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Color Commentary
A quick cure for the winter blahs is to give your home a shot of color. Jayme Sklar, owner of Foundation, suggests these individually blown containers by Columbia Glassworks. “I love the contrast between translucent and opaque,” she says. “The white makes the color even brighter.” Foundation carries a vase and two sizes of bowls, all available in white, bright blue, yellow, orange, and green ($140-$175).
FOUNDATION
329 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn/718-403-9757
Get a Grip
Contrary to what you may think, bigger isn’t always better. Big toolboxes, for example, in little New York apartments take up valuable space. To fix that problem, OXO built the Essential Home Tool Set – five pieces cleverly packaged in one box that slides into the average kitchen drawer. It includes a six-in-one screwdriver, a hammer, a pair of pliers, a utility knife, and an eight-foot tape measure, all featuring the company’s trademark ergonomic Good Grips design ($49.99).
BED BATH & BEYOND
620 Sixth Avenue/212-255-3550
410 East 61st Street/646-215-4702
Time on Your Side
How do you embrace a trend without succumbing to it? It’s easy: accessorize. Watches are a perfect example. Say you’re into the metal-of-the-moment – gold – or the return-of-eighties style; you can indulge in both with the Make Your Own Time watches at Sunglass Hut/Watch Station. Choose one watch face (from a selection of twelve) and three interchangeable watch bands (choice of seventeen) – and you get three looks for the price of one ($85 for set, additional faces $50, bands $20).
SUNGLASS HUT/WATCH STATION
89 South Street/212-571-4792
313 Columbus Avenue/212-721-7015
27 West 34th Street/212-564-8020
Soft Cell
Pulling out a cell phone on the bus, or in a restaurant, usually guarantees a scornful look or two. But not for everyone. “People used to make really negative comments,” says Nadine Miral, designer of the Cell Baby cell-phone covers. “Now they smile and say, ‘That’s so cute!’ ” There are five styles to choose from (a bunny, a beaver, two dogs, and an alligator), each for a different-size mobile phone, including Star Tacs and the new, super-small Nokia ($19.95).
MXYPLYZYK
125 Greenwich Avenue/212-989-4300
Mother’s Little Helper
Liz Lange, owner of Liz Lange Maternity, came up with the idea for her Expectant Mom’s Hospital Tote ($185) after having her first child. It’s a gingham-lined denim tote, filled with goodies such as a cotton nightgown (in lieu of those open-backed hospital numbers), a terry-cloth robe (to wear to the nursery or while receiving guests), and a roll of extra-soft Charmin toilet paper. (If you have to ask …)
LIZ LANGE MATERNITY
958 Madison Avenue/212-879-2191
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