If you are all about cutting corners making your “Dee-lish” meal in 2 seconds like Rachel Ray, then this is the book for you! 

Find out what’s IN and what’s OUT in the doggie world.  Also, don’t forget Pet Fashion Week in NY this weekend!  Visit “The Original Snobby Dog Blog” PupStyle.com for more info.

LeKlint Denmark has introduced a great way to make lighting changes without installing new pendants or shades.

The UnderCover concept are thin foil patterns inserted into the LeKlint lamp shade making a unique pattern.  The foils can be mix and matched for a multiple color depth.  Very cool!

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I think it’s odd how businesses identify with the types of credit they use to conduct daily operations.  I must admit that I collect credit cards by the “bling” factor and how cool they look.  Who else in the world would admit that other than someone obsessed with the way stuff LOOKS rather than how it functions!  Function over Form is my mantra.

That said, when the Amex Plum Card came out.... I fell in love with the, well… (insert embarrassed look) ... the COLOR.  I mean it has cool benefits and all, but who cares!  It’s pretty! 

So what the hell

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Just released a new collection of outdoor furniture inspired by contemporary European designs. Select from an array of fabric and rattan colors. While not in use the furniture stacks in the funky and unusual column and pylon-like structures.

See the full collection here: Outdoor Furniture

For those on-the-go meals, Jan Ott has an interesting twist for those needed utensils to go with your meal.  The knife, fork, spoon combo concept can be assembled to form one silverware utensil that you can carry with you.  WHERE do I get one!?

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Here is an interesting sink concept.  The Hidden Tap by Jelmer Moorman features motion sensing technology that allows the water to follow those dirty hands.  The water will also change temperature from hot to cold depending on which side of the sink you position your hands.  See how the sink works via Engadget

If you’re a big hunting buff, you will definitely want the upper edge to conceal yourself before going in for the big kill.  Designed by Andy Cuttitta, UltimateCamo has some very unique and visually effective camouflage gear for your hunting needs.  The finely detailed bark pattern mimics actual bark in that “it changes color in different light; it blends consistently at all distances and will not “blob” at long range like many other patterns”.  Elmer Fudd would be wishing he had this gear for hunting his wabbits!  Maybe this camo fabric could be put to use in home decor? - Just a thought for those naturists out there!  Definitely keep an eye on their site for more products to come!  Other key features according to UltimateCamo include:

- The tree’s natural branches and leaves serve as a three dimensional compliment to our pattern rather than being a one dimensional part of it.
- With UltimateCamo’s pattern you will not need to buy seasonal sets of camouflage clothing to match the constantly changing foliage on and around the trees.
- Our bark pattern blends with the dozens of types of oak trees as well as ash, cottonwood, sweet gum, maples, poplar, and several other common deciduous hardwood trees.
- The effectiveness of our bark pattern is not affected by variances in vision type of the animal.

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Elevate your style with this unique bench by Denmark designer Kristoffer Kjaer.  Each piece gives you the feeling that the furniture is hovering off your floor.  The bench is very sleek with a bit of history in it; think of it as antique meets modern.  According to Design Spotter, “The vertically positioned lamellae which form the seat of the bench, all originate from old Dutch colony houses in Indonesia. They are cut from century-old teak trunks that have been sawn up and treated with oil. The old teak wood has a glow and a character in the growth ring which makes the piece of furniture something quite exceptional.” Experience recycled history at it’s best with the Hover Collection.

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I’m a big fan of rings, but hate it when they lose their luster with all the scratches from normal wear over time.  Even platinum needs a buff or polish here and there despite it being a fairly dense metal.  If you are looking for an alternative metal to slap on your finger, try a tungsten carbide ring.  Tungsten carbide is the most wear resistant metal and always maintains a permanently polished luster.  Tungsten is about 10 times harder than 18K Gold, 5 times harder than tool steel, and 4 times harder than titanium.  Tungsten rings will hold their shape and shine longer than any ring on the market; they are literally scratch proof.  I have had mine for quite some time and I love it!  Trust me, you will get a lot of compliments!

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You can now have a one-track mind with style.  And who said wallpaper is not fun!?  Belgium designers from Atelier Blink have the right theme in mind for you know what as you can see with their Rendez-Vous wallpaper.  I saw this wallpaper featured at ICFF and just fell in love with the pattern; I loved it even more as I inspected the design up close!  The wallpaper pattern is very elegant and I can definitely see function with this design.  Just follow the pattern with that special not so special someone and you can have hours of fun admiring the pattern and maybe trying some new “things”.  I think this design will definitely put the “bang” back in your decor!  The Rendez-Vous 1 and Rendez-Vous 2 wallpaper are available with different positions patterns and colors and can be purchased at Vlaemsch.

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Located in Chicago’s Wicker Park, 1233 N. Marion is an architectual masterpiece I stumbled upon that is up for grabs.  From it’s TerraNeo façade, to the floating staircase, the white oak floors, to the fabulous italian design kitchen, this home boasts a lot of luxurious features under it’s roof.  All this can be yours for a mere jaw-dropping 1.39 million US dollars.  Other features include:

Exterior - masonry construction with TerraNeo innovative façade, limestone caps and parapet walls
Architectural lighting by Lightology
Professionally landscaped front and rear yards; 1200 sqft of deck space
2 ½ car garage with a roof deck
Living/Dining Room with an award winning SPARK “ribbon” gas fireplace.
White oak floors with contrasting reveal wenge stained baseboards
Custom floating staircase with wenge treads, stainless steel inlay and architectural railing
Living areas integrate with outdoors through a remote operated architectural overhead door
Italian Wenge/Glass/Stainless Steel Aran Kitchen Mia cabinets with full extension, soft close drawers
Gourmet appliance package by Wolf and Subzero
Honed quartz countertops in kitchen and bathrooms
Italian porcelain 12” X 24” tile flooring
Double bowl square under mount sink / Hans Grohe kitchen pull out faucet
Most bedrooms have direct access to decks or balconies
Lower level guest bedroom suite (maid’s room) offers private living quarters for live-in help
Master bathroom features 5’ X 5’ Neptune whirlpool with a waterfall faucet; steam shower has body sprays, a hand-held shower and a rain head
Custom mahogany cantilevered vanities in the master bathroom
All master bathroom fixtures by Hans Grohe; other bath fixtures by Grohe or Hans Grohe
Imported Italian porcelain and mosaic tile in various custom sizes
All toilets by Duravit (wall mounted in powder room and master bathroom)
Tempered glass frameless shower doors as installed
Duravit and Lacava sinks and vanities

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It’s been a great 30 days of digging around London stores, researching new artists, and visiting the Summer Fair.  We’ve seen some incredibly cool new objects from a whole crop of new manufacturers that we’ll share over the coming weeks. 

This table will definitely be the conversation piece and life of your party.  Cinimod Studio creates dimension to their design with this interesting concept for a table.  With it’s 3-dimensional complex interactive lighting matrix, your guests will want to flock to this table and time warp into an endless stare into space.  You will have many followers and they will obey you soon enough!  This is no ordinary lit table in that it’s lights can shift interactively to set the mood using some complicated calculations.  It would be nice for a change to have a piece of furniture to entertain the party.  Now if only this concept were available as a floor; it would be the new age Saturday Night Fever!

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What do you do with a creative mind, 3000 ping pong balls, and a lot of time on your hands?  Make a chandalier!  This modern day chandalier, named The Troy by Zia-Priven, hangs at an impressive 9 feet.  It’s big, dramatic, and just big!  “This One of a Kind, oversized Troy Chandelier was the centerpiece of the Circular Ligne Roset Lounge at The Architectural Digest Home Design Show and is available for purchase or display with the proceeds to be donated to DirectEffect for HIV/AIDS Research at The Rockefeller University.” Very cool that the proceeds for this chandalier is going for a good cause.  Smaller versions also available and customizable to suit your lighting needs.

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