Francis Ford Coppola's Palazzo Margherita

It seems like it is worth a trip to Bernalda, in southern Italy, to stay at Francis Ford Coppola's newest hotel Palazzo Margherita. Jacques Grange was hired to oversee the transformation of the 19th century palazzo into the hotel. Each Coppola family member weighed in on the design on their own rooms. Although the hotel is not officially open yet this was the site of Sofia Coppola's August 2011 wedding to Thomas Mars.

Photos by James Merrell

Tods + Jefferson Hack

I am really excited about Jefferson Hack's new No_Code collection for Tods. The unisex line of boots and shoes was created for day or night to be worn with any type of look. I think that is a really hard undertaking but the outcome was incredibly successful.

Jefferson Hack with Tods chief Diego Della Valle

Photo from British Vogue

David Mallet

Next time I am in Paris I am looking forward to checking out the David Mallet salon. The salon is set in a 17th century apartment. David Mallet, who is considered one of the best hair dressers in Paris, wanted the space to feel both ultra-luxiorious and incredibility relaxed. From the pictures it looks like he did a great job balancing the two ideas. 

Farrow & Ball 2012

Farrow & Ball is one of my favorite paint companies. Their color palette is extremely well edited yet still remains versatile. 

Here are some of their color trends for 2012:

Haven's Kitchen

Next time I am in NYC I am looking forward to checking out Haven's Kitchen.  The shop, which opens tomorrow, is located in a 19th century carriage house in Chelsea.  Not only can you go there for gourmet food and coffee but they will also offer cooking classes and a private event space.

Haven's Kitchen, 109 West 17th Street (212) 929-7900

Images by Robert Caplin

Love Travel Guides

In preparation for my trip to India a friend of mine lent me fantastic travel books written by Fiona Caulfield called Love Travel Guides. These beautiful handmade books are written to be guide books for the luxury vagabond. They are filled with a wealth of information on what to do, where to stay, eat, shop, do yoga and meditation or just relax at a spa. The series includes books on Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Bengaluru with future titles to include Goa, Kerala, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderbad and Sri Lanka.

Children's Museum of the Arts

This past weekend I went to the fantastic new Children's Museum of the Arts in NYC with my 4 year old daughter. It is located at 103 Charlton Street in a 10,000 square foot space that used to be the buildings loading dock. 

Between the clay bar (seen below), the printing and painting stations, and the room full of balls she could have spent all day there! I think every city needs something like this to help children develop a love for art!

Fabrizio Rollo

Fabrizio Rollo, the former editor of the Brazilian edition of Vogue, seems to be popping up everywhere from The Sartorialist to Elle Decor. Here is a look at his person style and his apartment in San Paulo.

Images via The Sartolialist and Elle Decor 

Peter Medelsund-Kafka

Peter Medelsund is the jacket cover designer behind some of todays best sellers, including the Steig Larsson books.

I particularly love this series of Kafka paperbacks he did. He based the design around the image of an eye which he felt in the singular to create intimacy and in the plural paranoia.

   

                                                                    

Mercado Global

I love the idea of using a beautiful product with a cause. Mercado Global is a nonprofit, Fair Trade organization that helps Guatemalan women sell their handmade goods in the U.S. in an effort to break their cycle of poverty and send their children to school. Here are some of my favorite pillows:

Arclinea-Wine Storage

The Italian company Arclinea joined forces with designer Antonio Citterio to design a new restaurant style, technologically advanced wine storage system for home and commercial use. The Arclinea Vina contains double-glazed coplanar doors that slide over one another for easy opening and an airtight seal as well as stainless steel shelves. It comes in two widths to accommodate either 112 or 154 bottles. 

Jason Wu + Target

I can't wait for the Jason Wu collection to be released at Target in February!

In the meantime I love everything from his pre-fall 2012 collection, including the doors he used as his backdrop.  For his inspiration he combined the opulent formality of the Maharaja with the graphic whimsy of illustrator Charley Harper. He thought, "combining the two meant a strict silhouette with stately embellishments."

Jason Wu