Rethink Your Living Room

Your mother and grandmother's living room is a thing of the past, so trash the notion that you need a pristine, formal room used only for special occasions. Today's family and entertainment-oriented lifestyle means that living rooms need to serve a variety of functions, from a hangout place for teens to a place for eating, studying, reading, and working. Make each room of your home useful on an everyday basis. Our video should give you some inspiration to break out of the formality trap.

2010 Hampton Designer Showhouse

For more information, visit the Hampton Designer Showhouse website.

White Marble Bowl

The clever shape of this white marble bowl by Brooklyn's DESU Design is what makes it an instant classic and collectible. The White Marble Valas is named after the Finnish word valas, which means whale; the designer was inspired by the underside of the great whale displayed in Manhattan's American Natural History Museum, and the gentle scoop of the bowl in beautiful white marble is stunning. We've called this piece "a candy dish on steroids," but it's so much more. You can treat/seal the white marble so it resists stains and oil marks, then you can put practically anything in it, from flowers to fruit. The bowl must weigh in at over 15 pounds and it's 20 inches long and 9 inches wide, adding scale to your coffee table, centerpiece, or tablescape. Interior designer Irwin Weiner shows off the bowl, which he proudly displays in his NYC apartment.

Java Ice Bucket/Wine Cooler from Home, James!

Our resident interior designer, Irwin Weiner ASID, shows off the Java Ice Bucket/Wine Cooler from Home, James! in Easthampton, NY. The beautiful ikat design, a fresh update of traditional Indonesian tapestry weavings, is executed in a strong trio of cream, blue, and gray-blue.

Irwin demonstrates the ice bucket/wine cooler in action and gives another tip on how to use the item as a centerpiece.