Friday the 13th - Superstitions as Decorations

Friday the 13th is here and since I'm not very superstitious myself, I've decided to celebrate the most common folkloric phobias and anecdotes from the bad luck black cats are supposed to bring to the good fortune of horseshoes. With a whopping three Friday the 13th's falling in the 2012 calendar, maybe I should consider being a little less flippant and a little more cautious this year. (Knock on wood, that is.)


A whole wall of intentionally broken mirror from Living Etc, via Aw Snips.


Two of the many brilliant umbrella art installations by Crooked Brains.


From a post on Elements at Home featuring intriguing ways to decorate with ladders, some safely against the wall, some just beckoning to be walked underneath like this one.


Tempt fate every day with the Sigg Black Cat Silhouette Water Bottle.


The aged concrete floors of this Toronto, CA auto repair shop converted into a relaxed modern home leaves plenty of floor cracks over which to step, but I think these are of the lucky kind. (Design by Levitt Goodman Architects, found on Plastolux.)


Put this symbol of good fortune to good use. (Authentic Used Horseshoe Triple Hook from Trailwood Western Store.)

Accent Shells

As a beach lover living in a beach town, I get a bit melancholy as the freezing temperatures start to keep me indoors and off the sand. With the ocean only a block away, I never felt it necessary to overdo a "beach theme" in my own home. I simply have two beautiful shells - one in my bathroom and one in my kitchen - that serve as daily visual reminders of the beauty of the beach. Oh, and I have a basket of driftwood tucked into a corner that I've been meaning to make something out of for months. Perhaps the cold winter ahead will finally inspire that project!

Today's post features creative ways that others have brought just a little touch of beachiness indoors, either for their pure love of the ocean or perhaps just to stay out of the cold winter winds like I'm doing today!


From a list of tips on updating a bath on a budget, I love this simple but high-impact wall of sea life (from The Nest).


From Elle Decor.com, the DC living room of actress-writer Alexandra Wentworth and news anchor George Stephanopoulos strikes a balance between refined sophistication and nautical accents.


A tortoise shell on an antique chair has a sculptural appeal in this Venice, CA home (from Country Living).


A couple of shells from summers past can be invited to dinner every night as serving pieces, as in this example posted on Real Simple.


A casual white-on-white dining room by Kate Jackson Design found on Houzz exudes beachy perfection with no more than a simple trio of framed fan coral on the wall.

Smitten with Seahorses

Ever since I was a little girl staring wide-eyed through the glass at the local aquarium, I have been enraptured with seahorses. I thought I'd make today's post an ode to one of my favorite little aquatic creatures.

Images above:

1. This seahorse has three other equally cute oceanic buddies in the Sealife Collection Set of 4 Dessert Plates by Thomas Paul, available through Burke Decor.

2. The genius designers at Hable Construction lent their aesthetic to a whole collectino of hooked wool rugs, exclusively for Garnet Hill and, of course, my particular favorite is the one featuring the round-bellied chartreuse seahorse.

3. Hand-printed with non-toxic inks on organic cotton, these Seahorse pillows from Humble excite both the environmentalist and the seahorse lover in me.

4. I love the charming, muted gold tones of The Necklace Aquatic, available through www.modcloth.com.

5. The graphic simplicity of this Seahorse print by Eleanor Grosch, available through Poster Caberet, echoes the uncomplicated nature of seahorse life.

6. This set of proper hand towels features a whole family of aquatic imagery, including a sweet little seahorse, all in beautiful, vibrant aqua hues on natural linen. Sea Life Linen Hand Towels - Set of 6 from Clayton Gray Home.

Infinite Bliss

Although I'm not a practicing Buddhist myself, I have always been inspired by the religion's wisdoms, practices and symbols. And now, apparently, so is the home decor industry. One common Buddhist symbol - and also my favorite - known as the Endless Knot, Eternal Knot, or Infinity Knot is popping up on everything from bed sheets to wallpaper, enforcing the idea that everything is indeed connected.

"The endless knot (Skt. shrivatsa; Tib. dpal be'u) is a closed, graphic ornament composed of right-angled, intertwined lines. It overlaps without a beginning or an end, symbolising the Buddha's endless wisdom and compassion. It indicates continuity as the underlying reality of existence. It is conjectured that it may have evolved from an ancient naga symbol with two stylized snakes

The intertwining of lines represents how all phenomena are conjoined and yoked together as a closed cycle of cause and effect. Thus the whole composition is a pattern that is closed on in itself with no gaps, leading to a representational form of great simplicity and fully balanced harmony." (excerpt from www.religionfacts.com)

To bring harmony into your home, check out a few of my favorite interior treasures that feature this poignant symbolism:

A Madeline Weinrib cotton rug in a pale celedon holds a special place in the front room of my Long Beach cottage, giving me a daily visual reminder of the universal interconnectedness that the Infinity Knot represents. It came in a rainbow of colors for a modern twist on the ancient imagery, but unfortunately appears to be discontinued (glad I got mine when I did!).

Even though I purged most of my jewelry in recent years, the simplicity of the turqoise and silver pendant above has given it a high-ranking spot on my birthday wish list.
http://www.overstock.com/Worldstock/Sterling-Silver-Endless-Knot-Turquoise-Pendant-Nepal/3703426/product.html

The raw patina of hand-crafted copper medicine plates in 8", 10" or 14" squares is an appropriate medium for enduring Buddhist wisdom.
http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=159352&t=3391


The printed grasscloth above from Stark Wallcoverings (available through designers) marries the beautiful raw texture of natural grasses and the geometric lines of the symbol. This paper could adorn four walls or perhaps just the back surface of an open shelf.

The classic embroidery of Serena & Lily's new Gobi sheeting collection is an elegant representation of the Knot.
www.serenaandlily.com

Years before getting a tattoo of my son's name, the only other body art I've ever considered was an ethereal representation of this very symbol. My eventual rug purchase was much less painful and far more representative of the simple ways I like to bring spirituality into my home decor, but no less reverent of the truth embodied by the Infinity Knot. Next, I want the necklace and the sheets. Understanding that the very concept of desire is anti-Buddhist, I guess I'll have to work on that in another life!