Is it just me, or are some parts of Nathan Thomas’ winning townhouse for Top Design: Season 2 decidedly mundane? You can find snapshots of some of the bits I like below, but the living area with its Jaxon Home sofa and the bedroom with its Hampton bed are so boring.

I love, love, love the klismos chairs from Nadeau Imports and the fact that the table in the second picture is from Pier 1 Imports (accessible!). Thomas’s style is visually interesting without being too busy — though what we can see in the second pic is admittedly cutting it close. And how about that wallpaper from Astek Wallcoverings? Wow!

If you watched Top Design: Season 2, what did you think?

I only stumbled upon Auto NYC (a mini department store in the city’s meatpacking district) recently, and then only by accident. It’s amazing how things change when you haven’t been seriously back to a certain locale in years. Luckily, getting a wee bit lost was fortuitous, as resting one’s weary legs among jewelry, bedding, furniture, books, art, and other lovely things is no hardship at all.

Three objects I found myself drawn to were a solar system mobile completely hand crocheted from alpaca yarn; a sleeping pig (complete with pillow) embellished with a colonial scene with the French, British and American flags; and custom Russian Matrioska nesting dolls made to look like your family by illustrator Trisha Krauss. While Auto NYC does sell slightly more… practical items for the home, I’m more apt to buy practical things at, say, Target and fun things at the wonderful little shops I happen upon in my adventures.

Last year on this most romantic (or most un-romantic, depending on who you are) of days, I featured furniture for the broken-hearted. This Valentine’s day, I’m feeling a little more upbeat and a little more optimistic, perhaps due to the little one on the way, so I shall present you with a quintet of quirky gifts for the home from Kikkerland.

While it’s certainly no gaudy heart-shaped box of inferior chocolates, a tin of heart-shaped paperclips is a lot less fattening. Ditto for the heart hot water bottle cozy, which will at the very least keep some part of your anatomy warm. The cupid’s arrow scroll holder will either get you a kiss or a restraining order, depending on your message. You might also say it with heart-shaped magnets or perhaps even combs, though I’m not sure what exactly you’d be saying… Get organized! Brush your hair! I love you!

Romantic? Not quite. But if you’re dating someone and you’re still in “I like you a lot and don’t want to scare you off” territory, you could do worse.

For those with 500 EUR to spend and a penchant for low art, allow me to present a quatro of vases and urns from LEGARAGE PIERREBLANC.

I can only imagine that the appeal of these vases lies in the juxtaposition between the “I’m an 80-year-old Italian immigrant” aesthetic and the heavy metal designs. Personally, when it comes to combinations of the banal and the bizarre, I’d much rather outfit my home with gun replicas done in beautiful ceramics.

This is very much what my living room looks like at any one time, except the cats in my living room are real. While I do love my pets, I’ll be the first one to admit that cats in silhouette are cleaner, quieter, and easier to care for than the 3-D variety. These, from AllPosters, are made of paper (not vinyl) and backed with low tack adhesive allowing ease of repositioning decals without damaging paint. At $33, you can enjoy the visual joys of pet ownership until you get bored, then you can toss them in the trash without guilt. Plus, no feeding required.

What’s better than practical, stylish decor for kids’ rooms? How about practical, stylish decor that will grow with them? The Elfa wall mounted shelving system is infinitely replicable if you don’t feel like spending your money at the Container Store. In fact, I’m guessing you could replicate the whole set-up shown here for a lot less money by going to your local hardware store for the necessary supplies (hint, hint).

Adjustable shelves means that tiny tots can use the lowest shelf as a desk, which can then be raised to become a workstation for teenagers and those unfortunate adult children still living at home. Elfa shelving is honestly not much to look at in its unaltered form, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t get your craft on and paint the whole works to match your existing decor.

Why do all of the lifestyle and decor magazines I really like eventually fold? First there was Blueprint, then Cottage Living took a nosedive. Now Domino, one of the few decor magazines out there for those of us who don’t have money to spend on an interior designer, is going bye-bye. *sniff* Then again, you need only look at the Manolo for the Home blogroll to see that there are scads of amazing design and decor blogs out there that will fill the spaces left behind by magazines.

That said, I’ll get on with it. Today’s post is about the things we hoard. Human beings are very much like magpies in that we cannot help but latch on to certain categories of things that we then collect, even when they have no practical value. For example, my father collects coffee mugs from locales people in his social circle have visited. My grandmother collects souvenir spoons from cities and countries around the globe. My sister collects porcelain dolls, and an ex-roommate of mine collected anything made out of jade glass. There’s no limit — people collect everything from thimbles to air sickness bags to hunting decoys.

Once you have a sizable collection of whatever it is that tickles your fancy, however, you need to figure out some way to display it. Country Living has some wonderful (if commonplace) ideas for how you can display your collections.

Colored glass containers like sundae dishes and bowls can be transformed into an indoor herb garden that brightens your home all winter long, and almost anything small and sturdy enough can be stored in a clear glass jar that also serves as a means of displaying the collection you have amassed. Collections that are display-worthy and flat can be hung on the wall, whether you’re partial to antique keys, vintage photographs, or tarot cards. Anything with a tendency to roll away (think buttons, seashells, or porcelain eggs) can be grouped in pretty bowls on coffee tables.

Finally, remember that there is no reason you can’t actually put your collection to use. Those tea towels you love so much may become even more meaningful when serving a purpose in your otherwise purposeful home.

Ever tune into the Home Shopping Network? There’s something a little naughty about watching uppity women desperate to sell you something you don’t really need in the next 15 minutes. I don’t have a television, but the Home Shopping Network has gotten around that by putting their inventory online. How else, after all, would reclusive people like myself ever discover how empty their lives are without the FreshPrep Toss & Chop Salad Tool?

Now I realize that staring into its gaping maw doesn’t tell you much about how this apparent miracle of a kitchen tool functions. Luckily, HSN is there to clarify things.

Toss, mix and chop your food all in one step with our FreshPrep Toss & Chop™ Salad Tool. This amazing cutlery device allows you to quickly make healthy, fresh meals. Conveniently and swiftly prepare all the ingredients to make egg, chicken, tuna or chef salads, holiday stuffing and more—all in one bowl. Simple and easy to use, this great little tool saves you time in the kitchen so you can spend it with friends and loved ones.

I can’t deny that I do like spending time with friends and loved ones! Who doesn’t? Fascists, that’s who! So toss out your knives and your forks, and fill your kitchens with cooking and prep gadgets that don’t have any kind of cross-functionality. It’s the American way!

Food has its own aesthetic that is unique to it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring that look into other areas of your life.

Kayla Kromer of Austin, Texas created this hamburger bed from scratch using an oh-so-groovy round mattress from the 70s. For those thinking of creating their own hamburger beds, don’t forget about tasty accessories like bacon pillows and plush sushi.

Among all of the merchandise Martha Stewart puts her oftentimes less-than-unique stamp on, her Blue Collection for KitchenAid isn’t half bad. The color she’s chosen remains popular for those whose kitchens can use a splash of color, and the iconic KitchenAid mixer still cannot be beat.

But never fear, all Martha Stewart has done is made a selection of KitchenAid gear blue and slapped her name on it, so you don’t have to worry that your kitchen appliances will stop working in protest if you attempt to make waffles from a mix.