A sliding wall for part of our mezzanine:



When we first bought our apartment and decided that the upstairs area outside our bedroom would someday become a baby nursery, we've known that we will evenually glass in that side. However, living in our aprtment and learning the quirks of it made us realize that closing off that side would be impossible since nearly all of the heating vents for the apartment are there. If we want heat, we can't close it off.
Then I stummbled upon a Raydoor ad at the back of Metropolis magazine.
. Raydoor is an NYC based company run by a furniture designer Luke Siegel. He makes all sorts of sliding walls and doors, but his masterpiece is a telescoping sliding wall that has no floor tracks. Luckily for us he does custom sizes and designs so that we can have a frosted glass wall that can blend in with the rest of the mezzanine.

The Stella Carafe:



Ever since J & P had us over for homemade sushi and served us water in a beautiful carafe, I have wanted one of my own. This one works well for either wine or water and is available at Global Table , a tiny store in Soho that carries unique tableware from various countries (but I guess the name makes that obvious). The Stella carafe is from India.

Finally, I've found the perfect sofa:



Last weekend, our apartment building had an "open house" in order for all of us to check out each other's apartments(although everyone has seen our apartment since we held the last condo meeting in our place). We started on the top floor of our building, at a very nice, but not quite finished apartment belonging to a gay architect who was savvy enough in college to have purchased a Barcelona chair from a friend for $20. Then we went to the next apartment, which also belongs to a stylish gay guy, and it was there that we discovered our future couch. Made by Italian furniture company Molinari , the leather is buttery soft and it's so comfy. And best of all, Bri and I both fell in love at the same time.

A stainless steel patio heater:



I noticed a heater like this on a neighbor's roof deck and I thought it was a brilliant device. The heater provides a circle of heat about 20 feet in diameter, which is large enough to heat our patio.
Smith & Hawken has a gorgeous industrial-use one but it's $500. The one pictured is from Home Depot (the new one on W. 23rd St. is actually sort of nice and doesn't smell like sawdust) and is $200 less.

A new doormat:



It's difficult to find a doormat that isn't ugly or isn't "country". What quite a bit of sleuthing (I know, I can spend way too long looking for silly things) turned up were the two mats above. The top citron and black striped one is from CB2 , a younger and hipper sibling of Crate and Barrel and the bottom "Art Deco Swirl" mat is from Chiasso . The problem is now, does a door mat need to match the building's hallway? What if it clashes with a neighbor's doormat? Or do you go with the one that matches your own apartment's decor? Opinions?

Ann Sacks tile for our kitchen backsplash:


This tile line by Ann Sacks Tile & Stone is called the Erin Adams Zen Weave and it is described as having a "creative aesthetic that employs a wealth of color to reinvent any room. " Sounds like just what we need for our kitchen. I think a combination of bright greens, greys , and silver would be perfect. See, Bri, I'm getting open to the use of color. Sort of.

Angela Adams new Spike Rug:



Designed exclusively for Design Within Reach in 2004, the Spike Rug is inspired by the rugged coastal topography of Maine. Although I've never been to Maine (crazy, I know), this rug makes me want to go there. Actually, I'll skip the trip to Maine, go to Paris instead, and get this rug for our bedroom.

Coach's new Flatiron II leather overnight bag:



I've never liked Coach products, especially since working with the CEO's daughter and getting countless Coach picture frames and assorted other little goods from work because of the connection with said daughter. However, for the past five years I have yearned for the perfect black, leather overnight bag and this one comes close to perfection. The metal accents are silver, there are inside and outside pockets, and it's designed to fit under airplane seats.

Studio Nova Beeker vase:


Bri keeps telling me I am not allowed to get any more vases. But since she's not the boss of me, I think this may have to be the next addition to my collection (especially since I currently have a 15% discount through work). Mikasa's Studio Nova line does very modern, fun items (see my "Columbus Circle" dinnerware entry from last month) and right now it seems that many of their items are being discontinued. I guess is that the typical Mikasa fan wants things that are more traditional. Well, that's just my gain, then.

The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture:



The Phaidon Atlas was in every design magazine's holiday gift list in November and for good reason. It features over 1,000 buildings from around the world—"from the Arctic circle to the African deserts"— built in the last 5 years. Basically a who's who (or should I say what's what) of contemporary architecture, it's so massive— about 20 pounds—that the book comes packaged in a plastic case with a carrying handle. Of course, the price is just as massive—$160 (although Amazon.com is now selling it for $100.

A trip to the heart of Patagonia:



Patagonia, which encompasses the southernmost parts of Chile and Argentina, is known worldwide as one of the most beautiful, unspoiled and remote places on the planet. This photo is the Explora resort in Chilean Patagonia, north of Punta Arenas in the Torres del Paine National Park . The rooms either overlook the Paine Massif mountains, which originated 12 million years ago, or the Salto Chico waterfall. And from the hotel, you can go horseback riding in the mountains, hike through forests, and climb the glaciers of the South Icefields of Paine Massif. Plus, the hotel has a spa. What more could anyone want?

A new sofa, this time one Briar may like:


It turns out that for the past year I thought that the type of sofa Briar disliked was actually the type she likes. I thought she required a sofa to have arms that are shorter than the back. But, no, it is only arm chairs that need to have arms that are shorter than the back. For couches she wants the arms to be the same height as the back. (And she says I'm the picky one.) All this time I kept seeing sofas that I liked and I thought she would nix because of the arm-to-back ratio. This B&B Italia couch was one such one. Of course, I want it covered in black leather to solve that pet hair and vomit issue I've so often mentioned. It was designed in 1993 by Antonio Citterio , who also designed the Diesis sofa I posted last month.

Room & Board's Madake floor lamp:



This is just about the coolest floor lamp I've seen (and believe me, I've seen plenty). Plus it's under $230. I think it's the perfect addition for our living room.

A new, leather sofa:



After Gertie puked on our couch three times in one day (which was preceeded by Briar's vomitting on the couch only a month earlier) we became even more aware of our need to have only furniture that can be wiped off with a cloth. That means we really should only have wood, leather and metal, which suites me fine.

Although I really, really like the B&B Italia "Diesis" sofa that I posted last month, Briar wasn't completely sold on it. I think this one by Keilhauer is a good option. It's nice and cushiony and it looks like Gertie would be able to snuggle right in.

Jean Prouvé's Potence lamp:



We have some lighting issues in the downstairs and this lamp would be a very cool solution (although Briar is still not convinced).
Jean Prouvé designed the lamp in collaboration with Charlotte Perriand in 1950.
The single metal rod extends almost 7 feet and pivots 180 degrees, which means one lamp can be used to light various parts of our living/ dining room.
Plus, in 1930 Prouvé helped establish the French Union of Modern Artists, whose manifesto read, "We like logic, balance and purity." If only I had been alive then— I would have joined.

Cyanide pills:


I don't want to end up like my Grandma— bedridden, unable to eat and miserable to still be alive. When I saw her this summer she told me she was "ready for the grave." "This is no way to live," she said. I'm thankful that she finally died.
I think we would all be smart to keep a cyanide tablet around just in case we end up like that. Instead of waiting for who-knows-how-long to finally die, we could take matters into our own hands.

I said it once before but now I mean it. I need new boots:




Both of these are Kenneth Cole (and both are black although they look different colors) but are strangely made in my tiny size. I'm not sure which ones will put me at the dressy-but-not-too-faggy-level. Opinion?

Fish's Eddy's 212 Skyline dish towels:



They feature the Chrysler Building and the Brooklyn Bridge, two of my favorite structures in the city (plus, it has the Twin Towers since these were first made pre-9/11). And now Fish's Eddy has opened a store in Brooklyn Heights, thank goodness because we have to restock all our Dog glasses , all of which we've broken over the last year or two.

A nice, new steel back door handle:



When we moved into our brand new apartment I was dismayed to see that the developer had for some reason used a curvy brass door handle on our patio door. Not only is it butt-ugly, but it also clashes with the entire apartment. I thought it simply meant we would have to go out and buy a new door handle. That would be wasting a bit of money, but it would simply mean going to any of the numerous cool "hardware" stores in the city ( Simon's Hardware & Bath on 3rd Ave being my favorite and the place I got our cool bedroom door pulls). Of course, we never seem to get things done the easy way, so the type of door that we have can only take door handles made by Andersen , the company that made the door. Luckily, they have the Metro "Anvers" handle, which basically matches the handle on our front door. Of course, though, the handle costs $200! It seems like our developer should have used this handle in the first place. Oy.

I keep seeing the cutest bunnies:



Not real rabbits, of course, just pictures of ones online, mostly on Pet of the Day .
I took a look at Petfinder.com to see if they had any for adoption in the tri-state area and they had hundreds, each one cuter than the next (I'm especially fond of the ones with fuzzy faces and giant feet).
When we first moved into our new apartment, I was walking up the block and saw a little girl holding a bunny. At first I thought it was a kitten since how many bunnies do you see in New York? When I got right up to her I realized it was a sweet rabbit just sitting in her arms.