When it comes to bathroom sinks, porcelain is passé. Get in the design flow with a stunning sculptural vessel sink. Inspired by the china basins of old, these sinks are finished on all sides and mount on top of the countertop.

But it’s not just the unusual shapes that turn these into design statements; many are crafted from surprising materials like glass, stone or even bamboo. Be warned: Once you turn on this particular faucet, you’ll want to redesign the whole bathroom around your new basin.

Perhaps the most gloriously whimisical is this lollipop of a freestanding basin, the Crosswater Watercolour (right), with its candy-striped glass bowl suspended from a stainless-steel stand with integrated faucet. Sweet! The downside? It seems to be available only in the United Kingdom ($2,625 for the double-armed stand; $1,567 for the basin) but you could try to convince them to ship across the pond.

Go bold with a fire-red Galaxy rectangular glass sink from KRAUS with a coordinating waterfall faucet ($270; below). It’s the perfect antidote to boring white porcelain. And just think of the color combinations!

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There’s plenty going on in The Wizard of Oz, with all its plots, subplots, flying monkeys, forces of good and evil, small yappy dogs. But we choose to focus on the shoes. Not the ruby red slippers - they’ve already had their day in the sun. We’re obsessing about the Wicked Witch of the West’s footwear, and how they seem to have struck a few marketing deals of their own.

Like this candy dish from Sur la table, all sweet and full of treats ($15). Set it by the front door on Halloween night, and watch those trick-or-treaters’ eyes open wide.

Send your little goblins out into the night with Current catalog’s imaginative treat bags (above), shaped like witches’ boots with wild heels in multiple colors (6 sacks, $7). After they come back all sticky and sweet, just hand them these hand towels that certify the Witch Is In (and she likes purple, $3, above right).

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The thing about Halloween is this: We’re all in on the game. We know the front yard is not really a cemetery, the skeleton on the front porch is plastic, the eyeballs in the bowl are peeled grapes and the punch-bowl fog is caused by dry ice.

Yet, we play along, because illusion is fun and Halloween still reminds us of plastic buckets full of candy and all that jumpy frivolity.

Any stage director knows that lighting is half the battle. If you can create a foreboding darkness sprinkled with flickering light, all those ghoulies and ghosties seem twice as real. Begin by preying on your guests’ scary-movie memories: Hang a lighted Bates Motel sign in the yard, preferably creaking in an autumn breeze, advertising that there’s always a vacancy inside ($30, above left). Drape orange icicle lights from Amazon in the upstairs windows for an otherworldly glow ($6), and nestle an electric spider web (above, right) in one of your trees, preferably in a branch that bows down close to people’s heads.

Wrap a lighted string of pirate heads, skulls and tombstones (both above) or creepy crawlies from Halloween Effects around the front porch posts and you’ll make some of those trick or treaters think twice about charging up to your door ($10-$13).

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If you’re sick of your summer surroundings, make a stylish seasonal shift by tossing on a new slipcover; one of heavy, rich fabric in deep, warm fall colors.

No, these are not your grandmother’s flowery slipcovers. Today’s stylish sheaths hug your furniture for a sleek custom-fit look.

For a solid, try the soft microfiber faux suede in deep reddish-brown cordovan ($99; $22 for box cushion cover) or the waffle-textured pique covers in garnet (on sale from $80 to $130). The Home Trends coffee satin striped cover (above) is elegant without breaking the bank: $50 for a loveseat; $60 for a sofa.

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No, there’s no deadly mercury in these soft, shimmering pieces of art glass. Sure, back in the 19th century, when they were created, “mercury glass” contained that dangerous element, but now shiny silver nitrate rests between two thin layers of glass and shimmers like liquid gold (or other precious metals).

You can still find mercury glass in antique stores, but better to go for the versions popping up in trendy home décor boutiques and stores. Go for standard silver or try other colors (like these luscious pears and pomegranates for $22, below).

Feeling mercurial about your autumn decor statement? Here’s a sampling of our favorites for fall:

Rian Rae’s lamp ($312)

Spheres (on sale for $30)

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There they sit, in the dish, all innocent in yellow, orange and white, plotting. They have the power to ruin your dinner and send your diet over the cliff.  You know this, and yet your hand still creeps toward the tri-colored demons. The battle is lost. And for heaven’s sake, it isn’t even chocolate.

Resistance is futile when it comes to candy corn, and the candy’s time of year draws near. Did you realize that an estimated 20 million pounds of it is sold every year, (and that Oct. 30 is National Candy Corn Day)? Therefore, in an effort at diversion, we offer candy corn fanatics some alternatives to the evil little triangles of tubbiness made of corn syrup and sugar.

Juicy Couture is on the job with a pretty little candy corn charm that says, appropriately, “Live for Sugar” on one side ($42).

Proclaim your allegiance with an “I Love Candy Corn” T from Café Press ($20), or  hang your feelings on the door with Lillian Vernon’s candy corn wreath and garland, where giant candy corns are all dressed up in silk leaves and organza ribbon. Crate and Barrel creates candy corn cookies ($6), of all things, as well as a candy corn tray ($15) and candy corn mugs ($5-$9).

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With fall now officially here, it’s time to transition your home from that breezy summer look to something more mellow and golden. The simplest way to make the seasonal switch is to swap out accessories. Oh sure, you can break out the pumpkins, autumn leaves, wheat stalks and scarecrows and scatter them across every available surface. But do you really need a look that screams, “AUTUMN LEAVES EQUAL FALL! TIME TO PULL OUT THE PUMPKINS!” We’re more intrigued by the challenge of implementing a stealth harvest theme.

Go for the golden with a subtler nod to the season with some of these delectable accessories:

• This elegant feathers bouquet with pheasant and guinea hen feathers would look divine on a coffee table, mantel, or even on a wall as art ($55; below).
• For tabletop storage or to hold autumn fruit or potpourri, consider  Shaker-style circular wood banded boxes ($89)
• Add a scent of the great outdoors with lovely aroma cone arrangements from the Home Decorators Collection. We liked the simplicity of the Door County arrangement in a willow basket ($24) and the Hampton arrangement (above) in a patina-finish metal basket ($129).

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Fall is such an uncomplicated season compared to the rest. Winter is all slush and muck, boots and coats. Summer oozes wet swimsuits, humidity and screen doors slamming. And don’t get us started on spring, what with all its fever and cleaning. But fall is a cup of tea, a chenille sweater, a break in the heat. And fall is layers and layers of red, orange and gold pillows falling into your living space, making it warmer and more inviting by the minute. First, stock up on the deals at Overstock.com, with the garnet, terra and brown channel quilted pillows (set of two, left, $25) or the velvet throw pillows (set of two, $20) in burgundy, gold or chocolate. 

Then pick a couple of  accent pillows to catch the eye and help it rove around the room. Bed, Bath & Beyond offers a slice of the season in its quiet Amherst nutmeg feather toss pillow ($30), or its sophisticated block patch toss pillow ($20, right) in natural.  (more…)