For the most part, we’re all about hiding the cords that keep our panoply of gadgets energized. But then we came across this photo showing a lamp with a fancifully manipulated cable, and it made us realize that sometimes, like when you have a ginormous zit on your forehead, it’s better to embrace the problem than to attempt to cover it up (everyone can see what you’re trying to hide anyway, right?). Lifehacker recommends using wall clips like these ($21.34 for 100) to create your design. Plus, spending an hour or so creating a modern art installation out of cords you already have is probably cheaper than buying a piece of artwork. [Maisie Maud Broadhead via Lifehacker]

This awesome concept entails recycling your cassette tapes to let them shine on. [Unplggd]

An article in the New York Times this week about women-only apartment buildings in New York City brought back memories of my first college dorm way back in the mid-‘90s. It was the only remaining all-girls dorm on campus and I was in the last class of freshmen to live there before it became co-ed. I didn’t choose the dorm and I wasn’t happy when I was assigned to it; I remember feeling especially frustrated that I’d finally escaped the clutches of my over-protective mother only to be stuck in a place where I had to sign-in every male guest, escort them in the halls and elevators, and make sure they left the building before 11 p.m. Lame! Of course, back then basically the only guys who were interested in hanging out with me were my plethora of gays who liked to watch “Ricki Lake” on my tiny 13-inch TV and gossip about our mutual friends. What can I say? I was a hag at a young age. I doubt it was any coincidence that the next year, when I moved into a co-ed dorm, I finally branched out and actually started dating straight guys who liked making out with me instead of just counseling me on how to wear my hair. All this is to say I couldn’t imagine living in an apartment as a grown woman where the same rules that I had to abide by when I was 18 applied.

While pinup girls make regular appearances on everything from jewelry to automobile mud flaps, we don’t see pinup guys, well, anywhere. Thankfully, tableware company Fishs Eddy has come up with a set of cheeky (har, har) glasses to fill the void. Featuring a pole dancer in butt-baring chaps, these 13.5 oz. cups are certainly one tall drink of water. [$20 for 4, Fishs Eddy]

While we could all hang an unadorned light bulb from an extension cord for light, most people prefer chandeliers, light fixtures, and lamps that add a decorative touch to rooms. Industrial designer Craighton Berman, however, took the simplest electric lighting elements—a cord and a light bulb—and turned them into a high-design table lamp. This marks the first time an orange 100-foot extension cord has looked stylish. [$75, Craighton Berman]

Here’s one way to make your pad truly a home sweet home: by decorating your walls with Vivienne Westwood’s new wallpaper line. The designs, which were brought to life in partner with Cole & Son, actually take inspiration from Westwood’s runway creations and put some of her signature prints back on to the page. Rolls feature a rich terra cotta orange with green squiggles, illustrated white flowers against a black background, and graphic floral prints.

We’d imagine that, like Vivienne Westwood’s clothes, these wallpaper rolls are pretty pricey. Ah, say la vee. Still, good for decor inspiration. [Grazia]

Ikea, watch out. H&M is set to take over your entire world.

H&M gave shoppers all over a thrill just a few weeks ago when the store announced that Internet shopping would finally be available in the coming months. But they’re not stopping with that. Now, they’re ready to get into the home goods arena, so not only your wardrobe can be filled with H&M, but your home can be decked out as well. So far the site features bed linens and bathroom towels, but there’s also a section for organic cotton and rugs, so really it’s only a matter of time before it’s a full blown Ikea competitor. Let the cheap yet stylish Swedish homewares war begin! Ironically, the first area that H&M has begun to cater their sheets and pillows to is Sweden.

Pillow talk is one of those magical occurrences that only happens so often; it’s fleeting, just like dreams. If anyone knows anything about the subject, it’s Miranda July, the director and performance artist whose beautiful indie film, “Me And You And Everyone We Know” seemed, if just for a moment, to make everyone consider the artistic awkwardness of love.

If you’re a fan, check out July’s recent work, which you can bring into your own home. A set of two pillowcases, one has a poignant image with the words, “Here you will dream of endless kissing.” The other, which reads, “Here you will dream of people you admire exposing your fraudulence,” sounds more like a nightmare, but knowing July, there’s probably meant to be ambiguity in words just as there is in dreams. Or vice versa. [$65, ThirdDrawerDown.com]

Attention decorating aficionados! If you’ve never used some really cool-looking wallpaper to add some life to any and all rooms in your house, you have to get with the program. (Never will I forget the pink and green peacock-printed dining room I once had, or the trees-in-a-forest walled living room that made everything seem so cozy.) I just had the privilege of meeting super-cool artist Este Lewis who has taken the concept of kitsch wall accents to the next level by capturing everyday objects, like Saltines, candy dots, pencils, colorful fuses and so much more, on digitally printed wallpaper that’s made for you and your guests to drool over. An entire room might be a bit much, but to make a kitchen panel pop or for slapping your favorite objects on a bedroom wall, the look is divine. Plus, all of her creations are made to order. Check her website for details. [Soy Este]

So we warned you it was coming, but after four months (it feels like way longer than that!) of waiting, the digital mag, Lonny, headed up by Rubie Green founder Michelle Adams and photographer Patrick Cline, is finally here—sweet Jesus, thank the Lord! (Can you tell I’ve been reading and re-reading and re-re-reading my old collection of Dominos every day since its demise?) You must check it out here. They’ve got sweetly chic bathrooms, rustically elegant table settings (by former “Top Design” contestant Eddie Ross), and a peek inside Deborah Needleman’s (former editor-in-chief of the magazine) country retreat, above. It feels a lot like Domino, especially all the product pages upfront, and with reason—loads of former staffers have helped in the creation of Lonny. Click over there now. It’s complete eye candy yumminess! [Lonny]

Back-to-school blues? Satisfy your nostalgia with something both classic and reusable like these Names and Notes napkin rings, which are like mini-chalkboard place cards. Outfitted with a layer of black matte paint, the set of four comes with a white pencil for writing the names of your dinner party guests and an eraser sponge (clean slate, clean plate?). Or, you could use these doodads to discreetly pass notes (“Do you like me? Circle one: Yes, No”). We’d try decorating our table with white and black plates to match. [$58 for four, Gessato.com]

We love this flowchart poster that reminds us if we’re not happy, we can do something about it, and if we are, well, we can keep right on doing what we’re doing. It was created by designers Alex of Headup and David Meiklejohn. Alex calls the chart a “simple process for evaluating what may be the most important question one could ever want to answer.” Who thought something so complicated could be so easy? A poster and postcards will be available for sale soon. [via Julia Allison]

Sometimes, pillow talk needs no words. At least not the ones you speak out loud. Perhaps that’s the view of artist Louise Bourgeois, who recently presented an installation at London’s Tate Modern, which featured a wood-paneled bedroom. The bed sported a red duvet and a pillowcase with the French words “Je t’aime.” The Tate then created saleable pillowcases based on the work, using beautiful cream cotton to embroider the red phrase where you lay your head. Another variety has “Je t’aime” screen-printed in repetition. In short: we aime it. [$40.37, Tate Modern]

Admit it. From time to time, you browse Craigslist’s Missed Connections, secretly hoping that you’ll recognize a description and realize you are the “girl on the A train.” What could be more romantic than someone experiencing love at first sight? Artist Sophie Blackall brings these moments to life. Using striking “New York Missed Connections” posts, she creates whimsical and colorful illustrations based on the words and scenario. Some are poignant—in one, a waitress at a diner stares longingly at a boy drinking a strawberry milkshake along with the script, “I bought you that milkshake, you just didn’t realize it.” Others are hilarious, like the man looking for a hipster chick who passed gas: “You passed wind rather loudly and started chuckling. I’d like to see you again. The flatulence wasn’t a turn-off.” Check out the fun blog, or purchase a print on Etsy. You never know ... you might find something familiar. [Missed Connections]