If you will be in New York City between November 10 and January 31, 2010, might I take the liberty of suggesting a visit to the Museum of the City of New York?

For me, nothing is better on a lazy weekend morning than a mug of hot coffee lightened with a heavy dose of equally warm milk. Let me correct myself: Make that a bowl of hot coffee.

Some folks can’t make a design decision without consulting any or all of the classic books by British interior decorator David Hicks. Others swear by Jeffrey Bilhuber’s latest guide, Defining Luxury (Rizzoli, 2008).

Inspired by picture frames wrapped in decorative handmade papers that she spotted on a trip to Venice, Italy, a friend of mine had the bright idea of commissioning similar frames to hold a collection of hand-colored etchings of exotic birds.

If you’re heading out of town this summer, might I make a souvenir-hunting suggestion? Picture frames.

Everyone runs out of storage space. Especially interior decorators and antiques dealers, who can’t help but stock up on mirrors, sofas, and all manner of ornamental folderol for their clients.

Sometimes the most unassuming elements make a lasting decorating impact. A case in point was a library ladder I literally bumped into following a luncheon at a breathtaking apartment in New York City.

I have craved the fine white Asian porcelain known as blanc de Chine for more years than I care to admit. The real stuff is rather dear, so I don’t own much of it.

Today’s style alert is an understated note of glamour anyone can copy—a chilled marble tile for serving butter at the table.

Shop windows rarely tell tales. But R. Louis Bofferding, a well-known antiques shop in New York City, always has a window with a story behind it.