On one hand, these French serving trays are delightful in their hybrid beauty. They are, at once, serviceable pieces of kitchenware that are perfect for entertaining and portraits of beautiful woman.
On the other hand, I just can’t seem to shake the image of my hors d’oeuvres being eaten from underneath by ravenous ghost people.
I love Joseph Joseph kitchenware — it’s a far cry from the usual white, cream, or black Rubbermaid gear many of us have piled in our kitchen cabinets. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, but in the middle of a bleak January, an unexpected splash of color can do a lot to lift one’s spirits.
Need vessels suitable for measuring, mixing, and pouring? Here’s what you get with Joseph Joseph Nest 8 nesting bowls:
That’s a lovely starter set if I’ve ever seen one, and a far sight lovelier than the drab ‘my first kitchen’ set I got when I moved out into the wide world on my own. If you’re looking for even more color, coordinate your mixing bowls with this Mosiac Tutti Frutti worktop saver:
I was browsing the slideshows at domino when I found this:
At first it struck me as a creative and fun way to use old photographs as decor. Then I realized that it would drive me absolutely out of my mind because it looks so dorm roomy.
Someone needs to feed 75½ Bedford Street a sandwich.
When it comes to things you can’t live without, make sure they are steeped in style.
Everyone needs a few absorbent strips of cloth — most commonly known as tea towels — in the kitchen for the wiping up of spills and the drying of digits, so why not choose display-worthy specimens? I’m currently loving these colorful tea towels from ferm LIVING. Yes, they are a tad pricey at nearly twenty bucks a pop, but one hopes that ferm’s 100% organic cotton will last a goodly long time.
Here’s wishing you uncommonly good luck for 2009!
If you’re worried about matters of probability, a Knock Knock charm handmade in Peru will let you knock on wood no matter where you are.
Does anyone else remember when eBay was the place to go for vintage home decor and accessories? When I was in college, you could toss forty bucks into the virtual void and end up with accent decor enough to outfit your average New York City apartment. Sure, the streets of Brooklyn were also paved with discarded Depression glass and period furniture, but not everyone has the time or the inclination to go late-night dumpster diving. Nowadays, eBay is packed overfull with crap much like our local variety store… the one without the sign that seems to stock nothing but other people’s garbage.
What? You don’t have one of those in your town?
Good thing there’s Etsy! While that is my go-to source for all things handmade, there are apparently plenty of Janes and Joes selling vintage goods on the site. That’s good news for me, who adores all things old fashioned, especially when it comes to my future offspring’s nursery.
Working on the assumption that someone else will eventually buy The Beard and I a crib and other similar pieces of baby furniture, I personally am obsessed with wooden blocks and mobiles. Then there are the useless things, like colorful prints, decorative items like baby scales, and chic ceramics that will have to be closeted as soon as the baby learns what her legs are for. I know, I know… I ought to be thinking practically, but I can’t help lusting after all the CUTE.
The sellers of the vintage baby gear you see above are:
The major gift giving holidays are thankfully over for another year, thankfully. Unless you’re one of those wacky souls who buys holiday gifts all year long and stashes them in secret cupboards for months at a time, you and I are finally getting the reprieve we deserve. Well, almost. There’s still the matter of thank you notes.
Not everyone sends hand-written thank yous, of course — my commitment to the practice has more to do with the stack of leftover thank you cards I have from my wedding than anything else. Then again, I also think that beautiful stationery is part of any well-stocked home, and what better way to use it up than thanking people for everything from ugly Santa Claus sweaters to beautiful Coach handbags?
The lovely SterlingSpider recommends making gratitude gorgeous with stationery from Mudlark, and I am inclined to agree with her. With unique side-opening envelopes and keepsake boxes made of recycled paper, what’s not to love? The Harmony cards — upper middle photo — are my favorite.
(EDIT: I just realized that the top lefthand image depicts a bath set, not stationery. Whoopsie. Now you know that Mudlark also makes yummy bath products, so I can’t feel that bad about my mistake!)
I very much hope that the lovely Amy of The Adventures and Mishaps of Mrs. Amy B.! does not mind my highlighting her wonderful home decor transformation here at Manolo for the Home. She and her husband are apparently truly talented DIYers. What evidence can I offer? Just look at their fireplace before:
Pretty blah, right? Now admire their beautiful fireplace after some hard work:
Do note that they don’t actually use their fireplace, nor do they have any plans to ever begin using it, so hanging what looks like a rather fine flat screen television over it will not be a problem. I would not recommend this particular set-up to anyone who enjoys sitting in front of a crackling fire in the wintertime. If, on the other hand, you could give a fig about fire, do feel free to think up your own variation on Amy’s chic fireplace!
After yesterday’s post on open kitchen shelving, I thought I’d post a photo of another take on kitchen cabinets without doors. All right, so these aren’t actually kitchen cabinets, but they take the place of cabinets quite nicely and I adore the look.
Let me and The Beard know whether we should take the plunge and start DIY renovations by voting in yesterday’s informal poll!
