Escapes: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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Again with the amazing vacation house. While I freeze my but off in the chilly Atlantic, Betty Riaz of Stil, one of my favorite boutiques in Boston (I’ve bought many a dress and loads of jewelry there), spends family vacations at their home in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, frolicking in the Caribbean Sea. (Playa del Carmen is almost at the very tip of the Mexican peninsula.) When they’re back in Boston attending to everyday life, it’s available to rent.

Playa del Carmen is apparently a hip town, and the condo is in a great downtown location. It has floor to ceiling glass windows that look over a tropical garden and pool lounge, hardwood floors, and terrace. There are two bedrooms, an open living space, and flat screen TV (with channels in English and Spanish – wouldn’t want to miss an episode of Gossip Girl!)

Betty is très fashionable, and so is this property. Have a look:

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Get the Look: Bookshelf Bazaar

Jen S. asks: “Have you ever noticed that most bookshelves are really ugly? I think I’ve finally found a pair that I like, but the whole category of furnishing is due for a revamp. Or maybe truly stylish people don’t use them?”

These bookshelves are clean, functional, stylish:

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SHOPPING GUIDE
Brave Space Design Tetrad Mega Shelving, $700 – $3,500 at Design Public
Fabric Magazine Holder, $16.95 at Tiny Living
Madison Loop Ladder Bookshelf, $129.99 at Target
Blu Dot Chicago 3 Box Shelf, $799 at Design Public
Trig Five-Shelf Bookcase, $169 at CB2
Index Four Bookcase, $3,200 at Design Within Reach
Kartell Bookworm Bookshelf, $1,148.46 at All Modern
Flybrary Bookshelf by Umbra, $31.50 at Umbra
Steel Book Truck, $223 at US Library Furniture
10 Thomas Wold Block Party Book Case, $3,990 at Design Public
11 Hancock Bookcase, $199 at CB2
12 Quad Bookshelf, $1999 at Generate
13 Cadman Spine Bookcase, $169 at West Elm
14 Vitra Self Cabinet, from $685 at Unica Home
15 Ginko Shelving by Iannone Design, $1775.00 – $3550.00 at PlushPod
16 Array Bookcase, $189 at CB2
17 Graphic Pop Bookcase, $499 at PB Teen
18 Opus Shelving System, $495 at Design Within Reach
19 Acrylic Bookcase, $3,920.00 at PlushPod
20 Corner Me Shelving, $498 at Design Within Reach
21 Warwick Double Bookcase, $245 at Stacks and Stacks
22 Treku Bookcase, $1,150 at Design Within Reach
23 Cubitec Shelving, $245 – $265, at Design Within Reach
24 BERGSBO Bookcase, $279 at IKEA
25 Offi Ply Grid Shelf, $299 at Modern Seed
26 Sapien Bookcase, $198 – $298 at Design Within Reach
27 Illuzine Magazine Rack, $31.50 at Umbra
28 Scaffold Bookcase, $399 CB2
29 Spine Wood Bookcase, $179 at West Elm
30 Boom Hive Cube, $ at 2modern
31 Kartell Lovely Rita Bookshelf, $293.56 at All Modern Lighting
32 Blu Dot D2 Utility Shelving, from $569 at Design Public
33 Hivemindesign Tier Shelving, $7,200.00 at 2modern

ARTmonday: Lance Cheshire

Lance Cheshire is a fashion photographer from New Zealand who lives in New York City. He’s assisted Mario Testino, Ellen von Unworth, Michael Thompson, and Steven Meisel, and of course works on his own too. I met him through a friend years ago when I was a fashion editor. We worked together and became good friends. We haven’t actually seen each other in years, but we keep in touch sporadically. He’s a great guy and talented artist.

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ARTmonday: Robert Knight

Here are some photos by Rob Knight, a Boston-based photographer, who’s also a friend. (His five-year-old son Harry followed us around a garden center in out on the Cape last summer until we agreed to organize a play date between him and my six-year-old. We’re so glad!) Rob, who recently had a solo show, “My Boat is so Small,” at Gallery Kayafas in the South End. shoots a lot of interiors and quirky still lives. These are some of my favorite works:

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