Cosmically Chic

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....Today marks the final flight of NASA's space shuttle Discovery!  Inspired by the momentous occasion I bring you a cosmically chic vignette from Thomas O'Brien's New York apartment.  The 1940s star chart, pictured above, has been on my mind for quite some time.  It's such a clever piece of art - I love the large celestial scale of it, a 'discovery' in itself.  How great would this look in a bedroom?  I can't think of anything more perfect for a bedroom than a dark blue night sky.  I've searched ebay several times trying to find a dreamy, dark blue look-alike but have had little luck.  I did, however, find these lovely alternatives:   

 ASTRONOMY STAR CHART 1869

ASTRONOMY STARS CHART 1880

Design Hunter: Beehive Lamp

When I attended Thomas O'Brien's book signing at the Merchandise Mart last spring I made sure to ask him where he purchased the stunning lamp pictured above.  I kid you not, I have dreams about this lamp.  Knowing that Thomas loves antiques, I was hoping that it was made by a well known designer and that if I looked long and hard I would find it at an auction or better yet, on ebay.  No such luck.  It turns out this beautiful beehive was made from an old vase that he had gilded then wired to make a lamp.  Brilliant! 

My apartment lacks natural light so I'd love to have one of these perched next to my sofa by the end of the month.  In order to accomplish this goal I need to 1. Put my ebay search skills to good use and find a vase 2. Find a Chicago store that will gild the vase (any suggestions?!?) 3. Take the vase to A Lamp and Fixture Shoppe and have it retrofit 4.  Find the perfect shade... I've heard good things about The Lamp Shader.  So much to do, so little time.  Sigh.

Here's what I've found so far:

This white vase has a nice shape but is too small.

The ridges on this black vase look similar to Thomas' but I don't love the shape - a little too 90's modern.

I'll be incessantly on the hunt until I find the perfect match...cross your fingers for me!