In our early decorating days, I spotted three gorgeous sets of vintage leather suitcases at a yard sale and swooned on the spot. After I saw this picture (above) in the new book by the DIY goddesses of Salvage Studio, I wasn’t dreaming of jet-setting with the butter-yellow hatbox and teal steamer trunk; instead I had a vision for my bedroom storage. I loved the texture and shapes that the tower made and the romantic notion of travel it presented. However, in the scheme of small-space solutions, I knew that this Jenga dresser was not the best purchase.
Months had gone by and I thought that I was over my fantasy of suitcase sculpture. Then I saw this armoire by Marten de Ceulaer, a man with a similar vision but a much more modern and practical application. With this design he has taken the logistical nightmare out of stacking and unstacking the luggage and crafted a one-piece unit with similar lines and handles.
It’s debatable which version is more charming, but if you want to find an old sweater at a moment’s notice, de Ceulaer’s takes the cake.
When my grandmother passed away a few years ago, my aunt Chris decided to decorate a room in her honor. Perhaps the most touching design concept I can possibly think of, the room is filled with Grandma Bunny’s favorite things: family pictures, her signature rabbit tchotchkes, her best dresses, and–my favorite–her hand mirror collection.
For anyone charmed by this idea but equally short on supply, 
They are repairing the elevators in our office building and it just gave me the craziest idea for a chandelier. When I came to work the other day one of the elevator doors opened to an empty brick shaft. I peeked in and three light bulbs were dangling on long cords with bright yellow plastic cages around them. They looked so modern—I could envision them perfectly over a Saarinen dining table. I love the way they mirror the shape of the bulb, the shadow the cage casts, and the stark industrial edge they have about them. In the middle of my fantasy about decorating the SoHo loft I don’t have, the elevator doors shut. And I had no photo to show for it. So for the past two weeks I’ve been getting off on random floors hoping to catch more repairs in progress. But today I got my photo and a whole adventure to go with it.
I was completely dazzled by this lighting display at the Kitchen and Bath Show. Giant light bulbs and upside-down wine glasses shimmering and dangling together made a fantastically whimsical display against the stark Chicago convention center. The show is over; it’s long since been torn-down, but I keep thinking about recreating it in my dining room. On a smaller scale with four cordial glasses and three regular bulbs (or CFL for a green statement and spiral design), I know it would be so charming over a dining table! But how to do it? I am not going to lie; I am not fully sure, so I call my go-to guys at 
First, I’ll need to buy a flat base plate to put over my ceilings electrical box and drill seven holes into it so I can run my pendant wires and the twine (holding my cordial glass bases) through it.