Specifically, it’s a concept table designed by John Nouanesing, whose claim to fame seems to be his wide range of hip and quirky concept designs. While searching for more info, I found comments from various individuals suggesting it be green like snot or ectoplasm, but the winning comment has to be this one: “be better in musky yellow – that way it wud look like pee.”

Because if there’s one piece of furniture I’ve been searching for all my adult life, it’s a peetable. Right.

For a mere $289,000, you can own the Jolly Green Giant’s childhood home!

For years, I threw all my office waste into the same bright teal bin I’d been using since I moved into the university dorms. There was a huge wave of dried nailpolish that appeared to be oozing down the side and a splash of orange paint that got there when I spilled an entire can over the contents of my desk. That didn’t matter much when I kept it out of sight in a corner, but I started getting a little embarrassed when I moved and it became the bathroom wastebasket. There were no cabinets or corners in which to hide it, and it didn’t exactly go with anything else in the room.

Naturally, I did what I always do in such situations, which is move forward without ever once looking back. The old bin went straight into the recycling can, and I slogged through Amazon pages until I found a new, better wastebasket (rather like the one in the upper middle position) that fit right into my decor scheme. Then, when I moved, I put it under my full bath’s sink where it would be out of sight.

I actually think that anyone with sufficient storage space should just keep the smallest possible wastebasket tucked away under the sink or in the bathroom closet. Visitors to one’s home don’t particularly want to see one’s used cotton swabs or wadded up tissues. Failing that, I recommend buying the loveliest possible bin and emptying it frequently — however tiresome the thought — when you know there will be guests about.

These make me happy. They’re yummy. I’d even go so far as to say they’re “nummy,” except I’m just not into babyspeak. Now, I’m in a pretty good mood, but browsing all of the neat Marimekko stuff at Finn Style just puts me in a BETTER mood. I’m positively beaming.

If you’re not familiar with Marimekko, it’s a Finnish textile company best known for its bold patterns and playful designs. It was introduced to the American audience in the 1950s, but the popularity of the patterns surged after a 1960s Sports Illustrated cover featuring First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in a Marimekko cotton dress. Those patterns are now back in vogue and all over all sorts of things, from kitchenware to clothing. You can even buy the fabric on its own and make your own original designs!

Hosting a party this past weekend was a real eye-opener for me. I realized at some point on Saturday that I could only comfortably host X number of people before some guests would be left standing unless Y number of people chose to schmooze in a different area of the house. When everyone was on the porch or in the living room, there would inevitably be someone on their feet. I’m not anti-standing, but less than comfortable to eat and drink when vertical.

So, yeah, I obviously need a few more chairs, even if that means buying cheapie chairs that stay hidden away in the basement until it becomes absolutely necessary to bring them out.

If you, like me, enjoy learning a bit more about that which you plan to buy, you’ll probably like 5,000 Years of Chairs in 5 Minutes. The video, created and narrated by Nick Currie for The Post-Materialist, takes a look at all the “chairs out there in the world.” It’s a bit heavy on the not-so-ancient chairs, but fun nonetheless!

Where I grew up, black houses definitely seemed out of place. The one black house in my neigborhood was dubbed “the witches’ house” and no one trick-or-treated there for fear of being used as a sacrifice in some devilish ritual. Original, I know.

I’ve always thought that big black houses look a tad foreboding. Who knows what shadows lurk inside it’s murky, twilight walls? Plus, they’re a little too Halloween for my taste, though that might just be memories of the witches’ house talking. I want to know how you feel about black houses — would you want to live in one? Or next to one? Take part in the poll, then expand your answer in the comments!

Note: This picture was originally published in the now-defunct Budget Living — you can find an article about the house here.

Headboards made headlines in a recent issue of Cookie — which appears to be a magazine for mommies with money — in an article about shared bedroom solutions. How does one ensure that both kiddies are represented when you’re designing that perfect child sanctuary? By installing some easy mismatched headboards, of course. Just so you know, the instructions featured in both the magazine and in their blog can easily be modified to accommodate a grownup sized headboard.

I’m going to reprint those instructions here — don’t sue me, please — just in case Cookie changes its blog format in the future:

1. Lay your fabric out on the floor with the front facing down and lay the headboard on top of it, also face down.

2. Trim the fabric so that it extends 10-12 inches beyond the headboard on all sides.

3. Starting at the middle of the top edge, pull the fabric over to the back of the headboard and staple down using your staple gun. Repeat at the middle of the bottom edge, pulling fabric so it’s taut but not stretched.

4. Do the same for the side edges, stapling the fabric at the center point.

5. Working out from the center toward the corners, staple the fabric to the back of the headboard every 6-8 inches along all four sides.

6. At the corners, fold the fabric as though you are wrapping a present, then staple down creating one folded seam at each corner of the headboard.

It doesn’t get much easier than that! I know for a fact that it’s doable because an aunt of mine rocked the cloth headboard in her guestroom back in the 80s and her whole setup was out of this world. She actually upholstered various parts of the bed itself and made a matching duvet cover, so the whole thing was a crazy mass of black and white. It was a very chic and playful piece of furniture in an otherwise somber and serious room, making it all the more charming.

A solid full length wood-framed mirror on a hinge is the sort of thing one can leave to one’s children. A collection of tiny mirrors arranged in wacky patterns is the sort of thing that makes visitors to one’s home say “Wow!” I don’t currently have any children, which is why I prefer to surround myself with things that are often funkier than they are cozy.

These fabu pre-grouped mirrors from the Domus Design Collection cost anywhere from a few hundred bucks to figures well into the thousands. I’m challenging myself to replicate them using mirror lots I find on eBay and just a touch of ingenuity. As many of you have said in the past, plenty of accessories for the home are grossly overpriced. This, I think, is the perfect chance to prove you right.