I am cheap thrifty. This is why I just purchased my Thom Filicia book a few weeks ago, even though it’s been out for awhile. You can pick it up used for a song, and it’s worth every penny. That’s not to say it’s not worth full price, it’s just to say that girlfriend is broke. This was on my wishlist for quite some time, and let me tell you, I’m so glad I have it. This is one of those rare design tomes I actually READ, joining the ranks of very few designer-slash-authors whose prose compels me to read it. The group includes, but is not limited to, Billy Baldwin, Jonathan Adler and Celerie Kemble. Welcome to the club Thom – your sparkling personality shines through in your writing. Reading this book made me miss Queer Eye so much. Here’s a teaser:Love the touching tribute to his mom

He had me at “Flock of Seagulls meets The Preppy Handbook“

Love these layouts and explanations – some of it reads like a Domino spread

Other parts are scrumptious, dynamic interior shots

What are you waiting for? Thom Filicia Style will bring a smile to your face and inspire you to start rearranging and revitalizing your home.

Wow, it really fell apart this week. Probably because I posted what should have been “Inspiration Monday” on Wednesday, clearly I had nothing to give you for “Organization Wednesday”, and then I thought Thursday was Friday, even though I had my Thursday Styles section (still unread) right in front of me for half of the day! The weekend cannot come quickly enough for me! Speaking of Thursday Styles, the Home section of The New York Times featured a great senior condo makeover by Dara Caponigro and her parents yesterday. Remember the “Ask Dara” column in Domino? Well, now she’s the E.I.C. of Veranda. I had been wondering why Veranda had become so chic lately! Check out the full article at nytimes.com.

Speaking of Veranda, check out this California beach house slideshow. Here’s a teaser:

Speaking of California, I loved getting a peek at Betsy Burnham’s kids’ rooms, especially the use of the Union Jack. I think the only way I might ever stop liking Union Jacks is if England decides to send over the red coats again!

Speaking of flags, Martha’s Vineyard was bedecked in red white and blue for the Fourth of July weekend. If you like the eclectic look of the Carpenter Gothic cottages I showed you on Wednesday, I have more photos. My friend Christina brought her real camera and got some shots that were much better quality, so I have uploaded them to houzz here.

The Detroit Conversation Continues – a thoughtful essay over at Design Observer. Read it here. I think Detroit is one of the most interesting cities in our country to follow and study right now, and this essay is so thorough and interesting, interweaving theories of Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Lewis Mumford, Jane Jacobs and even Eminem.

Image Credits:

• Trevor Tondro for The New York Times
• Miguel Flores-Vianna for Veranda
• Sarah Dorio for Decor Demon
• Christina Moore

If it weren’t for this blog, I would probably never have realized that today is Thursday. Thanks Emily for telling me that my “Flickr Faves on Friday” were a day early. Do any of you ever think it’s the wrong day ALL DAY? I’m a little worried…

I have some serious deck envy right now:

Thanks to uydurrukcu for adding this to our Fresh New Spaces group on flickr!

This week’s flickr fave comes from flickr member hindsvik. Antique stores have been chock full of card catalogs ever since computer monitor have become the main storage for the Dewey Decimal System. It’s kind of sad really, that today’s kids will never have the experience of flipping through index cards and actually understanding alphabetical order, but the good news is, they make for great home decor items. I love the contrast of these two colors and styles of card catalogs here – it works like a sculpture. This is the epitome of “vintage modern” style!

You can check out Hindsvik’s blog here and get the look with help from their etsy shop.

How would you use a unit like this? What would you store in it?