By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I have always been attracted to the aesthetics and ornamentation of the various cultures around the world. The more ancient and the more “exotic” it is, the more it speaks to me. Which is why I was found gaping, high in visual nirvana, when I came upon the Images d’Orient collection.
Peggy Raphaël Dabar is the designer behind this collection of tabletop gems. She is from Lebanon and studied design in the United States. You can see the homage paid to her Mediterranean heritage in the various collections at Image D’Orient, the company she and her brother [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Admittedly, I love this time a year. And what is not to love! The outside is looking all anew with trees budding, flowers blooming and the freshness in the air is intoxicating! As I open my doors to bring in the sights, scents and sounds of the outdoors, I look at my home and see that it is tired looking, stuffy and drab.
It is definitely time to refresh, rejuvenate and reorganize the inside of my home. And I want to do it quickly and inexpensively. So, I went looking for versatile and budget-friendly ideas to [...]

If you have been reading us for a while, it’s pretty clear to you that we love products and businesses with a good story. This is one such GREAT story AND cause. It’s about Arzu Studio Hope.
Arzu (which means hope in Dari, a variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan) was founded in 2004 by social entrepreneur Connie K. Duckworth. Connie left the world of finance to start this enterprise with the mission to promote women’s rights and economic empowerment in Afghanistan. She knew nothing about that country or about international development and nothing about rugs but she knew [...]

No. Not that kind of swinging. We’re talking about the most beautiful (and clever) porch swings ever designed. Actually, these are the first improvement in porch swings since they were first developed in Ancient Greece some 2400 years ago.
The Weather…Or Not™ Swings (WON) are designed by Becky Irvine who came up with the concept after she wondered whether the swing she wanted for her porch should face towards the wooded area where she might watch a delightful family of foxes, or back across the terrace to visit with family and friends. She wanted BOTH and that’s what the Weather…Or Not [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I saw these lampshades while visiting Toronto a few months ago and, being in the beginning stages of planning a large event for a non-profit, I couldn’t help but be immediately attracted by these unusual, beautiful, colorful and oh-so affordable statement-making lampshades. How they would – literally and metaphorically – light up the room and create instant ambiance for the event. And then, I mentally started redecorating my family room and my teens’ bedrooms too.
Let me introduce the Jigsaw Lamp (shade). It’s available in 11 different colors and six different sizes. Each kit consist of 30 [...]

Last year we did a Pet Gift Guide – Because We Love Them and we still do love our pets! But just because you have pets does not mean that your home has to go to the dogs. We have chosen (among other things) some great gift products that your (four legged) loving companion will love and that might also just add a great statement to your home. Plus, some fun games to play with little Fifi or Fluffy. We should really rename this gift guide the Gift Guide for Pet Owners. Enjoy!

 FOR DOGS

 
What Dogs Dream Bed – Designed not [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
Evenings are getting longer. And c-c-c-cooler. And though we have a fireplace in our house, we are notoriously lazy about lighting it up. We love the coziness effect, the warm ambiance a beautiful fire creates, but between you and me, it’s sooooo much work. And I’m just thinking about the getting the firewood in the house part…
So, I’m thinking of going instant. As in Instant Fireplace.
No, I’m not talking fireplace DVD here (cute, but where’s the heat?)
No, no, no. I’m talking a fireplace with real flames and capacity to heat up the place a little. And [...]

By Tara Riceberg, Guest Contributor – Party Planning & Entertaining
Throwing a Halloween party doesn’t have to be spooky. With these tricks, your guests will be treated to a frightfully fun time!

Pre-shop the stores for inspiration and for budgeting your money. It only gets expensive when you don’t have a plan and buy things spontaneously or last minute.
Create a subtheme to really focus your party and planning. Imagine “Halloween Party” becoming “Antebellum Gothic” (what would have become of Scarlett had Rhett not returned?) – Replete with moss covered columns, dead roses, faux silver platters and tons of candlelight. Decorate with three [...]

Sure. Deal-of-the-Day (DOTD) and Private Sales sites are ubiquitous now. Most everyone I know is subscribed to Groupon, LivingSocial, ideeli and some other fledgling local and fashion & travel deal sites. As much as we, customers, enjoy a good deal, it’s getting dizzying to navigate the DOTD landscape (which is why we recommended an aggregator like DealRadar.com which we wrote about last year. It helps a little). And, we are experiencing some DOTD fatigue…

Picture your beautiful bathroom that you have just lovingly freshened up with some new towels, bath mat and cute accessories. Then you take one look a your new waste basket and it’s draped with the ugly, ill-fitting shopping bag with handles. Ok, so you get points for re-using but still, it’s not a pretty sight and the whole ambiance has just taken a nose dive. This is exactly what Muriel Wiener thought when she came up with the idea for Designerliners that will ’dress the mess!’
These decorative, disposable, reusable and biodegradable liners can be used in any of your home or [...]