industry and the traditions of woodworking, which he has always been passionate about.

"The nature of turning requires a prolonged state of concentration," says Vogel. "Using the wood lathe is unlike any other aspect of woodworking. The process itself demands a type of meditative effort, not unlike throwing a clay pot, only it is completely reductive in nature, like carving stone."

We can't wait to get our hands on one of these unique and handsome pieces. The forms are remarkable and the woods Vogel selects look incredible. You know...the holidays ARE just right around the corner (hint hint). To learn more about BCM&T click here.

Knock Knock.

Who's There?
Perfect.
Perfect who?
Perfect in Everyway!

We recently discovered photographer Michael Mundy's new blog An Afternoon With...and we were instantly taken with the home of fashion stylist Scott Newkirk. This project couldn't be more us if we tried (and damnit it makes us want to try harder...) We love everything about it-and not to be rude, but we can't stop staring! You should definitely check out the site. It's very inspiring with a lot of great interiors and Mundy's got an incredible eye. We have a feeling you're going to be hearing a lot more about An Afternoon With...Stay tuned. (photography by Michael Mundy)

Slightly Obsessed.

Finally...Adele is back! And it's definitely been worth the wait. Check out the new single Rolling in the Deep from her upcoming sophomore album set to be released in the new year. We were there for her New York debut back in 2008 at the Highline Ballroom and we look forward to her next layover here in the city. We literally can't wait. And for yet another song off her new CD, watch the video below of her performing live on one of our favorite shows from the UK, Later...With Jools Holland which can be found here in the states on Ovation (if you've never watched this program...it's genius!) Enjoy.

Lights, Camera, Action! UPDATED.

***UPDATE: So here's your first look at the remarkable event that took place last night at the new Ralph Lauren store (see above video). It was pretty incredible and we have to say our only disappointment is that this won't be repeated throughout the holiday season. We've never seen anything quite like it and it's a shame that more people can't experience this in person. Congratulations and kudos to the team who made this happen. It was really amazing. And for a behind the scenes look at how this was done-watch the video below.

Seems as though the latest trend as we head towards the new year is the collision of art and luminosity. Last week we were excited about the installation Scattered Light by San Francisco artist Jim Campbell. Well, brace yourselves for yet another lighting spectacle here in the city .... this one brought to you from our good friends over at Ralph Lauren. Certain to be something you've never seen before, the event takes place tonight at the new Ralph Lauren store at 888 Madison Avenue. Using 4D technology, the light installation will illuminate the evening sky as the store's facade opens out into the street revealing illusions such as giant, striding models four stories tall and Polo players making their way down Madison Avenue. Above is an exclusive look of what to expect from tonight's event, which shows the new store "being built" brick by brick. This is followed by a series of images of what comes "crashing" out of 888 Madison Ave. during the show. The projection will give the illusion that images are extending beyond the facade and floating out into space and toward the audience, creating a visceral moment of excitement and intrigue. We're completely wound up about this one-night-only event and trust us when we say...it is not to be missed. There will be screenings at 8:00, 8:30, and 9:00 this evening and just a reminder-it takes place outdoors so don't forget your coats! (Be sure and check back later for a behind the scenes video as well as an actual video of the event!)

Fox News!

Last night we helped celebrate the opening of Ralph Lauren's new Lauren Home Gallery at Lord & Taylor. We were asked by House Beautiful to dress a dining table using Lauren products along with our imagination. We've always admired the Fantastic Mr. Fox, so we thought it might be fun to do an homage to this sly breed and invite a few of them to the party. The trio of redheads made themselves right at home on the Laurel dining table that was set with dinnerware and stemware from the handsome Hewitt Platinum line (a new favorite). It was a fun evening and the event was a big success with a great turnout. The home-furnishings floor looks incredible and we strongly encourage you to stop by during the holidays and check it out. Also...in case you haven't heard, be sure and click here for another exciting story regarding Fox News! Hope you have a nice weekend. (photos courtesy of Brian Fender)

Flash Lights.

First of all, we apologize for the radio silence the last few weeks. We've been finishing up an exciting new project that we'll tell you more about later. But let's just say between that and our other projects, something had to give, and unfortunately .... it was the blog!

But we're back and excited about the latest public art installation at Madison Square Park here in New York entitled Scattered Light by San Francisco artist Jim Campbell. The exhibit consists of 3 pieces, the largest being 2000 suspended lights over an 80 foot by 20 foot area, which synchronize to play a video in the center of the park. This is the biggest, most ambitious light installation that Jim Campbell has created and it's definitely worth checking out. Be sure and click on the video to see Campbell talk more about his inspiration and to get a glimpse of this mesmerizing installation. The exhibit runs through February 28th, 2011 and you can click here to learn more about it.