It’s been almost a hundred years since we actually finished the guest room, but I just realized that I never officially posted the “after” pictures of our work.   (If you like to snoop like me, then you may have already poked around my flickr and seen them, but since 99.9% of you don’t do that…I thought it might be nice to share.)  And because everyone needs a healthy dose of perspective, here are the BEFORE shots:

Pretty bluesy, right?  I mean…those mirrored closet doors made me want to poke an eye out.  (Not to mention one of them had broken glass.)   Anyways…so here is our AFTER shots:

Yes, you are correct our floors are slightly slanted…as is easily visible in shot #2.  Also, here’s the post showing the original inspiration for the guest room makeover.  On a completely un-related note, Nick has decided that whenever someone comes to visit and stays in our guest room he’d take a portrait of that guest(s), and we’d start a portrait collection.  And here’s the first one he did to celebrate our first guest since the room’s overhaul.  (It’s my best friend and soon-to-be maid of honor Ashley.)

And of course, all photo credit for the AFTER shots goes to Nick.   All the BEFORE shots….well those were all mine. 

(via Elle Decoration SA)  There are so many things I love about this photo.  First, I love the simplicity of it as a product shot.  It’s hard to make clear glass look beautiful, but this shot does it wonderfully.  But mostly I love that designer Thomas Kral manages to create something stunning out of something from the recycling bin.  I wish I knew how to etch glass.  I’d reinvent all those old salsa jars.

So lately, I’ve been noticing the onslaught of products made of wood.  It seems everywhere you turn there are tables or beds that look as if they’re made of a freshly felled tree.  This has been happening for several years now (and I even own a few similar side tables), but now I’m noticing “high design” items made of wood popping up.  Items such as a flashlight or this radio.  Here’s a pic of a little wooden radio by Areaware called the Magno.  It’s absolutely the cutest thing ever.

However, in general, I’m not sure how I feel about what I’m calling the “everything made of wood trend” yet, so I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to listen to music on my Tivoli Model Two.   No, it’s not quite as chic as the one from Areaware, but the sound quality is amazing…and hey(!) it’s made of wood!!

Some of my friends over at Minima have curated and organized an event for Design Philadelphia 2008 called “A Clean Break.”  It’s biggest highlight is an ACTUAL prefab Weehouse by Alchemy Architects from St. Paul, MN…which is extremely cool!!  The Weehouse is an interesting design that I’ve actually wondered about in the past, and so I’ll be excited to check it out in person.  (It’s especially interesting because it comes in several different variations and can be customized.)  Here’s a picture of the Weehouse getting installed into the Philadelphia exhibition space on Spruce St.

The show also features high design, low waste “innovations” by artists such as Michael Iannone, Daniel Michalik, In Liquid, Bolle Design, Pie Studio, and SMIT.  (Shown below is one of my favorite items by MIchael Iannone, his cork sideboard.)

The event kicks off on Thursday Oct 16th from 7-10pm, but is open daily from 11-7pm, Oct 17th – 30th.   The exhibition is located at 313 South Broad Street at Spruce, Philadelphia. Go check it out!!

I’ve never experienced anything quite like the surreal pleasure of walking around a store with a little gun and pointing it at things I like, pushing a button, and having those things magically appear on a list that I then direct people to, to buy the things on that list for me (!). This unique mixture of joy and guilt can only happen when registering for wedding gifts. Lucky for me, I worked through the guilt and general strangeness of this process just before I spied my dream everyday dinnerware at C&B:

Classic Century is Crate & Barrel’s repro of the mid-century modern Town And Country design by *the* Eva Zeisel. I’ve always been a fan of Redwing Dinnerware, and while my wallet has prevented me from collecting any Town and Country pieces, this collection very closely echoes the lines and the organic modern feel of my only, slightly less collectible but much loved, Redwing set – the 1955 Futura “Tampico” pattern.

Plus, unlike the originals, these everyday pieces are oven- and microwave-proof. Finally, timeless classics I can actually put on my dinner table, not just in the china cabinet. At $63 for a 5-piece place setting, they’re definitely not cheap, but hey, you’re buying them for me, right? Thanks!

Check ‘em out here.