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Most people's familiarity with tassels is limited to the dangly ornaments favored by those in traditional interior-decorating circles who like to accessorize fancy window treatments with them. But in more refined materials like gold or silver, tassels take on a whole new look. Just in time for the holiday season, jeweler David Yurman, best known for his signature twisted-cable designs, introduces several styles of tassels, including semiprecious pendants to be worn on long chains. As a singular accessory they make a bold statement, but incorporated into a pile of necklaces they take on the season's biggest fine-jewelry trend: layers upon layers of chains and beads.

Tokyo Rising

The latest in a series of high-design boutiques to open in Tokyo's expensive Ginza district is Gucci. On the tail of Chanel and Christian Dior—which built modernistic marvels of their own in 2004—Gucci opened the doors to its long-awaited flagship, below, earlier this month. The dual-layer glass exterior of the eight-story building lights up at night with an installation by Shozo Toyohisa. Inside, the mood is a vast departure from the hard-edged sex appeal of Gucci's Tom Ford era. The new, less intimidating look incorporates warm color schemes and the use of natural light. Key design elements from Gucci's history accentuate the brand's legacy, while new trademark services are being initiated. Highlights of the store's offerings include a café, the reintroduction of custom handbags and the first-ever Gucci Gallery.

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URLs

Today's retail websites encourage a communal shopping experience in which site visitors can share product information and opinions in increasingly innovative ways.

designspongeshop.com sells affordable hand-crafted products for the home by small, independent designers. The site is run by Brooklyn, N.Y.--based writer Grace Bonney, who selects sale items and runs two blogs on the site that profile designers and discuss store and product finds.

thisnext.com is like a community-created Consumer Reports. Visitors can find anything from food to fashion recommended by anyone from chefs who list their favorite knives and spices to fashionistas who discuss their love of South Korean label Râveur. And in turn, users can make their own recommendations.

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Vividus Bed

You've heard of couture clothing; now think about a couture bed. Vividus, created by Swedish manufacturer Hästens, is the world's most exclusive bed. Made from the finest natural materials, a Vividus bed, above, takes up to 160 hours to complete and is built entirely by hand (hence the $49,500 price tag). The pine frame is held together through a dovetail-jointing method, requiring no screws. The main and overlay mattresses are layered blends of cotton, wool and horsehair. Each Vividus bed is custom-made and bears the signature of the Hästens craftsman who built it.

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Wallcoverings