Manolo for the HomeSeptember, 2010 | Manolo for the Home - Part 2



Archive for September, 2010


NtB Loves: Bedding By Branch Handmade

Monday, September 20th, 2010
By Christa Terry

I love Branch Handmade‘s screen printed bedding in simple black and white – the images are classic, but the way they’re used is eye-catchingly contemporary. In Branch’s bedding collection, you’ll find everything from guns to gilded cages, along with bikes, birds, and even orchids.

Aaaaaaand they make tea towels and clothes, too, so the fun doesn’t have to stop in the bedroom. The bikes are def my favorite Branch Handmade print – what’s yours?


When Fruit Goes Bad

Friday, September 17th, 2010
By Christa Terry

If there aren’t enough shifty-eyed fruit in your life – wait, that doesn’t sound quite right, does it – then Madam Pickay has got you covered. That’s the home of a shop that has vintage… well, everything. From signs (like a pig saying “Suck, Damn It, Don’t Blow” to commemorate your visit to “Unadilla N.Y.- Home Of Boy Scouting”) to salt shakers, real iron irons to buttons and keys, Madam Pickay may just have the shifty fruit sign or whatever else you’re looking for.


You Can Forget About Breakfasting In the Nude

Friday, September 17th, 2010
By Christa Terry

As weird chairs go, I suppose this one could be weirder, but at least it can double as a dish drainer in a pinch. What’s the strangest chair you’ve ever seen?


Fungi Shui

Thursday, September 16th, 2010
By Christa Terry

How faaareakin’ adorable is this limited edition fungi shelf designed by Katharina Mischer? Limited Fungi brings endangered mushroom species to life and is a part of the RealLimited series, which points out limitations in reality. And speaking of limits, Mischer’s unique shelf is being presented in an extremely limited run of just 12.

The work features an endangered Austrian fungi species figured in tin, growing on an old “rotten” wooden board. Each tin mushroom is numbered and represents one mushroom left in reality.

Buying Limited Fungi (you can find it at Droog) helps saving biodiversity, as part of the price goes to environmental projects that try to save the lovely Kuehneromyces Lignicola, which is the specific fungi species included in the shelf.


NOT a Plain White Chair

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
By Christa Terry

Isn’t this bent wood chair from Brocade Home just adorable? I’m squeeing over the high gloss white paint job that suits it much better than silver, one of the other available colors.

It gets a little lost in all that black and white in the display room, what with the beautiful cutouts in the back of the chair fading into the background so that it looks like a plain white chair at a glance. I’m thinking, though, that most of you reading this don’t have huge swathes of busy monochromatic wallpaper in your house or apartment. Or maybe you do, who knows. Do you?


Ceiling Height: The Highs and Lows

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
By Christa Terry

Growing up, I saw mainly your standard 8-foot ceilings. Then I lived in a flat in Germany where the ceilings (and the beautiful windows) absolutely soared. But I was only in Berlin for a year, so the culture shock I felt upon returning to the States did not involve ceiling height oppression. Now in new construction, ceilings seem to have shot up to a respectable 10 feet or so, but here I sit, writing this in a classic revival Cape with its 8 footers. Which frankly, never even caught my eye until I started looking into ceiling heights, and now I keep looking up, wondering if I ought to feel oppressed by my low ceilings.

According to an Apartment Therapy survey, the majority of people prefer a ceiling height in the 8-10 foot range, with ceilings that are ‘at least 10 feet’ a close second and very few people preferring 8-foot ceilings or something even shorter. Me? I loved the high ceilings I had in Germany and then again in Brooklyn, but I wasn’t the one paying the heating bills. And really, I love the coziness of my Cape – a quality that is in part due to the low ceilings. Also, I pay for heat now, so low ceilings are def a plus. In other words, I’d say there are benefits and drawbacks to every ceiling height, standard and taller. (I can’t think of any benefits of anything lower than 8, though.)

Since I’ve experienced plenty of both, I thought I’d talk today about some pros and cons of high ceilings and low ceilings.

HIGH CEILINGS

The Pros: They look awesome, and some people find that they feel freer in a space with high ceilings. You’ll never have trouble decorating a space with high ceilings because you’re not limited by furniture height or the size of wall art. And you can toy with the idea of a painted ceiling, if you like.

The Cons: Supposedly, a room with a high ceiling can make inhabitants feel small and insignificant, though I never noticed this myself. In a room with high ceilings, the eye is drawn to the height of the room, making the horizontal dimensions of the room seem narrower. Spaces with high ceilings can be more difficult to heat and cool, depending on the design of the home.

LOW CEILINGS

The Pros: A lower ceiling can make a small room appear wider. Easier to heat and cool, if only by virtue of there being less airspace needing temp control. Some people find low ceilings cozier and homier than high ceilings.

The Cons: Decorative ceilings and thick crown molding and things like chair rails are right out, and tall people can feel decidedly cramped even if you don’t draw attention to the lowness of the ceilings. That feeling might be even more acute in a wide room. It’s tough to find the right ceiling fans and also to jump on the bed, boo.

I told you, now you tell me: How tall are the ceilings where you live? And what ceiling height would you actually prefer?


Branching Out!

Monday, September 13th, 2010
By Christa Terry

What could be easier than finding a cool (and dry) branch, spray painting it to make it pop, and hanging the result on the wall or displaying it in a vase? Not much, that’s for sure! So for all those who like to go and look for pretty leaves in the fall, I suggest keeping an eye out for interesting branches – the manzanita branch seems to be the most popular choice – that might just fill that annoying hole in your decor. Here’s some painted branches inspiration:


(via)

(more…)


‘One Made of Felt, a Pretty Face Is a Basket’

Friday, September 10th, 2010
By Christa Terry

When I first saw the Akanbe Folding Basket by designer Houziyou Takashi, I was already in love. Part storage container, part play mat, the Akanbe also happens to be absolutely freakin’ adorable. Utility plus cuteness… cutility? How can you not like that? And I like it even better now that I found this description of it:

I’ll be fine also surprisingly heavy, magazines and accessories organized, easy to store children’s toys. Matt will use when playing as a spread, as it folded when put away are clear.

Smile♪ When you have a basket of cute, cute looks just like a hand that has Akanbe. Just to laugh it easy out there is no tongue. Thanks are Akanbe Bello, I have a painful hand basket.

Assemble felt like a piece of origami, it 留Mere button eyes, and made the basket. Not only fashionable and cute, which depending on how many ideas are useful and fun basketball.

Do you suppose that was Mr. Takashi’s original description of the Akanbe Folding Basket?









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