Design

A couple of our favorite things for the day: 1) Laced up boots from Nine West ($209) 2) Modern Upholstered Bed from Brownstone (appx $1800 for queen, $2000 for king-COM)

We're loving this floral chandelier from DK Living. It is made of several clear glass florets attached together to form a sphere chandelier. We saw it in person at the Las Vegas show and we thought, whoa, it looks so much better in person. We can see it in a powder room or an entry way, perhaps? The chandelier is priced at $1025 including shipping. The diameter is 27.5" and it weights approximately 55 lbs.

We're loving this floral chandelier from DK Living. It is made of several clear glass florets attached together to form a sphere chandelier. We saw it in person at the Las Vegas show and we thought, whoa, it looks so much better in person. We can see it in a powder room or an entry way, perhaps? The chandelier is priced at $1025 including shipping. The diameter is 27.5" and it weights approximately 55 lbs.

We're loving this floral chandelier from DK Living. It is made of several clear glass florets attached together to form a sphere chandelier. We saw it in person at the Las Vegas show and  we thought, whoa, it looks so much better in person. We can see it in a powder room or an entry way, perhaps?  The chandelier is priced at $1025 including shipping. The diameter is 27.5" and it weights approximately 55 lbs.  You can find more info here.

We are loving this bookcase from Tema.  It's huge (75" tall, 120" wide) and it's so cool-looking.  It comes only in pure white.  Because of the size, we thought it would be great if you have a large wall that you need to fill-- like in a loft  perhaps? Sorry for the quality of the picture, we coudn't get a larger image from the manufacturer. But here's the catch, you have to assemble it.  If you are handy, it should be no problem at all as it comes with detailed assembly instructions.  If you are not, well, we recommend hiring a really good handyman. Most importantly, this bookcase is really inexpensive.  The list price is $888 plus shipping (we can help you get it for less).  Email us   if you need help.

We're a little bit blue today, mainly because it's the last day of a nice, long holiday vacation.  Tomorrow, ah, tomorrow we'll have to deal with work, bills and all the mundane tasks of life... So we do what we usually do when we are feeling a little down:  Off to the farmers market for a chocolate croissant and a bunch of fresh flowers; then go home, light up some scented candles and crank up some music (try Pandora--it's free and it's fantastic!). Waste a couple of hours reading the Sunday NY Times and surf the web.  Let us tell you, never underestimate the power of a fresh chocolate croissant, especially if it is sold to you by a Frenchman from Paris! Anyway, so here is our list of affordable luxury for today: 1) Votivo Scented Candles.  We tested several kinds of candles and we like Votivo the best. It has a clean, crisp scent, burn cleanly, and lasts like, 50 hours!  At $22 or so, that works out to be .44 cents per hour, not bad!  Our favorite is...

We don't know about you, but we totally have frugality fatigue. Like everyone else, we've cut back in our spending considerably, and we mean, REALLY, REALLY cut back. The kind of cut back where life stops being fun! While there is some joy in seeing how many ways you can save money, there's a lot more joy in spending a little on yourself once in a while. It doesn't have to be a lot. Sometimes just something simple like a new lipstick could just make your day. This year we are starting a new category called Affordable Luxury. It's our version of a new lipstick. You know, little things that don't cost much but make your life a bit more cheerful? Something that gives you a high, however temporary? Our first item: This faux fox throw is from Wildcat Territory . It's 80" x 48" and costs $399. We love it accross a chair, a chaise or a bed. It adds instant luxury to a room, but most importantly, because it's so soft and fuzzy, it's great for a co...