Tolomeo Wall Spot Light:


Bri objected to yesterday's coveted object, so the search for a reading light for our bedroom continues. I've been in love with Artemide's Tolomeo for years and maybe now is finally my chance to bring one home. Both Barcelona hotels in which we stayed this summer used the larger Tolomeo Classic Wall lamp, which Bri found too industrial. The smaller version is softer looking than the bigger one and has what I would consider to be a certain cuteness.
In 1989, the Tolomeo table/task lamp was given the Compasso d'Oro award for Italian industrial design. It was credited with having achieved the perfect marriage between design and engineering.

West Elm's Pivot Arm sconce light:



At $70, this light is a huge bargain. I think one of these (in all silver instead of the pale blue pictured) on either side of the bed would be perfect.

A trek around Iceland:



I've been craving solitude and cool weather and the solution would be a nice trip to the amazing glaciers, lava fields and mountains of Iceland. The Myrdalsjokull glacier, shown in the photo, is in Southern Iceland, not too far from Reykjavik. It is the smallest of four glaciers in Iceland but it's unique because the volcano Katla hides under its thick icecap. The surrounding area is one of contrasts—sandy desert, green mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Icelandic Mountain Guides lead a 4-day backpacking trek along the eastern edge of Myrdalsjokull, which includes a7 kilometer crossing of one of the glacier's "tongues".
Or then there's a Winter Safari photography trip that takes people around the entire country in 11 days.

I wish I could leave tomorrow.

Gentoo penguin baby:



I am a sucker for basically any baby animals. Give me a puppy or a baby elephant and I coo like an idiot. Ever since seeing the movie March of the Penguins, I can't stop thinking about those little fuzzy baby penguins. Unlike the Emperor penguins in the movie, Gentoo penguin parents usually stay together throughout the year and they habitate less remote areas of Antartica. There are tons of them on the Antarctic Peninsula, the piece of land that sticks up close to South America. Which means that when we take our Antarctic cruise someday (soon, I hope) I will get to see hundreds of them (and maybe I'll bring one home).

Rowenta Toaster by Jasper Morrison:



We currently have an ugly toaster oven that gets stored in a cabinet under the counter. This week it's happened to be in heavy use so it's been on top of the counter 24/7 because. I hate it when it's on the counter. If we had this toaster by British designer Jasper Morrison (he's the guy who created the furniture in our very favorite museum in he world, the Tate Modern in London), I would let it live on the counter. Beside the new large slotsthis toaster has, it also features a brushed stainless-steel top that doubles as a warming tray for breads and rolls. Yum.

Ligne Roset So vase:



Yesterday I got a very cool, tall, white, stoneware vase. I bought some cala lilies and brought them home to display on the coffee table. It looked great. This morning when I awoke, I found the vase knocked over and shattered, thanks to Artemis, the cat who loves to rub against anything and everything (or it could have been Amelia, who must always investigate flowers).
It has proven once again that I am not allowed to own anything that has any potential of being knocked over.
The So vase from Ligne Roset looks like a good replacement. It's wider than it is tall and the brushed stainless handle is as functional as it is decorative.

Room & Board's Beads rug:



Our bedroom still lacks a rug. There are two main reasons (other than the fact that we have spent all our extra money on vacation and custom-made furniture):

1) With four animals worth of fur and occasional accidents, we realize that the couple grand we spent on our living room rug was not the best spent money. This lovely 5' by 8' hand-tufted New Zealand wool rug is under $500. Plus, it very low and dense pile which means Lexie won't have any fun "digging" in it.
2) We need a rug with blue or blue gray as the main color but for some reason most bluish rugs also come with brown accents. We don't hvae brown accents, we have black ones. This is the first
one without brown accents that's still dark enough for us to not constantly get dirty.

I really love Room & Board— and now they have a store in the city so we can avoid their shipping costs.

Hold Everything's Studio Spine Bookcase:



This is a budget take on the Sapien Bookcase by Bruno Rainaldi sold at Design Within Reach but I actually like it better than the original. It's a nice, medium height of about 5' 9" (the Sapien models are either too short — 5 feet— or too tall— nearly 7 feet). And it's available in white, which means it really would blend into the wall.
We have a big empty corner (where the rats' cage was before they died) that would be nicely filled with art books on this shelf.

Bodum Navalia glasses


The Crate & Barrel water glasses from our wedding registry have all broken, as have most of the replacements we've purchased. So, it's time for something new. Our old glasses had a very thin rim, which meant they were very easy for me (and countless others) to crack. We've been searching for glasses that look like they'll hold up but aren't completely boring. These 10 ounce glasses from Bodum may be the answer. Plus, at a price of $5 each, they're a bargain. Let's hope Bri likes them because they just might be waiting for her in the cupboard when she returns home from the conference she left for today.

Bodum's "Barcelona" flatware:



While staying at the very cool Casa Camper in Barcelona we discovered this great Bodum flatware. Each piece has the perfect weight and a nice sleek silhouette. Perfect for eating the complimentary snacks provided 24-hours a day.
Who knows if Bodum named the pieces "Barcelona" because they are used in the hotel or if it's just an amazing coincidence.