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With record breaking temperatures sweeping the country, there really isn’t much you can do to beat the heat than either stay inside or jump into some sort of body of water.  Whether it be a pool, lake or ocean lazy river at the local water park, try to keep cool.  And if you have the luxury, head out onto your boat to cruise around and make all the non-boaters jealous.  If you have one of these super luxe yachts, you are sure to illicit the envy of all those on shore.

I am sending this post from the Island of Maui. Been tending to the heat a bit myself here.  Aloha!

Photos courtesy of Architectural Digest.

It makes sense that the line between fashion and home has become increasingly blurred, as often times I (as I’m sure you too!) will see a print or fabric coming down the runway or in a magazine that seems IDEAL for that ottoman in your latest project, and vice versa.  Many of the biggest names in fashion have capitalized on this notion of fashion/home interchange, including Trina Turk for Schumacher, Diane von Furstenberg, and Jean Paul Gaultier for Roche Bobois, just to name a few.

I recently came across this fantastic ad for Oscar de la Renta for Lee Jofa on the back of a magazine the other day, and I just had to share.  Although this collection isn’t new, it is definitely noteworthy.  This so perfectly captures all that is so alluring about this fashion to home trend…wouldn’t you just feel amazing either be draped in a gown in these fabrics or sitting in front of drapes in your living room in these prints?  Either way, I’d be happy to have anything Oscar de la Renta, whether it be a couture evening gown, or more feasibly several throw pillows in one of over 120 prints in his collection for Lee Jofa.

Ever seen this movie?  Yes, it’s kind of creepy but the house is truly stunning.  When I came across this home in Chicago in a recent issue of Architectural Digest that very much resembled “The Glass House,” I couldn’t help but be blown away by it’s breathtaking beauty.  A waterfront plot of land in Chicago is the most coveted real estate in the area, so it would be a virtual crime to not take full advantage of the lake views.

Architecture firm Peter Gluck and Partners created this modernist masterpiece, dubbed “The Cascade House,” as it is literally tiers of glass boxes that cascade towards the water.  Although the family originally commissioned the architect to design a townhouse in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, they soon realized they would need more space to accomodate their growing family.  Even though the home is family friendly, its sophistication and elegance is undeniable. With a pool, half basketball court and expansive outdoor space, the Cascade House is a kid’s paradise.  While the North Shore is full of glorious, historic estates, this home bucks tradition yet truly honors the most splendid of all design elements: Lake Michigan.

{One and Only Palmilla, Los Cabos Mexico}

With the record breaking snowfall and arctic temperatures that have been slamming the Windy City as of late (-20 windchill! Ouch!) my mind has been drifting to the warm, tropical paradise destinations that would be the sweetest escape during the doldrums of the bitter Chicago winter.  It just so happens that Travel & Leisure is currently featuring their 500 Best Hotels of 2011, many of which include beaches, pools and endless sunshine.  With 500 glorious destinations, how could anyone only choose one?!  I want to visit them all!  But for the purpose of this post, however, I had to keep it to my favorites, which was a difficult task! And while these may only be a tease on this cloudy February day, I can’t help but indulge myself in the hopes of (soon!?) visiting these luxurious (and warm!) hotels and resorts.  Anyone visited any of these remarkable destinations?  Please share!

{One and Only Palmilla, Los Cabos Mexico}

{Cap Juluca, Anguilla}

{Curtain Bluff, Antigua}

{One and Only Ocean Club, Bahamas}

{Sandy Lane, Barbados}

{Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis}

{Hotel Eden Rock, St. Barths}

{Grace Bay Club, Turks and Caicos}

{Jade Mountain. St. Lucia}

{Esperanza Resort, Los Cabos Mexico}

{Turtle Inn, Belize}

{Four Seasons, Costa Rica}

{Las Ventanas, Los Cabos Mexico}

{La Residence Phou Vao, Laos}

{Pantone Platinum Visa Cards}

I think all of us know how addicting swiping that plastic can be, and I hate to break it to you, but this news isn’t going to make it any easier to kick this habit….Pantone has paired with Visa to create a line of stylish credit cards in five shades chosen from Pantone’s 2011 Spring Fashion Color Report.  These candy colored cards make buying groceries and picking up the dry cleaning (or more preferably buying that adorable lamp, luscious throw blanket or glorious vase) stylish activities.

The Pantone Visa comes with no annual fee, a low introductory APR, travel insurance and more.  Furthermore, using your Pantone Visa could score you points at participating retailers, redeemable for rewards including free and discounted travel to global destinations, name brand merchandise, tickets to sports events and theatrical attractions…and many more!

What do you think of the Pantone Platinum Visa?  Are you a shade of warm beeswax, cheerful firecracker or confident regatta?

{The Neon Hive}

{The Neon Hive}

{The Neon Hive}

I love a good showcase house…showcasing the latest from various design talents is an exciting way to unite the design world.  I am also a big fan of the annual Lake Forest Show House that takes place every other year in the North Shore suburb of Lake Forest.  I am thrilled to have been asked to design a space at the Showhouse this Spring! The three week long event benefits the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago while uniting many talented Chicago designers and outfitting a stunning manor home. Stay tuned for more on this soon…. My design board is hot off the press as we speak.

I stumbled upon Elle Decor’s first San Francisco showcase house recently on Casa Sugar, and I am pretty impressed.  San Francisco has a very cool design aesthetic, and this exhibition represents San Francisco well.  It is not my 100% favorite showcase home I have seen, but it pretty amazing how much of a design transformation can take place.  The 5,000 square foot home was built in 1911 and is located in SF’s historic St. Francis Wood neighborhood.  Elle Decor called on some of the Bay Area’s hottest designers to transform the home from drab to fab!

Check out the pics below (there were 160…I had such a hard time choosing!) and stay tuned for more amazing showcase houses from around the country.

Anish Kapoor’s Cloudgate, or more fondly known as “The Bean”

I was excited to see that Elle Decor has taken a liking to Chicago , featuring The Windy City’s design, art and architecture in the eponymous mag this month.  If you’ve never been to Chicago, the slideshow gives a preview of many of Chicago’s most stately sights.  If you have been or live here, these are places you may not know or know very well, but even if you are familiar these are places that will never bore the eye.  The only unfortunate part of this article is that it only features 15 photos in the slideshow, when in reality Chicago is a treasure trove of glorious design!  I must say, the photography of the stunning shoot really does my city proud

Elle Decor Chicago destination guide!

Adler Planetarium

Tribune Tower

Interior of fab fashion boutique Ikram

Interior of the elegant Elysian Hotel…featured in a previous MG post!

Jeanne Gang’s Aqua building

Jayson Home and Garden

Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago…also featured in several MG posts!

Fabulous Chicago skyline….I love my city!

Acclaimed restaurant Avec

Sofitel Hotel Chicago

“Face Fountain” at Millenium Park by Jaume Plensa

Alright, Punxsutawney Phil, where’s spring?  As the calendar page is quickly turned to March, spring’s “light at the end of the tunnel” is no where in sight.  As I’m sitting here in this literal hazy shade of winter (the constant gray cloud coverage…remind me why I live here again?), my mind is drifting off to the sweet, poolside lounging days of summer.  How I crave the warmth of the sun, or a dip in a pool.  Seeing a  beautiful pool house in an ad this month was just sucker bait.  While the reality of winter here in chilly Chicago is inevitable, a girl can dream about lounging poolside in her lovely outdoor abode, right?

A few months ago, I did a post on the wonderfully “out there” work of British designers, Jimmie Martin.  In my previous post, I only featured their unique furniture.  I just discovered that Jimmie Martin also has a line of wallpaper which is equally as avante garde.   The wallpapers have their signature look and feature some of the same designs as their furniture.  In the right space, these papers could be absolutely amazing.  It would definitely take a daring client to spring for these though!  What do you think?  I also absolutely love how they let you preview the work on the site.  Aren’t these rooms so cool?  They really give you a sense of just what kind of room these papers are fashioned for.

British design star Kelly Hoppen won the Met Home of the Month award not for one of the home’s of her many clients, but for the amazing renovation of her own London townhouse.  Having lived in and renovated many homes myself, I can appreciate the difficulties but also the great reward in working with your own home.  Kelly puts it well when she says that undertaking her own projects, “makes me a better interior designer, and feeling vulnerable about spending buckets of money keeps me in tune with my clients.”  I can definitely commiserate with her on that one!  Check out the photos of Kelly’s beautifully renovated home below.

Check out the full article on Met Home’s website.  Click here!