Madonna's $40 Million Mansion in NYC

Madonna has signed a contract to buy a four-story brick townhouse on East 81st Street in NYC for about $40 million, sources tell the New York Post. Reminiscent of a London townhouse, the 12,000-sq.-ft., 26-room classic Georgian residence (above) is notable for its extraordinary 57-foot width, making it one of the widest houses on the Upper East side. It features 13 bedrooms, 14 baths, a 3000-sq.ft. garden bordered by tall trees, rhododendron bushes and roses, and has a double-car garage, another Upper East Side rarity. 

The historic mansion features a 38' x 22' drawing room with tall south windows overlooking the garden, a paneled dining room off the garden terrace, an intimate library, 11' ceilings, 9 fireplaces, a Georgian staircase, an elevator, a wine cellar with a grotto, and space for a rooftop garden. A portion of the townhouse, which currently functions as separate living quarters with its own entry, can be combined with the main residence and probably will be.

Madonna plans major renovations including significant security upgrades. "The townhouse is perfect for Madonna," a source tells the paper. "She's trying to recreate London in New York City, and this is in the style of a London townhouse." Meanwhile, the pop star is said to be searching for an English country house-style estate in the horse country of the East End of Long Island or Westchester, north of the city. As we reported recently, she has also been renting a mansion in Palm Beach.

Judge a book by its covers - Part Deux

A cluttered up bookshelf is not a serene sight. Books on top of other books, horizontal over vertical, magazines in piles on top, you know the drill.

But like it or not, if you're like me and tend to pick up and bring home every book that hits your eyes, the shelf's just going to fill up.

One solution would be to simply just put together more bookshelf's, but in the spirit of fun and unique interior design, why not clean up the clutter and show some personality by placing some of those books on top of your coffee table, on top of shelfs, on your nightstand, ...

Selecting books by their covers can bring some really unique spots of color.

Keep the placing spacious and do not over do it.

Take for example this Penguin popular classics edition. Great way to add some strong colors to the house and possibly serve as a conversation starter.

-A.S

Faux Bois Items

The patterns and patina of "faux bois" -- French for "fake wood" -- has appeared everywhere lately, from pendent lamps to printed pillows. Here are few items listed:

Beautiful Birch Bark Vases

Log Lamps

Woven Wood

Printed Pillows

Faux Bois Folders

-T-

Decorate with plates

Here's something which can be practical and gives some color to your wall. Place dishes you use often on the rack to make it practical. You can find this kind of simple plate rack from any decoration store.

And for those plates you don't use, you can made of those a piece of art by using wall-hangers. Just group the plates in a large cluster and voila, you have a beautiful display.

You can also use plates just to give some color for neutral room with low expenses and easy installation.