Irwin and Jay hosted a dinner for 11 in Pt. Pleasant, PA on Christmas Eve. The menu was international, starting with a punch created in 1694 in Cadiz, Admiral Russell's Christmas Punch, and ending in a dessert course that included Swedish chocolates and English Plum Pudding.

Design2Share attended the Art Elysees and Design Elysees exhibits in Paris in late Fall and came away with lasting impressions of what this global style capital is touting as the "next big thing" in art and home furnishings. Highlights: incredible wood wall sculptures made to look like paper along with computer chip programmed wall light displays (really the only new types of art we saw at the show); big names are collectible in the art world (nothing new there); bespoke mid-century modern furniture and styles from the Seventies and Eighties are strong; and there's really a need for invention and new directions in both art and home design. We're rehashing too much of what's already been. Go to http://www.artelysees.fr/home.html for more information.

New in downtown Cape Town, this hotel exudes international hotel style. Sleek, contemporary, and theatrical.

Any interior designer will advise clients that it's the little details that will make or break a room. When Manhattan designer Irwin Weiner ASID visited his family in Spring 2012 back in Cape Town, South Africa, he shot a variety of details that he thought would be inspiring to him - and some settings, building details, and people he simply found to be "photo worthy." Join him as he vacations on the Indian Ocean, walks around Old Cape Town, tours a new luxury home that's almost completed, and visits a new downtown hotel.

Our resident interior designer Irwin Weiner went to Paris with a Virginia-based design client in Summer 2011. They shopped for furniture, art, and accessories and sandwiched neighborhood walks, art gallery crawls, and flea market treasure hunts. Irwin brought back these Paris memories for us.

Skilled designers and skilled room tailors, Benjamin Bradley and David Thiergartner, have worked together for over 20 years in their Bradley Thiergartner Interiors business in New York City. They recently shared with Design2Share a few examples of how they use accessories to top-off a room.

A new Flammarion book has just been released that provides exquisite details into the interiors of iconic designer Alberto Pinto. Tour the world, from dry land digs and amazing aircraft to posh yachts, and take a master class in luxurious interior design. Alberto Pinto: World Interiors (Flammarion, 2012)

Scenes from the invitation-only opening night preview of the latest Antiques, Art & Design at the Armory show on September 21, 2011 at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, co-hosted by Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake, and Dr. Eva Andersson-Dubin.

The minute you land on PaulaSweet.com, you know you're in the New Jersey based artist's special world. Colors swirl, lines and details become strong and magnified, and you begin to notice all the "little things" that make life special, from the way a flower lays in a ceramic holder and the shape of a mouth to the delicate twists of a woodland vine. More than decorative, Paula's art expresses the color and detail and boldness of life itself.

Now is not the time to be timid and shy when it comes to interior design. Get quick bursts of decorating energy with geometric coverings that jump off the wall. The first three coverings are from Graham Brown and the fourth is from Hicks.

This 1853 Italianate Five-Story brownstone was built in 1853 - and you could be the new owners (see Corcoran.com for listing information on 58 West 9th Street. We toured the property and loved the way it preserved the historic features, yet tastefully updated the amenities for modern family lifestyles.

Always beautiful shipments of fine British antiques, with restoration second to none. We highly recommend this Lambertville, NJ dealer. Top of the line.

Even in Palm Beach, some clients have a limited design budget. But classic-and-timeless interior designer Leta Austin Foster (www.LetaAustinFoster.com and her great blog www.DecoratingWithSheets.com) still used her firm's attention to detail and stylish craftsmanship, even while she and the clients were searching for furnishings, accessories, and lighting at second-hand stores and flea markets.

Scenes and vignettes from "Through the Looking Glass," the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, running from April 10 through August 7, 2011.

Our resident interior designer Irwin Weiner visited Venice with a client to attend the Doge's Ball as part of the Carnevale di Venezia - our equivalent of Mardis Gras. Beautiful hotel rooms, public spaces, floating taxis, costumed dancers, and fab furnishings, architecture, and accessories. Who could ask for more?

Ella Manor (www.ellamanor.com) explores the many aspects of self in a series of lush, exotic, multi-layered self-portrait photographs. Her love of theatrical stage settings and architectural details makes her a favorite of ours.

New home goods will be coming to a retailer near you soon. We found a few favorites from the January 2011 show.

Sheffield School Jewelry Design instructor Nova Colette Bronstein started to make jewelry with seed-beads and a 2-foot bead loom when she was nine years old. She now owns and designs a signature beaded jewelry line as well as metalsmithed and enameled jewelry. Nova shared her recent India trip photos with us, and we appreciate her designer's eye for the country's rich details.

As a member of the guild of French Craftsmen, Michel Fey opened his gilding and upholstering workshop on the Avenue Daumesnil in Paris in 1992. His work includes furniture upholstery and decoration using smooth or combossed leather - selvedged leather, cordoba leather - gilding and upholstering office furniture in both classic and modern designs.

For the third straight year, Showtime Networks is working with some of the world's top designers, who will draw inspiration from the network's series and redesign high-end residential space to create the SHOWTIME HOUSE. Located in Midtown Manhattan's Cassa Hotel and Residences, this year's showhome will marry high design with new technologies in the top three penthouses of the 48 story building. The SHOWTIME HOUSE will debut September 7 and will be open through October 27 for private events and public tours. The SHOWTIME HOUSE, located at Cassa Hotel and Residences at 70 West 45th Street, will be open to the public on Saturdays from Sept. 11 through Oct. 24. Tickets for admission will sell for $15 each, with all proceeds from the ticket sales benefiting the non-profit Harlem Children's Zone®. This year's line-up of incredible design talent includes Jeff Andrews of Jeff Andrews-Design, Space 4 Architecture, Robert Bristow and Pilar Proffitt of POESIS, Keith Baltimore of the Baltimore Design Group, Marc Thorpe of Third Eye Studios and David Schwarz of HUSH Studios, John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon of John Loecke, Inc., Gregory Okshteyn of Studios GO, Katie Lydon Interiors, Brooks Atwood of POD Design + Media with Perlin Studios, Stephen Chung/architect and Matthias Altwicker/AB Architekten, Laura Bohn Design Associates, Eric Chan, Bradley Price and Jeff Miller of ECCO Design, BG Studio International Inc. and Bruce Mau Design. Each designer has been tasked to design a room inspired by one of the SHOWTIME series. For full details on the SHOWTIME HOUSE, its designers and sponsors, videos and more, go to www.showtimehouse.com. All images courtesy of Andrew French.

Maggie Burke & Mary Mollica: We have always been artists and crafters! Sure, we know a lot of people say that, but we actually mean it. We’ve got a love affair with color. Although we’ve worked in a wide range of mediums over the years and adore many of them, acrylics have been our current weapon of choice. Seven years ago, we started a business called 2 Women and a Paintbrush. We offer many services; decorating, painting, wallpapering, faux, artistic paintings, and murals. While in people’s homes, customers would ask, "Do you paint furniture?" We would respond, "We paint anything!" So our second business was born, The Decorative Paintbrush. We love to take discarded and vintage furniture and turn it into functional pieces of art. Some of the pieces we hand make, some we purchase, and some we grab from the side of the road. With acrylics, embellishments, fabric and appliqués, we transform (or upcycle) these unloved pieces into funky, bright heirlooms for the home. http://2womenandapaintbrush.blogspot.com

Design2Share's Irwin Weiner ASID transformed an upstairs bedroom into an imaginative study that featured some Big Ideas: Schumacher printed linen fabric wainscoting help in place by decorative nailheads, inexpensive white mohair blend drapes with frayed edges that looked like a million bucks, and an origami craft paper chandelier shade that turned an $80 Home Depot light into a showstopper. We're delighted to present you with some before and after photos from the showhouse.

If you're ever in Lambertville, NJ, arguably the antiques capital of the state and one of the liveliest home goods spots on the planet, be sure to visit Rod and Tracey Berkowitz's new store, zinc. The couple are veterans of home design - styling for Anthropologie and Renovation Hardware; and home good retail five years ago in Lambertville with their Grass Roots store, voted a Philly Best by Philadelphia magazine in 2003. They opened zinc in December 2009 and haven't looked back since. Join Design2Share as our interior design expert, Irwin Weiner ASID, scopes out his favorite things from the store, an exciting combination of gifts, crafts, home goods, and one-of-a-kind antiques and found treasures. zinc home + garden: 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ - (609) 397-5800

We recently visited Double Eagle Restaurant in Old Mesilla, New Mexico (close to Las Cruces), and were enchanted by the great food and historic atmosphere. The original adobe home was built in 1849 during the boom time for Mesilla, just after the Mexican American war. It was a private home until the 1950s, was abandoned for awhile, then it was a cotton warehouse and a series of shops. John Miegs was hired by the current owner to acquire the museum-quality paintings, sculptures, wood work and other items that have been incorporated into the present building.

The sumptuous interior spaces created by the Toronto/NYC master designers at Yabu Pushelberg convey a confident, comfortable luxury. The YP hallmark of mixing textures, patterns, and building materials has created a knock-out environment in the glam St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City. Design lovers will want to stay here and be inspired.

The new book Rustic from Rizzoli (2009) celebrates rustic-style architecture in America and the yearning many of us have to return to an idyllic house in the country. Quiet lakes, spectacular islands, old forests -- we're in love with this book's celebration of traditional rustic architecture and handcrafted detailing.

The desire for a GREEN home can have homeowners and homebuyers seeing RED. A developer’s decision to install a low-flow toilet might save water, but a truly green home encompasses much more. For conscientious home owners and home buyers, the decision to upgrade existing homes with environmentally-friendly additions is admirable, but there are limitations as to what can be done. Developing a green home from the ground up offers the most complete and cost-effective way to live green. The developer, architect, and contractor work cohesively to ensure that every environmental element possible is utilized to build an authentic and impressive green home. Combining these three integral positions is the most beneficial and cost-effective way to build green from the homes’ foundations to their rooftop gardens and from the exterior building materials to the interior design.Partners at the Office for Elemental Design + Development (OED2) are the visionary developers, architects and contractors, who supervise every aspect of their custom builds based on a model of sustainability, modern style, high quality and healthy environments. OED2 homes are both stylish and conscientious; their homes produce more energy than they consume, filter and reuse storm water and limit waste production. OED2 homes are connected to nature through abundant natural light and ventilation, and they help homeowners’ live healthier lives.

Linda and John Meyers are Maine-based designers (Wary Meyers Decorative Arts), and their Portland home is a constantly evolving mix of collectibles, recycled treasures, and hip creations. Check out their new book WARY MEYERS' TOSSED & FOUND: Unconventional Design from Cast-offs (Stewart, Tabori & Change).

The first book on the work of renowned interior design duo Yabu Pushelberg will be released in October 2009 by Architecture/Interiors Press (www.architectureinteriorspress.com). Titled Yabu Pushelberg, the volume features more than 220 pages of luxurious color photographs of the firm’s top hotel, retail, restaurant and residential interiors. Additionally, Yabu Pushelberg includes six vibrant essays by William Norwich, contributing editor to Vogue and former Style and Entertaining editor of The New York Times Magazine. The witty pieces are each dedicated to a specific aspect of the design process or the elements of style, and simultaneously convey the complexity and sumptuousness of Yabu Pushelberg’s designs, all while placing the spaces within a social context.

Handcrafted products from MacKenzie-Childs are designed and produced on a quiet Victorian farm overlooking Cayuga Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region. Let's take a peek at some of our favorite products from their 2010 Spring Launch.

As owner of Sacco Carpet in New York City, Marc Sacco travels each year to all the manufacturers who produce their exclusive, beautiful carpets. He meets with the production crews, artists and weavers, and he gets the opportunity to enjoy their company and get to know them personally. They're completely dependent on each other for the survival of Marc's businesses—even if they share little by way of language, religion, or, lifestyle. Marc's weaving journey began in China where working conditions are often pitiful and environmental issues non-existent. However, the people with whom he works are extremely capable, eager to learn, and gloriously optimistic. Sacco has centers in Yantai, Beijing, and Hangjou where they produce both handmade and machine-made carpets. Come along with us on a picture tour with Marc.

Design: Erik Evens, KAA Design Group, and Frances E. Knight & Associates. Photographs: Brandie Handelmann. Telluride author Michelle Kodis has brought us some inspiration for turning outdoor spaces from ordinary to extraordinary. The following case study is excerpted from Michelle’s gloriously-illustrated book Ultimate Backyard: Inspired Ideas for Outdoor Living (2006, Gibbs Smith Publisher; reprinted with permission of Gibbs Smith). Challenge: A new house and landscape with an established appearance and a comprehensive but uncomplicated plan for a sloping, generously treed site. Result: A house with a historic architectural reference and a terraced yard that incorporates water features both as focal points and transitions between spaces. When people remark that this Los Angeles house looks as if it has been standing for decades, architect Erik Evens takes it as a compliment. Although constructed only several years ago, the Spanish Colonial-style dwelling is designed to look as if it has gracefully accommodated generations of occupants.

Minnesota transplant Jeannine Riche has fully embraced her native France's love for French picture framing. She created a business that makes one-of-a-kind custom framing treatments at FrenchTouchFraming.com.

University of Rochester's Nigel Maister recently traveled to Asia, seeking adventure and exotic sights. He had plenty of both, and files this third and final photo report with Design2Share. This entry covers some highlights in Russia and Turkmenistan.

Design: Michael Folonis, Michael W. Folonis and Associates; Photographs: Claudio Santini. Telluride author Michelle Kodis has brought us some inspiration for turning outdoor spaces from ordinary to extraordinary. The following case study is excerpted from Michelle’s gloriously-illustrated book Ultimate Backyard: Inspired Ideas for Outdoor Living (2006, Gibbs Smith Publisher; reprinted with permission of Gibbs Smith). Challenge: A narrow, sloping lot on a busy corner and the request for a small house with dramatic indoor/outdoor connections. Result: A house that wraps around a private courtyard and engages with the outdoors from every room. The owners of this modest one-bedroom house, located just six blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California, are originally from Wisconsin, where year-round indoor/outdoor living presents obvious climatic challenges. When the couple decided to retire to California, they hired architect Michael Folonis to design a small, low-maintenance house that would frame a view from every window and present opportunities for outdoor connections at every corner. Aside from these initial challenges, Folonis also had to contend with a narrow, sloping site and a busy corner location. Folonis responded with a streamlined 1,300-square-foot building organized into three sections: a carport, guest room and bath on the lowest part of the slope, followed by an art gallery, patio and garden in the center of the building, and a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom on the highest part of the site. The sections progress up the slope in two-step increments, and the house as a whole turns its back on the street, wrapping around an inner courtyard on the less-exposed side of the property.

Design2Share friend and world traveler Nigel Maister sent us these fantastic photos of his recent trip to Uzbekistan (and many other Stans, too). We're amazed by the color, patterns, and everyday beauty Nigel captured in these photos.

Design2Share took a walk around the streets of Cape Town and Constantia and we shot some of our favorite scenes. Come with us and enjoy a hot summer day of house hunting.

University of Rochester's Nigel Maister recently traveled to Asia, seeking adventure and exotic sights. He had plenty of both, and files this photo report with Design2Share. This entry covers some highlights in Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

Telluride author Michelle Kodis has brought us some inspiration for turning outdoor spaces from ordinary to extraordinary. The following case study is excerpted from Michelle’s gloriously-illustrated book Ultimate Backyard: Inspired Ideas for Outdoor Living (2006, Gibbs Smith Publisher; reprinted with permission of Gibbs Smith).

Beverly Sacks Fine Art in Manhattan is a treat for the senses. Design2Share was invited to take photos of this intimate gallery and take you on a guided tour.

This Center City Philadelphia apartment is an airy space, perched high above the city. The view inside and out is divine.

Design2Share's editors decided to think "out of the box" when it comes to today's adventures in housing. Here are their selections for shelter that takes us to another level.

Decorator Henry S. Neuman and his partner, graphic designer and illustrator Creston Ely, built a weekend studio in Redding, Connecticut and filled it with a compelling mix of modern, sculptural furniture and primitives.

Join us on a tour of a master collector's home in the residential northern suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa. The homeowner's eye for great art and amazing collectibles is unsurpassed.

Frankenstein was a compilation of different body parts, pieced together. We thought it would be fun to create a monster of a master bedroom, with elements of bedrooms we admire.

This Westchester County home in New York state exudes a modern elegance and comfort that matches the homeowners' love of family gatherings, art, and entertaining.

We photograph some of the staging steps to get a $2 million Wall Street area penthouse apartment ready to show the public.

We enjoyed tagging along with photographer Glenn Race as he took pictures for Noveau magazine in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

An upstate New York weekend home, sited at the fork of two creeks, is a source of joy to the homeowners who love to entertain friends and host large family gatherings.

This Westchester County, New York home reflects the owner's love for contemporary art, furnishings with clean lines, and luxurious detailing. Photos by Bruce Buck Photography, NYC.

We had an amazing opening day visit on August 27th to the U.S. Open in beautiful Queens, New York. Join us for some highlights!

Welcome to rural Pennsylvania and the weekend getaway for Design2Share Q&A co-host Irwin Weiner. Photos by Bruce Buck Photography, NYC.

A behind-the-scenes look at the Design2Share Q&A co-hosts, Irwin Weiner and Nicola Chernicoff.

The talented team from For Your Imagination in New York City deserve much credit for making our podcasts look and sound fantastic.

Irwin's recent shopping trip with clients to India uncovered the mysteries and intricacies of how fine carpets are designed and made.