As I mentioned earlier this week, we recently got an invitation from LEGO that made our design-fanatic hearts flutter. Sarah C. and I got the chance to visit the Novogratz in their West Village townhouse, during a special event celebrating children and their innate sense of design. While there, we were encouraged to walk around the five-story dwelling. Each floor unveiled museum-worthy artwork, innovative decorating ideas and fun and lived-in spaces for kids of all ages — literally! In case you don’t know, the Novogratz have seven kids. One of them is named Five. And they are all insanely cute and charming hosts.

Idea No. 1  — Turn the unexpected into art.

I’m not entirely sure what this wall hanging is above these two kids’s beds, but I love it. It’s like a skin from a Maurice Sendak safari, and it is the stuff dreams are made of.

Idea No. 2.  — Use a candelabra as a jewelry organizer.

This was spotted on Cortney and Bob’s floor. It so clever it kills me. What a great way to keep your necklaces and scarves in sight while still having a bit fun with their display.

Idea No. 3 — Don’t be afraid to personalize design classics.

How genius is this? Decoupaged Panton chairs! I love that idea that nothing is too precious for a little personalization. Who cares if their a classic? Make it yours and feel free to improve upon their design.

Idea No. 4 — A bulletin board is not enough. Make it a wall.

Who cares if we don’t have 20 ft tall walls in our home like Novogratz? I am still gonna steal this idea for Isadora’s room. They have turned an entire wall into one big idea capturing space. The center panel is a fabric covered bulletin board. Its bracketed by two chalkboard panels. I’m not entirely sure how to pull this off — do you make a wall sized board and then just mount it? Or do you cover the wall itself in something? I’m thinking about this one and adding to our future projects list. If you have any ideas on how’d you’d tackle, please let me know!

Hope you enjoyed my little snoop — and forgive my iPhone snapshots! Thanks to LEGO and Novogratz for being so open and generous with their time.

You’ve all heard about my black thumb before (and, in case you’re wondering, I finally gave up custody of that ill-destined terrarium). But I’ve recently moved to a new pad with a pretty fantastic balcony that gets all kinds of wonderful sun exposure…and I’m thinking tomatoes. Is there anything better in the middle of summer than wandering out to your garden, picking a few fresh tomatoes for your salad? I can’t imagine.

With all of those beautiful outdoor planting containers available now (have you seen the options at West Elm and Crate & Barrel lately?), I’m seriously tempted to try my hand at growing edibles in a container-style garden. But, as ever, I have no idea where to start…or, really, if such a thing is even possible.

So, here’s the question: what do you green thumbs know about planting tomatoes in a container? Is it do-able? Any tips, tricks or rules to follow? Can a beginner even grow tomatoes, or is this a project best left to serious gardeners? Leave me your best ideas in the comments!

Photo via Farmscape Nursery

In my quest to find perfect one-pan dinners, I stumbled across this recipe at Daily Candy. I haven’t tried many of Tyler’s recipes, but this one seemed simple enough to tackle. Essentially, you brown some ground beef in an oven-proof pan. Then add in some veggies that have been chopped in a food processor (canned tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic). Stir in some chicken stock, fresh spinach and ricotta cheese. Cover in a layer of broken lasagna noodles. Top that with some mozzeralla, and pop it in a 400 degree heated oven for about 15 minutes. It’s important to let the pan sit about ten minutes before you dig in. Mine, as you can see, was not the prettiest thing. It had a bit too much liquid in it, and I think if I make again I might drain the tomatoes slightly or reduce the amount of chicken broth added. Despite its unattractive looks, the lasagna was quite tasty. And with only one layer of noodles and cheese, it’s lighter than you’d expect. I will definitely make it again — and work on its appearance.

More one-pan dishes:
One-pan pasta with garlic

Melissa Clark’s Roast Chicken with Chickpeas

Click through for my take on Tyler Florence’s One-Pan Lasagna, or click here for his original recipe.

One-Pan Lasagna
Serves 4 (or two with a night’s leftovers)
Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
4 baby carrots, scrubbed
1 sm. yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 c. organic chicken stock (I would use a little less)
½ c. part-skim ricotta cheese
3 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves
4 lasagna noodles, broken into 1½-inch pieces
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil until hot. Add beef and cook, until browned, 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in a food processor and chop until coarsely ground but not pureed.
4. When meat brown, pour off accumulated fat. Add tomato mixture, stock, ricotta, and spinach; stir to combine.
5. Layer noodles on top and press down with spoon until they are submerged slightly.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly on top.
6. Bake lasagna uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbling, 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove pan from oven and let stand uncovered for 10 minutes.

Anyone who has ever watched a little girl play with a dollhouse knows that happiness comes in small sizes. The more mini the miniature object is, the more she will fawn over it. Well, LEGO has confirmed this casual observation with a study on how kids play. You may recall that the toy company got a bit of flack when it introduced its girl-focused LEGO Friends line back before the holidays, with some saying that building toy didn’t need to be gender-slanted. But the truth of the matter is the girls love them. [They] want “realistic building and role-play, with plenty of details and a chance to remodel, redecorate and redesign in a character-based world,” says Michael McNally from LEGO. In fact, the company says, in only four months, the number of girls engaging in LEGO play has nearly tripled.

Sarah C and I were lucky enough to be invited to an amazing event last week: LEGO teamed up with the Novogratzs (America’s biggest, chicest design family), to unveil the results of a poll that found that kids begin taking interest in changing their rooms just after the age of five, saying their number one wish is to have more space to hang out and play. The setting for the event was the perfect place to talk about fun kids’ spaces: the Novogratz‘s amazing West Village home.

As the family’s matriarch, Cortney explains: “We’ve seen how room design can unleash a child’s creativity in our own family.” The above LEGO house can be reconstructed to look like a townhouse — not TOO unlike the Novogratz’s own fab dwelling.

And while the LEGO mom and dad aren’t nearly as stylish as Cortney and Bob, we find them totally cool, none-the-less. Wouldn’t you invite these guys over a drink?

Coming soon: We take you on a snoopy tour of the Novgratz’s house and their amazing kids’ spaces!

We breathed a collective sigh of relief when we read this post today over at Design Taxi – a lock has a finally been created to keep hungry roomies out of our beloved pints of ice cream. True, we could have used this year ago when we were sharing apartments with friends who went on occasional, heartbreak-induced binges. But perhaps it’s not to late, as we now have life partners that are known to sit down and devour a pint of Cherry Garcia in a single setting. Will it be a relationship saver or the source of unnecessary arguments. Time will tell! Called an Euphori-Lock, it was developed by a B&J fan and will be available soon.

After last week’s decidedly handsome door, I decided to go a little girly today. This door, spotted on the Inside the Loop tumblr via Fabulous K, has completely filled my dreams. Sure, the exterior walls are stone gray, but vibrant fuchsia door topped with a chartreuse panel and a warm clay frame immediately tell us something creative is happening within. The cactus next door makes me think it might be in Santa Fe, or perhaps somewhere further afield like Mexico City or Old San Juan. I would love to see this color combo on a little suburban house like mine. I’m thinking gray siding, warm clay trim, with fuchsia shutters and door. Would I get kicked out of the neighborhood for being too wacky? I don’t care, I’m adding this one to file.

We must take our collective hats off to Jennifer, the amazing self-taught baker behind Not Your Momma’s Cookie blog. She posted these seriously awesome Game of Thrones cake pops the other day, and we are in totally in awe of them. Their sweet irony may not numb the sting we are still feeling from poor Ned Stark’s grizzly death at the end of season one, but we are impressed. She provides a detailed how-to that includes his manly goatee and the blood dripping down the stake. Seems like an ambitious undertaking but, perhaps the finale will be worth it?

Are you a Game of Thrones fan too? Got any viewing party ideas?

It’s not often that I am able to sneak out during business hours for product launches or previews, but when I got invited to come and chat with Sally Clarke, Method‘s creative director, I couldn’t resist. If you come over my house, you’ll find one of their signature, Karim Rashid-designed tear drop hand soap dispensers in the bathrooms. I also am pretty addicted to their Steel for Real Stainless Steel Polish and their Leather Love Wipes. Everything they make just smells so damn good, it inspires cleanliness.

But there was an added bonus for going to this event: They were unveiling a collaboration with one of my favorite graphic artists, Orla Kiely. You may recall our past obsessions involving Orla’s Target Line (we did a giveaway and helped you track down what you couldn’t find locally). The limited edition cleaning collection will be available at Target (where else?) starting in September. In addition to adorable patterns that will add an instant chic to your countertops, they also come in new custom scents — vanilla chai, primrose, pear ginger and my favorite, bay leaf. (Note: The above photo features prototype bottles, not the real thing. That will be even prettier.)

Listening to Sally tell us about Method‘s principals, which marry fun and useful design with healthy products and eco-smarts, has made me even more of a fan of this company.

Stay tuned as we get closer to launch dates on the Orla Kiely products and more new releases. I’ll be sure to let you know when they hit stores!

Pizza is one of those things I never make at home. When you live in New York or New Jersey, the best pizza in the country is just a walk, ride or phone call away. But this article by Melissa Clark in the Times the other week had me looking at pizza dough in a new light. Instead of baking a traditional pie, she piled on cheese, veggies and such, folded it over and produced something I haven’t eaten since my college days: a calzone! Though Melissa had a few suggestions of what you could stuff the mega-sized dough pocket with, the one that spoke to me instantly was made with broccoli rabe (possibly my favorite vegetable) and olives.

I followed Melissa’s recipe, which is pretty straight forward. First, cook the broccoli rabe like always — sauteed in a pan with garlic and touch of oil. After that is finished, roll out the pizza dough — I used frozen, that defrosted during the day when I was at work — with a bit a flour until it forms a 12 inch round. Next, cover half of the dough with the following yummy ingredients: Ricotta cheese, some fresh garlic, cooked broccoli rabe, fresh mozzerella, red chili pepper flakes, and sliced Calamata olives. Fold over the dough and pinch the edges to close. Brush a little olive oil on it and bake at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes. The crust will be firm and golden brown. Let it cool a few minutes before you cut. When I sliced mine, a bit of excess water from the broccoli rabe ran out. Next time I’ll be sure to pat it dry with a little paper towel before putting on the dough. The taste? Crazy delicious. That was easy! Click here to see full recipe.

Do you make homemade pizzas at home? Now that I’ve tackled the calzone, I think I’m ready for a pie. This could be life changing!

More recipes featuring broccoli rabe:

One pan sausage with broccoli rabe rice

Pasta with broccoli rabe

As soon as we saw Judy Kaufmann’s vibrant Houses & Birds, we knew we had to feature her as one of Etsy artists of the month. Barcelona-based Illustrator makes gorgeous, repetitive patterns of animals, famous people, houses, cars, trees — all the things that fill our heads, everyday. Sweet and funny, they are sure to make your day. Some of our favorites include her portrait of Woody Allen and her whimsical world map. Click here to visit her Prints & Prints shop on Etsy. Her prices start at only $25 a print. Wouldn’t one be a great birthday present for your bff? We think so.

We asked Judy to share a few insights into her work and life. See her answers below!

How would you describe your work?
Repetitive, tumultuous, colorful and spontaneous.

When did you start making your prints?
In 2000, I was working at an advertising agency, and I had lot of moments of boredom. I began drawing a lot and I think that’s where my first prints came out.

How does your home/city/town inspire your work?
Barcelona is a very inspiring city. I love the fact that you’ve the sea and the mountains very close. The city is full of art history and there is great love for design.

What kinds of artwork would we find on the walls of your house?
As my boyfriend is a sculptor, he has introduced me to all his favorite artists. On our walls you can find engravings from Armand (a french artist), Riera i Aragó (a Catalan Artist) and also some sculptures from my boyfriend, Marc Sparfel.

What is your decorating style?
Marc and I are drawn to classic wood and craft-style objects, which we’ve been lucky enough to find on the street. It helps that Marc knows how to apply his skills to fixing up and treating every piece we find. We love the mix of a Nordic functional furniture and a recovered wood furniture from the sixties. We also adore our small collections of miniature cars.

To learn more about Judy Kaufmann, visit her Etsy shop.