But one of the little perks that is just plain fun is getting samples of new products. Samples of wallpaper and fabrics, pre-release books, gourmet treats, pillows (lots and lots of pillows)–they end up on my desk with some frequency. (I also get very strange product samples, like a tiny rubber replica of the Statue of Liberty that arrived about six months ago. Not sure what that was all about…)

Not too long ago, I got a real treat: a little sample of Coole Swan Premium Cream Liqueur. It. Is. Fabulous. Created from all-natural ingredients (no synthetic flavors or colors), it is made from fresh double cream from Irish dairy lands and single-malt Irish whiskey.

Here’s the kicker: Dark, bittersweet chocolate is melted into the cream and complemented by Madagascan bourbon vanilla. Brilliant.

You can find Coole Swan at your favorite local liquor store. It’s relatively new to the Colorado market, so if you like Irish cream, give yourself a treat and go buy a bottle.

And as for the question about whether my job is super-glam…well, on days when goodies like Coole Swan show up, I guess it is.

Don’t miss the full story in the pages of our May issue, due to hit newsstands mid-April. –Elaine St. Louis, CH&L art director

Curtis Park, TOH reports, has nearly 500 late-19th-century homes in styles such as Second Empire, Italianate and Queen Anne. If you’re in the market for a dramatic roofline, beautiful turrets or unusual facades, Curtis Park could be the place for you.

The neighborhood is enjoying a strong cultural renaissance, and smart investors–and homeowners in search of homes with some architectural history–are renovating the old houses to great success. TOH says that the prices are right: fixer-uppers average about $173,000.

Curtis Park’s boundaries aren’t clear-cut, but here’s a rough estimate: The neighborhood is bordered by Broadway and Downing streets on the west and east, and by 23rd and 38th to the south and north.

You get the benefits of city living at affordable prices about 15 minutes from downtown. It’s a good mix, and we’ll be keeping our eyes on Curtis Park in the coming years. You should, too.

Good design is good design, whether it’s a smartly renovated bathroom or a beautifully redesigned store, and while we love covering the state’s finest residential projects in the pages of our magazine, sometimes I just have to point out commercial design projects that deserve our praise.

The new shop at the Denver Art Museum is just such a space.

Designed by Denver-based Roth + Sheppard Architects, the shop is a perfect compliment to the angles and lines of the Daniel Leibskind-designed Hamilton Building. You’ll find it in the once-rather-bare public space to the right of the entrance. Here’s the kicker: The shop feels like its own entity while it fits in perfectly with the rest of the museum. Defined by a series of fixed glass panels, the shop offers the usual museum fare: a great book collection, jewelry, stationery, other gift-worthy items and some lovely glass art, which stands out against an LED-backlit wall. We love to take a seat in the cafe at the back of the store, gaze out the windows and wait for the muse to visit. It’s an inspiring spot.

So kudos to Jeffrey Sheppard, AIA, and Herbert Roth, FAIA, for making the museum shop an excellent accompaniment to the museum itself.

We’ve long admired the work done by the volunteers at the Horse Protection League, a non-profit dedicated to the welfare of horses, ponies, mules and donkeys. The HPL is run entirely by volunteers, who feed, groom, exercise and nurse back to health as many as 20 horses at a time at the historic Churches Ranch in Golden.

Given this group’s good work, we’re pleased to help spread the word about Art for Horses, a fundraising art show that opens Friday, Feb. 19 and runs through Saturday, Mar. 6 at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design’s Rotunda Pavilion. The show will feature equine- and western-themed fine art across a range of media, including painting and sculpture.

Swing by for the opening reception on Friday, Feb. 19, from 6-9 p.m. Admission to the show is free, and art is available for purchase during show hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Learn more about the Horse Protection League’s important work by clicking here.

Sangre Sun by Dix Baines

And to get you in the mood, I’m bringing back some shots (from our June/July 2009 issue) of a home designed by HW Home’s Jim Hering. Click here to read more about this home, and visit hwhome.com to start dreaming about what you’re going to bring home…

And these pillows, from the Sarah Collection, are among my favorites:

You can buy Working Class Studio’s stuff online at shopscad.com (where you’ll find lots of other tempting pieces) or at the Perfect Petal in Denver and Suburban Hill in Longmont. Happy Friday!

While I was digging through piles of new bath products, I discovered this: Novellini’s new Cristal Tub, which retails for $21,000. The press materials promise that it "leaves nothing to the imagination." No kidding.

The tub comes with its own integrated chrome-finished, floor-mounted faucet, and its sides are made from clear safety-glass panels.

The sad news (for those of you clamoring to add a little Italian beauty to your bathroom) is that the tub isn’t yet available through a Colorado showroom or retailer, but if you really must have it, go to novellini.com and click the "contact" button.

What do you think? Worth the splurge?

1. Large D-flawless diamonds and finer quality jewelry will be strong sellers, serving as a hedge for wealthy collectors in the turbulent economy.

2. Post-war fine arts by top artists will be in great demand.

3. Lower-end collectibles won’t be great sellers, especially outside of pop and mass culture items, so look for bargains here.

4. Middle market (items under $10,000) decorative  English, American, and European furniture and decorative arts will continue to have a tough time, as this segment of the market competes against mass-market retailers offering reproductions of this material at affordable prices.

We think #4 is especially interesting, and fits just perfectly with our view that if you’ve ever been interested in collecting antiques or adding a few vintage pieces to your otherwise modern or contemporary home, now’s the time. Lower demand means better prices and a greater selection. And young antiques are a great way to enter this fascinating realm.

By the way, Antiques Roadshow made a stop in Denver last summer, and the Denver episodes air March 29, April 5 and April 12 at 7 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS. We sent an intrepid reporter to find out what Coloradans were schlepping to the AR taping, and we’ll publish her piece in March, but in the meantime…Did anyone out there attend the Roadshow taping and discover that you are the proud owner of a priceless gem? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

And Laila from Edwards says, "Ha! I loved your reference to mirrored walls. We had a whole wall of mirrors in our living room when I was a kid…and a huge sectional sofa in a brushed mauve/purple velvet. When it was delivered, I was eight, and i remember thinking how awesome it was. I wanted to sleep on it, so my mom let me spend the night on the couch."

We did hear from a reader, Karen, who said that she can’t believe that we’d make fun of the homes that once graced the pages of our magazine. We certainly don’t mean to offend anyone, and while we do believe good design is important–and a fascinating reflection of pop culture, politics and geography–we don’t think it hurts to have a good chuckle from time to time at trends that we’re glad are long gone. Disagree? Send me a note at hoswald@coloradohomesmag.com. I’d be happy to post your responses.