I am consistantly surprised at how many Easter decorations I’ve seen in recent years. Back in my day — if I may be allowed the luxury of playing at being old — people hung decorations for Christmas and Halloween and that was about it. You’d see the occasional Hanukkah decoration, but they weren’t at all common, and there were very, very few outdoor Easter decorations, if any, hung on neighborhood homes.

That meant no lights…

No Easter flags…

And certainly no inflatable bunnies on choppers… I mean, really? An inflatable Easter bunny riding a motorcycle? So you tell me:

If you have been dreaming of a more colorful kitchen aaaand you’re living in Germany or the UK, you’re in luck because that is M. Westermann & Co.‘s primary market.

Not in Germany? Then you’re out of luck, as far as I can tell, as Wesco doesn’t appear to ship to the US, unless you want to pay for shipping from the UK. But if you like the look, there are alternatives just as colorful (and much easier to come by) out there:

Here we have a pink teakettle by Oggi, mini canisters by Zak Designs, and a Le Creuset stock pot in deep red… all of which make great stand ins for the less available Wesco accessories.

I find myself inspired by this shot of designer Mary McDonald’s Hollywood guesthouse den. Pairing pink and black with green tones down the overwhelming girliness that is a characteristic of pink and black alone so your space doesn’t end up looking like a tween girl’s wardrobe.

Of course, a brighter iteration of this palette could easily work in a tween girl’s bedroom, as you can see.

Want to DIY it? Hit up Amazon (or click the pics!) for tons and tons of pink, black, and lime green accessories, furniture, and bedding.

This little fellow is Electroman, and he’s here to help you with that tangle of wires snaking underneath your desk. Each grounded socket is controlled by an on/off switch, with an indicator light placed right where Electroman’s heart should be. I say should be because as cute as this little guy is during the daytime, my irrational fear of anthropomorphic home appliances comes out at night. Will he stand and walk and ZAP us all? For $25, we can all find out… though I don’t think I’d ever realistically spend that much on a 4-outlet surge protector. You?

When you’re planning out or putting together your bedroom decor, it pays to give your bed’s headboard the consideration it’s due. An eye-catching headboard can serve as the focal point of your bedroom, reminding all who enter that sleeping (and perhaps naughty time) is the main event. The following four headboards were chosen by Domino for their ability to turn a humble bed into a luxurious nest. Hopefully, they’ll inspire you!

An Indian blanket becomes a headboard and bedskirt in this exotic bedroom.

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Needs versus wants has come up quite a bit on my little corner of the blogging world, both as it pertains to weddings and as it pertains to outfitting one’s kitchen. We’ve seen hot chocolate cups and useless kitchen gadgets and even the Pasta Pronta.

Now, in the tradition of the egg pricker, we have the egg cracker.

But it’s not just any old egg cracker! It’s the Swarovski crystal egg cracker, which adds a little glamour to breakfast time.

This strikes me as one of those things one might see on an infomercial featuring sad looking folks who are too clumsy to open a plastic bag, marinate a chicken, or yes, peel a soft boiled egg. I realize that this particular kitchen gadget wouldn’t take up too much room in a drawer or cabinet, but when you add to it all of the other useless kitchen gadgets in the world, you might just have a bit of a clutter problem.

Here we have the hippo and the hare, as crafted by Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg of Germany and sold by Rose and Radish.

Posts featuring porcelain pop up often here on Manolo for the Home, yet I can say without reservation that this is some of the most interesting. Case in point: Extreme realism is the hallmark of Nymphenburg porcelain, and a Nymphenburg figure can consist of over 100 pieces, carefully assembled by a figure master whose craft runs so deep that they even create the tools they use to work on the piece.

…one would hope so, considering that price tags for Nymphenburg figures fall into the $1,000-$2,000 price range. Too steep? Worth it? I’d say it’s a tad pricey for porcelain, but if you’re fetish is ceramics, then perhaps it’s worth it.

An article I read recently summed up the appeal of black and white so well: “Solo, black can be mysterious and edgy, sophisticated, elegant and sexy. Snowy white is pristine, innocent, fresh, minimal.” Indeed. Black paired with white represents balance. It’s classic and elegant. There is harmony in the combination, and yet it remains exciting.

Still, I’d advise against barring color from your home completely, as a splash of color can intensify the impact of a primarily monochromatic interior.

Check out these pendants from WAC Lighting — their lamps are offered in low and line-voltage versions with shades unique to each, which is why the company’s tagline is ‘responsible lighting.’

Black walls are as risky as they are dramatic, but when they’re balanced by a contrasting white focal point like white bedding or a white dresser, they provide a calming effect.

If you can’t find the furniture you want in an eye-popping black and white palette, there’s always the possibility of reupholstering a piece you already own!