Pretty pretty Alessi Tonale

Ahhhh. This is Tonale by David Chipperfield for Alessi. It's being previewed at Alessi's flagship location in Milan and will be available worldwide next month.

Tonale is architect and designer Chipperfield's homage to the work of Italian artist Giorgio Morandi. Morandi was a Cubist painter of still lifes and his work was important to the later development of Minimalism. Morandi dealt in abstractions of shape and tone and in comparing Chipperfield's collection of table ware from Alessi with the Morandi paintings above, I'd say it's a fitting homage. It's a fitting homage and a soothing balm in troubled times.

Grazie mille to Pasquale Marchese from Alessi for the use of the Tonale photo. You can shop for Alessi online by clicking here.

Maytag recalls 1.6 million refrigerators

I got a heads up from Ann Porter's KitchAnn Style a couple of days ago and it bears repeating.

The Maytag Corporation is recalling about 1.6 million refrigerators due to an electrical failure in the compressor relay that can cause overheating and pose a serious fire threat.

The recall includes certain Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley brand side-by-side and top-freezer refrigerators.

The affected refrigerators were sold in Department Stores and Appliance Stores in the US and Canada between January 2001 and January 2004.  If your refrigerator is part of the recall, Maytag will provide a free in-home repair.

For more information, contact Maytag toll-free at  (866) 533-9817 anytime, or visit Maytag's repair web site. If you own a Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Magic Chef, Performa or Crosley refrigerator, please go to the repair website and compare you model number against those on the recall list. With 1.6 million of these things being recalled, I guess this means that the Maytag Repairman won't be so lonely after all.

Such a deal!

Save $130 on this Espresso Wood with Tiffany Style Shade Floor Lamp (29493) from LampsPlus.com. Use code AFFSP1 at checkout.

Reader question: two pedestal sinks in the master bath?

Help! You always give no nonsense advice and we are in the middle of gutting our master bath. It's fairly large, and we're thinking of putting pedestal sinks in. What do you think? My tile designer says no pedestal sinks in a master bath... that people want something more substantial like a built in vanity with granite. What do you think?

Really? Someone told you that you shouldn't put pedestal sinks in a master bath? Where does this kind of "advice" come from? Who comes up with this crap? Really, who?

A lot of times this sort of rule making comes about as a result of an obsession with resale values mixed with entirely too much time spent in front of HGTV. Then take those two elements and sprinkle them liberally with someone who doesn't know what he or she is talking about and you get hackneyed advice like that. Tell your "tile designer" to take a hike.

The truth of the matter is that the only rule is that there aren't any rules. Every situation, every room and every homeowner is different. Do you like pedestal sinks? Can the room  handle them? If the answer is yes to both of those questions, then by all means put two pedestal sinks in your mater bath and get on with things.

All too often, people get hung up on what may or may not turn off a potential buyer at some point down the road. It is impossible to know who may some day look at your home as a potential buyer and you will drive yourself insane worrying about it. So just let that one go and make a home for yourself that you love. Besides, when have you ever not put an offer on a home because of the presence or lack of pedestal sinks?

The sorts of things that will make someone not make an offer on a home are filth, poorly and cheaply executed improvements, clutter and again, filth. If you want to improve your odds should you ever resell a home, buy nice fixtures and just let it go. When you do go to put your house on the market, clean it to within an inch of its life and keep it that way for as long as it stays on the market.

And in the meantime, put together a master bath that makes you happy. Since you're going to the expense of remodeling a master bath, get good pedestal sinks. Tiny, $100 pedestal sinks from an endcap at Home Depot are wasting your time and effort. Get decent-sized ones that will give your a ledge that surrounds the actual sink. 

Take a look at the Memoirs pedestal from Kohler and you'll see what I mean by a ledge around the sink. That ledge is not intended to be a storage area, though that's precisely what it'll end up being if you don't plan for a place to put your stuff beforehand. Think about hanging a shallow shelf on the wall the sinks attach to. It sounds like you have a bit of room in this master bath, so why not bring in a piece of furniture? Find an antique chest of drawers or dressing table and set it between the two pedestals. Make it interesting, make it practical and make it attractive and you will enjoy that master bath for years to come.

And so said Coco Chanel

An interior is the natural projection of the soul.

Coco Chanel (1883-1971)

Wow. I've been saying that all along and it's fantastic to find myself in such legendary company. 

I came across that quote yesterday on a blog called Pure and Simple. Pure and Simple's written by a 27-year-old Dutch Illustrator who goes by the name of M. He has a great voice and a great eye. And some dramatic before and after shots of his and his partner's hard work as they set about transforming their old home. Check it out.