Sherwood Forlee created New Lamp after discovering that the Manhattan’s New Museum didn’t glow like it had in the architect’s renderings.
Forlee’s scaled down version lights up the night in a way the museum can’t…but I want it because it looks like a stack of sugar cubes. New Lamp is handmade and available in limited quantities, though I can’t say for how much because Forlee is keeping it a secret.
This living room below is in a loft in a converted 19th-century chocolate factory in Moscow. How cool is that furniture set-up?
Now, industrial lofts are trendy, lofts are fun, but lofts are not for everyone. Specifically, they are not for those of us who haven’t cashed in on a local oil boom, made a ton of money in the stock market, or been blessed with rich, elderly relatives. A sunken sofa, however, could be doable, if The Beard agreed to let me burrow into the cozy finished basement that also serves as his office and studio.
From Etsy sellers, here are four pretty things for the home that are evocative of a summer that is almost gone.
The colors are summery without being overtly beachy, which I like. After all, I’m trying to recall the heyday of the hottest season, not gussy up a timeshare. If you’re not sure what I mean, have a look in the lobby of your nearest warm weather holiday resort and be prepared for PEACH SEASHELL OVERLOAD.
When you want decor that speaks to you — as opposed to outside observers — there’s no need to make your stuff shout.
While actually buying a home is exciting, the whole looking-researching-looking-financing-looking-offering cycle can be a real drag. Add to that the document gathering and the meetings with people like mortgage financiers, and there’s nothing LESS exciting than buying a home. I can’t say that reading up to acquaint yourself with the ins and outs of the home buying process will make it less of a drag, but does make the whole to-do a lot less stressful! Here are the five books The Beard and I found truly helpful:
I used to hate the ‘Dummies’ book because of the implication, but Home Buying For Dummies turned out to be really useful. The fact is that the world of real estate can be overwhelming, and this book breaks it all down into easy-to-swallow chunks.
The Beard preferred the Home Buyer’s Checklist, which was fine by me. One of us had to have a list of questions to ask sellers and their reps, after all, and I was more concerned with the financial end of things.
Ditto on 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask. There’s also a corresponding book for sellers by the same author…tricky!
At my very core, I’m lazy, which is why I love any complicated how-to manual that comes with simple fill-in-the-blanks worksheets. 10 Steps to Home Ownership is more of a pre-buying book, but knowing if you’re ready to buy is an important part of buying.
I didn’t agree with everything in The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make, but I liked the commonsense, easy-to-understand way the author describes what worked for him. Fair warning: He’s a house flipper, so his advice doesn’t always apply to people who are buying a home in which to live.
If you bought or built a house and had a favorite book you relied on for guidance, tell us about it in the comments!
Once upon a time, I wrote an article about tassels. Specifically, I wrote about what my boss called “jewelry for the home,” where the jewelry in question cost about as much as my wedding band. I found out a lot about tassels that day. Some people think of them as a chic and inexpensive way to jazz up one’s home decor. To the Feng Shui enthusiast, tassels can enhance one’s health, wealth, happiness, and luck in love. In ancient China, tassels adorned with amulets were believed to channel Qi energy. All fascinating stuff, though at the time I was more concerned with the $150 per tiny tassel price tag.
Well as it would turn out, outfitting your dresser drawers and doorknobs with their very own jewelry doesn’t have to break the bank. The crafter creating the aforementioned tassels was just overcharging a gullible populace by claiming hers were imbued with magic elemental energy. The tassels above cost a mere $29.95, and they are supposed to make you just as happy or lucky as the insanely expensive versions.
On the other hand, with a book like Tassel Making For Beginners or Practical Tassels you can just make your own and imbue them with whatever kind of energy you want. I think I’ll imbue mine with the kind of energy that makes me stop slacking…
Brides- and grooms-to-be love free stuff so much that I can’t imagine that home enthusiasts wouldn’t feel the same way.
Don’t forget to sign up with a catch-all e-mail address that differs from your usual addy to avoid massive amounts of spam. Good luck!
Maybe it’s because I grew up in homes where most of the flatware was acquired secondhand. Maybe it’s because I was frequently taken to restaurants in an era in which mismatched flatware was considered the height of chic. Or maybe it’s because I’ve never really thought about picking out my china pattern with any degree of seriousness.
Whatever the reason for my slightly schizoid kitchenware preferences, I’ll take two of each of these, please. If you’re as crazy as I am, click the pics for more info!
When you’re planning a room, the easiest way to figure out what you like is to overload your brain with pictures of fully realized furniture styles and layouts. I’ve found that Flickr is a great resource for those of us who are looking to change, update, or otherwise overhaul our bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and of course, living rooms. Below are five living rooms — well, sort of — that I hope will inspire.
Photo by Reiner.Kraft — FYI: If you’re heading to the romantic Lahn River in Germany for your annual holiday, you can rent this two-bedroom apartment.
Designer Demelza Hill is fascinated by the manner in which people interact with the products in their environments. To challenge the assumptions we all make, she repurposes and redesigns everyday items to create something designed to remind us of that which we take for granted. Or something like that…I love artist’s statements!
Snap and Dine, Hill’s web site says, is a single use three-course place setting that brings together the formal and the disposable. It is meant to inspire mental images of stylish outdoor eating.
It’s quirky, but useful in its way. If you’re going to eat on the go, you might as well do it with a touch of panache, right? I wish I could have bought these for my wedding.
Atlanta has never seemed farther away than it does right now. If it was closer, I’d probably be at Lee Kleinhelter’s Pieces right now, poking through wonderful things like vintage wicker beach chairs, turquoise foo dogs, gilt mirrors, and cube club chairs. The closest thing we have in my beachy little town is the used furniture store where occasional gems can be found. It’s never hit or miss at Pieces…provided your tastes run parallel to my own.
Money helps, too. Pieces from Pieces aren’t exactly a bargain — the lamps above cost $1,500, which should give you an idea of the prices. But since all I can do is window shop right now, I figured I might as well window shop well above my price range. What’s the point of being sensible when the only money changing hands is imaginary?