It’s a little boring, no? Rather hotel-ish. All that beige… *yawn*
And really, can we do away with the practice of covering the entire space with a giant oval area rug covered in eagles and patriotic phrases? Because the floor installed in the oval office in 2005 is just amazing. Imagine all that boring furniture sitting on that floor.
Wouldn’t that be a lot more stylin’?
Though I’d give all you fashionable hip people a heads up re: CB2′s The Selby Is In Your Place contest, which ends on September 15. It’s easy to enter. Just submit three photos of your most creative space, then hustle for as many votes as you can. The grand prize is $10,000 in cool CB2 merchandise and a private photo shoot by Todd Selby. Ooh la la.
Am I uploading shots of my own place? No. My fave entry? I like this interior submitted by Joel and Ashley, a husband-and-wife team with three cats, a lot of plants, and a well seasoned kitchen (whatever that means) who rock hard when it comes to graphic design, illustration, and photography. For real, I am a huge fan of their company, This Paper Ship, for invites of all kinds, wedding logs, wedding photography, and so on. If you like it, too, throw a vote their way here.
Brilliant! Sweet Paul, a noted food and Prop stylist and blogger, took an Ikea garden bench, sawed the legs off, drilled some holes, threaded in some rope, and ended up with a darling garden swing that is definitely inspirational. How much more simple can you get?
Some mornings are just plain crap. Now you can have a teacup that reflects the crappy mood that was caused by a crappy morning that is probably foreshadowing a crappy day.
And if a crap teacup isn’t making you feel any better, perhaps a teacup featuring a rather snarky haiku that illustrates perfectly just how much selflessness you’re willing to exhibit today. Tea makes a man mean? Sometimes!
HINT: DIY it with a pretty tea cup and ceramic markers
Breakfast for one with a mod Saarinen Tulip table and an Emeco Navy chair, that is. Add to that one bowl, two plates, and three wine glasses. Don’t you judge my breakfast!
No, no, not that blue velvet (though some people certainly want it, maybe you). I’m talking about blue velvet chairs, yum. Velvet phones, flocked chairs, I love it all.
Repurposed teacups? Yes, please! This is a fun bit of DIY that anyone with unused pretty teacups or a thrift store nearby can do without much trouble. The things one can make from a teacup range in difficulty from easy projects (think tiny planters for succulents) to involved projects involving wiring and cutting, so no worries if you’re not all that crafty. Here are seven ways you can repurpose your teacups and prettify your environment at the same time.
I wrote about Domestic Construction’s teacup chandeliers way back in the day, but at $60 for one DIY is the order of the day (at least in my household). DIY it with some thrift store teacups, some Ikea pendant kits, and something to hang ‘em from.
For those of us who love old design and sweet design and timeless design, but also DIY ingenuity, how totally boss is this Eames Hack? Eames chair turned high chair? Yes, please!
From the artists:
Through physically invasive alterations, these once iconic, elite, forms are liberated from their old, restrained image. The project is not a critique of the Eames, but rather a fulfillment of their original ideals.
This project was produced as part of a three day charette in the Department of Industrial Design at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia. The theme of the charette centers around Remake and DIY culture. The purpose of this charette is to explore the role designers have in respect to this emerging culture. The team members for this project are as follows: Jared Delorenzo, Tim Peet, Alexandra Temple Powell, Tom Reynolds, Alie Thomer, and Andrew McCandlish.
From a parental perspective, however, my main criticism of the Eames chair as a high chair would be good luck getting a tricksy toddler’s legs through those holes when she was pitching a fit.
I am not ashamed to say that I have a lot of stuff on my walls, but even I felt a little crazy looking at this picture. Maybe it wouldn’t drive me batty, but it would definitely be the most distracting part of my whole house. Why, I wonder, would someone want people to pause there? It seems like it would be uncomfortable – here, stop and look around in this narrow, confined space. But maybe I’m alone in feeling this way. To find out, I created a little poll. Please cast your vote, and then explain yourself in the comments if you feel pressed to say more!
(Image via Elle Decor * Design by Steven Gambrel * Photo by Eric Piasecki)
What to do, what to do with a Greek key rug… It’s a popular pattern nowadays, though I’d wager it’s never fallen out of fashion in any major way. This pattern, also known as a Greek fret or meander, is not one pattern, but rather many, because it’s just a decorative border constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif.
To answer my original questions, here are a few things you can do with a black and white Greek key rug:
Er, I realized after the fact that the second and fourth pic are different areas of the same room. Still good for ideas, though!
