A Danish I Could Eat

Do I cook? Not often. Can I cook? Yes, for sure. Do I like pretty things even though I may not use them? Yes. It began in November when the Danish designer Tord Boontje graced Target with his gorgeous, old fashioned yet mod Christmas designs. Pristine and elegant paper chandeliers drip from the ceiling and his graphics sprinkle across every occupiable space.

It started simply enough. Oh, I'll just get some of this cool intricate looking paper garland for my Christmas party. I bought two. These look like the painstakingly paper cut out art known as scherenschnitte to me, only funkier. Then yesterday I decided to get this other funky red metallic garland with his cool trademark icons dangling out from the fluff. It looks so kick ass.

I obsessed all night. Looking at Target's website and then contemplating yet another trip to its delectable innards in the morning. I was contemplating the Christmas porcelain dishes he created exclusively for Target. Oh, I have Christmas dishes, cool ones. But not this cool.

If you want to buy Tord Boontje dinnerware at Unica Home or Modern Poverty, one place setting will set you back at least $100(one din-din plate is around $58). It varies, some sites are more expensive than others. How could I possible pass up the Target version, eerily similar, yet not of the same high quality to be sure for only $19.99 for four, on sale?! Damn, you Target, you filthy, lusty whore! You turn me into a junkie for design.

Design for all, indeed!

Tord isn't bad himself in that art school guy kind of way. Maybe you've seen him in the commercials. What struck me is what Linda Hales wrote about him in The Washington Post on November 26-

"Boontje was working at the cutting edge of minimalist design until 2000, when the birth of a daughter sent him on a search for fantasy and warmth. Four years later, at the Milan Furniture Fair, he hit his stride. At the invitation of the Italian design company Moroso, Boontje produced an installation of lighting and cutout fabrics, and the event, called "Happy Ever After," catapulted him to international stardom."

Should I say I usually find fantasy and warmth in a bottle of Vodka?

Oh, the mighty power of babies. Ahhhhhh...

As I was dreamily staring off into the kaliedescope of saucers, Snowflake dumped his entire bag of popcorn on the floor. A fat lady walked through it and said, "I wonder where that came from".

"From him," I smiled, distant and glazed, reaching for the first box to examine its contents. You cannot see just how cool this is from a photograph.

So yes, I now have service for four. And a candelabra. I had to substitute a few other colored bowls to complete the look as it was already partially sold out. Can you see where this is headed?

What if I actually have more than two guests one day? I'm definitely going to need service for at least eight. So tomorrow I am off to scour the countryside for the remnants of reasonable design. I want the wineglasses and more matching bowls as well. This could be an all day deal. I may just skip our chance to attempt a stab at the Guinness World Record.