Making the Most of It - Part 2 — by Guest Dad John Spencer

[ part 1 found here ]

Finally made it back from the store and built the storage benches. As some may know, completing a project with little kids in the house can be a bit of a challenge. My wife just doubles or triples the estimated time I think it will take.

I picked up one sheet of 1/2" birch plywood and ripped it into 15 3/4" strips. "Rip" is carpentry lingo for cutting wood in the direction of the grain. The sales associate at your local home improvement store can usually do this if you have lots of patience and a nice smile, and if they have a panel saw.

Considering the width of the saw blade, or the kerf, this dimension gave me 3 pieces from a 48" wide sheet. I used these strips of plywood to make the walls and top of the benches. The box dimensions are 45" x 15" and 42" x 15". So my cut list included: 2 at 45", 2 at 42", and since the boxes are 15" deep and the plywood is 1/2" thick the side pieces are 14" long. And I needed 4 of those. I measured each piece, made a line with a square, and carefully made the cuts with my handy circular saw. Since the kids were around we put on our sunglasses and made a "cover your ears" game out of it before each cut.

These parts for the storage benches were fastened together with screws using a cordless drill. It could also be done with a hammer and nails or a nail gun if you've got all the right stuff. Screwing it together makes it a bit stronger and easier to assemble. Plus, it is much quieter, which is what I like.


After I assembled the sides of the two boxes I connected them together in a L-shape and set them in the corner of the deck. I wanted to trim the outside of the benches with mahogany deck boards to go with my boat theme. The actual dimensions of the boards are 1" thick by 3 1/2" wide. At the lumber yard the proper name for this is five-quarter (5/4") by four. When the boards are first cut out of the tree they are actually 1.25" by 4", but after drying and a little planing they shrink. Starting from the top I just measured the sides and cut each piece to length. I alternated the rows of boards to overlap differently at the outside corners. A little bit of extra detail like this goes along way to improve the overall look. I secured them from the back so the screws wouldn't be visible.

With the last strip of plywood left, I cut a piece to fit over the top of each box and overlap the deck boards. The next phase of this project will be to upholster the tops of the benches. I need to find some cool fabric and thick foam, so I will have to leave it like this until I do. At least now, the space can be used as another play area. As you can see the masking tape has been replaced with beautiful chalk drawings.



To be continued...


Note from Design Mom:
John, who blogs at Resident Carpenter and is the creator of Via Toy Box, has done an excellent job of being a Guest Dad over the last week or two. Thank you John! He has promised that he will drop by now again when he has a cool project to share (nice!) and in the meantime, if you have a home improvement or remodeling question, John would love to answer it. Just submit your query over at his blog.

Football Season — by Guest Dad John Spencer

It's not a carpentry-related post, but it seems very Guest Dad appropriate.

Like it or not, it's almost autumn and that means football season. Millions of dads are preparing to hunker down on the couch and give an enthusiastic, "Yes!" to the question, "Are you ready for some football?" The National Football League and NCAA College Football games are the most popular spectator events in the country.

I have to admit that it's pretty easy for a guy to get carried away with this, and this usually doesn't thrill his better half. It's not too cool to blow off your family to get some quality time watching your favorite team, so I have a suggestion. Dads, if the kids are old enough to color, print the drawings from the rulebook at NFL.com. They have pictures of football referees and all of the hand signals for penalties. During the game, just lay them out on the coffee table with a handful of crayons and start coloring with the kids. You will be able to teach them about the rules, give your wife a little break, and watch football.

Who said guys can't multi-task?

Outdoor Project - Making the Most of It, Part 1 — By Guest Dad John Spencer

The four of us, actually five, if you count our big hairy dog, live in an apartment building in the city. We have lived here only a few months, but really enjoy the dynamics of the world around us. We're up on the third floor and our only immediate access to that outside world is a 58 inch by 90 inch balcony right off the kitchen. That's only about 37 square feet. But, it's ours, so we're going to make the most of it.

For this outdoor project, the goal is to make seating with a table and plenty of extra storage. I haven't found anything anywhere that would fit in our space, so the best solution to utilize the entire space will have to be totally custom, and that's right up my alley. I have decided to use the concepts taken from a boats cockpit and create bench seats with storage beneath and a table top that can be easily stowed.

I begin by marking out a footprint of where seating and a table will be to get a feel for the space. I use masking tape just like Les Nessman, the odd newsman on the 80's hit show, WKRP in Cincinnati, did to mark his imaginary office walls. I also take into account the path of the door's swing, and where one may stand as they go in and out. From this, I can get the measurements I will need to construct the storage boxes that will be below the cushioned bench seating and also the table with the hinged top that can fold down.

After I sketch out the designs, it is off to the store to get the materials I need for the first phase of this outdoor project.

A Quick Lesson in Measurements — by Guest Dad John Spencer

As an apprentice on the job, one of the first things you learn is how to read a tape measure. For me, it was a bit easier to make a song out of it. I still remember the musical cadence I put with the fractions while singing it out loud over and over. And believe me, you are fortunate not to hear my pitch. The lyrics go like this,

One sixteenth, one eighth, three sixteenths, one quarter,

Five sixteenths, three eighths, seven sixteenths, one half.

Nine sixteenths, five eighths, eleven sixteenths, three quarters,

Thirteen sixteenths, Seven eighths, fifteen sixteenths, ONE!

For basic carpentry, we typically measure and cut everything in increments of a sixteenth inch. When cutting sheetrock or drywall, eighth of an inch increments are just fine.

Hanging Around - How to Easily Put Up Big Pictures — By Guest Dad John Spencer

Quick intro from Design Mom — John is the owner and designer and carpenter behind Via Toy Boxes. And he's recently launched a blog, Resident Carpenter to answer all your carpentry questions. I know many of you out there are DIY-ers and would love to bend the ear of an expert, so I asked John to repost some of his great advice here as a Guest Dad. And happily for us, he said Yes! I'll be featuring his posts all week. You can read more about John here.



Hanging a piece of wall art can make a big impact in the room and your psyche, especially if you get satisfaction from doing it yourself. If you are a bit hesitant to tackle this kind of job, I will show you a few things to help bolster your confidence and get it done right. Just remember that if you do it, you can put up whatever you want, wherever you want.

The best tools for this job are a measuring tape, a phillips screw driver, and a pencil. If you had a little level, too, that would be very helpful, but you could just eye it. You will also need drywall screws, or coarse threaded screws 1 1/2" to 2" long. These fasteners work very well in most types of wall surfaces like, lath and plaster or sheetrock. Plus, this way there is no loud banging with a hammer to wake up a sleeping child or make your thumb black and blue.

Speaking of which, a good rule of thumb when hanging things on the wall is to center the piece at eye level. Of course, there are always exceptions, but generally this works well. So, the center of most pictures would be between 60" and 66".

Once you decide on the location, use your measuring tape to find where the center of your picture will be. You may want to center it between the end of the wall and a window or between a door and the fireplace. Whatever the case, find the center and put a light pencil mark about 5 feet up from the floor. Now, locate the hanging device on the back of your piece. This could be a wire stretched across, two hooks (one on each side), or simply the top of the canvas frame. Measure the distance between the center of the piece and the hanger. Make another mark on the wall that distance above the first mark.

I recommend using at least 2 screws so the picture stays level. For the piece that has 2 separate hooks on the back, measure the distance between them. Center that measurement between your highest mark on the wall and make 2 more little marks. If you have a wire or just a wood frame space the 2 marks about the same distance as one-third the width of your piece. Make sure the 2 marks are level and insert the screws on the marks at a slight downward angle into the wall at least 3/4" deep. Be sure enough of the screw head protrudes to catch the hooks, wire, or frame.

Now stand back and admire your accomplishment. Have questions for John? He will answer each question via email and post one question and answer every week.

Vintage Modern Chairs — by Guest Dad Dutch

Henry David Thoreau, looking back on his time at Walden Pond, once wrote, "I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society." This line is often quoted by people who aren't talking about chairs, but about bringing a greater sense of simplicity to their lives. When my wife quotes it to me, she is talking about chairs. A few months ago I heard it while sitting in the backseat of our Volkswagen Jetta with the dog on one side of my daughter's car seat and my wife behind the wheel. In the passenger seat was a vintage George Nelson Coconut Chair in near-perfect condition purchased for a few dollars at a flea market across the state of Michigan from our home in Detroit. "Another chair," she said, shaking her head. We'd repeat that arrangement with Eames armchair shells and broken Bertoia wire chairs and once a set of seven Steelcase side chairs I bought for a dollar at a community college liquidation auction. "How many chairs do you guys have now?" My in-laws will ask when they visit us. We don't know for sure. I just know we now have more chairs than we have friends.

It all started when I was at the National Academy of Sciences' "yard sale" in Golden Gate Park several years ago. The old natural history museum was cleaning out its buildings before renovations, and selling all the stuff from the basement. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get a 6-foot tall stuffed Emu back to my house when I spotted three vintage Wassily chairs over in a corner buried under a pile old geological maps. Unfortunately, two extremely gay men spotted them at about the same time I did, and we were each able to grab only one. Lucky for them, they were a couple, so they got a matching pair. But me, I was left with one $12 Marcel Breuer classic to drag the mile and a half home. My wife was five months pregnant and had no interest in helping me carry it (luckily, bent tubular steel and leather straps are light). As time went on, I just kept accumulating chairs. I simply can't pass up an Eames shell for less than $10, and here in Herman Miller country, they are everywhere.

It recently got to the point where I had to stop buying chairs. There just wasn't enough room. So I just started buying smaller chairs. With a 2-year-old and another one on the way, I felt completely justified in giving them comfortable and stylish places to sit around the house. Of course, I refuse to pay more than a few dollars for any chair, especially kids ones. It is nearly criminal to make your kids sit on IKEA when there are so many great kids chairs out there that are so affordable. The best thing about kid's chairs is that they are only useful to anyone for a few years, so there's a lot of turnover and that keeps the prices down. Plus, they're cheaper than adult furniture to ship. When Gabrielle asked if I'd be a "guest dad" on her site, my mind went immediately to writing about how many cool kids chairs are available on eBay for pretty cheap. The following are some of my favorites: Alexander Begge designed several versions of these plastic "Panton-esque" chairs for the Italian company Casalino (Casala in Germany), starting in 1970:



They sell for outrageous prices at high-end vintage design stores (up to more than $200 each) but I have seen them at flea markets and thrift stores for as little as $5 and on eBay for as cheap as $9.99. I have four orange ones, but I've also seen them in black white, red, and yellow. Search on eBay for keyword "Casalino" (that word is embedded in the plastic, and even the most unsophisticated eBay seller will use that word to describe the chair). Oftentimes you can buy a set of three or four. Another favorite of mine is the Rene Bertoia child-sized wire side chair:



When Isamu Noguchi first designed his small cyclone side table, Knoll decided to manufacture a limited number of its classic Bertoia wire side chairs scaled down to kid size. The chair and the table made great companions, and you can still find them all the time on eBay. Search eBay for keywords "bertoia child." There's usually some competitive bidding for these, but you can find a good deal if the seller doesn't know what they are, so also try "wire child chair" or "wire kid's chair." If identified as Bertoia or Knoll, they sell for anywhere from $80 to $350 depending on condition. I've seen them go to savvy bidders for as low as $14.99. Another popular and widely available modern kid's chair is Cosco's spaceage 1970s child seat seen here:



Ever since this chair made an appearance on Bravo's "Top Design" (with Jonathan Adler telling the contestant who put it in his room on a pedestal, "that chair is hot!") the price of these things on eBay has skyrocketed, usually anywhere between $25 and $70, depending on the color and the condition. This light green seems to be the most common. I have seen this chair at antique stores for as little as $10. They are fairly common, and interestingly they were originally intended for use as car booster seats. There's a brand new deadstock version of it on eBay right now for $9.99 (1 bid) with the box and literature that show its original use as a car seat. So if you were born in the 1970s, this may be how your parents protected you in the back seat. Search keywords "Cosco vintage" or "Cosco seat." One of my favorite mid-century designers was Paul McCobb; his stuff is less easily-identified and therefore usually easier to find as a deal. He made a great woven child's chair back in the fifties that I've seen in antique stores and on eBay, though the seller who keeps posting it on eBay wants $125. Still, it's a beautiful chair. I love the legs:



Now, I'll admit none of these chairs are really that spectacular. The real pleasure is regularly searching eBay for the keywords "eames child." Eames has long been a buzzword on eBay for pretty much everything created between 1945 and 1985 that's even remotely modern-looking. The results usually range from chairs like the classic real Eames design pictures below to this adorable (and much more affordable) woven rocker.



Finally, my absolute favorite way to find cool kids chairs on eBay is to search for variations of the keywords "school chair" or "vintage school chair." There have been so many cool chairs used in schools over the last fifty years, and they are almost always dirt-cheap on eBay. Modern school chairs come in all kinds of molded plywood, fiberglass, and steel and plastic varieties. Sometimes you can even find Heywood Wakefield school chairs for a few dollars. I love these chairs ($9.99 for both right now):



We have a half dozen kind of like those. I used to tend to do local eBay searches for chairs like this in order to avoid shipping, though I always found a few here and there at junk shops, too. Just yesterday afternoon, the kid (who started preschool a couple weeks ago) dragged out all her chairs and set them up in her bedroom like a classroom, with a stuffed animal on each one. I knew right then I was in trouble, because she had more chairs than stuffed animals. I figured it was about time to give away all my secrets.


Note from Design Mom:
Curious about Dutch's chairs? You can get a glimpse of the collection here — a Design*Sponge sneak peek into the Sweet Juniper home.

Meet Dutch

Ten bucks says it's going to be another great weekend. Let's start it off with a post from our Guest Dad, Dutch, author of the super-famous blog Sweet Juniper. But first, a quick introduction.

Liz in San Francisco, first told me about Sweet Juniper, and with one visit I was hooked. I quickly put up a SJ blog button in my "Design Mom Recommends" section so you could get hooked too. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do.

I don't know a ton of details about Dutch. But I do know that formerly he was a lawyer and that currently he titles himself a Gentleman of Elegant Leisure. I also know that his wife, Wood, keeps a binder for him labeled Feuds, where she keeps track of all the fights he gets in. I think that makes her a really good wife.

And now, enjoy his Guest Dad post, because it's excellent. And he's a busy man, so we're only going to get this one post. But it's a really, good post and we'll take it.

Thanks, Dutch!

Thank you Ryan

The response to our first Guest Dad was overwhelming. And all positive. Ryan did an amazing job. His posts were interesting, thought-provoking, inspiring and just plain cool. And clearly, we couldn't get enough.

Ryan's lovely wife, Erin, said that when she read his guest posts it was like falling in love with him all over again. And the response from Design Mom Readers indicates that all the women reading here are right there with her.

Thank you, Ryan, please know you're welcome back anytime.

Got Milk? — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Today is Saturday. Perfect weather. A good day for a run.

But first, some M.I.L.K.

M.I.L.K. (Moments of Intimacy Laughter & Kinship)

Erin & I first saw this stunning photography collection outside the Sydney Opera House. We've been fans of them ever since. M.I.L.K began as a global photography competition in search of "extraordinary and geographically diverse images portraying humanity’s Moments of Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship." 17,000 photographers, both amateur and professional, participated from 164 countries. The winners' photos have been published in three books and continue to be exhibited across the globe:
When we first saw this exhibition, we were so moved that we bought 12 copies of each book to give to family and friends. The complete work captures every detail of the beauty of real-life. It's really photography at its best.

And now... for the run:

My 3 favorite running/work-out songs - "Right Here, Right Now" by Fat Boy Slim, "Belsunce Breakdown" by Bouga & "Jump Around" by House of Pain (I've mixed them together below with my morning workout routine):



(Erin is the marathon runner in our family so her favorites may have more credibility: "Chocolate" by Snow Patrol, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane & "Starry Eyed Surprise" by Paul Oakenfeld)

Hang Up — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

I take a ton of photos. Even my 4 year old gives me that "don't you dare take another photo of me, dad!" look. I'm obsessive, I realize.

In the new house, I want photos to be the focal artwork on our walls. I'm not sure exactly how to accomplish this. I don't want the walls to feel cluttered. Here are a few ideas I have... anything you could add would be helpful.

I want to do one large wall with a ton of pictures grouped together, all different sizes in thin black frames, cascading from the center outward. My inspiration is a wall I saw in Barney's last year... I took a photograph of it (left).

This way I could use a lot of photos in one dramatic setting.

Should they all be black & white? Or do you like the color?

I would also like to group 3 large square black and white photos together, each of one of my kids in thin black frames. These could go in the family room or hallway. I'm thinking of these 3 photos below: In the dining room, I'd like to lean one extra-large photo against the wall, sitting on top of our long, low tibetan chest. Thinking of this one (again, b&w or color??):


I would also like to put a shot of each kid in their own bedroom. Ella's photo would be one large photo: For Jack, I'm thinking of doing 4 different effects of the same photo in a line, each in an individual black square frame: For Max's room, a close-up head shot...

The idea of all this is to use our photos to personalize our home as the art on our walls.

I saw this photo on Apartment Therapy recently and loved it. I like the idea of old photos lined up like this. Between Erin & I we have 13 siblings... maybe place old photos of each of them like this? We have one very long wall in the basement...

PRINTING The best place I've found for high quality large-scale hi-fi color prints is called Pictopia. You email them a digital image file and in a few days they mail back a magnificently large, utterly crisp, remarkably stable, frameable print.

The sizes range from small up to a giant 4 feet by 10 feet! And compared to other processes for making large images, their prices are cheap.
Another way I've used to display photos is to print them in a photo book. And rather than arranging various pics on each page, like a scrap book, I use one photo to take up the entire page, like a coffee-table book. It's a stunning effect.

The past few years we have used Shutterfly.com and iPhoto to create books for ourselves and our family. If you need more than 100 pages, try Blurb. It also has so many options and is easy to load and arrange, and prints up to 400 pages.

Interior Overhaul — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

I'd rather talk about ideas than stuff. But selfishly, while I have the attention of a few thousand designer women, I need your help.

We're moving house this summer and I'm ready for a complete interior overhaul. I want to simplify, un-clutter and re-load.

Generally, the direction we're aiming for is a mixture of sophisticated modern and Danish/American mid-century, offset with a few timeless pieces we have collected from the different countries we have lived in.

My favorite store for interior inspiration is Liberty in London - a perfect combination of both eclectic and practical furniture, housewares, linens, clothing... practically everything. I would love to just move in there. I also like Graham & Green in the UK. ABC Home & The Conran Shop are my favorites here in NY.

It's important to me that our home doesn't feel like one specific era or catalogue selection. So many of the mid-Century or modern interiors I've seen lack a sense of individuality to me. I want our home to feel like us. A combination of old and new; simple standards complimented by a few stand-out pieces.

Living Room (Medium-dark hardwood floors, lots of light, Seattle Gray painted walls)
(Sofa - Audrey Sofa by Gus; Green linen armchair - Anthropologie; Danish armchair - One Collection; Lamp - Anthropologie; Pillows - Conran & Virginia Johnson)

My favorite piece here is the Danish armchair by Finn Juhl. Designed in 1942, the One Collection group in Copenhagen continue to manufacture what I think is a design masterpiece.

Also in the room will be our black grand piano, modern iron side table and an antique chinese medicine cabinet. We also have a few old kilims & carpets that could fit somewhere, but I'll have to see the room furnished first.

What do you think of the color schemes here? Brown, wood & green?? Something about it feels both comfortable and sophisticated to me. But I may be over-biased because I like each of the pieces individually so I WANT them to work together. So tell me the truth.

Do I need a coffee table here?? Any good suggestions?

Dining Room (medium-dark hardwood floors, wallpaper - below)


(Wallpaper - Damask by Farrow & Ball & The Inspiration Gallery; Dining chairs - Tolix cafe chairs by Graham & Green)

Wallpaper: I want something both traditional and modern... which the French always do best. So I'm thinking a Damask design that fades into the background. The other option is to do something much more bold, i.e. a large Damask black & white pattern. Thoughts?

I love these Tolix chairs, originally designed for Parisian outdoor cafe's by Xavier Pauchard in 1933. We have an antique dark wooden dining table from Indonesia that these will fit perfectly around. They will make the dining room feel less formal with a twist of vintage era. In addition to the table & chairs will be our long, old, ornately colorful Tibetan chest, which will add character to the room.

Family Room (Seattle Gray painted walls, burlap carpet) (Sofa - Ellipse by Conran; Shelves - Sundance; Herman Miller Lounge chair; Herman Miller Rocker)

Do you think these shelves fit alongside the other modern pieces? I like the drama they bring into the room. The Herman Miller Rocker is by DWR but Modernica also does a version that is fiberglass. I tend to like the fiberglass one which feels a bit more original. Which do you like best?

Kitchen

These Tolix bar stools will sit at an extra-wide granite bar in the kitchen. They compliment the dining room chairs.

I also like this Stendig Calendar for the kitchen wall or adjoining mud room.

Floors
Most of the house is wood floors, which we like. For comfortable living however, we're considering putting carpet down in the family room, TV room, basement (playroom) and in the kids' bedrooms. I don't want traditional plush carpet though. Something a bit more consistent with the wood floors. Burlap-esque but still comfortable. I found this at ABC... any other thoughts?

Worsted Stria (left) from ABC CARPET.








More... A few other things I like but not necessarly for this phase:

That's it. Whew. Sorry that was so long.

Ryan

Inspiration — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Music is the emotions business. I get paid to know what people want to feel. I'm not selling songs — I'm selling how you feel about the song when you hear it. And that emotion, whatever form it may take, must be powerful enough to make you want to SHARE it.

Expectations are very high. Every artist wants to be different — that's what keeps them relavent. I have to be constantly innovative, pushing the envelope, creating change without losing the emotion. It's a delicate balance. I've worked with both JT and Britney since they were 15. We've probably been through two dozen re-inventions since then (Britney obviously took re-invention a bit too far! Not my fault). And just as many with Christina over the past 5 years. I am constantly faced with finding new ways to be understood, new ways to deliver emotion, and new ways to engage.

I'm not always right. I swore that Il Divo would never see the light of day in America. Ouch.

It's not rocket science. I work almost entirely from intuition. I have no degree in marketing or music. My ideas are a collection of pieces stolen from my surroundings... inspiration is everywhere.

So what inspires me?

I get asked that a lot.

I find it mostly in watching people - both in quiet moments when people are more human, and in chaos, when the animal comes out. I find it in the arts — music, film & photography. I find it when I travel, in mis-translations and different cultures. And of course, I find it in my kids.

I also find a great deal of it on the world-wide-web. Where? Here are a few places I visit for inspiration on the web, as well as some of my favorite recent finds:

1. PopURLs There is so much information on-line nowadays... none of us have enough time. Enter PopUrls, a meta-site that summarizes up-to-the-minute headlines from the world's leading consensus filters, and top thumbnail images from the social sites Flickr, YouTube, and Google Video. Essentially, a collection of what the web majority thinks is either popular or interesting.

In five minutes I can scan 18 social site sources thoroughly. I get a strong feel for what is new, what people are looking at, and what is worth following up on. It's not just news, it's imagery, music, trends... it's stimulation and culture direction.

There's no better way to watch the world changing.

2. Beyond Madison Ave
I read a lot of blogs. Some random, some design, some political, others marketing and innovation based. BMA is a marketing blog that keeps me interested most days. For starters, it's a great place to find new TV or viral ads. They have a specific "Ads We Like" section that is updated regularly with creative & entertaining visuals. Here are some of my recent favorites:
3. 3 Billion
There are 3 Billion people under the age of 25 on this planet. That's over half the world's population. What are they doing? What fascinates them? What makes them tick? What are they buying?

3 Billion is a research group focused on decoding this fickle demographic. I'm fascinated by the research they do and their findings.

They recently released this video: The threebillion Random Youth Facts'n'Stats Video - Volume One
4. The Future According to Intel:
The future always inspires me...
5. Ted Talks
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a group for thought-leaders and movers & shakers, focused on the latest ideas in technology, entertainment and design. Once a year they gather together in California, hosting some of the world's most fascinating people to present, share and learn together.

TED has recently teamed up with BMW to share some of the most remarkable TED Talks online. Every week, a new talk is published on their site. Speakers range from Bill Clinton to Malcolm Gladwell.

You can also search through their archives or subscribe to the talks on iTunes as either an audio or video podcast. Perfect for long commutes, flights or anywhere your iPod goes.

Sir Ken Robinson discusses the state (or mis-state) of Education below. I like what he has to say:

What Men Want (but don't know they want) — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Father's Day is approaching. And women everywhere are asking themselves "what does he really want?" My wife, Erin, thinks I'm very difficult to buy for. One, because she thinks I've already purchased anything I want for myself. And two, because I'm extremely picky - her words. But I think the truth is that most men simply don't know what they want. And if they do, it's a boat or a small island somewhere — not suitable for a Father's Day gift. So here are my Top gift ideas for men this year:

1. Clip wallet ($45):

I hate thick wallets that I'm forced to stuff in my back pocket and sit on all day. Since most men carry (and some sleep with) a blackberry (or some form of PDA), wallets no longer need to carry information - just a few credit cards, ID and some cash. I use a thin, durable Tumi wallet that has 3 pockets for cards on one side and a money clip on the other for bills. It disappears easily into my front pocket.

2. Moleskin Notebooks:

"MOLESKINE is the legendary notebook, used by artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin. A family of notebooks for different functions, Moleskines have become a symbol of contemporary nomadism. Professionals and creative types alike enjoy the high standard of quality and durability of the Moleskine Notebooks." I have one of every size. I use them for notes at work, lyrics at the piano, and ideas/thoughts when I travel. They have every configuration of size, lining & pockets. They are durable, simple, masculine & sophisticated all at once.

3. NikeID - Design His Shoes Now you can design your man's shoes exactly how he likes them. NikeID allows you to personalize shoes by choosing from dozens of shape, color, texture, logo and design options.

4. Books - If your man likes to read (and if he doesn't, give him these and he will!) my recommendation for guys are: Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, Exodus by Leon Uris, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

5. Clean Him Up - Men generally don't know how to clean themselves (and yet we take VERY long showers). The best body-care products for men, in my humble opinion, are:
* Shaving: It's all about The Art of Shaving. They have a 4 step process that makes shaving actually enjoyable. They have the best brushes, lathering cream and pre-shaving oil I've ever used.

* Deodorant: First, whatever Deordorant he wears MUST be fragrance-free. Men should never smell like their deodorant. If anything, they should smell like their cologne. The smoothest, best-acting deordorant I've found is Anthony's Logistics for Men ($12).

* For soaps (shampoo, face cleasners, body wash, etc.), I use everything Khiels. One of my favorites in the morning is Facial Fuel. Designed specifically for men, it's the perfect wake-up your face energizer.



6. Bose Headphones ($299):

These headphones make even the longest flights enjoyable. The noise cancellation works great to turn off the world around you. Perfect for the Soundtrack of Your Life.

7. Cologne - It's time to move your man away from his favorite high school smell. My all time favorite smell for men is Vetiver Oriental by Serge Lutens - striking. Masculine without smelling like aftershave. Sophisticated but uncomplicated. Delicious. It's difficult to find in the US though (aedes, apothia, lacremebeauty, or at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman & selected Neiman Marcus stores. In Canada, try theperfumeshoppe.) I also like Burberry "Touch", Hermes "Terre" and Comme Des Garcon.

8. Vintage Rolex
OK, I realize this is more than you expected to spend for Father's Day, but for those of you looking for something super duper special, a defining lifetime signature piece for the greatest man in your life (no, that's NOT your father), here it is. C'mon, he deserves it! Mine is from 1973, the year I was born. The green face has become one of my trademarks. When I see another one, I know I've met an immediate friend. They're not easy to find - some antique watch dealers carry them. I found mine at Bergdoff Goodman in NYC. They carry a line of re-furbished originals with re-painted faces in a variety of unique bold colors.

9. Cool Tools - Check out Kevin Kelly's blog for other gift ideas. I love this site...it's addicting.

The Soundtrack of Your Life — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Sometimes music is simple. Energy on the dance floor, in the car, at the gym, moving through me like metabolism. Pure, uncomplicated entertainment. Lyrics? Secondary. It’s all about the groove.

Have you noticed though that if you listen to a song in the rain, it sounds and feels different? It’s heavier. More meaningful. And the lyrics begin to sink in. Certain songs were meant to be played in the rain. Or at night. Or in the city. Or in the Summer. Or in transition. Sometimes to forget. Sometimes to hold on. Songs for beginnings, or ends. For sad, or angry, or beautiful.

All good songs are better songs in the right mood.

And then, like magic, that’s when a stranger's poetry becomes my story, for me. And your story, for you. And then music is simple no longer - because our stories are never simple.

So that’s how I organize what I listen to: by mood. My life is a movie and every scene requires the perfect background music: the soundtrack of my life.

Everyone needs one. It makes you feel special, from black & white to technicolor. Your soundtrack makes even the most mundane tasks an academy award winning performance. Your movie is an epic drama, sci-fi thriller (if you have children) and music video all in one. You'll never unload the dishwasher the same again :-).

So, here are some excerpts from my soundtrack that you may consider for the soundtrack of YOUR life. Some are older, some newer. They can all mean different things to different people. But however you use them, I promise they will make your movie more colorful.

BRANDI CARLILE - The Story

She sings unpretentious poetry. Perfect for a road trip. Or a slideshow.



Brandi was first featured in Grey's Anatomy...

HELLOGOODBYE - Here In Your Arms

Think infectious happiness. This is my 2007 summer song. Windows down, singing along, happy-to-be-alive song.

JOSE GONZALEZ - Heartbeats

First used in this Sony Bravia advert below. He has become one of my favorites since.

VINCENT DELERME - Veruca Salt

You don't have to speak French to understand this song. It has a way of turning into anything you want it to be. A slow-motion every day moment with your favorite person in the sound track of your life. Keren Ann is singing with Vincent (check her out as well, she has mastered melancholy French to a perfection).



ANA CAROLINA & SEU JORGE - Blower's Daughter

My two favorite films of all time are both from Brasil: The City of God & Central do Brasil (Central Station). The first is too violent for any nice normal person reading Gabby's blog. But the second is perfect for anyone any age. If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't live a day longer without it. You can find it at Netflix or in any Blockbuster Foreign Film section. Brasilian music is just as beautiful. Ana Carolina & Seu Jorge are two of the best, here singing together my favorite song of last year.


SERGE GAINSBOURG - Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'en Vais

One of the greatest French artists of all time. That's a bold statement, I realize. Any Gainsbourg song can take you to Paris if you close your eyes. And not the slurpy tourist Paris, but the eccentric we're-the-center-of-fashion-and-art-and-the-world Paris. This particular song kills me. Listen closely to hear the background tears. Perfect for any break-up scenes in your movie.


WILL YOUNG - All Time Love

For any romantic, this is the perfect love song for your soundtrack.



NANA MOUSKOURI - Pauvre Rutebeuf

My father played this record for us over and over when we were young. It has become the most nostalgic song of my past, and one of my all time favorites.



TIMBALAND feat. One Republic - Apologize

Yes, this is the same 'Justin Timberlake' Timbaland. He's a genius writer/producer. This is one of his newest...

Welcome Ryan Wright!

I know this site is generally geared toward women, but we make no effort to hide the fact that we love men around here. And although men have contributed with comments, links, and great ideas from the beginning, today is the first time we're officially putting out the welcome mat. Let's give a great big Design Mom Welcome to Ryan Wright, our first Guest Dad.

Ryan in brief:
He was raised in Southern California. He now lives in New York and works for Sony BMG Music where he's the Vice-President of Global Marketing. He's married to Erin. He's the father of 3.

Now the details:
I've known Ryan and Erin for 3 or 4 years now. And that's how I think of them: Ryan and Erin the couple. And they're kind of an intimidating couple. Erin might be the prettiest real life person I know. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she's not airbrushed, she's actually real. She's that pretty. And Ryan just oozes cool and confidence, so much so that when you first meet him, you think he might be famous and you might recognize him from somewhere. Like I said, they're kind of intimidating. And then you have a conversation with them, and discover that their both super smart and incredibly kind, and you think you've just a hit the jack pot of wonderful people to know.

And since both are intensely interested in the people around them, they are so fun to talk with and the ideal people to have at any gathering. If the Wrights are at your party, you know it will be a good one.

I've mentioned a few times that it's going to be a Rocking Month. And I don't know anyone who works more closely with Rock Stars than Ryan Wright. It's going to be a great week.