Manolo for the HomeSeptember, 2009 | Manolo for the Home - Part 2



Archive for September, 2009


Crazy Modern (or Fantastic Plastic)

Friday, September 18th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Plastic isn’t just for deck chairs anymore!

Papyrus chair

Kartell’s Papyrus chair was designed by the Bouroullec brothers as a modern interpretation of an archetypal Antique Rush Chair. The modern Polycarbonate material enables the design to have structure, texture, translucency, and color.

dr yes chair

This chair is a progression of both design and technology from the original Classic Lord Yo Chair, through the Dr No Chairs, to this amazing piece. Dr Yes is a one piece molding chair.

myto chair

The totally unique MYTO chair designed by Konstantin Grcic for PLANK is a cantilever chair manufactured entirely of BASF Ultradur high-speed indoor/outdoor plastic. And it’s recyclable, though why you’d want to toss it is beyond me.

lizz chair

Finally, the Lizz Chair is manufactured in a single piece using a gas blowing mold technique. It has a squared contour, a generous wide seat, and low comfortable backrest. It is extremely stable, shockproof, and scratch resistant, and it can be used outdoors.


That Sinking Feeling Has Never Been So Cool

Thursday, September 17th, 2009
By Christa Terry

I’m a sucker for running, flowing water, which probably makes me the target demographic for Elkay‘s Mystic River sink. With long curves that are just perfect for an exceptionally eye-catching kitchen island feature, the Mystic River can be used as a sink or as a chic and functional way to display and serve drinks or edibles during a party.

elkay mystic sink

Of course, those who host quite a number of parties and have the space for what I can only call a novelty sink should think about opting instead for Elkay’s undermount Martini sink. It may not be as useful, but it would certainly ensure a certain duration of conversation when new arrivals wandered into the kitchen.

elkay-mystic-martini-sink

What, I wonder, actually fits in the stem and base of the “glass?”


Not Intended For Use In Homes With Cats

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Want to class up your camping area or backyard patio? Maybe you live in a dorm and want to get away from the whole neon inflatable chair and beanbag thing.

A nice blow-up Chesterfield might just be what you’re looking for… if you have more money than you know what to do with, that is.

inflatable sofa

The surprisingly elegant looking Blofield Inflatable Chesterfield Sofa is portable and crafted from the same stuff life rafts are made of. Having five very pointy cats, however, I hesitate to call it truly durable, at least when placed in the home of pet owners. Or people with children.

inflatable chair

The same goes for the Blofield Inflatable Chesterfield Armchair, which admittedly also looks quite fancy when viewed from far away.

Still, I’d skip it, considering you could get a serviceable set of living room furniture for the same price.


Coolness: Bottle It

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Though to some extent they’re a dying breed in the U.S., glass bottles remain plentiful and easy to find. I only say that they’re on their way out because we use plastic soda bottles, you can buy champagne in cans, and plenty of jugs of gin are sold each year. In Costa Rica and elsewhere, soda is still sold in glass bottles and beach glass remains plentiful. Why am I bringing this up? Because decorating with bottles is easy and generally quite inexpensive.

antique bottles

For example, a few antique bottles (easy to find on eBay and elsewhere) get a chic makeover with papercraft labels and vintage jewelry, as created by Brenda Walton.

jeff_crandall_poet_bottles

When mixing bottles and modern decor, try Jeff Crandall’s Poet’s Bottles, which are sandblasted with text that provides the user with contents and instructions like “Hope (warning: do not abandon).”

bottle labels

Country Living suggests outfitting your fizzy water bottles with paper jackets that match your party color scheme or decor.

beach bottles

And if you’re decorating a beach house, think beach glass. Ballard Designs‘ Azure Beach Bottles Set is reminiscent of pale blue beach glass, which is (in my opinion as a long time collector) the rarest color of all.

wine bottle vases

Another modern take on the humble bottle repurposes wine bottles into sleek vases. Green Wine Bottles from David Guilfoose are an eco-friendly way to store loose collectibles, display flowers, or give your space a touch of green.

decorated bottle

Finally, there are these. They’re not for everyone, but if you like them you can find the DIY instructions for them at Crafty Chica.


Put Up and Stand Back

Monday, September 14th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Trying to figure out just which shade of paint to put in the living room, bedroom, bathroom, or den? While the sample color pots that a number of paint companies are now selling are great, sometimes you’re just not ready to throw a square of color up on an otherwise not-quite-ready-to-paint wall. But those tiny little paint chips from the Home Depot (or wherever) just don’t show you how the room will feel in that color, and to find the right paint hue, you want to view each prospective shade in all the different kinds of light the room will get, from full sun to electric.

pink hallway

Nantucket-based interior and architectural designer Deborah Timmermann has a solution perfect for those who’d rather keep their walls looking pristine before painting. She suggest that to get “an accurate assessment, paint pieces of shirt cardboard to make large samples and tape them to a wall. Stand eight to 10 feet away with your back to them, and look at them in a hand mirror. It helps you see the color in perspective.”

I love this tip!


Get Hooked

Friday, September 11th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Fish gotta swim, bird’s gotta fly… and sometimes stuff has got to hang. Like coats. And keys on lanyards. Diaper bags. Even sneakers. Round these parts, we’re partial to using the largest size planter hooks as coat hooks because they end up looking interesting and different, but they cost a lot less than some other interesting and different options. Which isn’t to say that most coat hook options are that pricey. Check these out:

bach coat hookdart coat hookswooden coat hook
flip coat hookbird coat hookeye coat hook
colorful coat rackjardin coat rackchrome coat hook

My favorites are the dart coat hooks and the weird eyeball one. (As always, click on the pic for more info.) Now you tell me, where do you hang your hat?


Color Your World Correctly

Thursday, September 10th, 2009
By Christa Terry

One of the easiest ways to refresh old furniture or give a fab vintage furniture find a makeover is to paint it. Painting furniture isn’t hard, though admittedly it is easy to get a ‘meh’ result if your entire project consists of nothing more than slapping on a few coats of paint. I’ve painted furniture the right way and I’ve painted furniture the wrong way, and I speak from experience when I say the former furniture looked a whole lot nicer.

painting furniture

So what is the right way to paint furniture? Young House Love put together a step-by-step list that pretty much sums it up, from when to sand (or not) and the benefits of finishing furniture with a few coats of water-based polyurethane to how long to wait before integrating your newly painted furniture into the house. Young House Love doesn’t allow excerpting, so you’ll just have to go check out their instructions.

But I can tell you that it really is as simple as it sounds! If you’d like even more direction, I recommend Furniture Facelifts: A Step-By-Step Guide by Liz Wagstaff and 50 Ways to Paint Furniture by Elise Kinkead. Both are full of great ideas and are easy to follow.


Making the Most of What He Has

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Sometimes people live in small spaces out of necessity, and sometimes they do it for the challenge. I’m not sure why out-of-work architect Sergio Santos chose a small space lifestyle, but I have to admit he’s doing it more effectively than most. He rents a converted electrical closet in Delray Beach, Florida for a mere $150 per month. At five-and-a-half feet from wall to wall, you can touch both walls at once.

small apartment living 2

When you live in a space that small, there’s nowhere to go but up. The bed, television, and closet are suspended above Santos’ office space, and yet he still found places for a mini kitchen and a window sanctuary. Not even wallspace is wasted, provided you don’t call art a waste. Even the shelves have a second purpose, serving as the ladder to the upper level.

small apartment living

Santos built a small seating area, which he calls his terrace, below the room’s only window. It’s the homiest spot in the tiny little space he calls home. The only thing that’s missing is a bathroom, which I hope for Santos’ sake exists somewhere just outside his miniature living quarters.









Disclaimer: Manolo the Shoeblogger is not Manolo Blahnik
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