Cool Stuff: Moroccan Table at Target

I just saw via Another Shade of Grey that Target is rolling out a huge new collection of Moroccan-style furnishings and accessories, so I clicked on over to the Tar-jay site to check it out.

The look they're featuring is a little dark and heavy (and, let's be honest, a bit "hippie") for my current mood. But I did spot this cute octagonal table for just $40.

I've been looking for one for awhile, with the idea that I'd spray-paint the whole thing in high-gloss white, hot pink, lime green, or some other shocking shade (maybe Maryam of My Marrakesh's "Majorelle Blue"?) -- a la the Garnet Hill tables, below -- to highlight the table's great detail and to give the piece a bit of mod-glam style. But I've hesitated up until now to "deface" a true Moroccan table in this way, or to part with $128 for Garnet Hill's cheerful version.

But for $40 and a can of spray paint? I'm all over it.

You can find the Target table here, and the complete line of Target's new "Moroccan Mod" offerings here.

Trendspotting: Mah-velous Melamine

Melamine tableware has been around forever (it was standard issue in military mess halls during World War II). But lately these lowly, lightweight plastic plates have taken on a decidedly glamorous look.

There are plenty of fun, kitschy designs out there, too, of course -- Pop Ink has some great ones, for instance. But these newer patterns are luxe enough to use for more formal occasions as well as for casual dining on the patio. (I recently trotted out my Working Class Studio Ironworks Plates -- below, $6 each -- for a dinner party and got nothing but compliments on them.)

So in honor of the official start of summer, here's a collection of melamine plates that will glam up your next picnic or barbecue -- and look just as great on a candlelit dinner table:

Jackie Shapiro French Bull Ring ($45 for four), Crush ($39 for four), and Mosaic Dinner Plates ($45 for four), available from Plum Party.

Bongenre's Winchester Mandala ($40 for four), Louis ($45 for four), Tangier Sun ($40 for four), Coral ($45 for four), and Wilde's Lacunuae ($45 for four) 12-Inch Plates.

Pop Ink Wallpaper Plates ($40 for four), available from Velocity Art and Design.

Fish Pond Buffet Plates ($24 for four), from Anthropologie.

Jonathan Adler Origami Salad Plate ($10), Peacock Salad Plate ($10), and Origami Dinner Plate ($14).

Thomas Paul Coral ($29 for four) and Folk ($36 for four) Dinner Plate Sets, available from Velocity Art and Design.

Thomas Paul Gothic Dinner Plates ($36 for four) and Gothic Tray ($18), available from Elsewares.

Metallic Spiral Salad Plates ($15 for six), Metallic Dinnerware Collection ($15 to 18), Fusion Dinner Plates ($24 for four), and Red/Gold Dinner Plates ($12 for three), from Target.

Cool Stuff: Pier 1 Ups the Hip Quotient

Have you visited a Pier 1 lately? I can't quite believe I'm saying this, but the fusty former "imports" retailer is looking pretty stylin' these days.

Jumping on the bandwagon with mass-market merchants like Target who are making a concerted effort to modernize and freshen up their home offerings, Pier 1 has dusted itself off for a bit of an overhaul. No longer a musty repository of all things global and faintly hippie, the store is showcasing new offerings with clean, modern shapes and fresh colors -- but that are still (for the most part) pleasingly affordable.

A sampling of some of my favorite new pieces:

Above: Top left: White Resin Buddha, $150; top right: Triple Glass Vases $15 and $20; bottom left: Square Lacquer Tray, $15; bottom right: Argenta Circles Bowl, $50

Top left: Smoke Blue Lamp, $125; top right: White Ceramic Lamp, $125; bottom: Etched Swirl Lamp, $125

Top left: Oval Aluminum Lamp, $125; top right: Kalista Lamp, $150; bottom left: Rectangle Lamp, $75; bottom right: Mesh Lamp, $90

Top left: Beveled Round Mirror, $113; top right: Stair Step Mirror, $175; bottom left: Metal Weaving Mirror, $125; bottom right: Silver Shine Mirror, $100

Left: Melamine Dinnerware, $3 to 5; right: Cerchi Dinnerware, $9 to $10

Left: Downtown Wall Panel, $150; center: Black Square Wall Panel, $60; right: Geometric Print Wall Panel, $100

Left: Wood & Metal Chest, $40; right: Recycled Paper Hamper, $80

Left: Orbit Chair, $69; center: Nance Armchair, $299; right: Easy Rattan Armless Chair, $200

Top left: Calmont Armchair, $599; top right: Rocco Rocking Armchair, $650; bottom: Rosedale Chaise Lounge, $950

Top left: Hylo Rug, $399; top right: Gingko Wool Rug, $250; bottom: Floral Dhurrie Rug, $299

Top left: Gray Slab Coffee Table, $250; top right: Gray Slab Console Table, $275; bottom left: Wharton End Table, $129; bottom right: Ryan Bow Coffee Table, $349

Cool Stuff: Pimp My Cubicle, Part 2

Because See Jane Work isn’t the only company out there that has some seriously fun, affordable office style on the agenda:

Ora-Ito's The Hub, above, lets you plug in up to six USB and FireWire devices at once and also has a fan, a light, and an AC adapter. $90 at A+R.

Top left: CB2 Open Storage Boxes, $20 each; top right: West Elm Trellis Print Storage Boxes, $24 and $34; bottom: Container Store Library Desktop Files, $26 each.

Left: Binth Notepad, $16; right: Russell + Hazel Pattern Binders, $24 each.

Top left: Target File Folders, $16 for nine; top right: Cavallini File Folders, $15 for 12; bottom: Spiro File Folders, $5.50 for six at The Container Store.

Left and center: Kassett Magazine Files, $4 each; right: Lingo Magazine Files, $4 for five, all at IKEA.


Left: Russell + Hazel Butterfly Clips, $20 for two; center: Karim Rashid Micro Garbini Cans, $3 each; right: Crate & Barrel Memo Clips, $5.50 each.

Left: Snille Chair, $20; right: Skruvsta Chair, $139, both from IKEA.

Top left: Jagga Writing/Magnetic Board, $25 from IKEA; top right: Blu Dot 3D In/Out Box, $29; bottom: Bin Bin Wastebasket, $50, at Velocity Art + Design.

Left: CB2 Titanium-Finish Trig File Cabinet, $149; center and right: Expedit Bookcase, $179, and Helmer Drawer Unit, $40, both from IKEA.

OK, seriously, people -- back to work now.

Color Obsession: Yellow Fever

Suddenly, yellow is everywhere. You can barely crack a shelter magazine these days without seeing the sunny shade splashed across its pages. (Personally, I blame Kelly Wearstler and the bright canary frock she wore on the cover of Modern Glamour.)

Yellow is a perennial favorite, of course. But the color we’re seeing now isn’t the warm, muted honey or ochre hue of years past. Instead, it’s a clear, bright, strong shade -- picture the color of that Seventies “smiley face” icon and you’ll be pretty close. In fact, the recent resurgence of yellow owes a lot to the influence of that over-the-top design decade. But today’s interpretation has an added sense of sophistication and luxury. Think Palm Beach and Hollywood Regency.

Pair yellow with dark, intense charcoal grays, smoky taupes, and lacquered blacks for a super-chic salon sensibility, or with bright blues and greens for a more youthful, cheerful take on the trend. Either way, nothing can beat yellow for a dose of pure pop.

Here, a selection of furnishings, lighting, and textiles that’ll add a shot of sunshine to your décor:

Left: Moderndose Petite Sunny Side Table, $149; center: Design Within Reach Hee Lounge Chair, $230; right: Shine Bloom Stool $490


Top: Vintage Campaign Table, $3,500; bottom: Shine Spencer Table, $780


Left: Hexagons Wallpaper, $80 per roll; center: Florence Broadhurst Yellow Floral Tudor Wallpaper, $448 per roll; right: KWID Imperial Trellis Wallpaper


Left: Glass Lamp, $279; right: Urban Outfitters 3-D Chandelier, $25


Left: Shine Palisades Pendant, $640; right: Biltmore Lamp, $352


Above: Vintage Yellow Resin Lamps, $1,250


Top left: Weego Home Bamboo Pillow, $100; top right: Crate & Barrel Atrium Granada Stripe Pillow, $30; bottom left: Anthropologie Day’s Eye Pillow, $98; bottom right: Victoria Hagan for Target Yellow Trellis Floor Pillow, $30


Left: Marimekko Stilla Fabric, $39 per yard; center: KWID Couture Stripe Fabric; right: IKEA Katrin Fabric, $5 per yard


Left: Anthropologie Isola Bella Rug, $298; right: Bev Hisey Moroccan Rug