What do you think when you see the Web site name thisisauto.com?

Something about cars, probably.

Nay, thisisauto.com is the online version of the trendy design-driven retail hot spot Auto in New York City’s Meatpacking district. Owners Roman Luba and Renata Bokalo, husband and wife, describe Auto as a mini department store.

This place looks like the MOMA of department stores, full of modern and lovely design-driven items of all sorts: clothes, jewelry, baby gear, furniture, bedding, books, art and gifts. It’s the kind of store that makes you feel totally au courant when you set foot in it. (more…)

The sun has come out, and with it, our annual lusting for light and bright things to sprinkle around the house, reflecting the new season and our hopefully tasteful aesthetic. It’s a challenge, what with the recession and all, but we still love to look.

You’re going to hate us for what we’re about to do, because once you see the picture of Artful Home’s Pixie Vases, you’re going to want them, and you’re going to want them all. (Evil, evil Web site to show (more…)

We are just not sensing a mid-life crisis here.

Barbie turns 50 on Monday, and to celebrate, her handler, Mattel, is throwing her a mega-party. They even commissioned “Happy Chic” designer Jonathan Adler to decorate a real Malibu Dream House — 3,500 square feet, complete with pink carpet and white couches, looking out on the Pacific Ocean.

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You already know what’s going to happen. He’s going to give you roses. A dozen, probably. Maybe two dozen. Hopefully they’re good ones that don’t wilt and fade in a couple of days. And, of course, that’s very, very nice of him.

But, could it be that thrill of Valentine’s roses is gone?

We’ve found nearly a dozen ways to make those roses thrill you, fill you with love and make your heart race. That’s because we’ve shopped around for beautiful vases in which to put them. And the best part? After the roses are gone, these fabulous pieces of tabletop art will last forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

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He has $100,000 to redecorate the new private living quarters for the Obama family, and we are insanely jealous.

California designer Michael S. Smith, who has become something of a Hollywood darling (Steven Spielberg, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cindy Crawford) and is one of  Architectural Digest’s 100 Top Designers, was confirmed this week as the official White House decorator. (He first said he wanted the job in Domino magazine.) 

We are sure we’ll see his books, (Michael S. Smith Houses and Michael S. Smith: Elements of Style),  make their way to the front of bookstores, and zoom up the Amazon.com popularity list (”Acclaimed designer Michael Smith has earned a reputation as the thinking celebrity’s decorator,” their review says). (more…)

The Style Insider is into nesting now. We have taken down the tree and put away the way-too-many boxes of decorations, and we’re ready to do something fresh and new. January is the traditional month for white sales, so we’re presently enchanted with comforters and duvets and about 100 pillows, maybe even some Euro shams tucked in the back. And if you’re feeling frugal, come along anyway — we’ve found some very pretty ensembles that have the looks of their big-city cousins.

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We’re all familiar with the lose-weight/save-money/get-organized school of New Year’s Resolutions, but The Style Insider would like to propose another curriculum: Renew your space. Whether it’s a studio loft or a sprawling estate, adding something beautiful to bring in 2009 will make you happy all year long. Just   whisper to yourself that you’re worth it:

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