Midweek Covet: Semiprecious Tableware by Rablabs

top to bottom: Kiva Platters / Lumino Coasters / Kiva Platter in Zebra Jasper
[photos via Rablabs]

Sorry for the late-night post, but aren't these beauties worth the wait? Designed by Anna Rabinowicz, Rablab's colorful collection of home accessories are crafted by artisans in the U.S. and Brazil in semiprecious materials like agate, amethyst, jasper and calcite.

Each item Rablabs creates, from clocks down to napkin rings, is a striking interpretation of natural elements, but it's the gilded and silvered objects that have got a hold on me. (I can be a bit of a magpie sometimes.) The colorful Kiva Platters, edged in sterling or 24-karat gold, are $380 to $420, but the Lumino Coasters are slightly more attainable at $120-$140 for a set of four.

Trash Lookbook by Aleksandra Zaborowska

all photos by Aleksandra Zaborowska [via Behance Network]

A profile on Behance (ever a source of inspiration) led me to the website of Polish photographer Aleksandra Zaborowska. And that is where I read that she was born in 1991. Seriously? Aren't children of the '90s supposed to be sucking their thumbs and watching Power Rangers? I feel old!

In any case, the young student of The Leon Schiler National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz shot this playful lookbook for Polish brand Trash. The photography couldn't be a better fit for the (quite literal) King Kong-themed collection. If this doesn't put a smile on your face, then I give up.

Home Office Week: The Desk Accessories

The Container Store Brocade Desk Collection (clockwise from top left): Magnet Board / Magazine File / Desktop File / Letter Sorter / Pencil Cup / Stackable Letter Tray

We've seen the inspiration; we've seen the desks; now, let's cap off Home Office Week with the nitty-gritty world of desk accessories.

It's a given that the right tools will keep you hyper-organized, but there's no harm in a little whimsy while you work, is there? The accessories I've found represent the best of form following function, but fellow Type As be warned: these products may leave you in a bit of a frenzy.

Home Office Week: The Desks

Richard's Metal Trunk Desk by Restoration Hardware

Now that we've been inspired by some insanely beautiful and insanely organized home work spaces, it's time to focus in on the details. First up: the desk.

There's perhaps nothing more conducive to productivity than a comfortable, well-kept desk, and there are certainly some beauties out there. So many, in fact, that I've divided my picks into four separate categories. Read on to view and shop modern marvels, ornate antiques and everything in between.

Home Office Week: The Inspiration

Clean mid-century influence [via Elle Decor] / Glam in black, gold and lucite [via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles] /
Bright Morrocan flair [via Houzz]

It's Home Office Week here at The Well-Appointed Catwalk because... well, it's my blog, and I say so. I figured you're being bombarded by fashion from every angle now that show season is in full swing, so why not take this opportunity to delve into an oft-ignored space? Besides, Mr. Catwalk has been in search of a new desk, and it has me thinking.

A home work space, big or small, can do wonders for productivity, yet it's one of the last rooms (or nooks) into which we put any thought. Exhibit A: I'm writing this from the couch while the Mr. types away in our office/spare bedroom/all-purpose storage closet. Oh, it's also the room where I hang my underthings and yoga pants to dry for approximately a week before I get my act together and put them away.

Of course, there are plenty of OCD-types roaming the Interwebs who seem to have their shit together in this regard, and here's the photographic evidence. We mere mortals may never achieve this level of organization and beauty in a home office, but a decent new desk is a start, right?

Click through for more inspiration, and stay tuned this week for all the little details that go into making a work space worthy, from desks down to tape dispensers.

Snoopy Around the World

photos by Alberto Rizzo [via AnOther Magazine]

Back in 1990, long before the fashion world's love affair with Ms. Piggy, designers were flirting with another well-known anthropomorphic star. You may know him as Charlie Brown's beloved beagle, but for one glorious year, Snoopy was a fashion darling, traveling the world in head-to-toe couture along with his sister Belle.

No fewer than 150 designers took part in the project, dressing Snoopy and Belle for a coffee table book in celebration of Peanuts' 40th anniversary. Snoopy Around the World: Dressed by Top Fashion Designers is still available on Amazon for just $4.06, but AnOther is sharing photos from a copy found in an editor's office. Just in time for the Fall/Winter 2013 shows, here's Snoopy as you've never seen him before...

Snowy Street Style at New York Fashion Week

top two  photos by YoungJun Koo/I'M KOO [via New York Magazine] / bottom photo by Tommy Ton [via Style.com]

I may not envy their slush filled escapades around Lincoln Center, but I have to give credit where credit is due. While I hibernated through Nor'Easter Nemo with a mug of hot cocoa and Bravo reruns, New York Fashion Week attendees slogged through the storm... and looked damn good doing so.

Midweek Covet: Lighting by Christopher Boots

Prometheus by Christopher Boots

Maybe some day I'll choose to surround myself with gilded antiques; that kind of predilection seems to come with age. For now, though, modern elegance is more my speed, which is why Christopher Boots' chandeliers are so appealing.

Incorporating quartz crystals and warm LED bulbs, Boots' Prometheus, Prometheus III and Diamond Ring are formal chandeliers that eschew the fussiness, a cheeky answer to the cut crystal of generations past. They are also among the first purchases I'll make when I earn my millions and build my own Barbie dream house. 'Cause I hear that happens to writers all the time...

Boots is based in Victoria, Australia, but his designs are available stateside for a pretty penny at THE NWBLCK.

Review: i'm Watch

SPONSORED POST 

If you're of my generation, you probably remember Inspector Gadget. More importantly, though, do you remember Penny's wristwatch? You know, the one that let her make calls and shoot laser beams and was kind of a rip off of Dick Tracy's? Well, it's finally here. OK, maybe not the laser beams, but the i'm Watch does pretty much anything else you can imagine.

Launched at CES last month by Italian brand i'm, the latest version of the i'm Watch connects via bluetooth to your iPhone or Android smartphone to let you answer calls, listen to music and view text messages, photos, calendar appointments and emails from a curved, HD touchscreen on your wrist.

The watch even has its own app store, i'm Market, where users can choose from hundreds of music, lifestyle and office apps including  Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And the i'm Cloud platform means that all of these apps can be managed directly from your smartphone.

I had a fairly easy time setting up my i'm Watch, which was a gift from i'm for purposes of this review. As a Mac user, though, I noticed that I was unable to launch the instructions directly from my computer once I connected the watch to my laptop with the included USB cable. Not the end of the world - I simply navigated to the manual from the i'm website, selected my country, set the date and time, and registered my watch online.

Then it was time to calibrate! Don't ask me what this means or what actually happened here, but in some sort of i'm Watch mating dance, I was instructed to roll the watch around my coffee table, rotate it in every conceivable direction three times and spread my feathers while hopping on one foot. Whatever I did seemed to work: I have since connected my watch to my iPhone seamlessly via bluetooth and have had no issues answering calls, reading emails and receiving texts. Easy peasy!

As a fashion accessory, there's nothing terribly sleek about the i'm Watch. The band is thick and the face is clunky, but it fits right in with the arm candy trend that just will not die. It comes in a veritable rainbow of candy colors starting at $349, as well as in silver and various shades of gold. (If you're willing to drop a cool $19,990, you can even purchase a diamond-encrusted white gold version.)

Anyone in the market for the i'm Watch should remember that it needs to be within range of your smartphone to work via bluetooth. So, if you're looking to minimize what you carry on your morning run, this isn't your solution. But it is ideal for answering calls while you drive since it allows you to leave your phone in your pocket, purse or glove compartment. It's also perfect for those people who never seem to hear their phones ringing from deep within a handbag (ahem... Mom!).

For more information on the i'm Watch and to view the collections, visit the i'm website at imsmart.com/en.

*This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. Read about my policies regarding sponsorship here.