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INTERIORS ARCHIVE: 529: Trend spotting Trina O'Hara takes us on a tour of international furniture fairs to find the top Japanese designers at work today. 521: Child's play Trina O'Hara checks out the design celebrities hatching playful furniture and accessories for kids. 517: Personal Effects In celebration of the centennial of his birth, Trina O'Hara looks at the life and enduring legacy of Japanese-American designer Isamu Noguchi. 513: Seeing the light Trina O'Hara ponders the latest interior design trend and finds the answer is clear. 505: Lights of fancy Trina O'Hara checks out the contemporary chandeliers and whimsical lighting sculptures fast becoming fine art across the city. 501: Natural causes 493: Living rooms Inspired by the diverse lifestyles of this teeming metropolis, design experts Kyoko Asakura and Jaume J. Nasple-Baulenas have compiled an intriguing look inside the city's private homes. Tama Miyake Lung talks to the authors of Tokyo Houses. 489: Living in the past Art editor John McGee reveals three Tokyo stores that specialize in finding the best of what's old in Japanese antiques. 485: Monochrome marvels Black and white are back in fashion and making their mark in the interior design scene. Martin Webb reports on how to get the look for less. 481: Cut and paste Scrapbooking has swept America, where it's big business, and now it's catching on in Japan. Chris Betros attends a "cropalong." 477: Moss cause A sprinkling of moss can transform any windowsill into a miniature Zen temple. Hanna Kite offers some tips for bringing a little tranquility home. 469: Ikebana for idiots With a plethora of rules and schools, Ikebana can be intimidating, not to mention time-consuming. But who says busy people have to miss out on this ancient art form? Georgia Jacobs gives you the basics on no-fuss flower-arrangement. 466: A dyeing breed Winning fans from New York to Tokyo, designer Akiyoshi Yaezawa is putting a traditional stamp on modern accessories using a 17th-century hand-dyeing and painting process. Krista Wilson reports. 457: Party of five Matt Wilce lays out five luscious looks for New Year. 449: Thought out Designers create spaces but they also like to inhabit them. SuperDeluxe offers a place to drink and think for the design community—and of course their friends 445: Design on Tokyo A trio of interior design events is on its way to bring style into our Tokyo living rooms 439: Setting pretty Matt Wilce lays the table with styles for summer. 435: Tropical haven Asian furnishings are finding their way to flats across the city 431: Wed white and blue Treasures of traditional Japanese design, blue and white are the perfect foil for Tokyo's sweltering summers 427: Have a ball Who says you need tickets to catch a piece of World Cup action? 423: Collection point Nishi-Ogikubo's 65 pre-loved furniture stores make up Tokyo's great antique oasis 419: Flower power Bring your gloomy flat back to life with seasonal flowers. 415: On the mend Tokyo's fix-it men can have your furniture back in form 411: Phone home Panasonic unveils the e-lifestyle of the near future 407: Launch Pad Sputnik Pad lands in Jingumae 399: Interiors Retrospective  395: Interiors Kitchenware flare 391: Interiors Ideé is one of Tokyo’s most established interiors stores 387: Inner sanctum The days of sitting on the tatami floor are over 383: Life in style Tokyo's embraces ultra-modern design 367: Wealthy workplaces Put feng shui to work at work 364: Healthy homes The ancient Chinese art of feng shui

Party of five

Matt Wilce lays out five luscious looks for New Year.

End-of-year cocktail parties offer a chance to shine as a host, and this year's hottest items are all about glitz. Dress up your table in seasonal sparkle and serve up some New Year's cheer. From minimalist black and silver to rampant color and solid gold, here are five fresh looks at the cocktail counter.

Boxing Day
Osechi riyori (special New Year's dishes) are a stretch for even dedicated Japanese cooks, so why not fill your traditional lacquer serving box with cocktail nibbles instead. O-shogatsu is also the time to indulge in some nihonshu, either regular or the thick, sweet amazake traditionally served at New Year's. Using cedar sake boxes imparts a woody aroma and flavor to the sake, or look for some fun antique choko (sake cups) at the local shrine markets. For something lighter, try serving mini bottles of umeshu (plum liqueur). Not doubt getting the plum out of the bottle could be the subject of endless party games.

Miniature umeshu (¥180) Tokyu Hands, cedar sake box (¥380) Tokyu Hands;
three-tier lacquer box (from ¥40,000) Tokyu Bunkamura Shibuya; lacquer tray (stylist's own);
antique sake cup (¥300) shrine market.

All that glitters
Add some sparkle to your party with this gold encrusted table mat and two-tone candles. If your cheri likes sherry, offer them their favorite tipple in one of these smoked (very '70s) liqueur glasses that are also perfect for after-dinner stickies, a shot of Sambucca, or (for the daring) a kamikaze.

Kamikaze: one part vodka, one part lime juice, one part triple sec. Shake over ice and strain into shot glass.

Lurex lunch mat (¥600); orange glass vase (¥1,200) Franc Franc, liqueur glass (¥1,600), two-color candles (¥1,500 for 3) both from Conran Shop.

In the red
Red and green are the colors of the season, so why not deck your table, as well as your halls, with the classic combination. The glass beaker comes with gold spots or festive snowflakes and is perfect for a screwdriver made with blood orange juice or a green melon ball. Have too many and you may end up with a bloodeye.

Melon ball: 1/3 oz Midori or other melon flavored liqueur, 1/4 oz vodka, 1/4 oz pineapple juice. Shake and pour over ice.

Bloodeye: 1/2 part raspberry liqueur, 1 part lemon vodka, 1/2 part cranberry liqueur. Pour vodka into chilled shotglass, then carefully add raspberry liqueur and then cranberry liqueur. Works best if ingredients are straight from the freezer.

Glass beaker (¥700) Franc Franc, red woven paper table mat (¥700), shot glass (¥150) both from Conran Shop; cranberries (¥380) Seibu Garden Shibuya; green candle (¥600) Franc Franc.

All shook up
No cocktail party would be complete without a good martini—even the shiny tools of the trade look festive. But why limit things to just the classic shaken-not-stirred variety? Try using cranberry-flavored vodka for a seasonally apropos “crantini” served with fresh berries in place of olives, or mix up cosmopolitans and cape cods to put everyone in the pink.

Cosmopolitan: 1 1/4 oz citrus vodka, 1/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz ounce triple sec or Cointreau, 1/4 cup cranberry juice. Shake over ice, strain into martini glass serve with lime twist and fresh cranberry.
Cape Cod: 6 oz cranberry juice, 2 oz. Absolut Kurant or regular vodka. Shake over ice, strain into martini glass and serve with cranberry garnish.

Cocktail shaker ¥3,000, cocktail sticks (¥720), cocktail napkins (¥250), martini glass (¥1,200) all from Tokyu Hands; black felt table mat (¥1,500 for 20) Conran Shop; spirit measure (¥1,030) Loft.

Going for gold
Every end-of-year celebration needs some fizz to see the New Year in with a bang, and nothing makes a good vintage taste better than crystal. Lay the table with gold foil and candles, pop the cork and pucker up for your first kiss of 2003.

Gold candle (¥600), lurex lunch mat (¥600), lurex coaster (¥200) all from Franc Franc; gold foil (¥450) Conran Shop; Lalique champagne flute (¥15,000) Isetan Shinjuku.

Shibuya Loft, 21-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya. Tel: 03-3462-3821.

Franc Franc, 3F YM Square, 4-31-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-5785-2401. www.francfranc.com

Tokyu Hands Shinjuku, 5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-5361-3111. www.tokyu-hands.co.jp

Conran Shop, Shinjuku Park Tower, 3-7-1 Nishi-Shinjuku. Tel: 03-5322-6600. www.conran.ne.jp

Isetan Shinjuku, 3-14-1 Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3352-1111.

Photo credit: Matt Wilce