Long ago, in a far away time, I bought my acid washed, peg legged pants from Esprit. Now I buy them at Urban Outfitters. In case you haven’t noticed, the crazy 80s are back in a big way. Of course the wide world of interior design isn’t immune to the vagaries of trends, which seem to progress through the art-fashion-pillow life cycle until they die a gasping, lonely death on the clearance shelves of TJ Maxx. Short lived though they may be, I like following trends — although I have to say I felt a little green at the gills when I first saw the new slew of statement making brights and strong shapes. The 80s were not kind to me, with its broccoli bangs and crop topped warfare, and those linebacker sized shoulder pads that required nothing less than an absolutely unwavering sense of self confidence. Should I admit that confidence was not a quality I was born with? I still have to work for it. Every day.

Studio Toogood

Maybe my hard work is paying off, because I’m starting to move beyond my own crippled sense of nostalgia as I approach this second wave of 80s inspired wares. I’m even setting my jaw and looking deep into the neon heart of the past, to primary sources like Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, who is looking more and more like a straight up genius when viewed through my new confidence goggles.

Ettore Sottsass

One part Beetlejuice, one part Bauhaus, and one part boozy good time, Sottsass set the tone to angular and primary as founding member of the Memphis design movement. Though his work should never be confused with the current, flimsy iterations of post modern furnishings typically found at Eurway, they do take up some majormajor visual space. As even Sottsass acknowledged, a little goes a long way.

Though I can finally look at his high Memphis work without enduring painful flashbacks, I was still jazzed — and relieved — to see this house he designed near the end of his long life:

OWI

Working into his 80s, Sottssass’ mellowed out architectural effort looks to the past while also giving me something to look forward to. Within it, I see the seeds of a more mature Memphis inspired design aesthetic. And I like it. A lot.

Spare but warm, angular but not wildly so, this house is eminently livable. And of course the acres of glass, stunning reflecting pools, and luxe finishes don’t hurt. It’s obviously the refinement of a life’s work.

Sottsass died at the tail end of 2007. I suspect that the scope of his influence is only beginning to surface, but don’t think that other designers haven’t already begun mining. Kelly Wearstler’s beach house and Avalon Hotel have obvious smart references to Sottsass’ late work. Expect to see a lot more of the Memphis master, but not the kind that demands confidence.

The kind that inspires it.

I have obviously contracted a raging case of scarlet fever, or perhaps I’ve come down with the Pepto Bismol Flu. Because my new appreciation for hot pink can only be explained by a fit of delirium. Now — I’m a black, white, and brown, kind of a girl. Sure, I like loads of bling to slick it up, but at heart I love my drabby neutrals. Except I have recently developed a strange, inexplicable attraction to hot pink. It’s probably because the hunny says it doesn’t look good with my hair — which makes me like it even more.

Nicolas Matheus

Whatever. You can’t deny that a dash of hot pink puts the schwing into spring.

Nicolas Matheus

Girl, you know you be a sexy beast.

Abigail Ahern

Yes, I realize I mixed my gender metaphors there, but it may just be that hot pink is a transvestite hooker with a heart of gold.

Design Sponge

Hot pink’s interests are: It’s Raining Men, lip gloss, and having better legs than me.

Scott Weston

But you know what? I like her. A lot. Hot pink is sharp, funny, edgy, and adds a touch of in your face glamour to any room.

Scott Weston

Did I mention versatile? Pair her with other brights or darks and she will hold her own.

Abigail Ahern

Studio Ilse

Michael Haverland

Pair her with neutrals and she will coyly bat her false eyelashes at you with a flirtatious wink and a nudge.

Abigail Ahern

Laura Day via Lonny

Display her on your pedestrian TV in full frontal view, right next to your haute pink James Nares painting, and you will be a GENIUS.

House Beautiful

In closing, I leave you with this showstopper of an image, which is not to my usual taste. At all. For starters, I don’t know who allowed a giant clam to crawl across the floor and die a horrible, ugly death beneath the console table. But that swath of hot pink brightness rescues the whole room from stuffy old lady land. And do you know what the paint color is called?

Razzle Dazzle.

That’s what I’m talking about.

There are very few things I remember about visits to my grandparents on my father’s side of the family’s house, among them: the smell of stale cigars, the sight of an impossibly tall Christmas tree that seemed to stick around all year, and this incredibly loud, incessant banging noise that can only be made when a child’s hands discover the drum that was my grandparents brass tray coffee table. Granted the banging noises I remember were probably from my own fists, but somehow I’m not delighted by the sound 20-something years later.

So do you know what noise resounded in my mind (wrapped in the tinge of that yucky stale smoke smell) the entire time I flipped through this month’s Elle Decor? Yep, you got it

Our cover girl, Ellen Pompeo has no idea what she’s in for raising a child near that nightmarishly loud baby toy.

Perhaps she could take advice from the young couple on page 147 of the EXACT SAME ISSUE

Diego and April Uchitel have small children and they have this table which leads me to believe that they are not home much and they have a nanny. Or (cover your eyes margaret!) (I still love you!) Elle Decor hired the same stylist for both shoots.

Also, it means that this vintage table, having appeared twice in a single issue of Elle Decor, is hot hot hot.

PS Erin has one and I really hope she doesn’t read this post today so she can learn first hand how fun it is when Ike takes his first lap around it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a hangover post. About 9+9 months, to be exact. And I don’t know what’s more embarrassing — that I am a mom with a hangover, or that it only took 3.5 drinks to take me to the bad place. Also it is WEDNESDAY morning. Whatever the case, I had a great time with my guest, but I’m glad Karly decided that we’re not going to work as hard around here because Momma be tired. And cranky. And hungry for some greasy pizza. I really can’t let this blog get between me and pizza, can I?

So I have some pretty pictures for you that I compiled last week when I was still sober and responsible. Just don’t expect a lot of writing. Because that would take thinking. And thinking hurts.

Greg Natale

You know what I love? Flamestitch. Zig zags. Chevrons. Well, I usually love them, but today this picture is making my cerebellum itch. Not the most comfortable feeling.

M Design Interiors

Ruy Texeira

Wall stencil by Mark Chamberlain

Mary MacDonald

NYT via Eye Spy

Osborne and Little Volte wallpaper

Kelly Wearstler

Missoni Liuwa rug

M Design Interiors

Now please entertain me by letting me know how you feel about la flamestitch. Are you in for a little or a lot?

Just type your comment very quietly, please…

I bet everything is clean in outer space. You can’t really leave crumbs all over the counter, unless you enjoy watching space crumbs fly through the air, swirling about and forming their own little crumb galaxies and nebulae. Now that I think about it, it’s probably gravity’s fault that I have dirty floors. Maybe I should berate gravity and make her come clean up her mess — You get over here, Missy, and sweep this up right now! Or I suppose I could just move to space. That would probably be easier than getting an invisible force to tidy my house.

Sadly, I don’t think I’ll get to move to space this year. It looks pretty far away, and I can’t even fly across the country without waiting in lines and removing my shoes and getting delayed and laying over in every city between here and my destination. So what’s a girl who wants to live in space now! stat! supposed to do?

OWI

I think I should just pretend that I live in space. That’s me, taking a shower in my new pod. Look how clean and crumb free we are! Aren’t you jealous?

Shoot Factory

Now I know that showering in a wiffle ball is not to everyone’s taste, so I’m just going to go ahead and present you with an extra terrestrial roundup of down to earth proportions. I’m nothing if not accommodating.

OWI

Cote Maison

Shoot Factory

Ngoc Minh Ngo

Elle Decor

Karl Anderson

Ngoc Minh Ngo

Marie Claire Maison

Richard Powers

See? It’s so easy to space out. Bust open your white paint cans, dust off your Saarinen and Panton chairs, and start spaceing it up. Personally, I think step one in my new spaceification scheme involves painting the Hunny’s fugly speakers shiny gold. The Hunny is a truly peaceable creature, but if I enact said plan, he will probably knock me to the moon — Bang! Zoom!

Mission Accomplished.

About a year ago, I went on a strict color diet of black, brown and pale gray, with a smattering of gold to add some pizazzle dazzle. I have to say this house was looking pretty svelte until Ike came along. Now it’s been fattened up by red, yellow and blue plastic, and I swear the living room alone has gained 20 pounds. Apparently babies aren’t really into drabby neutrals. Who knew? Thankfully the decorating world now says, Hey — it’s ok to binge on primary colors.

Maison Francaise

And guess what? You don’t even have to resort to building your home out of kiddie colored Legos to get the look (because if that were the case, I’d already be 50 steps ahead). Remember the slew of Roy Lichtenstein inspired interiors I presented for your consideration? Well, now get ready for a burst of Bauhaus brights.

Richard Powers

Marie Claire Italia

Those crazy Bauhaus dudes were all about form, function, and screaming color — but no fussy, frilly pants color shall be allowed. Green is about as crazy as party animals Gropius, Van der Rohe and Corbusier, were willing to get, because it’s all about heading back to basics. So sit back, strap up, and put your goggles on. We’re going on a grand tour.

Met Home

M Design Interiors

A Mondrian inspired kitchen from Apartment Therapy

Met Home

Ngoc Minh Ngo

OWI

Elle Decor

Steve Giralt

No source, but check out that Arteluce lamp.

New York Times

M Design Interiors

Well, dudes? What do you think? Are you ready to inject some hot primary color into your home? Just be careful, because Danger! It’s ok to be bold, but with such strong colors, it’s all too easy to go overboard. Like, way overboard. Simple shapes and small doses are the best bet for keeping your visual weight under control.

Don’t be a color glutton.

I am a bargain hunter. A recessionista. A hardcore frugal shopper through and through, down to my very pith and marrow. Without the holy trinity of Craigslist, Ebay and thrifting, I would own a rug, some pillows and sheets. Oh, and those all came from Overstock — bought with internet coupons, of course. Most of the time, I get high off scoring big ticket items on a budget, but lately I’ve been feeling a little resentful of my staunchly middle class life. I kinda wish I was born rich. Hell, while I’m outing myself as a class traitor and a jackass, make that stinking, filthy rich.

Simon Upton

Before I launch into this embarrassing ridiculousness, let me first apologize and say: World, I know how lucky I am to be solidly middle class. Really. I honestly, truly do. However, there is nothing like house hunting to give you a case of the green meanies. Once you really start looking, “I can make do” turns into “I want,” and then “I NEED,” super ultra fast. Ok, I’m done with the bourgeois guilt. Let’s play: pretend we’re rich old money. On a budget.

Step 1: You are probably going to need a Chesterfield sofa.

Y’all, Chesterfield sofas are expen$ive. Coming in at under $1100 including shipping, this version from Zuo Modern won’t (totally) break your piggy bank. Yes, the black is perfectly serviceable and moneyed, but the silver option would be Kapow Zing. Of course, bling like that is for tawdry nouveau richies, only. (Thanks, Raina, for the tip!)

Now, add in a couple of pastoral accessories and we’re in business:

Beth Dow 11×14 print, $50 at 20×200

Pendleton 5th Avenue Throw, $128. Looks so casual fancy you can practically smell the Benjamins stacked high in the safe behind Grandma’s portrait.

Step 2: You definitely need an old family portrait. At least to hide the safe.

Mads Morgensen

Greg Natale

Ilse Crawford

Gunkelman Flesher

Eye Spy

What’s the matter? Don’t have an antique oil painting of great great great grandfather Alistair McScarypants? Yeah, me neither. I come from a long line of farmers and drunken Irishmen, which is charming, but not so heavy on the heirlooms. How about a painting of your loyal servant in Grandpa’s stead?

Aw, Baxter never looked so handsome. Bonus: rich people love dogs! But don’t bother getting Scruffy the pound puppy’s portrait painted. Pedigree matters. Custom oil painted portraits of your pet by Johnspaintings on Etsy, $120.

Step 3: Get a pony. Preferably one that wins prizes and things. Or catches foxes.

Simon Upton

What, fools? Did you think I was going to tell you how to buy a horse on the cheap? Sorry, I’m a blogger, not a magician. But I can direct you to these fine equine inspired products:

Wary Meyers Horse print, $75. Lewis and Wood Equus print wallpaper and fabric. Priced in pounds, so don’t ask me how much it costs. I’m a blogger, not a mathematician. Oh, and don’t forget to buy Karly’s horse print. It’s extra nice.

Urban Outfitters Equestrian Rainboots, perfect for navigating horse poop and rain puddles, $48.

Step 4: You’re going to need more wallpapered and upholstered prints. Way more prints.

Francois Halard

I will always have a soft spot for crazy scenic prints, but for the love of all that’s British tinged Americana: no toile de jouy. This look is more English country or Connecticut Regency (yes, I just made that up) than Marie Antoinette. Lewis and Wood papers and fabrics keep the hunting look alive. Let’s hope the foxes fare as well.

Also, prints should swath everything that can be swathed. Ikea’s Hovas chair is the perfect candidate for an obnoxious floral print. Plus at $499, it’s keeping (most of) your hard earned, middle class money in the bank. Bonus: the slipcovers provide ready made patterns for all you folks with sewing skills. Kaching! That’s the sound of all the money I just saved you.

Elle Decor.

Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. I kind of love the way it makes my eyes vibrate.

Step 5: Get an indoor pool.

Diamond Baratta

No, your membership to the Y is not going to cut it. Rich people like to summer away… away from what, I’m not sure. Away from their mansions? Away from their servants and beautifully kept grounds? It defies logic, but there it is.

I’m afraid this is where I become markedly unhelpful. Dammit, y’all — I’m a blogger, not a third generation investment banker, or an oil tycoon, or a Mayflower descendant. If I were, I’d invite you over to my indoor pool for cocktails and water polo. But you see, there are some things that just can’t be faked in the quest to live like old money. Indoor pools — along with owning your own airstrip, having a township named after your ancestors, or knowing how to play squash — belong only in the provenance of the super duper rich.

Whatever. I don’t need to be rich. I’ll always have… something.

I’ll let you know what that is as soon as I figure it out.

Maybe it’s because my first decorating debacle was painting our living room Blue Tequila, but blue is not my favorite color. I know I’m in the minority, and I’m sure I’ll have many opportunities to revisit that statement since turquoise is Pantone’s color for the year, but for now I’m sticking to my story. Blue is sentimental. Flat. Candace Olsen. It just leaves me cold. There are exceptions to my personal ban on blue, though: Kelly Wearstler’s Avalon Hotel, Raina’s Newburyport Blue bedroom, and anything International Yves Klein Blue.

Brown Davis

Those of you who have been reading this blog forever know I am OBSESSED with Yves Klein and his badass blue. Everyone else can read these posts I wrote 800 million years ago here and here and here. It’s because IYKB is otherwordly. Klein Blue’s super special combination of pigments vibrate with an intensity that most skimpy, wimpy blues lack. Would I paint my entire home IYKB? Well, no. I want to visit outer space, not live there.

Christoph Theurer

A little touch of IYKB here and there would make me an intergalactic tourist, and that suits me just fine. I especially love Yves Klein’s modern reinterpretation of classical sculptures, which are perennial favorites of well heeled collectors.

OWI

Look expensive? That would be because they are HELLACIOUSLY expensive. Guess what’s also expensive?

Architectural Digest

A lucite coffee table chock full of Yves Klein Blue pixie dust. Oh, and this fancy pad belongs to Kevin Roberts, the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, so YES. The globe is also an Yves Klein piece, because homedude is crazyballs rich, that’s why.

Cote Maison via Lampshade

Chicago Home Mag

1st Dibs has one for $24,000. Come on, you know you want it…

Of course nothing tops the rarity of Klein’s Anthropometres paintings, since they represent the imprint of an experience and are not reproducible. In other words, Klein greased up some sexy babes with IYKB paint and drug them around a piece of paper. I smell an art project coming on…

Walso Fernandez

Aaron Hom

An Yves Klein poster is really more in my price point.

Living Etc

Perhaps the best thing about IYKB is that it’s just a color — maybe Pantone 286, to be exact? Steal from the best. Get some shockingly blue paint and start spreading the sexy. Even that damn cardboard deer head looks better in Klein Blue.

OWI

Amanda Nisbet

Studio Ilse

Damian Russell

Or if you’re a fancy beast, they make blue upholstery, too.

1st Dib owner Michael Bruno’s Apartment

Greg Natale

Amie Weitzman

Cote Maison

And of course, sometimes just a dab will do you.

Whew, dudes, did you see all those pictures? This post was a labor of love. As in, I literally feel like I just squeezed out a giant blue baby. But my obsession with IYKB deserved the full treatment, so I’m just going to pat and coo and love this big blue spawn, because he’s such a handsome boy. Yes he is. Now, go forth and paint something Klein Blue. Make mama proud.

Ok.  So I’ve recovered from the internet outage of 2010 (with a new internet service provider, might I add) and have come to the table with fresh eyes.

In order to make up for my crappy posts this week, I blew off work that NEEDED TO BE DONE to write a lovely post for you about a Texas family living in Las Vegas with a hot glue gun.  Sound familiar?  Yeah, 3 hours into my expose I learned that which my internet outage had been hiding from me:  ERIN WROTE ABOUT IT WEDNESDAY.  So, what are we to ascertain from this situation:

1.  Erin and I are slowly fusing into one person

2.  Time Warner cable is not my friend and they deserved my desertion

and finally, and most importantly

3.  One three hour post does not beget another so today you get another video because i just can’t type anymore.

I strongly encourage you to spend the rest of your Friday afternoon evading your boss and watching all of the videos from Pleix here.  If you get fired, don’t blame me, it’s totally Designer’s Brew’s fault for sending me that awesome link to begin with.  Thanks DB!

The post I have for you today is looks a lot more like a Friday post (short, sweet, pretty) then a Tuesday post (long, labored, totally hilarious) but, you see, I was working on a traditional Tuesday-style post when I came across this Friday-style content and I just could not keep it secret until the end of the week.

I don’t even think I heard a word of the song in this video I was so enchanted by all the scenes.  If you’re at the office, turn off the volume, you don’t need it, it’s just that rad

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L’Ogre on Vimeo.

Normally the recreation of famous works of art in a music video would get a giant eye roll from me, but I like that these dudes aren’t taking themselves too seriously or trying to show off their art history knowledge.  It’s just fun.  I like it.

Thursday you’ll get a long post.  Promise.