New York Group Trip Review from Al and Adam

This is our 3rd time at the Jungle Dome, we just can't get enough of this beautiful haven in the jungle. Everything is incredible....From the staff of Karen, David, Tella, Wani, Nora to the pets Max, Daphne and Phoebe are all wonderful, inviting, knowledgeable and make your stay perfect.

We traveled with a large group of 12 and everything went flawless, the meals were absolutely delicious, the room are gorgeous and so comfortable and the surrounding land is beyond beauty. The Howler Monkey's at night while you sleep are are incredible sound to hear!

We also had a wedding at the Jungle Dome and everyone was so accomodating to allow us to have it hear....It was the perfect place to have such a ceremony.

The excursions, lead by guide Luiz are incredible and all inclusive so you do not need to worry about anythign except waking up and going! ATM is absolutely incredible for those you like caving, EL Pilar was a magificent splendor to see, Horseback riding and the riverboat tour are relaxing and breathtaking, Barton Creek Cave canoeing was the highlight of my trip....I have never witnessed anything like this and I can't wait to go back...Which will be next year of course!

To everyone at the Jungle Dome, thank you once again for such a wonderful trip for our large group! You are all so blessed to work in such an incredible place...

Al, Adam & our Group

This changes EVERYTHING.

Check THIS out thanks to THIS dirty whore*.




*Said with love.

Hilarious.

HERE.

Discuss.

Free wingdings for everyone, and where the hell are you, Decorno?

UPDATE: This homemade video mashup is a way cuter way to enjoy this song... make sure you watch Ally Sheedy break it down at 2:35...







God, this song just gives me that teenage feeling. I want to go smoke cloves and make out with boys.

In other news, some people asked where I went, and frankly, I was just on overload. I mean, work email, Facebook email, Twitter. Holy shit. How do people deal with it? Too much. Just too much of a whole lotta nothing.

I will say, I do enjoy email from Decorno readers. But you know who is ruining it for all of us? PR managers of America, that's who. The PR spam is starting to kill me. (PR PEOPLE OF AMERICA PLEASE STOP EMAILING ME UNLESS YOU PLAN TO GIVE ME FREE SHIT. I am down with being on the take, but no, I will not wake up at 7am so I can blog for free about your amazing wingding. If you want to send me a free wingdig, then that's another story...)

And then there is Twitter. (Can we talk about Twitter, please? Do you guys like Twitter? Do you use it? Do you prefer it to blogs, or is that like cats & bananas?) All this twitting and tweeting and blogging and hot air. So much hot air. (And I am the worst offender!) I like blogging but sometimes it make me want to cut my eyes out and jab pencils in my ears, you know what I mean?

So that's why I left you with Flint for a while. Just to suffer. I am not sure how regularly I plan to keep updating this blog, so please feel free to subscribe (see little widget to the right) if you care to get new posts delivered right to your in-box as they come.

Decorno loves you.

xoxo

Flint.

Destroy a city to save it? Kind of. Read about it HERE.

"In its 34 square miles, the city has 75 neighborhoods, once so densely packed that landlords would rent out beds for daytime and nighttime shifts. The proposal to shrink Flint would condense the population, stores and services into a few viable areas and demolish the rest."

Advice, please.

Hola, friends.

What should I do about the concrete-ish foundation-y part of my house?

This week I am having some burly men come tear up the concrete slab that currently serves as a patio. Then I am going to stack field stones to make a planting bed thing all along the back of the house, but I was thinking, even when I plant stuff, you're still going to be able to see that grey concrete. I think in the past someone recommended I paint it, but really?

Help, please.

Following that, crushed gravel will go in. That might not be the final solution, I may do some hardscaping in a few years, but for now it will beat my ghetto chipped, broken, uneven concrete patio that takes up half my yard. And please don't remind me that the gravel will get tracked into the house, etc etc. I know, I know. So many of you have been kind enough to warn me already, but I have already made up my mind, you bossy freaks! (I kid, I kid...)

UPDATE: Some suggested creeping fig. Click HERE to read more about it.

And speaking of...

So Haute, check out her post on Gary Spain HERE.

Classy.

So, I get an email from Nicole at SO HAUTE and she writes:


So I've been searching for the perfect vintage brass coffee table and came across the craziest piece of furniture I've ever seen while searching craigslist... You will die when you see this coffee table...the base is a bronze naked lady with some sort of collar on her neck and her face all taped up...sort of looks like she was abducted and is fighting to get out from underneath that glass top! She's also wearing black tube socks (why?) and there's all kinds of random crap surrouding her...nail polish, tv remotes, nintendo remotes...vaseline (ew!)... I could not stop laughing when I saw it! There really are no words. Passing it along...

You can see it HERE.

This totally made my day.

Grey Gardens, HERE.

Dan Marty, I think I love you.

Let's discuss the most recent issue of Western Interiors. It's a hot magazine, let me tell you. I wanted to talk to you all about Dan Marty, and I am too lazy to scan photos to post here (bad blogger) so in googling around the interwebs, I found THIS fine blog, which has photos (some of which are posted here). Sigh. Loved the issue (mostly) and really, really loved his place.




HOWEVER, if you have a copy of the current issue, please turn to page 116 and check out that Colorado house and let me know what you think. Little shop of horrors, if you ask me. It's like when you spend your vacations in the high desert of, say, central Oregon and you go to the town of Sisters and you walk into that one place that's like a fake oldie timey general store and there are antlers everywhere and lamps made of animal skins. Just looking at it gave me a PETA impulse. I wanted to pour red paint everywhere not because I am a huge animal advocate, necessarily, but mostly just to make it all go away. Dear god. Michael Wollaeger, you wouldn't sleep there, and you know it. So don't mess with us, man. That's not western design, that's just a costume. Maybe the "most sought after designer in Greenwich" thinks this is what the West should look like, but I would guess most of us don't. Trust me. The lack of subtlety reminded me of THIS treasure.

THIS is really fun to watch.

Italy recommendations.

I am going to Italy this summer for a few weeks (as I have mentioned before), but I really need to get my shit together and make a plan. So I come to you, my friends, for specific recommendations. I plan to go to Rome, Siena, maybe Venice (maybe not.. I am told the place is just a dressed-up sewer), and definitely a lot of lazy time spend on the Amalfi coast or Capri or Ischia. I wouldn't mind trekking down to Tunisia, either, if anyone would recommend that.

I am hoping to get specific hotel recommendations, or any other specific info that might help. Since I will be there about 3 weeks, I am looking for a mix of budget or moderate hotels and one or two ridiculously blow-out fabulous places with a sea view. I have been poring over the reviews on TripAdvisor, but there are just so many hotels reviewed there. Hard to tell which Italian hotel is actually going to be a flea bag with fake antiques and lumpy beds.

You can leave suggestions here or email me. If you have flickr or blog photos to share, even better.

Thanks,
The Management


PS - I am also going to Carmel, CA next month with my mom. Let me know where to eat.

Vacation Spot: Sabangan (Laiya, Batangas)

Summer is here! And what better way to spend it than at the beach! One of things I'm happy about being in the Philippines is that it is a home to thousands of amazing beaches! When you're in Metro Manila, you only need 3-4 hours of travel time to reach paradise. And you need not spend a fortune to enjoy the sun, the sand, and the sea.

One good summer vacation spot if you're in Manila is in Batangas. Batangas also has a lot of good beaches and dive sites. More specifically, if you're looking for a laid back, sun-kissed beach with calm waters, one good resort is Sabangan at Laiya, Batangas.

Please click the image to enlarge.

Sabangan boasts of near-white sand and cool waters. It also has a relaxing ambiance: trees and flowers and plants everywhere; a hammock nearby; playground for the kids; a guest lounge for anyone who wants to play billiards, a very accommodating staff to attend to your needs; and of course, the huts that give you a warm shade when you want to be kissed by the sun. Their cottages are fully equipped with air conditioning, a kitchen, a bathroom, a dining area, and of course, a living are for your group to just chillax while you drink and chat away all the worries and stress of work or school.

Sabangan resort is truly one of those places where you'd want to spend your summer (or even non-summer!) vacation. To know more about the resort, you may want to check out the following:

Website: http://www.sabangan.com/
Location: Laiya, San Juan, Batangas
Email: info@sabangan.com
Manila Number: +63(2) 914-0848
TeleFax: +63(2) 667-3997

Wow.

Yowza.

More photos on Paul Anater's blog HERE.

THIS kind of bullshit explains why God punishes us.

Life-changing.

It'sthat good.

Reader mail: What to do with a small, windowless bathroom?

Dear Decorno,

How can you design a hip bathroom that is very small and has no windows?

Liz


Liz,

Paint it black. Seriously.

If it's already windowless and tiny, then make it dramatic. Just use it for bathing and having wild sex in the shower. Don't plan on doing your make-up in there. Install candle sconces and lighting on a dimmer and douse the place with perfume and make it a sort of wet romper room for you and the ones you, uh, love.

Get a low dresser for your bedroom, prop a mirror on it, get a cool lacquer tray for your primping essentials and get ready in your room. My get-ready station is actually my office, not my bathroom (because my upstairs bathroom has a toilet in the tub and my downstairs bathroom has no storage for my Jil Sander no. 4, my hairdryer, or my make-up, for that matter.

Enjoy.


Readers - got anything to add to this?

Gil Schafer

Oh, Gil. You kill me.

More Gil... just bathrooms.

HERE.

Maison Luxe is back.

A favorite Seattle home and design shop is back in action after a move to new digs.

You can visit here HERE and check our her blog HERE.

She's still unpacking, but it's all coming together. Great space, huh?

Lording over me.

Before we fixed up the kitchen, we had this weird, unused little area near the back of the house. We used to keep Rickey's dog bed and his food there. Well, even with the kitchen mostly done we still have that weird unused area. Until I decide what exactly to do with this area, I've parked my Craigslist-find chair there for now so we have a place to sit. Rickey seems to think that this means his bed has just been upgraded. Here he is lording over me as I begin to cook dinner. Look at his lazy ass! He's now begging for food from a blue throne. Fucker.

Anyway, about this area. Thoughts? I am thinking built-in bench with extra storage. The man of the house wants it to be more like a booth with two little built-in benches on either side and a little table in between. He wants to read the paper and drink his coffee near the window.

Ideas?


The wall color is actually The Right White from Restoration Hardware. It just looks yellow-ish because I can't seem to take a decent photo these days.

Best episode and best recap ever.

Even if you don't watch those monsters on Real Housewives of New York, you must read THIS recap by the brilliantly funny SGM. Seriously.


And read news about this insane woman HERE.

Belize Trip Review - Tori and Jeff Mcleod - March 2009

Oh my goodness, where do I begin?! We loved our stay at the Jungle Dome so much I am not sure I can put it into words. From the moment that we got to the airport, we were treated so kindly. David was waiting for us when we arrived at the airport. He took us for a nice lunch and filled us with a wealth of knowledge on our ride to the hotel. As soon as we got there, Karen arranged a horse back riding adventure and David offered to lead our night jungle walk. We enjoyed both of these very much.



We did the Black Hole drop the next day which was breathtaking. Although I had never rapelled before, I felt very safe with the guides. Everything went so smoothly. The following day, we did the zip lining and cave tubing. Both of these adventures were great. My only regret is that we did not have more time at the Jungle Dome for more adventures. We usually spend most of our vacations diving at different locations because we love to dive. We did love the first half of our vacation diving around Ambergris and the Blue Hole, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed the second half more staying at the Jungle Dome.



The meals were very good, especially breakfast with the fresh fruit and eggs! We love the different juices and were all eager to see what type of fresh juice we would have with each meal. The family style dining was so nice, because it gave us any opportunity to meet and interact with the other guests. That really added to the experience. The parrots and toucans in the surrounding trees was an added bonus.



We just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves and to praise the staff. Karen was very friendly and efficient. She kept everyone on schedule for all of our activities and made sure things ran smoothly. We enjoyed getting to know her. The cleaning staff did a wonderful job, because our rooms were immaculate. The grounds were so beautifully maintained and the pool was spotless.

David is just an inspiration to us. I cannot believe he has just learned English in the past few years. We were so impressed with his kindness and eagerness to share his knowledge of his country. He was waiting by the gate for the guests when we returned from our trips offering cold drinks. You could not have a better employee! We believe he truly is a wonderful person.



Thanks you so much for arranging this wonderful (best ever!!) vacation for us. We will recommend this spot to all our friends and family and hope to return ourselves. Our children are 6 and 8 and are wondering when they can come. I think that sounds like a good reason to come back.



Sincerely,

Tori and Jeff McLeod

Washstands.

I got a few questions from people asking where to find sinks/washstands like the ones pictured here.

You can find some HERE (altough pricey), or you can try HERE (also pricey).

If anyone else knows where to find something like this under $1500, please leave links below.

Pamplemousse.

Delphine Krakoff, wife of Coach CEO Reed Krakoff, runs THIS design shop. Several of the homes featured were their own. I think he makes more money flipping townhomes than he does at CEO of Coach. But I'm not jealous.