Boy-proof & chic: What works for food fights and diners under 3ft tall?

It's the designista parents' greatest dilmenna - how to compose a stylish, intersting, functional home that can stand the test of toddler time? when it seems that anything cool is either a hazard to little ones or vulnerable to their PB&J-slinging whims - try some old-school favorites. Can formica and chic co-exist? Yes.

This weekend, I purchased this set for $99 on Craigslist. I can thank the modern convenience of websurfing on my phone and the ancient practice of middle-of-the-night breastfeeding as a combo which lead me to this seriously under-appreciated find at 3am on Friday night.

Bentwood Italian-made caned chairs in the iconic "S" shape with a white formica table that can stand up to mashed rasberries and my son jumping on it, hanging from it, and running any number of wheely toys across it. Formica - passe, you say? Not so. Go vintage or go home. Thanks to "Condo Gerry" for the friendly delivery service!

And the head of the table goes to my son who now proudly sits on the Argington Toddler Seat, which is fabulously sturdy, simply and interesting to my always-climbing two-year-old. Thanks Jenny @ Argington for another great idea (that works) for parents who hate ugly kid stuff.

The cat's outta the bag - there's a bun in the oven!

Yes friends it's true - I'm pregnant. (again) What else can keep a woman with too much to say away from her own blog for the entire summer? Can you say morning sickness followed by maniacal bagels-on-the-couch cravings and daily naps that feel completely indulgent but also totally necessary? So I'm over the hump, I've got a bump - not just a beer-belly-look alike (god's cruel joke for early pregnancy) and ready to roll. We found out we're having another boy so my next design project is my son-to-be's nursery. Hot off a week at the beach where I waddled after my first-born, a dare-deviling 19-month 0ld, I am inspired by the ocean and the serenity of the waves and water. So an underwater oasis it will be. Which brings me to my design mention for this post - have you all tried etsy.com yet? Really? Have you not? Come on folks. It's AMAZING. It is is ebay's much cooler, more creative cousin, only you don't bid. Actually take craig's list, if the only thing that craig allowed on the list were really cool, creatively collected or handmade items that you would never find anywhere else, made by creative peeps all over the world. It rocks. In my process for developing my underwater nursery I searched for stuff on etsy and found almost everything I need for a very cool, inspiring ocean-mod spot for my new tot. And although everything is available in baby boy blue, it's also available in a range of other colors - on my mind of late inspired by a week at the beach - creamsickle orange a la Kohr's icecream, heather grey skies, merlot I couldn't drink, seaweed green draped over my son's knees as he sat in the sand. I want to mix it up a bit - there is much much more than just baby blue.

That and a trip to Fawn & Forest and I'll be set. I just found this beautifully simple upholstered rocking chair monte alto rocker by monte - (mama needs cushioning for those long nursing nights - no more rock hard rockers on my bum!) on F&F, my absolute favorite, most rocking online baby emporium, run by a super-cool creative mama named Summer.

That and Natura paint by Benjamin Moore - what I think (not 100% sure) but I think is the best no-VOC paint on the market. I'm doing a test case...what I like is that the colorant process - adding the color to the white base does not add VOC's and you get to choose from the original BM catalogue - you don't have to limit yourself to fewer colors for those of us who love to know ALL the options - and you don't have to shlep another chip wheel. How great is that?

Designers-turned-parents rock my world

Especially when said designers continue to design fabulous things for babies and kids, without compromising of what's important to eco-conscious parents - while certainly answering the needs of children in a playful, spirited way. I just wrote a piece for Dwell on Design about some of my favorite mommy+daddy designer stories....it looks like I'll be shopping for their wares soon enough, as the stork is expected again in December in our house!

RECESSION RENOVATIONS 1st EDITION

It's time to get real people. If I had a dime for every client that has told me in the past three months that they had less money to spend on their home than originally anticipated, I'd be a rich lady. Good news for me - lots of clients - good news for me - they have less money to spend. Why is it good news for me? Because I can finally unleash my inner cheap bastard without shame. I am the frugalest fanny you know. Despite being given the beautiful opportunity to work in the world of television and live within spitting distance of the most expensive city on the planet, I am super cheap. But it's not like cheap for cheap's sake. It's the why-pay-retail attitude. But it's more like this - why pay more, when what I really want is a creative and dynamic space that is personal and beautiful and one that I am personally taking part in buildling? This series, entitled recession renovations, is going to feature and focus on just that - creating personal, beautiful, dynamic spaces that are recession-ready. The ideas are not just choosing a cheaper way to do the same old thing - they are about doing something new and innovative and fabulous, on the cheap. Yay. I've had this bottled up way too long.

Remember stickers in the sixth grade? First object of recession-renovation obsession: SmartTiles. These babies are the kind of tromp d'oeil of your dreams - tricks the eye in a clean, streamlined way, without the fussy faux finishing b.s. They are made of vinyl, but, no kidding, you'd swear they were made of glass. (see photos above)

They mimic the feel and texture and look of porcelain or glass tile, but they are a self-sticking vinyl applique for your walls. This your kitchen bling on a budget. This is the backsplash that got slashed because you decided you were $2000 short. This is the answer to making your bathroom creative and personal. Tile work, as you might now, is incredible labor intensive - when done properly. Sure, it's a DIY for some, but it shouldn't be attempted unless you have an attention to detail, can work quickly and neatly, and you don't mind making mistakes and living with it - as in, living with a mistake in concrete - for the foreseeable future. SmartTiles sort of let you have the look, feel and function of tile without the tile contractor. Have him do something else. This you can do if you can use scissors and a ruler. They come in a splendid array of colors and textures - mostly modern - and they are available at HomeDepot.com - partial catalogue. This is a fabby Canadien company from Montreal. They swear by the durability and lasting function of these tiles which work well in wet spaces like kitchens and bathrooms. So while they are not cheap materials, they are a project where you only pay for materials - no labor, saving lots of dough in the process.

POWERHOUSE

I love this story. And here it is in the Times. And here is their website. Sometimes only artists will do when there is trouble and in Detroit there is plenty of it. Artistic urban renewal, yahoo!

From the Market - Ebony + Ivory Baby

Guys, my plans to write from the road whilst in Vegas evaporated in the desert air and in the realization that ensuring my son didn't break anything in our room at the Palazzo would take nearly all my time and focus, aside from the time I was speaking at World Market on the topic of fabulous nursery design. So only now, weeks afterwards, am I digesting the bags of "loot" - oddles of business cards, glossy collateral from green companies (irony anyone) and samples galore. The largest trend that seemed to cross all 16 floors and three buildlings (have you been to World Market in Vegas - you need a map and a GPS) is black and white. Negative + positive space. Uber-contrast. Light/Dark. However you want to express it - the polar extremes in color dominated the showrooms. Some were divided - completely black on one side - completely white on the other. There were also gobs of historical contrast - mid-century nuzzling up to french provincial - lots of contemporary + baroque doing the tango. Some of it worked and some of it didn't -here are some of my faves: Noir Furniture. Out of Los Angeles, their website is all black and white and sort of sad, but their furniture rocks. This is a company whose whole line seems to be predicated on contrast and playing with scale. I love the chairs and tables that look at once inviting and like they will hurt you if you touch them. I love their dome chair - a look I saw elsewhere - but not in white-washed mahogany and such playfulnes reminisicent of Alice in Wonderland if she had a place upstate as it is from Noir. See above. More tomorrow....

Whatever Happens at World Market Stays at World Market

I'm leaving tomorrow for World Market, a global home design + furnishings trade show in Las Vegas. They actually erect a small city for this show. You've never seen so many pretty things in your life. I'm speaking on the topic of Fabulous Nurseries and Kids' Rooms. Yippee. I'm sure I'll have fun things to post while there, with family in tow.