I am a huge fan of food. I attribute this to my Mediterranean background mostly, at any given time my parents and extended family were shoving food in our faces, forcing us to try things and stay “healthy”. Healthy usually consists of eating multiple times a day, with fruit/deserts after every meal. Multiple meals. Multiple hearty, healthy, large meals. Not that I’m complaining, nowadays I just have to moderate and execute heavy portion control. I do splurge whenever I can. Especially during restaurant week, when the gods of New York City dining establishments create Prix fixe menus and open their heavenly food gates to all hungry girls and boys like myself, allowing us to sample gourmet cuisines and experience the ambiance of fine dining with prices that won’t break the bank. This past week, we went to Asia de Cuba, a place where the majestic spice and flavor of Asia marries Cuban cuisine and produces fantastical love children like ‘The Crispy Calamari‘ a salad composed of banana, chayote, cashews, hearts of palm, dressed with an orange-sesame vinaigrette. The way these dishes are put together is truly religious. From the glorious union that exists on each plate, these perfectly blended flavors jump out to the walls, make their way across the table via place settings, and flow out of the speakers with Cuban tunes that will have you feeling suave even after you leave the building. Not only does Asia de Cuba take fusion cuisine to the next level, they have mastered fusion decor. Down to the chopsticks perfectly placed on top of domino game pieces, here are six different ways Asia de Cuba did fusion decor right!

1. Asian screens enveloping soft, sensual pink lighting creating the perfect ambiance for your meal..

2. Cherry blossoms that spring up from the cafe style dining tables. ..

3. Wooden pendant lamps hung gracefully over Spanish marble

4. Cuban Modern art projects on to the black tiled walls..

5. Family style seating lit up by soft, delicate lights placed perfectly around each booth.

6.  my personal favorite touch. ..the place settings! And of course, the food. =)

The other day while in Bed, Bath & Beyond, I saw a huge display of monogram letters. While most of them were cute, and user friendly in the sense that you’d pick up your desired letters in which ever color, size or material combo you wanted – and then just go home and tack them on the wall – I couldn’t help but think..well…that it was pretty cheesy. So, like most things I see – I thought about ways to tweak the at hand products to make them a bit more sophisticated, pretty, or just plain fun – and these are things you can do instantly. Just purchase the in store letters and DIY it! Check out six different ways to step up your Monogram game below. Get your Insta – Gram on!

1. Purchase the letters needed – cover in fabrics from a piece of clothing from a meaningful day (i.e. sweater worn on first date), sheet music or your couple’s song, or even love letters. They definitely will have more meaning, and are great conversation pieces.

2. Glue pearls or other gemstones to the letters, I’m a stickler for color coordination so I’d stick to say tourmaline and hues of pink – but a combination of stones would be really pretty as well!

3. Wrap with yarn – My best friend did this for her daughter’s nursery with her name. Super cute, and super easy!

4. Frame it – You’ll probably need something that has a little more depth to it, like a shadow box for this one. Put a piece of fabric, i.e. black and white chevron flat against the frame, and then place a brightly colored letter over it – then close the frame and hang. I’d like red with that particular pattern/color scheme.

5. Add photographs of your favorite memories, make a collage on the surface of each initial, picture perfect!

6. Cover in memorable trinkets, prized possessions, or items that show a bit about your personality. I.E. hometown postcard, favorite team logos, etc.

Check out some cool tutorials here – Ombre Monogram

When I hear the word quilt – one thing comes to mind. A floral paisley monstrosity with a million different colors that somehow kept making it’s way back into my living room after several attempts to hide it, destroy it, or toss it. This blanket would only make sense to a color blind individual…really. Maybe that’s why my father loved the patchwork quilt that was slung over the couch in the living room growing up. It all makes sense now. I guess there’s a silver lining in everything.

Any way – while most people do not have color vision deficiencies, few can really take on the skill of quilt making and achieve aesthetic success. I know, while these handmade blankets have come a long way from their random scrap material conjoining days, and all should be appreciated for the time, effort and ingenuity that goes into each one…however, I have found several that really raise the bar. Take a look at six different ways these creative individuals patch worked it!

Modern Hexie Quilt via Modern Hancraft

Moonglow via Craftsy.com

Dahlia Quilt via EtsySunflower via Quilts by JenBlockbuster via Bernina.com

Moda via Homed It 

From the Greek adjective Triptixon – which breaks down to the word tri – or three – and ptysso – which means to fold, we have the term used for a three paneled piece of art (sometimes carved wood) that could be folded shut or displayed open, and are truly magnificent in structure and beauty. These fixtures are usually found in places of worship, and have inspired more modern works in terms of photographic triptych pieces and sculptures. We’re not here to talk about those inspired pieces though.

Meet Triptyque, a group of graduates from the Paris School of Architecture. Melding their classical architectural backgrounds with a unique and modern take on Brazilian Brutalism (a movement named from the French beton brut, i.e. “raw concrete”), they are taking over the world by storm. Triptyque has trailblazing the field for over a decade, creating innovative structures and interiors that question and challenge all classical architectural norms – and seem to defy them in a gratifying way. Today our Modern Crush is on this quartet. Check out the private luxury building in Rio and San Paulo – you’ll see why soon enough. I fell for them, at least three times over.

Harmonia, 57 – San Paulo

RB12, Rio De Janeiro

Two years ago, I visited a friend’s sister at her newly built home. It was lovely, two floors of brand new freshly painted and decorated bliss. Naturally, my favorite part was the walk in closet. This thing was grand, truly a sight for sore eyes. It had to be the size of two of my bedrooms put together. Anyway – although that truly had most of my attention – something else caught my eye. It was her wedding dress, in all of its sparkly handmade glory, displayed in a case that adorned one of the walls. I happened to love it. It was the first time I had seen this – and after that I hadn’t again. More recently, I read a post on another blog that discussed how one of the RHOBH’s had hers on display, and she thought it was awkward. While some might agree, I think it’s awesome. There are so many ways to commemorate your special day, and this is one of the more unique ways. Check out six different ways brides took their dress display to the next level.

So while most think of #mcm as Man Crush Monday – here we’re doing something a little different. No worries ladies and gentlemen, I promise these MCM’s are just as hot. Welcome to Modern Crush Monday, where we show our love for the beautiful modern pieces, places and things that make our hearts skip a beat. Today, we’re riding this Wave…

Via meetsebastian.com

The Wave Cabinet by Artist and designer Sebastian ErraZuriz is the new creation of his series of functional sculptures, which embody his translation of craftsmanship and mastery of material into fine art.

The Wave cabinet opens with true delicacy and beauty; each individual slat pulls along the following much like a paper fan. With multiple configurations which allow for various options of aperture, the artist has re-engineered the familiar process of opening and closing, into rotating and undulating adaptations.

The ‘Wave cabinet reinvents the paradigm of cabinet as a re-visualization of the domestic, quotidian objects that surround us. Like his previously surprising sculptural furniture, Sebastian invites us to break open the box as a literal metaphor for reminding the viewer to stop and look again.

The New York based artist explains:

“I am inviting people to look at one of the simplest forms of furniture design and to forget that we’re talking about furniture, instead to see it as a way of breaking a box. I love the idea of creating beautiful furniture; nevertheless I am much more interested in using the medium as an excuse to trigger people’s curiosity and create a connection with them”.