Jack Mackenroth needs no introduction, we’re sure.

We all know the designer from Project Runway. We all know he left the Bravo reality show after developing a antibiotic resistant staph infection, but bounced back like a champ. And, of course, we all know he looks good naked.

We bet there’s plenty you don’t know about handsome Mackenroth. For example, do you know how many siblings he has? Do you know what went down when he found out he’s HIV positive? Why doesn’t he talk to his father? What’s his next step? These questions and many more will be answered in this installment of The Home Issue!

(PS: Mackenroth appeared on NBC Nightly News last night to talk about MRSA. The video’s after the jump - on page three, to be exact.)
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Gay design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana continue to dominate the fashion world. In addition to revamping their London boutique, the former lovers opened a new space here in New York City. As many of you know, however, retail space has evolved considerably over the past few decades. Gone are the box-like rooms and in are architectural dreams, like Comme des Garçons’ womb-like space on 26th street.

Here Dolce and Gabbana talk to Wallpaper about retail’s architectural revolution: Do you think the design of a retail space is more important nowadays to the customer than it was in previous decades?

SG: The stores’ concept has always been very important. What has changed is … Continued…

Wallpaper’s got a bad rap. Long the home decor choice for overzealous grannies and tacky rich people, floor-to-ceiling paper products have nearly become a thing of the past: a throwback to the days of yore.

Luckily there’s a new breed of wallpaper creators intent on bringing interior coverings back to the forefront. New York City’s Studio Printworks specializes in fine accoutrement, offering the consumer dozens of unique creations.

John Mahoney’s just one of the Studio’s army of artists, but he’s also one of the best. We caught up with Mahoney recently to chat about his definition of home, kimonos, Frank Miller, the Quakers, art and, of course, wallpaper.

See what he has to say for himself - after the jump…
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Welcome to The Home Issue, reader!

We’re going to be spending the next few weeks nestling in for the cold winter months. In addition to busting up inside some local abodes, we’ll be spending some time looking at design, art, games, books and ideas to keep you occupied until things start heating up.

Brooklyn-based interior designer Chad McPhail starts things off on a hospitable note: he and his boyfriend, Grizzly Bear guitarist Ed Droste, opened their door to our vagabond editor and photographer. See what transpired, after the jump.
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The fall television season has officially begun. And, yes, Project Runway’s back in action - and just as gay as usual. Four gay men will test their design chops on this season of Bravo’s mega-hit.

AfterElton’s got the rundown on all the men, including a Seattle-native named Jack, who’s quite the renaissance man. Seattle Times provides a little more info: Jack Mackenroth, 38, a swimmer, model and fashion designer. Mackenroth, who lives in New York, is design director at Weatherproof Active Wear. And he’s also working on a memoir about his life experiences: He was diagnosed with HIV in 1990. Home boy better put that memoir on hold and pay attention to Runway hosts Tim … Continued…

Yesterday, we inaugurated The Totally Frightful Issue with a piece on gay skin heads. Today, we take a look at some petrifying ways to top those - and your - heads.

Dead animals may be a bit scary to some, but for Victor Osborne and Zach Barnett, the duo behind Victor Osborne, they’re grist for the creative mill. Drawing on an old millinery tradition, the boys incorporate every thing from fox heads to baby birds into their frightening fabrications.
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We await the day when club owners will stop paying people to “design” things like giant plastic womens legs over the bar, and instead spend that cash on more worthwhile additions like intelligently designed urinals. Designer Philip Watts has two models that we love: the Spoon and the Pale Ale.

The former has a sleek, tapered shape and elegant curves that could possibly turn peeing into a classy experience, and the latter does the opposite, by making you feel like you’re peeing into a tin bucket. We especially love the bucket one for its faux-rusticness; peeing in that thing would be like standing around the junkyard with your buddies and having a pee, except when … Continued…

With so many opportunities to create something beautiful out of the everyday mundane, we’re waiting for the day when trash cans dotting every New York City corner display works by local artists. Maytag is on moving in the right direction by reinventing washers and dryers as installation art. But it’s Barcode Revolution that proves even the most simple ubiquitious aspect of our daily routine can elicit some charm. The company took a basic question – Why has the barcode never changed? – and “set out to innovate a new way for companies to think about how their valuable product real estate gets used.” The result is an effort to bring … Continued…

Always on the look out for under-the-radar designers with the talent to rival behemoths like Louis Vuitton, we were ecstatic to discover Ro, a New York design outfit from Gene Miao and Yvonne Roe that specializes in leather goods. Tired of seeing store shelves lined with bags that scream both “impractical” and “ugly,” Ro does the opposite: instant classics that’re both usable and aesthetically pleasing. We recently picked up Ro’s MW Suitcase (smaller than you’d think) and business card holder, but already we’re eyeing their duffle, which puts Prada’s canvas alternative to shame. So far it looks like Ro is sticking to smaller bags and accessories; but as soon as … Continued…

Canadian designer Karim Rashid has opinions about as loud as his interiors, so love him or hate him, we respect him for his ability to give a juicy interview. In the most recent issue of fab Magazine, he goes to great lengths to talk about how he “designs” rather “styles”, how he is “not arrogant”, and how his low, 60s-like couches are not copying the 60s.

His thoughts on the color pink are particularly telling:

I use pink a lot. I’ve been using pink since I was a teenager. I went to my high school graduation in a pink satin suit with pink hair and pink nails in 1976. It’s not like … Continued…

“Girl, that faux-Balenciaga purse is against the law!” And it actually could be, if the fashion industry gets its way. The Council of Fashion Designers of America is petitioning Congress to get copyright protection for the physical appearance of their designs, something they have not had since the 1930s because until now clothes have been considered “utilitarian,” and thus exempt from intellectual property laws.

The CFDA wants that to change so they can have legal recourse if a copycat design is not “original” or is “substantially similar in appearance to a protected design.”

These are very murky waters, because as we all know, probably 50% of the collections shown during any … Continued…

We know some of you were more interested in the chair from these photos we posted this morning. And that is OK to admit, because it’s a beauty. The Eames Lounge Chair was designed in 1965 by the husband and wife team of Charles and Ray Eames. Using leather and bent woods the design is functional and comfortable, while retaining a beauty not often seen in furniture design. Somehow it is beautiful and masculine at the same time.

Charles and Ray Eames are considered masters of 20th century design. Their catalog of designs remains vital and stylish today, 50 plus years later. … Continued…

We love Craigslist. We have found jobs, mid-century modern furniture, and the occasional blowjob all through the site with equal ease. In what we hope becomes a regular feature around these parts, featuring fun, disgusting, and unbelievable posts on Craigslist, take a look at this job posting for the Senior Planner for the WTC. Maybe we fags hold design and city planning in higher regards than most, but this seems like a job that is a little too important to be listed on the same website that has people peddling stained IKEA couches and searching for bareback sex. Does it not?

See a Craigslist post we … Continued…

How could you not love a blog dedicated to interior design and urban living? And that is exactly what Apartment Therapy is: the definitive blog covering design news, reviews, resources, and solutions. Co-founder Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan (what a name!) took the time to complete our five-question interview. We are tickled pink that a straight guy, and not a homo, is the talent behind site.

What is your greatest source of inspiration?
Gosh, humans inspire me the most. Gandhi, Steiner, and JK Rowling are among the top picks.

What is the greatest album every recorded?
Good question. This is a too much pressure to put on one album, so I would take … Continued…

It’s not hard to find a gay architect or designer. Hell, it’s hard to find one that’s not gay, but finding one that’s also good? Well, look no further than Rawlins Design. Founded in 2000 by Christopher Rawlins, the Manhattan firm focuses on residential interior architecture that somehow comes arcoss as looking “smart” and stylish as well.

We love the “Bibliophiles Residence” as well as the “Bathroom for the Filmmaker,” but it’s the “Essay in Copper, Walnut, and Maple” that really caught our eye. Rawlins works with lots of wood and “woven” copper to create spaces that are modern yet warm.

His website says he’s working on designs for a new loft building. … Continued…