Manolo for the Home

Molla Space, a Los Angeles based design collective, may be my new favorite shop. Their mission is varied — they want to advance the art of living, provide a platform for designers from all over the globe, aaaaaaand they’re dedicated to finding artful lifestyle implements that embody both form and function.

I’ll call the prices reasonable — the rhino, for instance, costs $40 with a portion of the proceeds is donated to the Japan Committee for IUCN, while a set of three By The Lake cups and saucers costs $18. That’s a downright steal for beautiful and well-designed products for the home.

In the latest issue of Cottage Living, interior designer Jackie Terrell said that “Too much match-matchy can kill a house by taking away its vibration or life.”

I have to respectfully disagree…sometimes. While looking up photos of rooms in which one color dominated, I’ll admit that I saw a lot of duds. This kitchen created by Pam of RetroRenovation, on the other hand, rocks my socks!

I always wanted a breakfast nook — what I got instead was a kitchen that’s the size of some nooks. The fact that I really like saying the word ‘nook’ aside, having a cozy, sunny, family-oriented space in which to eat breakfast and other casual meals is a wonderful thing.

Via Cottage Living

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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!

I buy my flour in bulk from King Arthur Flour, which means I get a new catalog in the mail every month. It never ceases to amaze me how many one-off gadgets and appliances are sold by a company that ostensibly caters to series bakers.

The most recent example of flagrant pointless was the peanut butter and jelly spreader. It has a spreader on each end so you can avoid contaminating your peanut butter with jelly and vice versa. I personally prefer to use a knife in the PB and a spoon in the J, but that’s just me. I’d watch out if you’re using a runny jam, lest you find your fingers gunked up by sweet stuff when you turn it over to scoop your nut butter.

Then there’s the S’mores maker, which unfortunately did not come from King Arthur Flour. Back in my day — I can’t believe I just wrote that — we used a plate if we wanted to microwave up some s’mores. I’m guessing moms prefer washing a plate to scrubbing the defibrillator hands of an anthropomorphized…something.

Who buys these things, anyway?

This past weekend, I attended a party at the condo of one of The Beard’s work colleagues. Said condo was utterly fantastic — the owner bought the building with her downstairs neighbor and between the two of them, a lot of work was done. So much work, in fact, that her mortgage consultant did not even recognize the building when she drove past.

The condo itself is spacious even if the individual rooms are a tad small, and it’s painted in lovely bright colors that (along with some big windows) keep everything beautifully bright. The highlight of the entire pre-party mini-tour was the kitchen, which The Beard’s colleague designed with functionality (sweet stove, lots of prep space) and looks (rad tile backsplash, chic steel island) in mind. She is an accomplished chef — seriously, in addition to 10+ dishes, she whipped up homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream with mint from her own garden — with a keen eye for design, so I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

That’s not a photo of the actual kitchen, but it does give you an idea of how fabulous it was. I was later inspired to look up kitchens in general to see what I could learn. What I did learn was that kitchens can be the most important room in the house if you happen to be selling yours. According to Kansas City Realtor Sarah Snodgrass, a good kitchen can redeem an otherwise not-so-good home.

People will by a house based on the kitchen - even if the rest of the house is painfully outdated.

I think I understand why. Besides the fact that a quality kitchen will add value to your home, people just plain congregate in the kitchen! I know from personal experience that guests end up spending a lot more time sitting around my cheap-o Ikea Jokkmokk than they do sitting on the living room couch or the loveseat in the den, even if I’m not cooking and necessity forces some people to stand.

If we’re all going to spend so much time in there, it better darned well look cute…and if you can cook in it, all the better!

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!

I don’t know about you, but seeing my wonderful blue Le Creuset pot always brightens my day. It’s already old as sin, but I’d wager that it will outlive me and perhaps even my children. It stays hot once it gets hot, making it perfect for simmering soups and deep frying. I can pop it in the oven if needed, and the heavy base means curious cats can’t knock it over if I leave it sitting on a tabletop to dry.

I tell you truly — if these pots and pans were not so pricey, I’d have an entire set made up of pieces of every color!

It’s a busy day here at La Casa Del Beard, which means all I have time for is a quickie post. Here are four ubercool kitchen accessories from Art Effect:

They’re all wonderful colorful and inexpensive enough to buy for a relative or friend who’s feeling a little down. What could be more cheering than robot plates, a gnome bowl, nonna graters, and vintage-style cake tins? Perhaps robot plates, a gnome bowl, a nonna grater, and one vintage-style cake tin all wrapped up in pretty paper with a sparkly bow on top!