News

Do you miss the days when phones were for calling people, batteries lasted more than four hours, and the only distraction available was playing Snake? Good news, luddites, because Nokia is bringing back their beloved 3310, the dumb phone to end all dumb phones. “Serial leaker” Evan Blass announced on Twitter that Nokia would be debuting the resurrected 3310 later this month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, along with a few Android-based smartphones.

If conveying your innermost thoughts via the written word isn’t exactly in your wheelhouse, allow us to kindly encourage you to knock the dust off those essay-writing skills you acquired back in the day. Because the only thing that stands between you and some cushy lakeside digs are a mere 200 words. According to Curbed, the owners of this gorgeous Catskills cabin are holding an essay-writing contest with plans to give the Bethel, NY home to whoever comes up with the most convincing words.

Nobody likes the ongoing maintenance and household chores that accompany home ownership. But of all the tedious tasks on our to-do lists, a new survey finds there’s overwhelmingly one that we can’t wait to take off our plates. Can you guess what it is? Nearly half (47%) of American homeowners surveyed by contractor review site Angie’s List said they plan to pay someone to help with yard work or landscaping in 2017.

Big news from Pinterest today. The social network and image sharing platform debuted a suite of visual discovery tools today, one of which turns your camera into a search tool. “Humans are visual creatures. We use our eyes to decide if something looks good, or if it matches our style,” the company says in its announcement blog post. “Pinterest is built for open-minded discovery. Just like when you’re out window-shopping.

This week, Reddit was shook when one user shared a cautionary tale of accidental fire at their home. Not by an unattended candle, or a frayed wire, or even unventilated electronics—but by a doorknob.

After much contemplation, we are still having trouble thinking of a moment in which wine wasn’t winning, and this year has been no exception. The much talked about beverage is arguably the cool kid of boozy drinks. As if they’d been stored in a cellar until optimal maturation, the multitude of wine-inspired ideas that continually gushed forth in 2016 prove that nearly everyone and everything wants to be associated with wine.

We’ve dedicated quite a few posts over the years to making the bed, also declaring that it’s a habit you shouldn’t skip, even if you’re busy. But maybe you’re just never going to do it—for whatever reason—but you (or someone you live with) like the look of a put-together sleep space. Here’s a solution… other than someone else passive-aggressively tidying up after you.

Now you can get your Marjaiasana judged by an expert: An animal shelter in Georgia offers a yoga class with their adoptable cats. The class came about after Lisa Johns, a manager at the Good Mews cat shelter in Marietta, and Lisa Bass, a volunteer who happens to be a yoga instructor saw a video of people bringing cats to a yoga studio for a class. Bass thought that bringing people to the cats would be easier (and less cleanup), and so the shelter started hosting cat yoga.

You may have been reading the updates on the building of the Stacked Barn here, but in an effort to shamelessly support my daughter’s school I’m giving it away for one weekend after it’s finished. You too, could make history and sleep in the soon-to-be-iconic Stacked Barn. Or, should you prefer, you could have a guitar lesson from the iconic James Valentine of Maroon 5 fame.

Typically, saving money and lottery tickets don’t go hand in hand (unless you count the loss of savings due to lottery ticket purchases), but a new app called Long Game hopes to develop more of a positive association between the two.

Airbnb, once just a place to list your apartment or book a room, is becoming a full-circle travel platform. This week, the company announced Trips, an immersive way to plan and enjoy your travel experience. Announced at the opening keynote of their Airbnb Open festival in LA on Friday, Trips is now available as an update to your Airbnb app and is launching with three areas: Homes, Places, and Experiences.

Bed Bath & Beyond announced this week that they’re launching a new version of their loyalty program, and it just might mean the end of the ubiquitous 20% coupon the retailer is known for. Currently in beta, Beyond+ costs $29 a year and gives members 20% off every single purchase in store and online, plus free standard shipping. If the membership program takes off, it could be Bed Bath & Beyond’s way of ditching the coupon for good.

Moving into a gorgeous three-floor loft on Bleeker Street is, by many accounts, living the dream. But how about paying just a dollar a month to live there? Rupert Hunt, CEO of roommate search site SpareRoom, just moved to New York from London and is looking for a couple of flatmates to share his stunning space—for only $1.

Anyone who grew up in the ’80s remembers Teddy Ruxpin. The talking bear with the cassette tape in his back hit the market in 1985, scared us all with his uncanny valley face and low battery voice, and faded into oblivion for awhile. Until now. In case you need a refresher: MommyandGracieShow got a look at the new Teddy at the Dallas Toy Fair and he’s ripe to terrify a whole new generation. Produced by Wicked Cool Toys, the biggest visual difference is in the eyes.

Is there anyone alive who doesn’t have a fascination with tiny objects? They’re just so darn cute, and require so much patience and skill to create. That’s why we’re squeeing over this mini version of Mindy Lahiri’s office from The Mindy Project. Mindy Kaling is pretty excited about it, too. Mindy posted a photo to Instagram this week, comparing the real life set to its miniature—and it’s pretty hard to tell the difference! Okay, this is insanely cool.

5 things you need to know, now that it’s Monday. Dwell’s new site is Houzz meets Pinterest. Dwell released an iPhone app and a new site that “allows the design community to share, discover and collaborate like never before.” The site, built completely in-house, starts with their library of 300,000 images and encourages users to add and share their own.

Kanye West keeps fanning the flames of a potential IKEA collaboration. The rapper/clothing designer talked about it on BBC radio this week. But IKEA Australia was quick to overshadow the interview with a hilarious Facebook post. The rumors started in March when Kanye stopped by IKEA HQ in Älmhult. On Monday, Kanye was on Annie Mac’s BBC 1 radio show, and said this about the Swedish giant: “I have to work with Ikea – make furniture for interior design, for architecture.

Five things to know, now that it’s Monday. Lisa Frank continues to make Millennials’ dreams come true. First a coloring book, now an athleisure line. Yes, you can deck yourself out in rainbow unicorn leggings and dolphin crop tops to your heart’s content. Go forth like the ’90s never left. The internet got reaaaaalllly excited about a Harry Potter version of Pokémon Go. Unfortunately, it’s still just rumors.

Legendary New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham died on Saturday at the age of 87. He had been hospitalized recently after a stroke. Born in Boston in 1929, Cunningham moved to New York after dropping out of Harvard. He started out as a hat designer, and when the fashions became less formal in the 1960s, he picked up a camera instead.

Big news from IKEA: collaborations with British designer Tom Dixon and Danish brand HAY are in the works for 2017. Both collections were announced yesterday at IKEA’s annual Democratic Design Day, where the company also revealed its latest Life at Home report.

The sharing economy isn’t just for the young. The Freebird Club is an Airbnb-like service that connects traveling seniors with seniors who have spare rooms. There are a few notable differences between Airbnb and Ireland-based Freebird Club: mostly, that the host always stays (the idea is to foster connections); and it’s members-only, so the over-50 pay a fee to join and use the service. Freebird Club makes it easier for seniors to travel, knowing they won’t be in a place alone.

Dusen Dusen continues to snag our favorite funny ladies for their look books. The new home collection, available in June, features Daily Show senior correspondent Jessica Williams. Their first home collection last year caught our attention with SNL star Aidy Bryant, and Williams is making those graphic prints pop as well. The collection debuted during NYCxDESIGN where we snuck a peek of it at Sight Unseen OFFSITE.

Quite unassuming from the outside, you’d hardly guess this building was the creative refuge of The Purple One. But at Paisley Park in suburban Minnesota, Prince recorded nearly 30 albums. Take a look inside: 55,000 square feet on nine acres, Paisley Park was completed in 1988 and houses four recording studios, a video editing suite, and a 12,500 square foot soundstage.

Molly and Daniel are true blue partners in crime. They live together in a 1920’s-era Los Feliz apartment, work together as business partners, and support each other’s freelance work goals. They’re also great storytellers, fun to be around, and, as far as cute couples go, they’re like Olympic ice skating team cute. Here’s life with Molly and Daniel… The story of Molly and Daniel starts off with a simple twist of fate.