A little imagination goes a long way in a shared bedroom for two young boys.

What do most little boys dream about? Some might say cowboys, video games or Star Wars, but most of them will likely say sports. But how do you design a sports-inspired-but-stylish room for two young, active boys?

This was the challenge presented to New York-based interior designer Hilary Unger. Through her companies, Perianth and Buy My Eye, Hilary transformed a boys' bedroom in an East Side townhouse into a no-holds-barred dream space. She said goodbye to the race car beds that once filled the room, and she said hello to a rock-climbing wall, boxing/punching bag, mini basketball court and more.

Take a peek inside this fun and functional children's room after the jump:

Two versions of an iconic mid-century floor lamp.
The arc lamp has been a modern interior staple since Achille & Pierre Giacomo Castiglioni designed the Arco lamp in 1962. However, the price tag for owning one of these legendary lights is daunting: An original Arco lamp, manufactured by Italian company Flos, costs about $2,700. (That certainly puts quite a dent in the ol' wallet, and can muck up your plans for an authentic Eames lounger and ottoman.)

This doesn't mean you need to rethink the mid-century plans for your living room! There are many imported imitations of this classic design on the Internet, but personally, I like Chiasso's arc lamp the best. It doesn't try too hard to be the Arco, but it still has that elegant, modern feeling. It also won't hurt too badly when you pay the bill: At just under $400, you'll have saved almost enough for that comfy lounger you wanted.

Save even more money with these low-cost alternative to pricey designs:
- High vs. Low: Mid-century Modern Pendant Lighting
- High vs. Low: Leaning Floor Mirror

A Palm Springs-style getaway in the middle of Austin.

There are people who don't really care where they stay when they go on vacation and just book the cheapest hotel available. Then there are those who travel and feel that the hotel in which they stay is just as important a part of their vacation as the sites they visit. The latter would likely enjoy a stay at Kimber Modern, a new hotel located in Austin, Texas.

Reminiscent of the boutique modernist hotels of Palm Springs, Kimber Modern appeals to the pickiest of modern travelers. From the architecture right down to the fixtures, this hotel hasn't scrimped on the details.

Let's venture inside after the jump.


The owners of the Kimber Modern Hotel, Kimber Cavendish and Vicki Faust, planned to build a hotel on an overgrown, sloped lot in South Congress just east of Austin's downtown commercial district. Burton Baldridge Architects took on the challenge to change the 12,000-square-foot lot of weeds into a modernist getaway. The final plan was a triangular design with a large courtyard. The building fits in well with the neighborhood, acting as a bridge between bustling city life and the quiet residential suburb beyond it.

The hotel has five rooms, a suite, a common area, laundry facilities and a courtyard. The owners also have a 26-foot Airstream trailer set up as a conference room. In each room, you'll find a modern wood bed, a built-in desk and other minimal furnishings. Luxuries include 500-thread-count sheets, free wi-fi and Malin and Goetz bath products. Designer amenities include Philippe Starck and Duravit bathroom sinks, Modern Fan ceiling fans, Eames molded plastic desk chairs and Offi Perch Lounge reading chairs.

The common area features a sitting area with Arne Jacobson egg chairs clustered around an Eames elliptical table. Here, and in the rooms, the walls and floors are painted white, which makes the primary colors of the decor really pop.

The hotel's artwork was very important to the owners, and was all hand-selected. Pieces were chosen from three local artists, Martha Gannon, Margo Sawyer and Valerie Fowler and hang throughout the building. It's touches like these that make Kimber Modern a destination unto itself.

For more boutique places to stay, take a look at the Ace Hotel or this (fancy) trailer hotel.

Rainbow-colored home goods under $100 to brighten your day.

Rainbows are a mythological symbol of many things, including a bridge, hope and peace. They also bring to mind that special moment after the rain when the sun shines through the clouds and things are beginning to get brighter. Why not bring that brightness and peace into your home with some inexpensive rainbow-colored decor?

From top left, clockwise: this Stripe Rug will bring happiness underfoot, $49.50 at Delia's; celebrate every day with the Marimekko Kimara tablecloth, $8 for napkin and tablecloths start at $40, Crate & Barrel; mix up some color with this Footed Multicolor Bowl Set, $60, The Conran Shop; this tumbler from the Origo Dinnerware collection sports a multi-hued and modern twist on a basket weave pattern, $24, Foster's.


From top left, clockwise: It's always party time with this Color Grid Clock, $65, ChromaLab; you can always count on Alice Supply Co. to brighten up the dullest of objects, like this Striped Door Mat, $32, Alice Supply Co.; the Pura Vida Duvet Cover and Sham isn't just for teens, $29 to $139, PBTeen; while the afternoon away in this Dreaming of Rainbows Hammock (it couldn't have a better name!), $55, Overstock.com.

For other cheerful and colorful decorating ideas, check out these posts:
- When Pink Rooms Work
- One Color, Five Ways: Orange

Paloma Picasso's Moroccan mansion is a world of relaxation and inspiration.

Paloma Picasso's name should sound familiar to you -- she's the daughter of the legendary painter Pablo Picasso. Paloma is also an artist in her own right: She's been designing jewelry for Tiffany & Co. for 30 years.

Paloma Picasso and her husband Eric Thévenet come to their Marrakech, Morocco home for a month or two several times a year for relaxation. The couple recently opened the doors of their luxurious house to Harper's Bazaar and photographer Christopher Sturman. Picasso's home is what you might expect from a modern, glamorous artist and fashion legend: It's chic, artsy and full of inspiration.

Although it is picture-perfect today, the mansion needed some TLC when it was first purchased. The couple removed overgrown shrubbery, added a glass roof and renovated the patio with a simple dish-shaped fountain and simple geometric bricks (right).

Let's go inside and take a look at the finished space, shall we?

From Paloma's own jewelry to paintings by both her parents, the home is accented everywhere with art. Being the daughter of two painters, what else would you expect but a fabulous collection? The home features works by her father and two paintings from Paloma's mother, Françoise Gilot, one of which is a portrait of Paloma as a child sitting in Pablo Picasso's French garden (above right).

The architecture and decor of Morocco is so colorful and unique that it often becomes the inspiration for Paloma's jewelry. Although the couple spend time relaxing in their Marrakech retreat, Paloma often sketches while at the house and faxes her sketches back to Tiffany where they are turned into prototypes.

In her large living and dining area (left), the couple added two bright red built-in bookcases full of artwork, book and trinkets. Interspersed are two small Picasso gouaches. The home's entrance (right) includes a vaulted ceiling with dark beams, offset by a colorful geometric pattern. The table, door and accents are all very dark and pop out beautifully off of the white wall.

More Morocco: If you like this home, you will just love this Moroccan garden we featured last year.

Step aside Barbie's Dream House -- designer Elaine Shaw has created the ultimate modern dollhouse.

Elaine Shaw has designed a contemporary dollhouse even Richard Meier would approve of. The mod mini-house is called Clearview and it available through Elaine's website, MIAIM, for about $636 (unfurnished).

Approximately 1/12 the size of a real life house, the contemporary residence features one bedroom, one bathroom, an open staircase, two glass-fronted balconies and a roof terrace.

Not only does the home have tiny posh furnishings and artwork, it's also stocked with the latest technology, as Elaine wanted the Clearview to reflect what people actually have in their homes from the furnishings right down to the appliances.

Long before designing the Clearview house, Elaine received a degree in retail design and management in Central London, and worked in a design practice for a few years designing retail outlets an residential properties. Following that, she had a brief stint making and selling miniature tropical aquariums, but she quickly found that boring. Looking for a dollhouse for her daughter, Onyx, inspired Elaine to design a contemporary doll's home. "I didn't want a traditional house in my modern one," Elaine says.

Desks fit for an aspiring Bond, James Bond.

Whether you're living in a tiny apartment, you're an aspiring Bond girl or you've got secrets to store away, you'll appreciate these sneaky storage options. Actually, we've noticed a trend lately in multifunctional pieces -- Maybe it's designers attempting to give consumers more bang for their buck. Still, secret storage compartments are nothing new. In fact, they've been discovered in antique desks from the 1900s and earlier. Today's designs are fresh and modern -- and definitely cool.
The Bluelounge Studio Desk (above), $599.95, is designed specifically for laptop users. A sliding storage compartment is located on the desktop surface in which you can hide your peripherals and excess cables. I could use one of these, as I've got a mess of cables and wires all over the place.

We've always loved the retro-vibe of the Airstream, but these designer trailers sport as much style inside as they do out.

Sure, Airstream trailers are fun to look at, but could you live in one?

It turns out that these retro cuties make for a very comfortable home -- at least that's what we learned after we chatted with several Airstream enthusiasts about their designer trailers. (We even peeked at Airstream Life, the must-read for anyone who loves their Airstream as much as life itself!)

California Dream

Californian architect Barbara Brown and her husband Dan Shugrue own a 1988 Airstream Excella 25 that they restored and decorated in their own style, which they call "a 1960's 'vision of the future.'"

One of their top priorities in the restoration was to make sure that the trailer remained road-worthy. In other words, they didn't want it to be so precious that the design didn't function for them.

Call Barbara's space-age style "retro-modern." Her trailer is infused with contemporary materials (think: a sleek black vinyl banquette meets silver pedestal table). Or, it's like "George Jetson meets Eero Saarinen," she says. Still, the trailer is very livable.

To keep up with the inevitable wear and tear, Barbara used a durable Chilewich floor mat that has an aluminum weave. The kitchen and bathroom are decorated with stainless fixtures and door pulls. Barbara also used the lack of color to create focal points. For example, the black vinyl booth and black plastic laminate in the bathroom contrast nicely with all of the silver.

Other high-style details include perforated metal, a retro-style microwave and a floor-lit path to the bathroom. Despite the high-stylin', this couple's main focus is traveling: they've logged about 33,000 miles so far exploring the Western and Southern states, as well as Canada.

Airstream As Guest House

Another Californian, Michael Epstein, owns a Christopher Deam edition Airstream that launched in 2007. If you don't know Christopher Deam, he's a pretty famous designer who has a penchant for Airstreams and mobile living.

Michael says he initially planned to build a guest house, but instead opted for this designer trailer for both economy and efficiency. He put it in his back yard. "I liked the modern feel and it seemed younger and fresher," Michael says.

His guests seem to love the privacy, although Michael has never stayed in the trailer himself. Since it's used quite often as a guest house, he doesn't use it for travel: essentially the trailer is fixed in its position and can't be moved.

Have Airstream, Will Travel

Paul Welshmeyer is another Californian Airstream enthusiast (I sense a location theme here!). His stylish 1958 Airstream Traveler trailer is "designed to work," he says. He's logged over 10,000 miles with his family, spending a week each December camping in the Mojave desert. His children have practically grown up in the trailer.

However, it wasn't always stylish or functional. When he first bought the trailer, he and his boys ripped everything out and took the contents to the city dump. "We never looked back," says Paul. From then on, it was a two-year labor of love.

Once the trailer was completed and after various tests to be sure that it functioned well for travel, Paul and his family have been enjoying it ever since. Notably, Paul, an architect, won an American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Exceptional Residential Design for his Airstream design.

What's so special? Inside, he used perforated wood and custom designed furnishings to update the 1950s trailer without removing the charm of the original design. Everything was designed to have at least two uses, and often this camping trailer became an office for Paul on job sites.

The Airstream community is tightly knit -- a love of functional design seems to bring these enthusiasts together. Many know each others trailers and communicate online about their travels. "There are not many Airstreams out there," says Michael Epstein, "and I believe this has formed a bond amongst owners."