"It was the summer of 1994 and I'd just graduated from FIT. I had been living in student housing and was trying to figure out whether or not I was going to stay in the city or move back home to Arkansas. I didn't have a lot of money or time to find a place, but I'd just landed a job with [interior designer] Jed Johnson and knew I needed to make a decision quickly. It was getting down to the wire so I decided to sneak into one of the buildings at NYU that supposedly had a listing of available apartments. Sure enough I found the postings and quickly jotted down a long list of numbers. There was a hallway in the same building with several payphones and I immediately picked up the phone and started making calls. If I got an answering machine I would leave a message saying I could be reached on the phone number of the payphone next to me, desperately hoping someone would call me right back. Sure enough, the phone to my left started ringing and when I answered it was in response to one of the apartments I had been most excited about: an 'artist's loft' in the heart of Soho. The woman explained that she was both an an artist as well as a "dresser" for Saturday Night Live and the vacant space she had available was a place where she could drop by, showcase her artwork, and store extra clothes needed for SNL. I practically begged her to see the place that afternoon and once she finally agreed off I went to 581 Broadway between Prince and Houston [streets].

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Screen grab: 1stdibs. Click to enlarge!

If you're one of the lucky few who buy $50M homes without even intending to, but prefer your purchase with a side of endorsement by top interior designers, 1stdibs has got your back. According to a piece in this weekend's Wall Street Journal, the site has just branched into the luxury real-estate game, offering a list of high-end homes that have all been hand-selected by people like Brad Ford, Philip Gorrivan, and Robert Couturier, who offer quotes explaining their particular properties-of-choice. The addition of real estate to the site's already robust offerings—mostly antiques and midcentury finds—makes sense for someone like 1stdibs founder Michael Bruno, who bought a new house just last weekend—one "that he wasn't necessarily looking for." He believes that "[m]ost of the great houses that get sold are to people who are not in the market to buy a house." (Note to self: find these people and become friends with them immediately.) Anyway, a couple of the featured designers—Campion Platt, Kelly Wearstler—have their own homes listed for sale; meanwhile, the Martyn Lawrence-Bullard-designed Osbourne residence in L.A. and a swank Eric Cohler-designed townhouse in NYC are also on the market. These properties are not represented on 1stdibs, which at this point only includes listings from Corcoran and Coldwell Banker Previews International, and mostly ones asking upwards of $10M.

· Fine Homes [1stdibs]
· For Sale: Brooches, Chairs and, Now, $35 Million Homes [WSJ]

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That sound you hear? The shotgun blast indicating that Round 2 of Hottest Week kicks off right this second. As a reminder, we'll be posting the 16 extremely gorgeous, talented survivors in four groups of four in power-hour fashion. We're still sticking with looks only: so just go with your gut. Voting begins now and ends at 10 a.m. EST tomorrow. First up for Round 2: Brad Ford, Matthew Gryzwinski, Joshua Cain, and Tom Kundig.

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Our team of merry elves have sorted, sifted, and seeded the dozens of nominations and the games are ready to begin: Curbed's first-ever Hottest Week is kicking off right this very second. Here's how Round 1 works: over the next 60 minutes, in power-hour fashion, we'll be releasing the identities of the 32 nominees in four groups of eight. Each group of eight consists of four pairs. Each pair consists of two architects, decorators, or interior designers. We'll certainly divulge more details about these folks as the week progresses and as the numbers grow smaller, but let's be visceral for now: Who's hottest? Choose the guy or gal you find most beautiful, rinse, and repeat. Voting begins as soon as the posts publish and continues until 10am EST tomorrow. At that point, the 32 nominees will have been weeded down to 16, they'll be re-seeded, and the whole process begins again. The winner will be unveiled on Friday.

First up: Brad Ford, David Netto, Matt Gryzwinski, Lauren Gold, Joshua Cain, Ben Aranda, Tom Kundig, and Mark Garzon.

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Photographer Michael Mundy has cast his lens for publications ranging from House & Garden to Vogue. In April 2010, Mundy and his wife, Nhi Nguyen, launched An Afternoon With as "a project about people and their spaces." Here now, the duo offers a Curbed column in which they continue to explore the great many ways the people around them live.

Photo: Michael Mundy

Where is your home? Chelsea. Describe your block. Convenient. I have everything I need within a four-block radius: subway stations, bank, dry-cleaner, drugstore, movie theater, Penn Station, Whole Foods, Starbucks and three liquor stores! How long have you lived here? Around 10 years.

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'Tis the season, folks, for the age-old tradition of shopping! Welcome to Curbed's 2010 Gift Guide Advent Calendar, where every day from now 'til Christmas a different design-world player will recommend one home- or decor-related gift, from the reasonable to the outrageous and everything in between. Click the graphic below to unveil today's pick, and as the holidays draw nearer check out the whole kit 'n' caboodle. Here's to all things merry and bright.

Salvatore clock, $350, Palo Samko.
· Brad Ford Interior Design [official site]

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Photo by Brian Fender

Last night, the home-furnishings department on the ninth floor of the Lord & Taylor flagship in NYC reopened after 23 years. Interior designer Brad Ford was chosen to dress one of the tables within Ralph Lauren's Lauren Home Gallery; his work, above, was inspired by the rustic feel of the space. Spotted are select pieces from the brand's new collection, including the Laurel Dining Table and stemware/flatware from the Hewitt Platinum line. Oh, and some foxes. After all, what's a fabulous tabletop without being infiltrated by a trio of foxes? "Think the Fantastic Mr. Fox," Ford explains, adding slyly: "I got the foxes off eBay."

· Home Department to Return to Good Ol' L&T [Curbed National]
· Brad Ford I.D. [official site]

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