I’m not gonna lie — I pretty much just googled “antelope rug” for today’s post. In defense of my laziness I would like you to know that our old house is now under contract although we still have 856 people walking through at all hours, home inspectors are crawling up my ass like fire ants, I co hosted a bachelorette party with Karly on Saturday and I am still hung over, and Better Half Ben is home sick with the pukey vomits — betcha I’m next.

Deep breath. Now look at these damn rugs.

I should probably be embarrassed to bust out this roundup, as a zillion bloggers have already beaten me to it. But since I came across a ton of images featuring creepy camouflaged men cradling dead antelopes during my search for big beautiful pictures, I feel like I have suffered sufficiently for this post.

Oh, and did I mention that the living room is being painted today? Cross your fingers and toes and eyes and pray that no one finds me hanging from the rafters when it’s done.

Going to curl up in bed and hide for a few. Toodles.

[Amanda Nisbet, Cote de Texas, Ms. Blandings, Elle Decor, Perch]

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Yep.  Still feelin it.

Ok, I know that usually this is an interiors blog where we enjoy the best and brightest of interior porn.  BUT, technically, since the blog is called design crisis, sometimes we dabble in other arenas, fancying ourselves worldly enough to talk about such things as art and graphics and music.  Well, today I’m pretty sure we have our first ever fashion related post and I bring this to you not because I know (or care) a thing about fashion but because the product presentation in this campaign is BEYOND WORDS.  It’s Dadaism meets Robert Palmer meets Pop Art meets Bear Grylls.  So, to say the least, it’s totally rocking my face off.  Shall we?

Ka-Pow!  I was having a hard time deciding which image to start with, but I figured egg on the head was as good as any.  Oh, also there are earrings in this image and they are by Alexis Bittar.  More More More!

There are a lot of animals happening here, which you know sends my heart racing 6-ways-to-sunday.  Is there anything better than a cat photoshopped to do something human?  Or, say, a zebra wearing a couch for a hat?  I didn’t think so.

That concludes the animal portion of our program.  But wait!  There’s more!

So awesome

 Some of you may call it orange. Some may call it red. I’m calling it rust — still the object of my lust.

Happy weekend, blog buddies. Thank bejeebus, it’s going to be a long one.

When I was a kid, my mom decorated with the holy trifecta of rust, pale green and gold. I was fairly annoyed that these colors did not coordinate with my pink and purple Duran Duran posters, nor did they properly accent my door sized blow up of George Michael looking all careless and whispery (this would not be the last time my gaydar failed me… thanks a lot, raging hormones). Anyway, I kind of hated the endless seas of rust carpet. I hated my rust floral wallpaper. I hated rust.

But you know what — something is happening to me. Perhaps my taste in color has matured, much like my taste in music and men. Perhaps I actually like rust.

It’s like my mom decorated this room, minus the requisite momtastic damask.

Oh yes. Rusty red + inky teal + pale purple. Did I just type those words together?

At Anthropologie here.

At Overstock here (don’t let the styling burn your retinas).

You know you like it.

[Elle Decor, AD Russia]

Do you think the rope trend is preparing to hang itself?

I shorely do love the rest of that room, though.

Happy weekend!

[Steven Volpe]

Did you ever wet a piece of paper and hold a marker to the surface, watching the ink slowly spread into its outermost fibers? That’s pretty much the closest I ever got to water color painting. I still look at water color images in much the same way — checking out the edges, tracing the outline of the pigments’ run for the border. So today is my homage to the glorious transparency of water. And color. Hopefully I can make it through this post before jumping the backyard fence and rushing the neighbor’s pool.

Abracadabra, homies. How do you like that magic?

Have a good one!

[Emily Henderson, Black Crow Studios via Head Over Heels, Met Home, Helen Frankenthaler in her studio, Eye Spy, Ike's room]

Tomorrow, tomorrow people I will be stepping aboard an airplane alone with my 8-month old child.  We will be flying an in-direct (as in changing planes with an 8 month old + acutremonts) flight to Virginia without any assistance from any man or beast.  For it is just Eero, the 24 pound acrobat with 6 teeth, and myself stepping into the great unknown

I need some time to prepare myself.  You dudes spend some time telling me what you think of the situation pictured here, I really just don’t even know.  Maybe they could have painted a straight line.  Or a diagonal line?  Why am I still even typing, you’re supposed to be writing this junk today.

My new summertime mantra is: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Sure, it’s a little cartoonish, but were there ever finer philosophers than Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny? Those homies knew how to cut to the meat of the matter. At any rate, the heat may be abating a bit, and there’s even rain in the forecast. Things are looking up, so much so that I can finally look at colors other than icy white or soothing lavender without spontaneously combusting. So here’s my ode to hot orangey red — tempered with a lot of crisp white. Because I still can’t stand to look at a solid red wall. Things aren’t looking that far up.

Did you catch that Fornasetti double feature? And I’m finally coming around on the magic of flowers to totally transform a room. Also, I need a snow leopard bench. Stat.

Last but not least, this is what my backyard redesign shall look like. In addition to fabulous topiaries, becurtained verandas and killer sculptures, I am hatching a plot to air condition the outdoors.

For more hot red fabulousness, read this post at A Dreamer’s Den.

It’s officially summertime, gang — so I am over and out. I’m pretty sure a pool somewhere is calling my name.

[AD Russia, Hallie Buton, Keri Russell via Elle Decs, Roger Davies, Mali Azima]

Sorry for the late and light posts, but I’m still feeling a bit jet laggy. I’ve decided to give myself a wild and crazy pep talk to help me power through the week with style (I also need a pep talk to help me power through my dirty laundry but that’s another post). These pictures are telling me to go check out a Warhol exhibit, or maybe to grab a martini at the Highball. I think they are also telling me to ditch the rest of today’s responsibilities and go swimming…

Well, they are definitely not telling me to do my MF laundry, but I am very adept at selective hearing. Later, dudes. Hope you manage to squeeze some good times into today!

[Florence Lopez, Urban Modernista, Met Home, Roger Davies, Jeffrey Campbell shoes, Mod Rockers]

We have discussed this before, but I have decided that Acid Wasp is like grandma chic if your grandmother were someone super cool and very trippy, like Keith Richards (not to be confused with Johnny Depp pretending to be Keith Richards, aka Pirate Wasp). Doesn’t Keith Richards kind of look like your grandma, even? Just kidding, that would be highly insulting to grandmas everywhere. Anyway, I am derailing myself with this bizarre KR fixation. This post is about swank, traditional rooms. On acid.

The ruffles make it waspy, the art and colorblocking make it trippy.

A bedroom in the same home, owned by perfumer Frederic Malle. The wallpaper/quilt combo is just so outrageous.

This gift came via email from one of my OG blog buds Molly, who informed me this New York townhouse is for sale. In real life. I mean, you could buy this sweet pad (if you were packing 6 million B’s). That couch is really changing the way I view craigslist… $100 chintz couches are more to scale with my budget.

Jason Nixon’s home came to me from the always lovely Anita, who knew I would be blown away by the insanity. This is like acid AND mushroom wasp, with a heaping helping of everysingleotherdrugknowntoman on top.

I’m still on the fence as to whether Daphne Guinness’ fabulous apartment fits into this mix. Maybe a little too fashion forward?

This Trad Home room is kind of the penultimate Acid Wasp design. Classy (not klassy) sofa in fancy Quadrille fabric: check. Amphora on the wall: check. A million mixed prints: check. I kind of find myself wishing the coffee table were something a bit more woody and traditional, though. Wtf is happening to me?

Notice I said penultimate, because this parlor in Robert Couturier’s Soho loft is the ultimate Acid Wasp design. English rococo painting floating above a 50s zebra sofa? Genius. The red rug knocks me out, too.

So, what do you dudes think about all this wacky do stuff I’ve been posting? Do you yearn for the days of mid mod and 70s brass? Is it all a bit too too much?

I think that may be the point, though.

Here are a few things you should know about me: 1.  If I were to start a ’90s tribute band it would be called Color Me Rad 2.  I’m not ever going to do that and 3.  I am writing a post about color today so my witty wordplay won’t be lost on my own inner monologue.  You’re welcome.

In gearing up for today’s post I found myself drawn to photos filled edge to edge in big, bold color.  While I’m most definitely steering my home decor ship into the land of neutrals, I still can’t help but swoon when confronted with big bright pattern thrown right in my face.  Let’s look, shall we?

Honestly, I don’t even know what this is.  I’m sure one of you out there does.  Tell us, won’t you?  For now I’m just glad to know someone had this idea and made it happen.

via

I think what I love most about this barn (as with the image above it) is the bright color splashed against a dreary backdrop.  The interest lies in the contrast.

Via

Of course, color against color is pretty great too.  I especially love the little house on the prairie floral mixed in.  And apparently it’s audience participation day here as I’m about to ask you dudes what the hell is happening with that magic light over there?

My affinity for beaded African seating continues.

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Colorful neon bars hung vertically say “hey, neon isn’t just for Miami and you’re going to like it.” Now, let’s get some Laura Ingalls Wilder Wallpaper up in this joint and we’ll be good to go.

These photos by photographer Alain Delorme pretty much rock my face off.  Why didn’t I just make this whole post about him?  Expect to see him again, be prepared to act surprised.

We will not be making any Rianna references here other than to say that there will be no Rianna references.  This photo is dope and it doesn’t sing through it’s nose so, win.

And there you go.  There was color, it was rad.  You know what it did.