Last Thursday there was a really great story in the New York Times that I almost missed (it being Thanksgiving and me being in Ohio): With the Grace of Liberace Go I by Jancee Dunn, who normally writes about rock-n-roll but here is touching on something that pulls at my kitschy, seventies-child heartstrings. Dunn collects “gracious living” books from decades gone by, like Liberace Cooks! and My Way of Life by Joan Crawford and muses romantically about a time when hosts entertained with gusto, injecting their personalities into every aspect of a party, rather than creating a manufactured Martha-Stewart-esque perfection. Click here to read the story, and browse eBay it start your own classic living book collection.

Photo above, of Jancee’s collection, by Lars Klove for The New York Times.

When I was in college, my freshman year was spent living in a dorm that was commonally referred to as “the toilet bowl.” It was a curved min-highrise that cradled a round main floor and cafeteria. Of course, no one told me this when I was still in highschool, picking out my housing. If they had, I may have made another choice. But imagine building yourself a home that intentionally looks like a commode? That’s what this man in South Korean has done, and he’s getting a tone of attention for it. The building’s unveiling is a part of the World Toilet Association’s World Toilet Summit next month, which is hoping to improve worldwide hygiene. Now that’s a conference I can definitely skip… though at least you’ll always know where the ladies room is! — Angela M.

We were thoroughly saddened by the news that House & Garden magazine was closing down shop this week. The demise of smart magazines tug at our heart-strings like nobody’s business. But we’d like to take a moment to say how much we’ve been digging houseandgarden.com — from Design*Sponge’s blog posts to their designers directory to the over-the-top photo galleries of homes we love talking about (yes, that’s means yours, Gwyneth) — it’s a great resource that we will miss. We’re not sure how much longer the switch will be on at that URL so, don’t wait to go and check things out. Especially the new eBay User’s Guide that’s up now. By Molly Symmonds, it gives great step-by-step guidelines on how to decorate your whole house, or just find one treasure. She gives you bookmark and search term suggestions. Print and save this one!

We’ve written about our admiration for living design icon, Eva Zeisel before, so you can imagine how tickled we were to see this feature in New York magazine’s design issue about her Rockland County studio. Though she has lived on the Upper West Side (near Columbia U., near Angela M!) for decades, her design studio is on an old, eclectically decorated farmhouse. We especially love this photo of her dining room, which features a collection of gorgeous yet well-worn rugs (Tibetan? Afghanistan?), sensuous wooden candleholders, and folksy blue-and-white plates. It’s a reminder to buy things you love, not trends. Click here to see more at New York Mag.

Gwyneth Paltrow is showing off her Hamptons house in the new House & Garden and it’s surprisingly formal and regal for an actress whose daughter’s name is Apple and whose husband is a rock star. Though there are a few surprising fun and modern touches here and there, it’s a little uptight for our tastes. Check out Apple’s room with its serious canopy and official monograms. It seems to scream “Princess!” more than “Apple.” The one thing we love: the bright pink step stool. You’ll find another one in a bathroom in lavender which has us thinking it’s a basic wood model that can be painted any color. Any thoughts on where to find?

Reading through the NYTimes T magazine yesterday, we found ourselves drooling over the home of Marianne Boesky. Her art gallery in Chelsea is one of our favorites, representing artists like Yoshitomo Narta and Liz Craft. Her new gallery is housed in a modernist building that contains several upper floors for living space. Throughout the home (designed by Deborah Berke) there’s a mix of classic glamour and art world cheekiness. Look at this photo, which shows the doorway from the living room to the dining room. You almost don’t notice Adam Helm’s “4 Untitles Portraits” looming ominiously above the gorgeous sofa. Click here to see more.

As a food editor who scans a new cookbook daily, I’m beginning to develop an intolerance for image-less books. I admit, I’ll still always reach for my copy of Joy of Cooking (despite its lack of photos) when I find myself a bit lost in my kitchen , and there are certainly a list of others that I’ll let slide because of their place in the “cookbook canon” so to speak. But that said, I’m really pretty peeved when I get a seemingly fun new cookbook and then find it’s void of any pictures! I’m so much more inclined to try my hand charting new and unknown recipe territory when I have a picture of the end result to aim for. Recently when trying to pick out a cookbook as a gift, I hemmed and hawed over whether or not to pick a highly praised book by a well-regarded chef that had no photography or, a less hyped, image-heavy one. I eventually went with my gut and bought the book sans photos. I’m happy with my choice as the book seemed to go over well with its receiver, however, had it been filled with gorgeous photos of the food that sounded oh-so-delicious, it would have been no contest. My minutes spent deliberating would have likely been passed drooling over delectable food porn instead. So Shelterrific readers, we’ve talked about our favorites, but what are your thoughts on the picture debate? Should a cookbook have food photography, or is a well-written recipe enough to whet your taste buds? — Erica P.

Here’s an sample project from the new book, Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals by Therese Laskey. It’s a simple pin cushion, and it’s the perfect way for you softie newbies to get started in the craze. All you need is a few scraps of felt, some filler and sewing floss. And for those of you already softie masters, be sure to enter the awards contest at the author’s site, Softie Central.

Click through to the next page for complete instructions, and visit amazon to get a copy of the book! (more…)

When my mother-in-law got me a subscription to Good Housekeeping, I confess I was dubious, maybe even a little insulted. So imagine my surprise when I actually started to notice that the magazine has some great ideas. Case in point, this recent gem on using outdoor faucet handles as cabinet pulls. It so happens that I purchased a lot of faucet handles (Who knew they were called “hose-cock handles!”) on eBay months ago, figuring I’d do something with them eventually. Now I have an idea where they’ll end up when we finally buy that house. Good Housekeeping, I have amended my snobbish ways. — Mary T.

Yesterday, CNN kept running a story about a Baptist university in Texas that has starting offering its students — correction: its FEMALE students — a homemaking concentration. As it says in this Reuters story, the thinking behind these courses is to make the students better wives, and it includes classes in clothing design and financial management (to balance your family’s budget). Naturally, this is stirring some controversy. There’s a smart essay at HuffPo called Jane Smith, MRS: You Mean I Can Finally Earn My Degree in Homemaking? which sums up my intitial reaction. Why go to college to learn how to not enter the work force? But then I started thinking about it in a broader sense… If you put aside that this is an ultra-conservative, religious college that has a decidedly ultra-right wing bent to it, the idea of homemaking courses (perhaps called something else?) is not a bad one. After all, many magazine editors, wedding planners, set decorators, caterers, childcare providers, etc, use “homemaking” skills in their desirable professions every day. I have often thought that basic life skills — changing a tire, hemming trousers, cooking — are not being taught as they used to in schools, and the result is a whole bunch of people (like me) who spend their adult lives figuring out how to take care of the basics. (But, hey, it’s a great fodder for a blog.). What if RISD started offering “homemaking” classes — that were open to BOTH sexes, of course — would that be as controversial? How do you feel about home-ec — and shop classes, for that matter — being taught in high schools? How did you learn the skills you need to make your house a home? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Please weigh in! — Angela M.