Can’t bring dogs with you on vacation? Give ‘em a play-cation!

New York residents are lucky: if they can’t bring their pets along on vacation, they can book a stay at one of the country’s most impressive boarding facilities, Unleash Brooklyn. I confess that I didn’t travel long-distance for several years because there was no place I’d trust with my pack of dogs; thanks to this incredible place, I’m now free to hit the road. 

Banish thoughts of an ordinary kennel. In fact, the co-owners of this unique establishment are hardcore dog lovers who won’t even use what they call  “the K-word” — and to back this up, there isn’t a single cage in the place. Constructed entirely of eco-friendly materials, this is a “holistic loft for cats and dogs.”

A stay here is a play-cation: Dogs are walked outside and enjoy carefully-supervised play sessions in three spacious exercise runs floored with shock-absorbing rubber,which is very kind to dogs with sore joints. There’s even a treadmill for super-high-energy dogs to burn off steam – or paunchy pooches, to help them battle the bulge.

When it’s sleepytime, the canine guests repair to individual rooms and “dog suites,” separated by wooden Dutch doors as in a posh horse stable, with homey touches including framed dog portraits, rugs, and chandeliers. And what do the guests lay their heads on? What else? Crypton dog beds! Now, that’s what we call deluxe accommodations.

And how’s this for reassuring: The morning after my dogs’ first night at their new home-away-from-home, I received the following text message: “They are awesome and slept great!”  

Posted by Julia Szabo.

They don’t make furniture the way they used to: beautiful and built to last in equal measure. That’s one conclusion to be drawn from a visit to the swanky antique furniture gallery Carlton Hobbs,

 carltonhobbs  where the world’s most discriminating designers shop for celebrity clients amidst shimmering chandeliers and other opulent oeuvres (some boldface names rumored to live with Carlton Hobbs furnishings are Madonna, Elton John, and Mick Jagger).

A fine example of the treasure at this temple of taste is an imposing neoclassical stool of partridge wood and gilt, circa 1800. Its seat is raised on two opposing sphinxes and two pierced, inverted anthemion which spring from a shaped, oval plinth above eight tapering, gilded feet. Flanking the seat are scrolling, down swept ends joined by turned arms.

This exquisite piece of museum-quality historical seating is priced at $85,000. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be lived with comfortably and casually - and to prove it, gallery director Stefanie Rinza had Lore Decorators

www.lore.qpg.com  cover the original cushion in  Crypton Suede  Lipstick. The sturdy, fitted slipcover sports a zipper for easy removal and laundering, yet looks every bit as elegant and regal as the original, fragile silk it came with.

Gamely demonstrating how family-friendly Crypton can make almost anything, even an irreplaceable antique, is Stefanie’s adorable son Alan Crockett.