Manolo for the HomeArt | Manolo for the Home - Part 2



Archive for the 'Art' Category


Sushi Furniture That Looks Good Enough to… Sit On? Love it lots!

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
By Christa Terry

Looking for seating that’s trend-friendly and different and modern and also inspired by food? Then how could you not dig sushi furniture from Sushi Style by Mimi Tin? These definitely don’t fall into the category of ‘cheap and funky gear that’s all but disposable.’ Tin uses silk thread to weave the designs on her entire line of sushi furniture, from the multi-purpose ottomans that can be used as a chair or, when you remove the “seaweed wrap,” as cushions to child-sized sushi beanbags and other fun things.

Mimi Tin, of Sushi Style

The Cali ottoman

The Carrot ottoman

And poufs!

As you probably guessed, this particular sushi furniture isn’t cheap, but I was actually surprised to see that it doesn’t cost more. An ottoman and cushion set – sushi wrapped in seaweed, I mean – will run you $625. And if that feels a bit steep in the context of your current circumstances, you can always sate your appetite for sushi furniture with one of Mimi Tin’s adorable sushi poufs!


Yes or No: Are Decorative Plates Just for Grandmas?

Friday, April 22nd, 2011
By Christa Terry

I guess I’ve been a little obsessed with walls and wall art the latter half of this week. So I promise this will be my last post about walls and things that go on walls for at least a fortnight or so. What got me thinking about decorative plates was these decorative plates that used to adorn my grandparents’ walls – they were illustrated with extremely striking images from old Russian folk tales and they were my introduction to stories like The Snowmaiden and Ivanushka the Simpleton. These particularly decorative plates were really very beautiful – I think they were issued by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and were based on paintings by noted artist Boris Zworykin. But even so, when I think decorative plates, my brain always jumps to the dorky commemorative plates that were advertised on TV when I was a kid.

In other words, I have mixed emotions about decorative plates. But after looking around a bit, I’ve found that a plate display can be pretty cool, especially when you’re using cool plates and not weird commemorative plates featuring politicians, baseball legends and dead Hollywood icons. Here are a few examples:

I'm liking the swoop

Pretty!

Fun decorative plate designs by Christopher Paul

So what do you think? Can decorative plates move past their terrible 1980’s incarnations, back to the days when people who just hang pretty plates up in lieu of art or photographs? Or have they been ruined by their association with people who can’t stop buying Franklin Mint products?


And Following In the Footsteps of Yesterday’s Post…

Thursday, April 21st, 2011
By Christa Terry

A little more nightmare fuel. Because apparently for every 100 super chic or cute or comfortable furnishings or accessories for the home, there are frightening things being produced by small artisans for those who don’t find the real world scary enough. Like pillows featuring children’s heads with empty eyes or even, for the outdoorsy types among us, vegetables with faces. So you want a wall of art? How about a whole wall of these:

It's trying to get in!

An up close and personal view of your worst nightmare

From the shop listing:

A wooden support structure is built. To this, styrofoam is added and carved into the basic tentacle shape. It is then closely covered in aluminum wire mesh. In the meantime, newsprint is boiled, then whipped into a mush. The mush is allowed to dry over a period of several days, then it is ground into a fine powder. This is combined with sawdust, glue, starch, linseed oil and a bit of bleach and applied to the mesh by it pushing into the mesh to form a very solid base coat. After this coat dries, it is refined with rasps, and a finer mixture of pulped tissue paper,glue and gypsum is applied and allowed to dry. This makes a very nice finish coat. After it dries, the whole piece is sanded and further refined. Each sucker is built in a 3 stage process over a period of several days. Once the piece is thoroughly dry, it is painted in many thin layers with an airbrush. The depth of the color is further enhanced by a finish coating of highly glossy shellac. The end product is both lightweight and quite durable.

And a steal at $1,100! Okay, not really, but it’s pretty obvious that a lot of work goes into one of these bad boys! Would you buy one?


Christa Loves: Art Walls!

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
By Christa Terry

Much much better than the wall of empty frames is the art wall. Much more grown up. Much less five minutes ago. The art wall is classier, too. Here are some great examples of real-world art walls. Remember, art doesn’t have to be expensive! You can even DIY it!

All the Best by Ronda Carman™: Deconstructing the Art Wall

from James Leland Day

(more…)


A Sweet Play On the Traditional Starburst Mirror

Monday, April 11th, 2011
By Christa Terry

I should say first of all that this particular sunburst mirror was a cheap and relatively easy DIY project undertaken by Monica Ewing, Sunset Home senior designer. Okay, okay, so she’s got some home decorating cred that most of us don’t have, but the posted instructions seem pretty simple. And it obviously came out gorgeous, so there’s no reason we can’t try it.

Amazing what a little paint can do, no?

But this totally fun play on the traditional starburst mirror started out its life in plain white, and that wasn’t thrilling Ms. Ewing. A few coats of a trip of blues by Benjamin Moore, and this was the end result. Love it! Isn’t it cool what just a little paint (and a steady hand) can do?


Naked Light Bulbs All the Rage (Apparently)

Thursday, April 7th, 2011
By Christa Terry

So I just found out that barely-there lampshades – wire lamp… shades? – are totally a trend and super hot and everyone must have them now now now. Good to know, I guess. But seeing as that naked light bulbs make my eyes really sad, I think I’ll just be letting this one pass my by. What do you think?

Seen on Skona Hem

Buy it at Ruby Roost


Kid’s Artwork: How’s It Hanging?

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
By Christa Terry

Now that my daughter is getting older, I’m starting to understand the kid’s artwork conundrum. I remember when this NY Times article and this post in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mommy Files attracted a lot of attention, both supportive and derisive, because the authors admitted to throwing out the majority of their kids’ artwork. Where do I stand? On the one hand, there’s a part of me that would like to save every little everything that La Paloma does so I have a perfect picture of her childhood. On the other hand, our house is only so big and like all kids, she tends to draw two lines on the paper before demanding a fresh piece.

If nothing else, it's the cheapest art around!

I think if you’re going to toss your precious creation’s precious creations – and I am not ashamed to admit I’ve recycled a few early masterpieces myself – why not highlight the best of the best of your kid’s artwork by actually framing it and then hanging it somewhere prominent in your home? Admittedly, it’s not a look that will please the aesthete in everyone, but parents tend to look at kid’s artwork through rosy glasses and if it happens that your little darling puts out a few pieces that coordinate with your decor, all the better!

What do you do with your kid’s artwork? Save it all? Snap digital pics and then stealth it out to the recycling bin? Or maybe save the best and toss the rest?


Inspiration: Sunburst!

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
By Christa Terry

(FYI: If you have any interest in winning a $155 gift certificate to any CSN stores, head over to my personal blog and enter my latest giveaway!)

…or should I call them starburst mirrors? I’ve seen the two terms used, pretty much interchangeably and with equal frequency. So I hope we can agree that both labels are correct. Sometimes what’s labeled a starburst mirror looks more like a sun, and what’s labeled a sunburst mirror looks more like a star, but I think that’s okay. I think they’re keen no matter what you call them!

Blue Room

Tobi Fairley

(more…)









Disclaimer: Manolo the Shoeblogger is not Manolo Blahnik
Copyright © 2004-2009; Manolo the Shoeblogger, All Rights Reserved



  • Recent Comments:

    • The Mid-Century Moment (1)
      • Joanna: The retro modern wing back with geometric motif would be stunning in a gentleman’s study or bedroom....

    • There’s Nothing Harder Than Saying Goodbye (7)
      • Christa Terry: Thanks, all! @joods They will remain in the archives, so enjoy!

      • molly: Thought something was going on! Thanks for the amazing blog! Good luck, and have a great life!

      • joods: Oops…forgot something. Will your old posts and your links (on the right side of the page) remain? If...

    • Chandeliers: How Low CAN You Go? (6)
      • Jennifer Man: My personal opinion is that if you want a chandelier you should get one. When having a low ceiling, of...

      • DENY Designs: I hate to say it but you might be out of luck. I don’t think you can go very low with...

      • marvel: I think it depends. No, seriously, I like the look of the chandelier over the table, where it is clearly out...

  • Shop for the Home!




    InhabitLiving.com Free Shipping Orders Over $200

    Shop Domestications

    VivaTerra - Eco Living With Style

    GreenandMore.com Hundreds of Eco-Friendly Products

    Links

  • Beautiful Reads

  • Designers We Love

  • Houses and Homes

  • Just Because

  • Manolo's Blogs

  • Outdoorsy Stuff

  • Prettify Your Place






  • Meta


    Subscribe to Manolo for the Home


    RSS 2.0
    Comments RSS 2.0







    Manolo for the Home is powered by WordPress

    Disclaimer: Manolo the Shoeblogger is not Mr. Manolo Blahnik. This website is not affiliated in any way with Mr. Manolo Blahnik, any products bearing the federally registered trademarks MANOlO®, BlAHNIK® or MANOlO BlAHNIK®, or any licensee of said federally registered trademarks. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the author.








    Subscribe!


    Editor

    Christa Terry
    (a.k.a. Never teh Bride)

    Publisher

    Manolo the Shoeblogger




    Categories