Lindsey and I were so inspired by the new offices at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce that we decided to throw together a few collages with products that are available new today that capture the feeling of Madison Avenue in 1965.

Modern Roger Sterling Office by thebubbreport on Polyvore.com

The office above is inspired by the office that Jane Sterling decorated for her husband Roger. We love the palette of black, white, metal and mirror. The Heather Lins Conversation Pieces Pillow is a perfect addition for these guys who play with words all day:

Well, I’m on vacation, so I am totally phoning in this post and just sharing a few shots I’ve taken in Maine so far. I’m giving them to you a whole 12 hours ahead of time.

There’s something about this space that’s pleasing, even though I’m not seeing the middle of the room or how the space planning really works. I think it’s just a combo of the fireplace, the shelves, the fact taht I think I see actual ALBUMS, and the red Panton chair:

These photos come from flickr member designcuriosities, who shamelessly added them to our Fresh New Spaces group in the hopes of garnering votes for The Selby contest that’s currently going on with another retailer that’s not design public. About that…we don’t care, it’s great, I’m pissed I didn’t think of it first, and thanks for sharing d.c.! Plus, our competitor does not sell Panton chairs, but we do

Oh man, I have been meaning to share the last bit of progress in my office for awhile, but little things kept stopping me, like wanting to style the space to perfection, hating that very nineties green wall color, or waiting to choose wallpaper. If I wait for that those things (even though I’ve improved my organizational skills) I’d have to wait until about 2015. So here’s a bit of progress, ugly exposed cords (major pet peeve) and printers and all – it’s reality.

SHELVES & DRAWERS: This formerly dead space now offers all sorts of storage and space to be organized. Now my picky aesthetic preferences dictated that the shelf brackets go where the outmost studs were, but I’m noticing that they are starting to bow a bit, so I may have to suck it up and add some extras.

The real gift these shelves have given me is proximity. Everything I need is within arm’s reach, and having the shelves and file drawers next to my desk allows me to keep my desktop clean! Hallelujah!

One other thing I learned is that as you tackle your piles, you’ll learn what kinds of things need their own drawers. I had kept my design catalogs in baskets for so long that I’d never thought to designate a drawer for them. However, as I cleaned things out, I realized they’d be a lot handier and more organized in a drawer adjacent to my desk.

LABELS: From the workshop I took over at Simplify 101, I learned that labeling is a big key to organizing. Now I not only have a place for everything and everything in its place, I actually know where those places are! You can go bananas with how you label things – I happened to have a pack of these tags and a roll of black raffia on hand, so I made do. Not the cutesy-est, but it works for me. Another thing to remember is that when something’s placement is NOT working for you, to move stuff around and figure it out.

CONTAINERS: Because I have a lot of drafting and art supplies, I’ve been experimenting with what works since grad school. I will never get tired of metal paint buckets for keeping things organized. They go with all kinds of decor, they have handy dandy handles, they hide a multitude of sins and most importantly, they are dirt cheap and readily available at any hardware store in a variety of sizes. Check around your own house for containers that might come in handy. Maybe it’s a closet organizer you aren’t really using in the closet (my printer sits under my desk on a former shoe rack shelf, and there’s room for reams of paper and toner underneath). I used some Liberty of London gift boxes from Target to corral all of my cosmetics and medicine, I found the wire shelves in my attic (leftover from grad school), etc.

All systems are go! Oh, if you want to help me out of my wallpaper decision paralysis, check out what I’ve narrowed it down to below the break and please give me your two cents.

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I am enjoying pouring over the September issue of Elle Decor so much – it’s a goodie! The glass house in New Canaan, a town we like to keep our eye on, was an inspired remodel of a classic modern house that had been somewhat “colonialized” over the years. I like that the family and the designers wanted to appreciate the original intent of the house, but did not feel shackled by restoring every last little impractical bit of it back to 1960, or limit themselves to strictly mid-century furnishings. There’s a gorgeous slideshow over at elledecor.com shot by William Waldron of the whole house. Here’s a sneak peek:

But I have to say what caught my eye the most, besides Michael Bay’s house, which made me think “hey, that’s the house from Hogan Knows Best!”, which immediately filled me with deep shame, were these animals. Were they donkeys or mini-horses? Turns out, they are mini donkeys. Yup, a couple of asses, just hangin’ around the perfectly manicured pool in the Hamptons. Are miniature donkeys the new trendy pet? Should the pot bellied pigs be worried? It says the owner/designers, Amy and Todd Hase are Francophiles. Does this mean miniature donkeys are all the rage in Paris? Will Kanye get one and get it platinum horseshoes from Jacob the Jeweler? Time will tell.