A Few Things I'm Loving...

Happy Friday!

In honor of Valentine's Day this weekend, I wanted to leave you with a few things I am currently loving in the world of interiors:

Okay, this is not related to interiors but I had to share. I know I've posted about my love for Trader Joe's, so I was ecstatic when I came across this TJ Cookbook on Urban Outfitters!

Love this ottoman pouf from Serena and Lilly. I think this would be a fun punch of color in any room. They also have these in a fabulous orange, turquoise and green!

These stools from Pottery Barn are so handsome and rugged. A pair of these would be perfect by a fireplace.

I've never been a fan of the Home Shopping Network, but Nate Berkus has changed my mind! He has come out with a few new products including this fantastic mirror. I love the patina on it, even if it is engineered.

Lastly, I was catching up on a little reading during this snowy week, and I came across a wonderful passage about fireplaces from one of my new favorite books/resources, A Pattern Language. Obviously I have a slight obsession with fireplaces, and this passage, which is originally from Gaston Bachelard's book, The Psychoanalysis of Fire, supports my theory on the necessity of fireplaces in a home.

"The fire confined to the fireplace was no doubt for man the first object of reverie, the symbol of repose, the invitation to repose. One can hardly conceive of a philosophy of repose that would not include a reverie before a flaming log fire. Thus, in our opinion, to be deprived of a reverie before a burning fire is to lose the first use and the truly human use of fire. To be sure, a fire warms us and gives us comfort. But one only becomes fully aware of this comforting sensation after quite a long period of contemplation of the flames; one only receives comfort from the fire when one leans his elbows on his knees and holds his head in his hands. This attitude comes from the distant past. The child by the fire assumes it naturally. Not for nothing is it the attitude of the Thinker. It leads to a very special kind of attention which has nothing in common with the attention involved in watching or observing. Very rarely is it utilized for any other kind of contemplation. When near the fire, one must be seated; one must rest without sleeping; one must engage in reverie on a specific object..."