The future of design.

The architect extraordinaire pictured above happens to be my little cousin, but I'm not biased or anything. Luca Franceschina stands next to his latest incarnation of a Starbucks cafe, following in his Father's footsteps as a former in-house architect for the Starbucks brand. Please note the well thought out entry and exit and also the space "out back" for outdoor seating. When asked by Luca what my favorite part about the structure was I replied "the great circulation", and upon further explanation this compliment was deemed satisfactory. When asked if he was perhaps better than many adult designers, I replied with a resounding "YES!".

In all seriousness, this child is inspiring to watch, and I wasn't kidding when I said he was a better designer than many adults working today. His diligence and passion are what every designer young or old should have in abundance. Our lives would be more beautiful because of it.

For my Dad.

This post goes out to my Dad who is a lifetime Mercedes owner. Growing up, the Mercedes held this kind of elegant quiet power. In short, it was the 'nice car', and this fantastic reproduction poster by artist Ludwig Hohlwein made in 1926 pays homage to a classic. Century Guild in Chicago sells this poster for $900.

rescue dog of the day.

This little hound mix is Mayer, so named for John Mayer who recently made a bet with TMZ that if they could find his mugshot photo, he would donate $25,000 to the charity of their choice. Well, they picked Ace of Hearts dog rescue, which is an organization near and dear to my heart. I was a volunteer and foster Mom for them for nearly four years in Los Angeles before I moved to Chicago, and I have never seen a better run animal rescue.

But back to our rescue of the day, Mayer, he is a beautiful hound puppy (4 months?) that is ready for a fantastic family with lots of energy to keep up with his puppy antics, and later, his need for nasal stimulation. If you are interested, contact Ace of Hearts for more information.

The future looks chilly.

This ice maker from Fusion Brands is insane, and I mean that as a compliment of course. Dual functionality really tickles my fancy, and this products works overtime. While the IceOrb's obvious purpose is to make ice cubes in a fun shape without water sloshing around your freezer, it also doubles as a cooler for cold dips or bottles of wine. If you're a Chicago resident or native, you may be thinking what I'm thinking...RAVINIA! If you're not from Chicago, you may be familiar with "picnics", and this would be an excellent companion on such a thing.

You can find the IceOrb at Amazon.com for $15.95