Hawaiian Hotel Splendor

Voyages Destination                            

Irwin Weiner ASID - Cabin fever is setting in - I who am more used to my native, sunny Cape Town than frosty Manhattan - so I naturally gravitate towards warm-weather videos for design inspiration these days. And who wouldn't! We all loved this Traditional Home video, with their lucky style editor, Krissa Rossbund, staying in the fabulous Royal Hawaiian resort. It's been refurbished for the umpteenth time since the "Pink Palace" first opened its doors in 1927 - in the grandeur of Rudolph Valentino, no less. The handcrafted furniture and colorful island quilts in their upgraded Royal Beach Tower is the height of classic sophistication.

 

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Man Cave Decorating: Trick Out All Work Spaces

RetroPlanet.com

Irwin Weiner ASID - Sometimes we turn a blind eye to decorating the male-oriented parts of any home, like the den, man cave/media room, basement, or garage. But why? Decorating makes any space more enjoyable to hang out in. Here's a RetroPlanet.com video on using some of their retro merchandise to decorate a garage, workshop, or barn into a more good-to-be-in environment. We liked the "filling station" theme for a retro garage, and accessories like metal paper towel dispensers, thermometers, clocks, and waste bins are practical ideas for anyone working on a car, bedding down a horse, or sharpening a lawn mower. Go antiquing or flea marketing to fill in the decor blanks and add authenticity to the mix, too. Bottomline: Don't neglect the man caves around your home or property; decorate to make all spaces more enjoyable for work and leisure.

 

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Architecture for the Poor, for Everyone

Hwaairfan's Blog

Irwin Weiner ASID - When we think about Egypt today, we're visualizing civil unrest, shifts of government, and an outcry for greater freedom. I think of Hassan Fahty, the great architect who changed the face of home design forever by focusing on native building materials, design for the human scale, and accommodating places to live for the poor. Egypt has many great wonders, but not all of them are carved out of stone, e.g. the pyramids. Think of individual people who have changed the course of history - and one many whose caring concern for how people live is a beacon for all people everywhere. Read more about Hassan Fahty in this Design2Share profile.

Special Drawing

Design2Share would like to reward you. Post a comment - a sentence or two is fine - about WHY I LOVE TO DECORATE, we'll have a drawing at the end of Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, and the winner will get a gift code worth $75 off any purchase in the over 200 CSN Stores online; splurge on anything from a new pair of shoes to modern office furniture. Add a quick WHY I LOVE TO DECORATE comment right now - and good luck.

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Punches of Green

Peaceful Resources

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm not alone thinking that this winter weather is going on far too long! It's time for spring, and so when we spotted this great video from Traditional Home - the iconic design magazine and style arbiter - we took heart that if we decorate with touches, splashes, and punches of green (any more decorating color nouns I might have missed?), we'll harken the advent of our favorite season. Just a few more weeks, and we'll get the real deal; in the meantime, enjoy TH's survey of top designers and showhouse rooms that use green.

Green furniture, anyone? These make us think spring, too!

 Alain Gilles for Qui Est Paul

Nusa Jelenec for Lago 

Rafael Simoes Miranda

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