Image: Unknown

Came across a new trend recently known as circle lenses. They are colored contacts that make the eyes appear larger because they cover not just the iris as normal lenses do, but also part of the whites. At first it seemed bizarre that anyone would want to alter their eyes to make them look larger, more anime, but then I realised two things: it really is no different to changing one’s eye colour and it actually doesn’t look that bad - particularly on Asian eyes, accentuating them by making them look large. If something looks good you know it will catch on. They’re very popular in Japan, Singapore and South Korea and are slowly are finding their way into Western culture turning up in American high schools and on college campuses. The lenses are illegal in the US at the moment as you can't sell any contact lens without a prescription, but they are widely available online.

Image: Refinery29

It’s being reported this week that Mulberry will be the next designer handbag collaboration for Target. Everytime I hear about these collaborations I get excited but the end result usually disappoints. I am holding out hope for this one. The line will be available online and in-stores on October 10, 2010.

Images: Rego Realtors

I’ve been profiling my favourite Bermuda homes recently and I wanted to add another two to the pile. This has to be one of the most unique properties on the island. Much of Bermuda is limestone and in the east end of the island there are some very fine underground caves. One set of caves is now open to the public as a tourist attraction and not far from these is another set of caves in an area called Leamington. Apparently these caves were once open to the public, but have long since been closed to the public. At one point I believe there was a restaurant on site. A few years ago, the buildings which were part of the restaurant were converted into several homes, and I watched with interest as this was done. There are two or three homes on the property at present. My favourite has a pool and waterfall on the top floor. I have seen photos of it in the past, and if any are published again, you can be sure I will bring them to you.  In addition to an elegant renovation, the properties also have their very own limestone cave system.

For now I bring you pictures of two of the properties: the top left photograph is of the exterior of Yeaton’s Cottage with Leamington Cottage in the background with the peaked roof. Clockwise, the next two pictures are of the interior of Leamington Cottage (the kitchen and living room respectively) and the last picture is of the kitchen area of Yeaton’s Cottage.

Image: Feel More Human

I had been looking for an iPod/ iPhone docking system for the bedroom for a while as I wanted one which would be pleasing to both the eye and the ear. A lot of the designs are sleek, modern-looking and plastic, plastic, plastic. I found the Vers system more than a year ago and was immediately drawn to the simple lines, compact size (perfect for a bedside table although I have ended up using mine in the kitchen) and the fact that it is housed in wood. The Vers 1.5R is an AM/FM sound system which plays and charges iPod Video, iPod Nano, iPod mini, iPod, iPod classic, iPod Touch, iPhone and 3G iPhone. The unit is handmade and made from sustainable resources. The wood is a fast-growing eucalyptus which matures in three years and in addition to the wood finish shown, there are two other finishes to choose from. The manufacturer uses screws, as opposed to glues which can be toxic, and uses no formaldehyde in the wood bonding. No plastic has been used unless absolutely necessary and the adapter and amplifier use less energy than traditional speakers.

The sound quality is pretty good considering and apart from getting a message that the system is not made for my 3G iPhone and being prompted to turn on airplane mode each time I dock which can be annoying, I would recommend it.

Another of my favourite properties in Bermuda are The Villas at Ariel Sands. The Moroccan-style architecture reminds me of Cap Juluca in Anguilla and I love the clean lines and simplicity, the use of outdoor as well as indoor living spaces and the contrast of the white against the blue. I’ve always said if I built from scratch in the Caribbean, I’d use these plans for a home. The villas have approximately 3,200 sq ft of interior living space and 1,200 of finished exterior.

Image: island * atelier

Saw this chair in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal for the Royal Ontario Museum recently. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind, an architect, and was inspired by the architectural peaks and facades of his Lee-Chin Crystal. It is designed to be oriented in five different positions and can be used as a side-table. Sorry I didn’t sit in it so I can’t vouch for how comfortable it actually is.

Image: LivingEtc

I love the floating effect of the stairs in this Australian house.

Images (l-r): island atelier, Florent Goy and Mikael Mourgue

In addition to the plywood as a cheap but effective material, which I mentioned a few days below, I have always loved cardboard as a material for children. I think this is a throwback to my childhood days when my sister and I would spend many hours designing, painting and putting various cardboard boxes of different sizes together to create houses for our dolls and their entire families. It was a springboard for our imagination and creativity.

Several years ago I found an adorable blue dolls house made out of cardboard and bought it as it brought to mind those cardboard boxes I used to make and play with but the quality has not withstood the trials of a toddler. At about the same time I continued the tradition and created a wendy house for my daughter out of the box in which her car seat had come and she still plays with it today, so the strength of the material can be uncertain.

I came across this cardboard furniture from Toy Toy recently and love it. It is colourful, inexpensive ($20) and functional (it has under seat storage).

Image: Unknown

One of my favourite properties is on the rental market again. One of these days...

Image: Recession Design

I've been planning for the last few weeks to build a wooden sandbox, nothing too fancy. I found a couple of plans online but the design will be quite simple - just a square or a rectangle of plywood screwed or nailed together and painted to preserve it from the elements. I am convinced that simplicity of design and materials can still create something pleasing and beautiful. This was proved to me when I came across these examples of simple wood designs for children's rooms by Recession Design (love the name).

The plans are available online and you construct them yourself. I love the idea (although the edges of the bed appear a little rough to me) and the advantage is that as a material, plywood is quite inexpensive and easy to put together. That Recession Design are offering the plans is also fantastic. I'll let you know how I got on with my design for the sandbox and I hope to have something up over the next few weeks as the weather is becoming warm very quickly.