Is there any space more sacred than a teenage girl's bedroom? Ideally, it's a place for homework, primping, preening, and escaping (from parents). When Clementine (she's the daughter of Gardenista editor Michelle) was envisioning the design for her new bedroom, which she moved into two years ago, she wanted it to be "peaceful and simple. And dreamy." We think she succeeded; here's how you can get the look:

Photos by Katie Newburn for Remodelista.

Above: The Vintage Fleur Chandelier is from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child; $229.

Above: Clementine made the multilayered paper wall flowers herself using a template from the Web (for something similar, go to My Crafty Life) and standard 8-by-11-inch printer paper.

Above: A simple Lab Flask ($8.50 from Amazon) serves as a vase for a sprig of greenery from the garden.

Above: For a similar hot pink throw, consider the Mohair Knee Rug in hot pink from NZ-based Mohairs and More (free international shipping); USD $126.50.

Above: The full-size Riley Headboard is $399 and the Brushed Canvas Slipcover is $199, both from Pottery Barn. A companion Box Spring and Mattress Set is $1,395.

Above: The 100 percent cotton full/queen Pom-Pom Tufted Quilt is on sale for $159.99 at Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

Above: A pair of Rabari Pillowcases from John Robshaw add just a hint of pattern; a set of two is $95.

Above: The Eames Fiberglass Shell Chair is $435 from Modernica.

Above: Clementine's bedside table lamp is vintage; for something similar, search Etsy's offerings; the Antique Cut Glass Boudoir Lamp with Glass Drops above is $46.

Above: The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Ballet White.

And to get the lowdown on Clemtine's collection of houseplants, go to Steal This Look: Houseplants in the Bedroom, Teen Edition on Gardenista.

There's nothing more unflattering than harsh, clinical lighting, particularly in a room with overhead fixtures casting shadows from above. Bright light might be the solution when it comes to reading, working, and creating, but an intimate atmosphere calls for a softer glow. Here's how to achieve a romantic ambience with a few quick moves.

According to Randall Whitehead, author of Residential Lighting: A Practical Guide, a balanced, well-lit room includes a mix of ambient, task, and accent lighting. We're focusing on ambient lighting here; read on for 10 solutions:

1. Incorporate glamorous bulbs for instant romance. UK designer Lee Broom's Crystal Bulbs (above), are hand blown from English full lead crystal with 24-karat gold-plated brass fittings; £109 each directly through Lee Broom. In the US, the Lee Broom Crystal Pendant Lamp is $398 from Anthropologie. Also consider Eric Therner's Diamond Lights (see more at High/Low: Cut-Crystal Light Bulbs).

2. Soften the room with a rosy glow. In a mostly white space, soft pink incandescent bulbs tucked into opaque glass shades or in table lamps can bring warmth into a room. The bulb's pink hue is pale, but it's wise to test the light in a room and against skin tone before fully committing. Sylvania Soft Pink 60 Watt Bulbs are $10.03 for a pack of two from Amazon.

3. Turn down the wattage. Reserve 75 and 100 watt bulbs for reading lamps and reduce the strength of principal lights in settings where a more romantic ambience is desired. Alternatively, fixtures on a dimmer easily alter the mood, extend the life of light bulbs, and conserve energy.

4. Avoid direct, overhead light. A pivoting wall lamp can function as either a task or ambient light depending on its location. Take Maison Martin Margiela's use of the Prouvé Potence Lamp at La Maison des Centraliens in Paris (above). Low hanging pendant lights in the bedroom, floor lamps, and recessed lighting all cast flattering light evenly into a room.

5. Go incandescent—if you can. If you're willing to compromise energy efficiency in a particular room, the full spectrum light offered by incandescent bulbs is preferred by some, including lighting designer Howard Brandston, who has been a longtime advocate of incandescent over halogen and fluorescent bulbs (read more of Brandston's views on lighting at the New York Times). As of this past January, however, incandescent bulbs are no longer being manufactured in the US; read about other soft lighting solutions in our recent post, The Great Light Bulb Debate.

6. Or stick with CFLs and LEDs. These bulbs are designed with soft light in mind and are comparable to 40 to 60W incandescents; the Philips 12.5W AmbientLED A19 Bulb gives off a bright but warm glow while maintaining its energy-efficient properties.

7. Consider luxe lighting; the smaller, evenly spaced bulbs of a chandelier disperse light softly through a room. See our post 10 Easy Pieces: Modern Chandeliers and Glass Globe Chandeliers for a total of 20 different options. Photograph from Living Above the Shop: Marche St. George in Vancouver.

8. Reduce the glare. The reflective coating of silver tip bulbs refract and redirect light to reduce glare and work well in base-up lighting fixtures or as a simple bare bulb. The A19 Silver Tip Bulb is $5 from Schoolhouse Electric and Bulbrite's Inside Frost Half Chrome 60W Bulb is $6.49 from Amazon.

9. Set the mood. Some bulbs, like Purely Products' Healthy CFLs, claim to boost happiness by generating negative ions that increase serotonin levels ($8 each); the Blues Buster Light Bulb emits light that mimics natural sunshine ($9.39 for a single 60W frosted bulb from Amazon.

10. Go elemental. In the end, nothing is more flattering than the flickering glow of candlelight. Consider sculptural Slowlight Candles from Belgium, Cire Trudon, or Astier de Villate candles. Photograph of The Apollo restaurant from Where the Divine Dine in Sydney.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on February 12, 2013 as part of our L'Amour issue.

For more ideas, browse our hundreds of Lighting posts, including World's Most Stylish Light Bulb, Version 002 and Remodeling 101: How to Choose an Overhead Light Fixture.

I throw exactly one party a year: Galentine's Day. It's my take—as borrowed from Leslie Knope—on the most romantic day of the year, except less inspired by glitter hearts, pink silk, and red roses, and more by…things I actually like.

The back-story: I'm the least-girly female I know. Everything I wear is pretty much a neutral-colored potato sack, and my at-home decorating palette follows suit. Nonetheless, I've always really loved the sentiment of Valentine's Day, and the simple notion of a day in which you can be intentional about showing people you care about them. Plus, it's remarkably rare that all of my good friends are in one place. What better occasion to invite over a big group of girls: a fun, funny, inspirational, and creative mix of old friends and newer acquaintances.

I wanted the aesthetic to feel really natural but still feminine, so I brought in tons of flowers with the help of Austin floral studio Gypsy Floral, a couple of geniuses who created impressive arrangements with Icelandic poppies, olives, ranunculus, silver leaf, tuberose, willow, garden roses, trailing jasmine, and giant quince branches.

I tried to keep everything else neutral and set the table with a simple white waffle table runner, semi-glazed Spanish terra cotta serving dishes (from an imports store in San Antonio), Wooden Plates from Brook Farm General store, and white taper candles in makeshift copper candle holders made from hardware pieces.

For the menu, I went with "anything not requiring a utensil": three tahini-based dips (smoky beet hummos topped with feta, pistachios, and dill; spicy sweet potato dip with almonds, goat cheese, and parsley; cilantro-jalapeno hummus with pine nuts and lemon), (heart-shaped!) brie with honey and figs, breads from Épicerie, coconut macaroons (shown), and raw coconut oil truffles.

I bought some sparkling wine and instructed my guests to bring something small to share—a drink, favorite cheese, or dessert. (At last year's party, things were a little less classy. Lesson learned: do not serve a menu of strictly sweets and red wine at a dinner party. People will pass out on your couch.)

And the best part: party favors! I made homemade loose tea by mixing rose petals, vanilla bean, and black tea, then wrapped it all up in bound tissue paper topped with a little stick of palo santo incense. It's a totally easy and inexpensive gesture, but looks impressive all stacked up in a basket by the door.

Galentine's Day recipes:

Smoky Beet Hummus

(Inspired by Linger's hummus plate)

2 large beets

2 cups cooked chickpeas (one rinsed, drained can)

1/4 cup tahini

Drizzle of olive oil

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Lemon

Sprinkling of dill, pistachios, and feta

Wrap the beets in foil and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. Let cool and purée everything in a blender or food processor; top with chopped dill, pistachios, and a handful of crumbled feta.

Spicy Sweet Potato Dip

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes

2 cups cooked chickpeas (one rinsed, drained can)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 cup tahini

2 cloves of garlic, peeled, and diced

1 lemon, juice and zest

Pinch of the following: smoked paprika, cumin, sea salt, and cayenne pepper

Sprinkling of flat parsley, almonds, and goat cheese

Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. Let cool and purée in a blender or food processor; top with chopped parsley, almonds, and goat cheese.

Jalapeño Cilantro Hummus

1 small jalapeño, seeded

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced

2 cups cooked chickpeas (one rinsed, drained can)

3 tablespoons of tahini

Handful of cilantro

Lemon

Pinch of salt

Sprinkling more of cilantro, as well as pine nuts or sesame seeds

Mince jalapeño and garlic cloves in a food processor or blender before adding other ingredients; top with chopped cilantro, lemon juice, pine nuts or sesame seeds.

For more entertaining ideas, take a tip from ceramicist Cécile Daladier in our posts Steal This Look: Parisian Oyster Party and Flight of the Bumblebee Celebration. For another mostly women event, have a look at the Retro Valentine's Workshop in Echo Park, which inspired Alexa's DIY Vanilla Bean Hearts.

Think outside the box (of chocolates): Here's a roundup of what our editors are hoping to get for Valentine's Day.

Above: Alexa has had her eye on the crocheted wool Hot Pink Hairy Pillow for a while now; $253 from A Detacher.

Above: Over on Gardenista, Lindsey Taylor test-drove a couple of bunches of roses from The Bouqs in Venice, CA, and called them The Best $50 Valentine's Day Roses You Can Order Online (plus they arrive in "great packaging that's tasteful and not embarrassing").

Above: From Austin, TX, perfumer Roux St. James, the limited edition Hotel Saint Cecilia Perfume evokes the landscape of the Hotel Saint Cecilia. "The scent of sweet tea white roses, cultivated from the hotel's garden, along with grass, wood, and musk, blended in honor of the hotel's namesake patron of music and poetry, predominate"; $100. See the grounds that inspired the fragrance at Landscape Architect Visit: The Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, TX.

Above: The fastest way to an aesthete's heart? Anything from Ted Muehling, including his silver fluted candlesticks; contact the NYC Ted Muehling store directly for ordering information.

Above: A waxed concrete Paved Lamp Base (small $68, large $88) with Pink Ceramic Light ($5) from Anthropologie would make a nice addition to the boudoir.

Above: The 3.5-inch Black Ceramic Heart Bowl is perfect for holding rings, earrings, and other Valentine's jewelry; $12 from JD Wolfe Pottery on Etsy.

Above: A once-in-a-lifetime investment: Lindsey Adelman's Branching Series 14-Mini Globe Cascading Chandelier with fade powder coating and pink mini globes; contact The Future Perfect for pricing.

Above: Josh Vogel of Blackcreek Mercantile has come out with a collection of Ebony and Holly Hand-Carved Hearts; contact him directly for ordering information.

Above: The made-in-India Domi Classic Pajama Set in 100 percent cotton voile is $147.

Above: San Francisco's enfant terrible designer Ken Fulk has just come out with his first product, a reboot of his favorite (but recently retired) 007 candle from Tocca. The Ken Fulk Candle ($50) features heavy smoky and leather overtones and is guaranteed to ignite romance (or at least the urge to drink a scotch and smoke a cigar). Photo by Alexa Hotz.

Still browsing? Have a look at all our recent Gift Guides.

Last week, on a snow escape in LA, my mother, sister, and I made a pilgrimage downtown to visit Dosa and inspect the overnight gentrification we'd been hearing about. "Well, this is a bit of ghost town," my mother said as we hobbled along gritty South Broadway. And then we spotted in quick succession, the sparkling new Acne Studios boutique and Hello LA on the side of very grand tower. We followed the greeting and found ourselves in the exalted lobby and cafe of the new Ace Hotel. "Now it feels like we're on vacation," my mother said, approvingly taking in the Ace's surprising mix of opulence, functionality, and wit. How we wish were still there.

Our photographer friend Laure Joliet dropped in on the Ace on a blue sky day just after we did, camera in hand. Here's her visual report (and apologies to all of you who are snowbound, we don't mean to torment you).

Photographs by Laure Joliet for Remodelista.

EXTERIOR & LOBBY 

Above: According to the Ace team, the Spanish Gothic design of its building, the 1927 United Artists theater and adjoining tower, was inspired by "Mary Pickford's love for the ornate detail and stone spires of Spanish castles and cathedrals." The 13-story structure served over the decades as Texaco's headquarters and, more recently, as as a Christian ministry center (complete with giant neon "Jesus Saves" sign, still intact). Reborn as the latest outpost of the Ace Hotel, it anchors a formerly barren stretch of Broadway in Downtown LA, now in the midst of a dramatic revitalization.

Above: The lobby's new doors are adorned with stenciling and original Gothic trefoils—the Ace way is to combine historic details with affordable contemporary flourishes, which it terms "a mixture of reverent awe and irreverent independence." The Ace LA is the sixth Ace (the upstart group also has locations in Portland, Oregon, NYC, Palm Springs, Seattle, and London).

Above: The entry has a cathedral-like feel. The extraordinary remodel and recasting of the building is the work of LA design collective Commune led by project designer Roman Alonso. Summarizing the three year project, he says, "We stripped down the interior of the tower and discovered a modernist, brutalist concrete structure. We recreated it from there, looking to LA's mishmash of  Gothic historic styles and also the work of LA modernists. We wanted it to be the voice of LA."

Above: A view of the lobby through a newly created arched entry with original restored plasterwork that once surrounded movie posters. The black and white tiles are cement.

Above: Pencil drawings by the Haas Brothers—28 year old twins in LA who collaborate on art and design—adorn the walls. "We asked them: if there were cave paintings of life in LA over the last 100 years, what would they look like?" says Alonso. They responded with graphite glyphs of missile-like floating palms, personalities (Diane Keaton, Ed Ruscha, Abbot Kinney), and local mountain ranges (visible over the front door). As with all Ace hotels, local artists and artisans were recruited to have a hand in all the details.

 Above: The reception desk was built by the Haas brothers using carved paneling salvaged from an office in the building; they carved their own swirling pattern into the wood and inset oil paintings of palm trees in the smog. 

Above: "The lobby was an exercise in covering up ugly ducts and mechanical stuff," confides Alonso. Commune inventively responded to the challenge by turning perforated metal into retail display areas. The grand looking paneled ceiling is a stage set of sorts: inexpensive black-painted homasote crowned with shelves that display theater books (accessed, if necessary, by ladder). My mother, sister and I were so taken with it all that we crowded into the lobby photo booth and then splurged on an Ace Sweatshirt (for my son whose nickname is Ace).

RESTAURANT 

Above: Commune restored the building's iron grillwork and entirely created a storefront for the in-house restaurant, LA Chapter. The checked sidewalk is original.

Above: LA Chapter is from the team behind Brooklyn hotspot Five Leaves. It's furnished with classic Thonet Banana chairs and custom tables with brass tops and Adolf Loos-style sconces. "It's meant to evoke a Viennese coffee house built in LA in the late 1920's," says Alonso.

Above: The coffee window—we recommend pairing a pot of Earl Gray with the house ginger cookies, which are both sweet and salty and the best any of us had ever tasted. More of the Haas brothers' drawings are visible in the restaurant—inspiring my artist sister to text her husband and alert him that she plans to start sketching all over their house.

Above: Patterned tiles—yet another detail we'd like to bring home, and it turns out we can. Inspired by the work of Brazilian artist Burle Marx, they're part of Commune's Sitio Collection from Exquisite Surfaces. (Have a look at Commune's wood floors from Exquisite Surfaces here.)

Above: A counter situated by the elevator has a stained glass view into the restaurant. The glass is the work of The Judson Studios, a fifth generation workshop in LA's Highland Park. Commune wanted to feature a Mondrian-esque design, but the local Historic Preservation Society (which oversees the landmarked theater) insisted on something Gothic—"so we blew up a Gothic design and turned it on its side," says Alonso. See more in our recent post Downtown LA's Splashiest New Restaurant.

MEZZANINE 

Above: Two sizes of tongue and groove paneling—3 inch and 9 inch—were used in the restaurant and stair that leads to a satellite sitting area. The woodwork is painted a dark green that reads almost as black—a shade modeled after Fine Paints of Europe's Color 7589. 

Above: The mezzanine overlooks the restaurant (and offers table service). The rattan chairs are vintage and the 1950s sofa is upholstered in a signature Ace material, recycled army tent fabric. 

Above: In lieu of lounging in the lobby, the mezzanine offers a variety of seating options.

ROOMS

Above: Witty DIY wallpaper: each landing is decorated with wheatpasted pages from old Hollywood scripts that provide a backdrop for stenciled signage.

Above: The guests rooms take their cues from the modernist designs of LA architect Rudolph Schindler, and also make great use of economical materials. Walls are paneled with homasote boards for warmth, texture, and sound proofing. (An age-old green material made of paper pulp—and a Schindler favorite—the panels are affixed with steel screws and leather construction washers.) The built-in furniture is inexpensive and durable MDF that's been stained black. Aside from the Noguchi globes, all of the lighting in the hotel is by Atelier de Troupe, one of our LA favorites.

Above: "We maintained as much of the original concrete, as we could; it had so much character," says Alonso. In contrast to the industrial ceilings, the beds have custom Mondrian-patterned Pendleton blankets, available from the Ace gift shop. The carpeting is in a midcentury color Commune dubbed "Grandma gold." There are a total of 182 rooms, and a lucky few come with acoustic Martin guitars.

Above: A double sink with a honed Carrara marble top rests on a steel base that was inspired by the balconies of the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany. The cross-handled faucets are unlacquered brass from Waterworks' .25 Collection. The custom mirrors each have a support that doubles as hook for hanging soap. The tissue box is stitched saddle leather made in Mexico for Commune.

Above: In order to incorporate showers into small guest rooms, the designers installed steel and glass partitions in place of walls. What looks like a shoeshine stool is the work of the Moreras, a father and son team in Culver City, who spent two years making more than 200 for the Ace. (The Morera Work Box, in a patchwork of woods and laminates, is available from the Commune Shop.) For more on the Ace bathrooms, see our recent Steal This Look.

Above L: The Do Not Disturb sign reinvented in particle board. Above R: A braided saddle leather TP holder. Handmade in Mexico, it hangs from a bolt and hook—"not the easiest thing to install," says Alonso, "It's secured to dry wall with blocking behind it. Like so much that's here, it really had to be engineered."

For reservations, go to the Ace Hotel.

We've loved and visited all of the Ace's outposts; have a look at our Ace Hotel posts, including the hotel that launched the look, the Ace in Portland, and the Ace Hotel Shoreditch, which opened in London this past fall.

A highly opinionated roundup of our favorite romantic, swoopy loveseats (we'd love to have one in our own boudoirs).

Above: The 2208 Sofa by Borge Mogensen, designed in 1963, is made to order; CA $6,486 from Mjolk in Toronto.

Above: The Ixelles Settee from Casamidy is available with a choice of bronze or silver-painted frame and a variety of fabrics. Contact Casamidy directly for pricing.

Above: John Derian's Dromedary Loveseat is $3,255 from Lekker Home.

Above: The Bespoke Settee from NYC-based Dmitriy & Co. features down-filled cushions and nailhead trim; contact Dmitriy for pricing information.

Above: The 5-foot-long Sorensen Upholstered Sofa from Restoration Hardware, inspired by the midcentury designs of Ole Wanscher, starts at $1,080 (Gardenista's Michelle owns this model and we've spent many an evening sprawled on it).

Above: The curviest midcentury classic around from Scandi designer Finn Juhl: the Poet Sofa is $8,500 from Design Within Reach.

Above: The Oscar Two-Seat Sofa is 86.25 inches long, 41 inches deep, and 29 inches high and is $4,620. It's available in linen, wool, and velvet in a range of colors from The Future Perfect.

Above: The 60-inch Murphy Sofa from Room & Board is $1,299 and is available in a range of fabrics.

For more sofa intel, see our posts:

• High/Low: The Curvy Sofa

• The Perfect White Sofa

• The Ultimate Architect-Designed Sofa

• Linen-Slipcovered Sofas

 • 10 Easy Pieces: Sleeper Sofas

The most beautiful movie ever made? If you ask me (or Martin Scorsese, actually), one of the contenders is surely Luchino Visconti’s Il Gattopardo ("The Leopard"), which stars Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon and revolves around the lives of an aristocratic Sicilian family in the mid 19th century. The story is epic—it takes place in the midst of civil war and revolution, and, boy, was Claudia Cardinale ever gorgeous back then in 1963. But you know what else was great about it? The curtains. That’s right, the curtains, specifically the net ones in the palazzo at the beginning.

Check out the way they flutter in the breeze against the scallop-edged awning, the way they're the perfect fresh counterpart to the crumbling ornate palazzo and the parched Sicilian landscape, the way they filter the harsh midday light and make rippling shadows over the exquisitely fading carpets. An ode to the net curtain. Sorry, it needs to be written.

Above: Patchwork N Curtains, designed by Marlies Spaan; €119 per meter from Frozen Fountain in Amsterdam.

But not the commonplace net curtain, that metaphor for British suburbia (alongside the garden gnome), which is constantly being twitched in order to see what the neighbors are doing. Nor indeed the office net curtains, those greasy fixtures of institutional "interior design" that smell of dead flies and always hang an inch or so above the window sill. No. I’m talking the type you see in a white-washed, blue shuttered house somewhere off a cobblestone street in the Aegean—the lovingly laundered, handmade lace ones that slightly sag at the top. Ditto the sort I recently spotted in the dimpled glass windows of a fisherman’s cottage in Clovelly, the privately owned village where no cars are allowed and donkeys are used to transport groceries, in North Devon.

Ditto again the traditional-seeming yet super modern ones you see hanging in so many of the elegant canal-side townhouses in Amsterdam. Suddenly normal curtains feel so…claustrophobic, so somber. Besides. If you live in a place like London where the sun so seldom appears, don’t you need all the light you can get? Voile, toile, lawn, even gazar—these are the fabrics of the future, so my friends in the fashion industry tell me. Sheer, sheer all the way. “Glass Curtains” as they were cleverly called by the Dutch in the early 19th century. But then, if you've ever visited Amsterdam you’ll see that looking in windows isn’t something you're not supposed to do. In fact, it is positively encouraged.

I may be biased here, it’s true. My grandmother was from Holland, I LOVE Holland: the language, the tulips, you name it. Surely, though, most people would agree that the Dutch, they intuitively get that whole modern/traditional thing , do they not? Case in point is Toord Boontje, the king of the modern net curtain with his whimsical lace and sometimes even paper designs, a very modern, very clever take on the kitschy doily of yore.

A modern take on an old trend, it always puts others pleasantly off guard. I’m thinking here of the net curtains by Glaswegian duo Timorous Beasties, whose offerings include a lace curtain to match the ironic flocked wallpaper called Devil Damask. Actually, we have it in the upstairs loo of our cottage in Wiltshire. My children's nanny, I know, secretly disapproves, but most guests are rather beguiled by it, and enjoy trying to spot the devil’s face in the design. And it all leads me  back to the dusty Sicilian landscape and the cypress trees and the insistent cicadas and that hot hot midday sun. Those delicate “glass” curtains fluttering in the febrile breeze.

Above: A net curtain installation by Dutch textile artist Claudy Jongstra.

Above L: Tord Boontje's Nectar Fabric. Above R: The easiest way to get lace into your life: the Until Dawn Curtain by TordBoontje for Artecnica is $155 from Amazon (it measures 96 by 42 inches). Photo of Annie Coggan's bedrom via Design Sponge.

Above: Timorous Beasties Devil Damask Lace is €72 per yard.

See more classics-on-acid designs here: Grand Thistle Wallpaper from Timorous Beasties.

Follow UK writer Christa D'Souza at @Christa_dsouza.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on February 13, 2013 as part of our L'Amour issue.

Recently, while browsing around my favorite florist shop, I noticed a clump of rare blooms dusted in a wintry heather gray. I picked one up. "Silver brunia," the floral expert informed. "Aren't they lovely?"

"Yes," I agreed as I reached for a blushing hydrangea nearby. "And what about this unusual cocoa-pink Queen Anne's Lace?'

"It's called 'Chocolate,'" she said. I smiled, and thus my Valentine's Day bouquet was born.

Photographs by Justine Hand.

Above: Taking advantage of the wide selection of unusual plants at Winston Flowers in Boston, I selected wintry hues and textures for my "homage to winter" Valentine's bouquet—adding just a touch of pink, of course.

Above: Though it reminds me of a snow-covered evergreen forest, Silver Brunia Nodiflora is actually native to South Africa. Available for purchase online at McMinnville Wholesale Flowers; $14.95.

Above: Creamy David Austen roses (which have an intoxicating smell) and false cypress also embodied the feel of the winter woods.

Above: To soften the spikier aspects of my arrangement and to add a bit of Victorian-era romance, I chose the soft, snowflake forms of pink hydrangeas and chocolate Queen Anne's Lace.

Above: Brunia does not require any special treatment, but as with all woody stemmed flowers, a long diagonal cut will allow it to draw more water. (This is also recommended for the hydrangeas and roses.)

Above: So as not to obscure the dynamic forms of the flowers—and to capture something of a wild feel—I left my winter romance bouquet loose and a little unruly.

Above: The heathered tint and ball-like structure of the silver brunia lend an enticing texture and contrast to the bouquet.

Above: A bit of hanging cypress and a reindeer antler found by my stepfather on the Alaskan tundra complete my wintry scene. 

Above: With fresh water everyday, my bouquet should see me through to Valentine's Day.

N.B. Want something more classic for Valentine's Day? Lindsey's find, the Bouqs Company's Roses, are among the best I've ever seen. Or if my winter romance arrangement is too traditional, try Janet's look featured in The Un-Pink Bouquet.

A onetime medieval French settlement is transformed into a bucolic bolthole by a couple from Amsterdam.

Located in Le Perche, a national park in the Basse-Normandie region, a few hours outside Paris, D'une Ile is a hotel comprised of nine cottages and a restaurant. Husband and wife team Michel Mulder and Sofie Sleumer (he's a professional chef and she's an interior designer) collaborated on the design of the rooms; the result is a perfect merging of their talents and a manifestation of what they love to do best. For more information, go to D'une Ile.

Photography by Studio Aandacht for Trend Tablet (except where noted).

Above: Owners Michel Mulder and Sofie Sleumer.

Above: Tables are set with vintage china.

Above: The cottages are dressed in vintage furniture and accessories. The couple restored much of the furniture themselves, and some pieces are for sale to guests.

Above L: A cozy kid's seating area with a sheepskin throw. Above R: Whitewashed walls and a reupholstered settee in green velvet.

Above: The mix of vintage finds lend the cottages a laid-back boho vibe.

Above: A bedroom featuring the original exposed beams with whitewashed walls and contemporary lighting. Photo by D'une Ile.

Above: An all-white bedroom with a vintage ladder as headboard.

Above: A roomy bathroom with a claw foot tub and old tile floor. Photo by D'une Ile.

Above: Exposed beams and hexagonal tile flooring can be seen throughout the buildings.

Above: The medieval enclave—a restaurant and nine cottages—that make up D'une Ile. Photo by D'une Ile.

Looking for more lodging and restaurants in France? See 75 more suggestions in our France Travel Guide, including a Romantic Rental in Provence and an Edgy Bar in Paris.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on February 11, 2013 as part of our L'Amour issue.

While lace is often relegated to the world of fussy sheer curtains in quaint B&B's, it represent a noble, ancient industry that has slowly been in decline. Nova Scotia-based Anna Halley of Highland Lace & Textiles has been working over the last 24 years to keep the tradition alive. Halley's English grandmother was a seamstress at Buckingham Palace responsible for finding and sewing all the fine embellishments onto ball gowns. When Halley's family moved from England to Canada the connection to textiles stayed with her: "my dressers and drawers were always overflowing with lace trims, table pieces, and curtains," she says.

In the mid-eighties, after traveling to Scotland in search of old mills that still produced traditional lace curtains and trims, she launched Highland Lace. "I went through the archives and found patterns dating back to the mid 19th-century that inspired some of my own designs." Although Halley notes that there's a fair bit of vintage lace in the States, her favorite sources are the brocantes, the second-hand markets in France and Italy. Read on to see some of Halley's designs and finds, and learn about the history of lace.

Above: Highland Lace's new Sicily Curtains of black cotton were inspired by Dolce and Gabana's fashions. Of lace's long history, Halley explains, "Our homes evolved over the centuries from having oiled parchment skins over the windows, to glass windowpanes needing privacy. In the 19th century, as heating issues were addressed, it was less about the cold and damp, and more about the light-filled spaces that still needed some sheer covering to maintain privacy. The very wealthy could afford to have full-time embroiderers and lacemakers (these earlier curtains were more of embroidered fine voile), but lace curtains ( or 'net,' as they're known in the UK ) really became popular once machinery was built to produce them for the middle class of the 1800s."

Above: A 1950s Linen Bridgecloth made in England; $55. In addition to offering new designs, Halley collects and sells vintage household linens. She typically goes for monogrammed pieces, and explains, "they were usually of a better quality and tended to be handed down and well maintained. At one time, women of a certain stand in society would come to a marriage with a complete set of household linens and lace. I look for Irish damask with a soft sheen and hand. These were strong linen fibers. Often you will find sets of 12 to 20 napkins with hand rolled edges, 22 inches to 28 inches square."

Above: Shannon Lace Curtains in viscose polyester are available in a selection of sizes; they're shown here in light cream, white, and dark cream.

Above: Halley's lace drawings from her own collection. 

Above: On an island off Venice, Halley visited with this 94-year-old Italian lacemaker. She's shown working on a bobbin pillow to make Halley's favorite type of lace, created by twisting and plaiting threads that are pre-wound onto a bobbin and laid out on a pattern pinned to a pillow.

Above: Heritage Medallion lace available by the yard only. Halley explains, "This is 14 point (fine quality) and when it's gone, there can be no more as the loom is broken." She adds, "This lace business is like missionary work!"  Halley has around 100 yards left. Contact HIghland Lace directly for ordering details.

Looking for more casual curtains? Check out our post Patchwork Curtains made from Linens. And if you're a lace lover, have at look at these Lace-Patterned Rugs from Finland and lace jewelry maker Emma Cassi's DIY Headboard.

We’ve been big fans of French designer Caroline Gomez since 2009, when she launched her first collection of home furnishings and accessories. Light of touch with practical purpose, the designs are first prototyped in Gomez’s studio in Bordeaux, France, before being sent out for artisanal manufacturing by French craftsmen. Partial to keeping things close to home, Gomez invited us into the live/work home and studio that she shares with her husband and young daughter, where her specialist training as a colorist is soon evident. 

Photography by Julien Fernandez via Style Me Pretty. 

Above: Gomez's live/work house is in a former jukebox repair shop that was built in the 1930's. In the open, all-white, main space, she uses color to define the living, dining, and work areas.

Above: By introducing a wall of windows, as well as skylights and internal glass partitions, Gomez was able to fill the house with daylight and greenery and her urban courtyard feels like an integral part of the main space. Her furnishings are a mix of her own designs with midcentury Scandinavian pieces.

Above: Defined by a yellow wall, the dining area sits outside the kitchen which is separated from the main space by a glass partition. Around her dining table, Gomez arranges an assortment of midcentury designer chairs: the Panton Chair by Verner Panton, the Series 7 Side Chair by Arne Jacobsen, and an Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair.

Above: Gomez introduces color into her kitchen with an under-the-counter pink Smeg refrigerator and a few well chosen accessories.

Above: A painted rectangle of mint green demarcates the living room area, while a light blue calls out Gomez's studio beyond.

Above: An Eames RAR style rocker in mint green sits in front of a pale gray wall. 

Above: A closer look at the mint green that quietly defines the living area. The standing wood lamp is Gomez's La Baladeuse design.

Above: Gomez painted her studio a light blue that crosses a corner and extends two thirds of the way up the walls.

Above: The color specialist finds inspiration in fabric color samples and organizes her books on the top of the bookcase by hue.

Above: In the master bedroom, Gomez plays with blocks of color. La Torche, another of her lamp designs sits on bedside wooden drawers painted pink and gray to match the walls. 

Above: By turning the corner with the block of gray paint, Gomez alludes to a headboard.

Above: In the family room area, Gomez painted a band of gray to wainscot height to ground the daybed and midcentury credenza. She used her own Linge Longue shelves to form a corner display of cards, drawings, and photographs.

Above: Gomez introduced a painted blue/green backdrop to the wooden desk outside her daughter's bedroom. 

Above: Canvas curtains hide storage while an assortment of paper lanterns create understated whimsy in the daughter's bedroom. See 5 Favorites: Paper Lantern DIY's for more ideas.

Above: A pink Pigeon Light by Ed Carpenter hovers over an assortment of floral and geometric patterned cushions.

Above: An unxpected combination of mint green and black tiles brings an otherwise plain and standard bathroom to life.

Above: In the pale blue entry outlined with bright yellow, Gomez paneled a wall with a sheet of galvanized metal to wainscot height to protect against wear and tear.

Above: Gomez and her young daughter outside their Bordeaux abode.

To see more of Gomez's furnishings an accessories, have a look at Display-Worthy Mood Cutting Boards and Lean-To Shelving and Storage. Her website and online shop are at Studio Caroline Gomez.  

Intrigued by Gomez's use of pink in her master bedroom and want to give a it a try? See color specialist Eve Aschcraft's post about Ways to Introduce Pink.

Is it just me, or is the Pantone color of 2014—Radiant Orchid—ugly and irrelevant?

First things first: Why is there a color of the year? The concept perplexes me, because I believe in design that's timeless and trend proof, especially when it comes to interiors. Sure, we all succumb to fashions, but the concept of an annual color—one that makes last year's color passé? No thanks.

In an attempt to get to the bottom of the color controversy, I called up Philip Reno, a color expert with nearly 40 years of experience painting homes and sourcing paint in San Francisco. Reno summed up the phenomenon in a single sentence: "If everybody's got a blue toaster, you need to sell them a pink toaster now." Or, more specifically, a toaster in Radiant Orchid—in the words of Pantone, an "expressive, creative, and embracing purple that draws you in with its beguiling charm."

As for the color itself, I asked NYC designer Ellen Hamilton, who had this to say: "I find it hard to believe that that particular shade of orchid is a color that people are clamoring for." But, she says, "it can be made to look glorious by what's put around it. It's amazing the things that look good with purple." I'm listening.

Above: On the spectrum of Remodelista editors' affinities, I'm a color lover. But I won't be using Radiant Orchid in my home anytime soon. Photo by Meredith Swinehart.

As a seller, Philip Reno understands why the consumer goods and fashion industries would want to name an annual "it" color. But how does the color of the year translate at home? According to Reno, not with paint: "If you hand a client Radiant Orchid and say, 'This is the hottest color—go paint your living room with it,' they would come back and kill you!"

So why the extreme bright? "Even though they have thousands of complex neutrals in their palette, Pantone is never going to pick a complex neutral as the color of the year," says Reno. "These lollipop colors are more exciting to look at from an advertising perspective."

Above: A Radiant Orchid swatch alongside equally bright annual picks Emerald (2013) and Honeysuckle (2011).

I asked LA designer Alexandra Loew for her thoughts: "I can't imagine a color of the year in interiors. Color is about what makes you happy, and I don't think that changes that much over the course of a year." 

Like Reno and Hamilton, Loew has never had a client inquire about the color of the year. 

Radiant Orchid at Home

Above: Alexandra Loew used pink and purple tones in this LA guest bedroom. Her client, a mother of two young girls, wanted lots of color and wanted her girls to be able to participate in the design.

We like Loew's approach to making über-bright colors work in the real world by using earthy textiles: "You can never really get super saturated when you're working with natural fibers. Coupling organic materials with really bright colors lends them a bygone feeling; there's an aspect that feels folksy and not so artificial." 

But that doesn't mean the designer is afraid of color. Though she's not enamored of Radiant Orchid ("too saccharine," she says), "I don't think people should shy away from bold color. If you do things to excess, it has a certain staying power."

See the rest of Loew's design in Designer Visit: From the Desk of Lola in Santa Monica.

Above: We like the fuchsia carpet and purple velvet in this modern take on a classic bedroom by New York City-based interior designers Haynes-Roberts. 

I told Philip Reno that the annual color is purportedly tied to popular sentiment. For example, Pantone remarked of 2011's bright pink Honeysuckle that "in times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits." Correspondingly, Radiant Orchid is "an invitation to innovation [that] encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today’s society.”

Reno's take? "Honestly I think they make this stuff up out of complete whole cloth. Human response to color is a pretty well studied science and I doubt that any of their conjecture would line up with any actual science. And if it did, it would be accidental." 

Above: A purple-hued triple threat in an aubergine Aga stove, lavender tile backsplash (Marsh High Gloss Half Tiles from Residence range from the Winchester Tile Company), and plum kitchen accessories. Image via House to Home. 

Wondering how much play Radiant Orchid will get on store shelves, I'm reminded of the Devil Wears Prada monologue when the Anna Wintour character tells Anne Hathaway that the cerulean shade of her "lumpy blue sweater" was predetermined by color gurus long before she "fished it out of some clearance bin." It's a memorable line because it makes us wonder how much our color choices—and all purchasing choices, for that matter—are really our picks, and how much they're influenced by the powers that be.

Says Hamilton, "Last year, emerald was absolutely everywhere. It was in flatware, it was all over designs from Europe, all over things being made in plastic." Every year, Pantone partners with more and more retailers to release product lines in that year's color and complementary shades. That's a lot of consumerism, and enough to make me stick with black and white.

Above: The office of Fuzzco, a branding agency in Charleston, South Carolina, features flashes of color in an otherwise neutral space: blue legs on a conference table, yellow cage lights on the walls, and a bright purple rug. See the whole combination in Steal This Look: Fuzzco Office in Charleston.

Ellen Hamilton is the only one of my interviewees who's relatively positive about the whole thing: "I would say that [the annual color choice] is probably fairly arbitrary. But that doesn't make it less fun, or interesting, or compelling." 

Hamilton likes variety in home decor and says her clients are interested in experimenting with colors at small cost increments. "That's one of the wonderful things about color. You can be inventive with it, you can be playful with it. You can change things around without a major financial commitment."

Above: A bold purple armoire in a room by German stylist Matahina. For more inspiration, see Palette & Paints: Purple.

Hamilton's decree: "There's no such thing as a bad color, just bad applications." I agree, and I take it back—Radiant Orchid isn't ugly. Used inventively, pink-purple tones can look great, as shown here. (Still, I'm unconvinced that Radiant Orchid is an apt symbol for the 2014 global zeitgeist, but I'll let it go.)

Philip Reno relayed his experience watching an interview with the Pantone executive director about her 2014 choice. Held in London, he says, "It was so stiff and upper crust and English and very funny. And then at the end she says, 'It's absolutely magical'—and that does sort of sum it up. If it isn't based in anything, when all else fails, we call it magic."

And I couldn't help but notice that when she said this, the director was wearing...black. 

Everyone who's cool has Shiro Kuramata's red-pink acrylic and glass vase, and to tell you the truth, I'm probably going to feel culturally inferior until it's on my mantel, table, or bookshelf.

Twentieth-century Japanese architect Shiro Kuramata was a master of lucite, acrylic, and industrial materials, and was known for his Issey Miyake store designs and his furniture for Cappellini in the 1970s. The color of Kuramata's flower vases is a magnetic hot red acrylic encased in clear glass. I've been tracking its appearance in the homes of the design elite (aka the cool girls) for a few years now, and recently finally tracked down a few sources.

Above: The vase teeters on the edge of A Détacher designer Mona Kowalska's mantel in her Brooklyn townhouse.

Above: Here it is on Christina Kim's table in the kitchen of Dosa 818, the loft that's featured in Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.

Above: My friend Renee Friedrich, owner of online shop Anaïse, secured the vase by way of a fierce eBay bidding war. Photograph by Renee on her blog, Montmarte. 

Above: Making an appearance at Tienda M, the Marfa, Texas, shop founded by Marianne Stockebrand (former partner of Donald Judd and former director of the Chinati Foundation). Photograph by Lizzie Garrett Mettler.

Source the larger Vase 1 (shown in all of our photos) and the smaller Vase 2 at Open House, an online project out of Lancashire, England; €2,100 and €900. It can also be found on eBay, at Christie's auction house, and, if you're lucky, 1st Dibs.

Have a look at the fetish that preceded this one: A Hot Pink Pillow from an Under-the-Radar Fashion Designer. And for more inspiration, check out our Pink Photo Gallery and Pink board on Pinterest.

If you're feeling a little on the pale side, consider painting a room pink. We asked members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory for their favorite pink paint picks and got diverse recommendations: some light shades, some dark, and some more orange or red.

But we did pick up on one universal response: Pink is flattering—a pragmatic pick for Valentine's Day and well beyond.

Above: Top row, left to right: Benjamin Moore Countryside Pink; Farrow & Ball Middleton Pink; Benjamin Moore Touch of Pink; Farrow & Ball Calamine; and Rodda Prettiest Pale. Bottom row: Eddie Bauer Colors by Valspar Taffy; Glidden Pink Heather; Pratt & Lambert Smokestain Rose; Benjamin Moore Raindrops on Roses; and Farrow & Ball Cinder Rose. 

Above: Interior designer (and recent Pacific Northwest transplant) Carole Magness has taken a liking to Rodda paint, based in Portland, OR. She's particularly fond of a shade called Prettiest Pale: "When it comes to pink, I feel quite strongly that pale is best," says Magness. "There is something so purely luxurious about walking into just about any space that glows softly pale pink."

Above: Magness is equally fond of Farrow & Ball's Middleton Pink. She says it's grayer than her Rodda pick, but still quite "perfectly pale."

Above: Los Angeles designer Alexandra Loew chose Farrow & Ball's Cinder Rose as her favorite, saying, "I love using pink in unexpected ways, like in rooms that are more 'handsome' than feminine." Accordingly, she says this hue is "pinkish, and not girly: It has a muddy, earthy, clay-like pigmentation that lends itself to masculine, organic, and even neutral looks."

Above: Loew also likes Benjamin Moore's Raindrops on Roses, which she says "feels like sunshine bouncing off clouds on an overcast day."

Above: NYC designer Ellen Hamilton knows color, and her all-time favorite pink is Smokestain Rose from Pratt & Lambert. She chose the color inspired by what she calls "the most beautiful pink in the world"—the pink found in Renaissance paintings.

Above: Benjamin Moore's Touch of Pink is another favorite approximation of the Renaissance pink Hamilton loves.

Above: We've been fans of Farrow & Ball's Calamine ever since we featured a wall painted in it to create an instant headboard; see Steal This Look: Pale Pink Bedroom by Alexandra Angle.

Above: Remodelista editor Christine Chang Hanway sold us on Benjamin Moore's Countryside Pink when she rebelliously painted her wooden deck chairs in the hue. Get the whole story in A Scandal in New England (Pink Paint Is Involved).

Above: San Francisco designer Kriste Michelini likes Pink Heather by Glidden. She says, "I especially love a soft romantic pink in a bedroom. Everyone loves a pink room because it makes you look softer and younger."

Above: We like Taffy from Eddie Bauer Colors by Valspar, a playful, barely-coral hue.

Keep browsing for the perfect paint color by consulting our Palette & Paints posts, including Moody Paint Picks and Happiness-Inducing Paint Colors.

Julie had just arrived in New York last fall, and we were en route to the office when we ducked into a nice-looking coffee place. "What's that library?" she said, peering through closed glass doors in the back. Neither of us realized we had wandered into the Museum of Sex canteen, a cafe by day and lounge and bar by night—complete with illicit stacks. 

Photographs courtesy of the Museum of Sex

Above: The outside looks like a demure, well-designed cafe. The building dates back a century or so, and the project architect, Eric Mailaender of Resistance Design, recreated the original storefront using old tax record photos (and pleasing the landmarks commission).  It's located at 1 East 27th Street, and you'll notice there's no mention of the Museum of Sex, which is around the corner on Fifth Avenue, next to our office. 

Above: The Nice & Sweet Cafe lives up to its name. It has a Calcutta marble counter, Studio Dunn stools, a V-groove wood ceiling—and in the distance a curious red glow.

Above: The counter is nicely detailed with a knife edge. Under the large cloche, the mossy looking offering is lemon olive oil cake with matcha. "The idea was to create a stylish, straightforward cafe that would attract locals," says Mailaender.

Above: Cross the border from the cafe into the library and you quickly realize this is no ordinary study area—it's Play, the MoSex (as the Museum of Sex is known) lounge and bar. But it wasn't finished during our first visit, and we weren't allowed in; I had to wait a few months to fully investigate.

Above: The lounge presents a series of intimate seating areas cleverly sectioned off by custom-built steel shelving detailed with plywood. Each set of stacks has its own mix of art and furniture, including comfy leather sofas and uncomfy piano benches purchased on Ebay and finished with black neoprene on top. The books have white, black, and kraft paper tape applied to the spines to give the collection a look of continuity—and to surprise the curious (the random volume I opened was called Hot Sex: How To Do It). Some of the walls have inset brick-size video screens playing lewd loops. 

Above: The place has a distinctly night vibe even by day—note the woven steel benches and the shift in the paneled ceiling lighting from the cafe's glass globes to inset red circles with half chrome bulbs. I turned to Mailaender for a translation and he explained: "We thought of the progression from the street towards the back of building as a striptease of sorts, starting off demure and respectful and then getting sexier. It's a process of gaining intensity, gaining complexity in style, losing sobriety and some norms, until you reach a more 'trippy' and hotter experience at the bar."

Above: Losing sobriety: situated at the far corner of the lounge, the carved mahogany bar originally stood in an old pub in the UK. Daniel Gluck, owner of the lounge (and the museum) acquired it even before hiring Mailaender—it came with the job, and Mailaender says he liked making it work in the scheme. One of the ways he did that was by bringing the ceiling soffit down to meet the shelving, so that it looks built in. An inset LED, an icon of a tongue, is the tiny detail that ushers the bar into the 21st century. 

Above: The bar specializes in elaborate aphrodisiacs. This concoction, Korovazon Milk Punch, is made from hibiscus tea-infused Pisco, cinnamon bark, vanilla, ginger, and lime, among other things.

Above: The food, too, is intended to trigger the senses.

Above: To encourage shared seating, the leather banquettes opposite the bar are deliberately outsized (they hold eight). The walls are paneled in Nevamar, a midcentury laminate in a green-gray wood-grain pattern that lends this side of the room a wayward diner look.

Above: The bar's neon night lights.

Above: There are two bathrooms at the far back simply labeled No. 1 and No. 2. Their sinks are divided by layers of structural glass that offer a glancing view of the person at the basin on the other side. And to make up for the lack of wall mirrors, the doors are clad in polished stainless steel. To see and learn more, go to Play.

Our New York City Travel Guide is filled with more restaurants, hotels, and shops to check out, including A Sugar-Coated Confectionary, perfect if you're in the market for inspired Valentine's Day candy.

A few weeks ago, our editorial team was on a group call when we got off on a tangent about the welcome return of sensible underwear. We've been seeing it everywhere: well-made, high-waisted, subtly shaded intimates, and we're onboard. We like our underwear like we like our architecture: practical, durable, and stripped of pointless frills.

When it comes to undergarments, I am a supporter of 1990s-style androgyny (remember the Calvin Klein ad with Kate Moss wearing men's briefs?). When did women's underwear get so wispy and so ... made offshore out of cheap synthetics? Where have the basic undies gone? Designer Daphne Javitch, founder of Ten Undies, said it best to Style Like U: "Where's the underwear that you bought at Woolworths in NYC during the 1970s? They were cute, kind of sexy, but simple, straightforward, everyday underwear." The kind of underwear Jill Clayburgh wore in An Unmarried Woman and Diane Keaton sported in Annie Hall.

I know I'd like a pair of Annie Hall briefs, so I've rounded up eight selections where stealth sex appeal meets comfort.

Araks

Above: Armenian designer Araks Yeramyan began designing lingerie in 2000; three years later, Sofia Coppola was asking for her number from Erica Tanov (who sold Araks' eponymous line in her NYC and SF shops). Coppola sourced the famous briefs for the opening shot of Lost in Translation and put the brand on the map. The Mirabella Hipster in penny, a copper color from the new spring line, is a high-waisted hipster made in the US from cotton crepe with silk details at the hip and inset in the back; $115 at Araks.

Ten

Above: After a decade of costume designing for film and theater, Daphne Javitch launched her line of underwear called Ten. The High Brief is made in the US from imported cotton and is available in white (shown), pink, yellow, navy, and print. The brief is $45 at Ten Undies and is also available through Lille Boutique and Steven Alan. 

A Détacher

Above: Collaborating with Ten, A Détacher designed a riff on the High Brief in a tan-pink cotton with black elastic trim (shown) and two-toned black and pink mix; $45 each exclusively through A Détacher.

Hanro

Above: Liestal, Switzerland-based Hanro was founded in 1884 by forward-thinking Albert Handschin, who was preoccupied with natural fibers and comfort. Working with business partner Carl Ronus (the company name is derived from their two last names), Hanro introduced its classic line of ultra-light and comfortable underwear and bodysuits, which continue to be the gold standard. The Cotton Seamless Full Brief, as with other Hanro undergarments, is produced and finished in Vorarlberg, Austria, under GOTS sustainability standards; $38 at Hanro.

Base Range

Above: Base Range is Danish fashion designer Marie-Louise Mogensen's line of women's underwear and "easy wear" in organic cotton and bamboo. Made in Portugal, the Highwaist Pants are available in nude (shown), black, and off white in bamboo jersey as well as a gray melange in linen jersey; €25 from Base Range (who happily ship to the US and UK). The underwear can also be found at Net a Porter, Opening Ceremony, and Derrière de Soie.

Fortnight

Above: Fortnight Lingerie began in 2010 with a focus on modern femininity and exceptional fit; each piece is designed and manufactured in Toronto. The Luna High Waist Panty is $58 at Derrière de Soie and Lille Boutique.

Pansy

Above: Pansy is a newly launched company from two women in the San Francisco Bay Area who saw "a need for comfortable but ethical undies." The High-Rise Cotton Underwear is made from organic cotton both grown and milled domestically and is sewn in California. Available in natural, pink (shown), and green; $29 each from Pansy.

The White Briefs

Above: Based in Österlen, in southern Sweden, The White Briefs specializes in "items worn closest to our skin." The studio uses GOTS-certified fabrics and classic tailoring for functionality. The Paeony is a high brief made from 100 percent organic pima cotton in white, black, and gray melange; $54 for a pack of two from The White Briefs (who ship to the US). The Paoeny briefs can also be found at Nelly in the UK and My Chameleon in Australia.

Photographs by Alexa Hotz.

For more sartorial essentials, see our posts on The Perfect White Tee Shirt and the 10 Best Pajamas for a Good Night's Sleep.

 Maybe it's Valentine's Day that's making us think about pink; here are 10 ideas for adding a flash of color to your bathroom.

Above: A hot pink bath towel in the outdoor bathing area of Alexandra Angle; see more at Designer Visit: Alexandra Angle in Los Angeles.

Above: The easiest way to add a dash of pink? A bouquet of dahlias in a project by Sydney-based designer Justine Hugh-Jones.

Above: A pink skylight in the London bathroom of designer Harriet Anstruther; photo by Henry Bourne via the NY Times. See more at 5 Favorites: Fluoro Brights in the Bath.

Above: A hot pink bath scrubber in a Mexico City bathroom; photo via Design Sponge.

Above: A bright pink bouquet of ranunculus; see the whole project at Steal This Look: A Barbara Bestor-Designed Master Bath in LA.

Above: Pink Vola faucets in a Dublin bath by Peter Legge Associates; see the whole project at A Victorian Transformation, Dublin Style.

Above: A hot pink rug in a bath via The Style Files.

Above: A bathroom with a pink-painted mirror niche at The Lakes.

Above: A hot pink shower curtain in a London bathroom; photo via Real Simple.

Have a look at all our Bathroom Ideas, including Baths in the Bedroom and 10 Easy Pieces: Best White Soap Dishes.

A bit of glam for your entryway: sparkly doormats in gold or silver.

Above: Handwoven over an iron frame, the Silver Handwoven Doormat is $88 from Anthropologie.

Above: A detail of the weaving.

Above: Handwoven over an iron frame, the Gold Handwoven Doormat is $88 from Anthropologie.

 For more doormats that we love, check out the Coir Designs by Commune. Like the idea of doormats made from old fire hose? Take a look at these Handyman's Specials.

Set in a former brothel in Pigalle, Hotel Amour is one of those low-key Paris hotspots that gets whispered from one style setter to the next (beware: during fashion weeks, you might not be able to get a toehold). Best known for its restaurant, and in particular its splendid eggs and salads brunch, it has 24 rooms, each designed by an artist with love on the brain. What better place be on Valentine's Day?

Photographs from the Hotel Amour, unless otherwise noted.

Above: The hotel is set in one of Pigalle's famous bordellos and playfully salutes its past starting with its pink neon sign. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: A two-story suite with open bathroom. Photograph by Anne Ditmeyer of Prêt à Voyager for Design Tripper.

Above: Each of the rooms is the work of a different artist or designer, and the looks vary wildly (there's even a teen room with a skateboard and lit vitrine of plastic figurines). The walls of this double bedroom are enameled in a high-gloss black paint.

Above: You might luck into a mirrored vanity. All of the furniture at Hotel Amour dates from the fifties and sixties and was found at auctions and antiques fairs.

Above: Salmon pink walls meet black subway tiles in bedroom with a window onto the bath.

Above: The creative team behind the hotel explain "the general theme is the erotism"—here in blue and green chamber with photographs by Irina Ionesco of her daughter, actress and director Eva Ionesco.

Above: Green marble tiles extend down the shower wall and onto the bathroom floor.

Above: Our vote for the room to request: beloved French illustrator Pierre Le-Tan's apple green boudoir, filled with his drawings and musings on love and crowned with a portrait of a man tucked in with a life-size teddy. 

Above: Hotel Amour is best known for its hip-homey restaurant, with tables right off the tiny lobby. Photograph via Design Tripper.

Above: The main draw is the restaurant's courtyard; it's the place to be for le brunch.

Above: The classic red, white, and blue seating is vintage. 

For reservations, go to Hotel Amour.

Below: The hotel is at 8 Rue de Navarin, in the 9th arrondissement, just south of Montmartre.

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For more in and around Paris, see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and visit our Paris City Guide.

Roses do not last long enough in the garden. I know you agree. June may come and go, but you and I would like to be gazing fondly on pink velvety petals in December, as well. I believe this to be the reason wallpaper was invented.

UK designer Kevin Dean, a self-described "keen plantsman," has captured the essence of rose—big, blowsy, overblown, beloved by your grandmother, and yet entirely modern. It has been nearly five years since Julie and Francesca discovered his English Roses wallpaper collection at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and I only wish they'd brought a few rolls home. (As you know, I agonized for months before I figured out how to Pick the Perfect Wallpaper for my guest bath.) 

Photograph via Kevin Dean.

Above: Digitally printed on linen using inks made with organic pigments, the English Roses collection of wallpaper is £85 per roll (measuring 10 meters long by 52 centimeters wide). For more information, see Kevin Dean.

Above: Photograph via Design Sponge via Flickr.

Perhaps the inspiration for the English Roses collection came from real life; here a vase sits on Dean's mantelpiece at home.

Above: Photograph by Geishaboy500 via Flickr. 

For more see Walls, Windows & Floors: Kevin Dean Textiles and Wallpaper.

N.B.: This is an update of a post published June 13, 2013 during our American Beauty week.