Create a functional foyer: Furnishings and accessories should not only look good, but they should work for you, too. The chair provides a place to sit and put on shoes, the credenza offers space for mail and keys, and the mirror lets you "check your smile before heading out the door."

Design a "bombshell bookcase." Weed out old books, arrange the ones left both vertically and horizontally; add accessories and artwork to break up the rows (but don’t overdo it); and paint the inside a vibrant, attention-getting color. Voilà.

And as this is peak-holiday season, I especially appreciated Vegas’ ideas for party prep and entertaining:

• Clean up the clutter.
• Make an instant side table from a stack of magazines; top it with a bowl of nuts.
• "Decorate" your sideboard with wine and cocktail accessories – glasses, mixers, liquor bottles, a cheese plate, a pretty bowl of olives.
• For the holidays, add a themed serving piece to the mix.
• Spray and shine all mirrored and glass surfaces.
• Arrange one or more vases of fresh flowers.
• If you are setting out candles, instead of one or two votive candles on a credenza, why not arrange an entire tray of them?

Here’s a sampling of my personal favorites from the site. I’m happy that Bond & Bowery can fill the void of high-end mid-century furnishings that the dearly departed Good Eye in DC’s Friendship Heights left behind when it closed its doors earlier this year.

Anyone with a contemporary loft would love this vintage industrial cabinet.

Check out the lovely details on this mid-century lacquered dresser.

An Andy Warhol! Right here!

A far-out wall hanging for any 70s-pop-art connoisseur.

You can find these mid-century architectural renderings by Carlos Diniz here and here.

Even if you are not into sewing, this distinctive sewing chest from Poland has great lines.

 I saved the most fabulous piece for last: This 1960 Dior necklace. Wouldn’t it look great on you, lounging in a hot-pink Saarinen Womb Chair?

Fresh flowers all year long. Get them here.

I’ve purchased this set of botanicals from Anna Cote in the past, and I love them. Get them right here.

But the decision is so tough – I love these, too, which come with an adorable silver clip to hang them up. They can be found here.

These painted images are quiet and thoughtful and lovely. Get them here.

These images from Delphine Studio are sweet and playful, right here.

You will spend all day on the Etsy site checking out cool calendars. There are other companies out there as well, some of which I blogged about last year, that are worth looking into, to find the perfect art (er, calendar) for your desk in 2010. Happy New Year.

One really interesting trend I noticed was the practice of ripping the hard covers off books, revealing the raw spines beneath.

Spineless books form a centerpiece at Bliss Studio.

These raw books, paired with shells and other natural artifacts at Artesia, look like they came from nature themselves.

The vintage library cards on these recycled books at Regina Andrew is cool – along with the fact that they are tied up in twine.

Then, there are books whose original covers are removed and replaced with more substantial and decorative outerwear.

These books-by-the-foot at Go Home remind me of the ones I saw by Middleton’s Old World Library at the New York Gift Fair in August.

Books turn into curiosities at Natural Curiosities.

If you happen upon old pads or ledgers – or stacks of sheet music, or anything in aged paperback binding, they make a great natural-looking centerpiece, as you see here at Penthouse Indoor & Outdoor Furniture.

Julian Chichester took books and styled them in a really cool way, proving that they don’t all have to be lined up in the same direction for visual impact.

Also in the Chichester showroom, a display where monochromatic books look sharp as a highlight for accessories.

Last, but not least: the elegant display at French Heritage, where handsome old books and antiques mingle brilliantly in this stunning bookcase.

I love to read, OK? But I definitely look at books with an eye toward how they can dress up a shelf, and I’ve learned more than a few tips on that score this week.

Now, it’s time to reexamine my bookshelf at home. How do I tell my husband that his business and management books just aren’t pretty enough to make the cut?

Next, I turned to my friend Alison Jia at Middle Kingdom Porcelain, whose home graced our spring cover this year.  She and husband Bo have their own line of black beauties.

And then I discovered this incredible Austrian company called Feinedinge that has these delicate black-on-black patterned cups.

But black doesn’t have to be ornate. It can be simple and understated – a background that makes a green salad look like pop art, and gives a makeover to a piece of chicken.

Vera Wang does this with her Naturals collection,

Heath Ceramics does it with its Coupe collection in onyx,

And Middle Kingdom also does it with these lovely plates.

And for a finale, let’s move from porcelain to glass. Juliska offers this stunning line of black glass tableware – truly jewelry for the table.

Caleb Siemon

Examples of Siemon’s incredible work

We’re most excited about Caleb Siemon, a glassblower in Santa Ana, CA, since 1999, who is a newcomer to doing work for official Washington. He spoke to me today about the wild ride he’s had since he was “discovered” earlier this year.

Some of his work had been on exhibit at the Renwick Gallery, conveniently located across the street from the White House. That resulted in a call from State Department protocol aides asking him to produce two one-of-a-kind vessels for the Obamas to include among the gifts they gave to dignitaries during their trip to Europe this spring.

They were so impressed, they called him soon thereafter, asking him to produce a custom, oversized ten-banded bowl (similar to the right-hand photo above).

Caleb stands in his shop with his creation – a picture he had taken for us this morning.

The honey vase Siemon made for the G20 gifts marks his third commission for the Obama administration. He first sent some prototypes for Mrs. Obama to consider, and he later heard that she adored the one that ended up being the official gift. Here is some of the gorgeous detail:

“It’s an extreme honor and a pleasure for us to be able to do this – they’re giving out a gift that represents the craftsmanship of the country,” Siemon said. “As a craftsperson, your ultimate dream is some sort of presidential recognition. Throughout history, governments have used the crafts of their country as their status.”

Speaking of status, check out his latest line of pendant lights, appropriately called “Kiss.”

Siemon has personal ties to DC – his wife, Carmen Salazar, is a native. They will be here over Thanksgiving to see her family, and also to meet the people he’s been working with at the State Department for his commissions. “They’re all, like, really cool people,” he said. But will he get to meet Mrs. Obama? “Possibly,” he said. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you, Caleb!

Pickard China

Pickard China is an old hand at producing exquisite china for the U.S. government. The 116-year-old company first started making gravy boats during World War II to support the Navy. In 1977, it was chosen to provide the official china service for all the U.S. embassies. It also made the china served on Air Force One, at Camp David, and at Blair House (the guest house for visiting dignitaries, across from the White House). One can find their products in the gift shops for the House and Senate on Capitol Hill.

Before President Bush left office, Laura Bush ordered a large set of Pickard china for the White House’s private quarters – a magnolia pattern designed by Arlington, VA, artist Anna Weatherley, whom we’ve profiled in the magazine.

Here’s the magnolia pattern, designed after trees on the White House grounds:

More recently, Pickard produced all the commemorative china for President Obama’s inauguration.

I hope to see more from both Pickard and Caleb Siemon before this administration is over.

Moving right along, he finds an interesting pitcher that looks like black basalt. But he’s been to so many flea markets and knows so much about what he sees, that he quickly moves on. “It’s pretty, but it doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t have that gritty weight.”

I loved what Eddie had to say about old linens. “You can’t go to Macy’s and get this,” he said. “It’s been loved and hand washed. They’ve been used so many times” – that you can wash and even bleach them without worry.

Eddie helped me see past things that initially might seem pretty bad, like this chair. “These chairs are frightening in the fabric they’re in, but lacquer the frame, add mod fabric and silver nailheads – it would take that granny aspect and turn it into a ‘wow’ factor.”

He pounced on this adjustable sterling-silver toast rack. “I’ve never seen an adjustable!” he said. “You can’t go into Tiffany and get something like this.”

When Eddie worked at Martha Stewart Living, he would look to old magazine covers for MSL cover inspiration, such as a certain camera angle, or the way things were arranged.

“This, to me, is a whole [theme] inspiration for Halloween,” he said of this old Cinderella book.

“I’d blow these up and make art” from the illustrations in this 1884 fashion magazine, Eddie said.

Eddie gasped when he saw this set of six chairs for $195. “Insane!” he said. All you need to do is upholster them.

Flea markets are great to shop for wonderful vintage wedding or anniversary presents, Eddie said, such as this classic Heisey glassware, which was produced between 1896 and 1957.

This sterling Victorian ice cream slicer can also be used for serving cakes, chicken, or fish. “Unusual serving pieces are great to give as gifts,” Eddie said. And for $25, who can beat it?

Another great gift idea, or a way to add to your own stock for entertaining: Sterling silver spreaders. Adorable.

Eddie took his tour group to these racks of old coats. When he used to style shoots for House Beautiful and Martha Stewart Living, he said they would make throw pillows out of vintage fabric to add some oomph to a room’s look. Old coats are a great way to find this kind of fabric, such as the black lamb’s wool boucle he’s pointing out. Purchased new in New York, this fabric would be $500 per yard.

Remember the booth with the Heisey glass? Well, I bought myself a jelly dish, and it goes perfectly with my Tiffany china and silver patterns.

And taking Eddie’s advice, I also purchased these vintage 1940s silverplate servers ($6!) and adorable cocktail napkins ($15) as a wedding gift for a friend.

When my husband and I were in New York last month, we almost bought a vintage flour sack from a shop in the East Village for $65, because we wanted to turn it into a pillow for our new sectional in the basement. We didn’t end up getting it, and it’s a good thing, because I found these wonderful feed sacks – for a total of $10!

Thanks, Eddie and Jaithan, for a great flea-market education. And thanks, too, to Michele of My Notting Hill for hosting such a wonderful cocktail party the night before for them and local bloggers and designers. For a recap of that affair, go to her blog right here.

One of my fondest memories of the network is touring the sets of the shows, which were littered with carts of props for the kitchens of household names such as Rachael Ray. My eyes always bulged at the sight of shelves upon shelves of plates, platters, glasses, and cookware.

The set for Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, Guy’s Big Bite, from the Food Network blog.

Here’s what you see just beyond the set, behind the cameras. From the blog of Sunny Anderson on Food Network’s Cooking for Real.

Well, it looks like I never saw a fraction of what exists in the Food Network prop house, a place I never visited. Eddie recently blogged about a reunion visit back there, and took dozens of pictures inside this amazing place.

Here’s a corner on the ironware market:

Antique molds:

Pass the salt and pepper, please:

I wasn’t aware of the network’s vast collections of fine china, such as this antique flow blue:

You can see the rest of Eddie’s remarkable pictures here.

And if I’ve given you an appetite for Food Network, you can go see Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence, and the Neelys at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show, which Washington Spaces is sponsoring, at the Washington Convention Center Nov. 7-8. Click here for tickets.

Now, on to the flea market with Eddie Ross… I’ll be back next week with pictures.

And speaking of small, elegant radio and stereo systems…

The Cubo by Sonoro Audio is a CD/MP3 clock/radio. The newest version has Internet radio.

The Cubo will match any color in your bedroom. 

Joey Roth has created retro-looking speakers out of “acoustically dead” porcelain and cork, which serves as an undiluted pathway for the music to come out.

Don’t you love the old-timey fabric-clad pink cables?

The speakers are controlled by a simple, unassuming metal box with a lever that’s an equally simple block of wood.

No, this isn’t a travel umbrella. It’s the wireless Magnum speaker from YUBZ. It will play all the music in your iPhone – no docking required.

If you’re anything like me, holding a cell phone to your shoulder for hands-free talking is nearly impossible. YUBZ’s retro solution is this handset that connects to your mobile, for “low-radiation comfort calling.” 

Lots of colors to choose from.

Roost, one of my favorite companies, offered this modern take on the classic silhouette, which was popular in our early days of independence.

I was surprised to see Julian Chichester, which normally has a very contemporary look, offer this bedside table:

And I was enchanted by its lamps, with bases crafted from antique wallpaper-print rollers – complete with a book about 18th-century writer Samuel Johnson in the display.

I also came across a company that recycles used books to make bookshelf displays look much more substantial, inspired by centuries-old bookbinding craftsmanship. It’s called Middleton’s Old World Library. They don’t have a Web site, but they are in Kentucky: 859.816.2110.

So, now that I’m back home, thinking about these wonderful old styles, I started looking to the shops at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, both an easy day trip from DC.

This mirror from Mount Vernon would look great in a foyer.

The Monticello tableware is stunning – I’ve always loved those old knife cases.

I am coveting the stemware in particular.

Jefferson’s Campeachy chair is of course reproduced from the early 19th century, but there’s something quite contemporary in the feel as well.

It’s heartening to see these days that things that are quite old can still be fresh and inspiring. I wonder if these styles could be making a comeback, or have they been “In” all along?

Have you ever given a gift packaged all pretty, only to think that all that packaging is going to end up in a landfill? Vanishing Creatures has the answer for that: Buy chocolates molded from endangered creatures, where part of the proceeds goes to support their conservation, and the packaging for the chocolates converts into either a candle holder or bird feeder. How green is that?

Next, Urban General recycles old silver into funky new colorful items: 

Urban General also converts old doilies into pockets for aprons.

Want to be a friend to the environment? Check out the Friend Boxes from Shine Labs. The tops are bamboo, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and the bottoms are 100-percent wool felt. They are fabricated with no-VOC adhesives.

And speaking of bamboo, I would think that a bamboo dry-erase board in your kitchen is much more attractive than the typical white variety. From Three By Three.

I also found some wonderful objects crafted from recycled paint cans and oil cans – they look much better in a living room than in a landfill.

These sculptures, which can take up a huge portion of your wall, come from The Roberta Schilling Collection.

These pieces were crafted in the same style as Iman Deco’s regular collection, only they come from oil drums recovered from Africa.

Moving right along…

These “pebbles” from Bambu would look fabulous in a glass bowl. They are made from scrap material.

These adorable farm plates from J.K. Adams are laser-engraved on Vermont maple cut from managed forests.

Bamboo-inlaid tray from Zen Zen Garden & Home

Serving pieces made from citrus wood from the citrus industry’s waste, from Canvas Home.

Recycled glass from Shiraleah, left and Esque Studio, right.

Recycled foil baskets and a decorative object made from nipa pods, from Lazy Susan USA.

Recycled cotton and burlap from Michaelian Home

Eco-friendly hand-woven textiles from Sustainable Threads

A children’s “wish frame” made from recycled cardboard, from Cardboardesign

Stay tuned for more green fun tomorrow.

The Preserve Kitchenware line of cutting boards also won an award at the housewares show. It’s 100-percent recycled plastic and 100-percent recyclable. The curved handle at the end makes it easy to slide food from the board into the bowl or pan.

Yet another award winner: The Zyliss herb snippers. They have a stem stripper integrated into the handle for rosemary and thyme. So clever.

Do you ever think about the switch and outlet plates in your house? Anthropologie does, with a whole line of decorative plates.

And now, for cool stuff that you can’t buy in the United States – which I have to show because they make for good eye candy, if nothing else.

I wish I could buy a toothbrush as cool as the Banat Acrobat. Sadly, the only retail site where I could find this Turkish-designed product is in Nigeria.

And these fire extinguishers by Fire Design, for those lucky enough to live in Paris, lend a safety-chic element to the home.