We recently had to make the unfortunate plunge from being a one car family to becoming a two car family. While I love our Golf TDI, it just wasn’t too good at hauling plywood. With all the extra sets of keys bouncing around the house, I figured it was probably time to find something to organize them a little. First thing to come to mind was the Blomus Key Rack. This stylish stainless steel rack lets you slide a key into a narrow slot, and the rest of the keys hang off of it. The best price I could find for it was at Modern Motive, where it is only $19. I just wonder if it still looks as nice with my bulky keys and key fob hanging off of it.

Available from Modern Motive for $19.

Just passing on some of the email deals that I got recently. The Flor one is 50% off shipping. Not bad if you already planned on ordering from them. CB2 has some nice new stuff. Make sure you check out those chairs. Very chic and only $69. Seems like a killer deal to me.

Lastly from Crate and Barrel a nice teak outdoor set. Love the look, hate the price. Such is the life of a poor modernist.

notNeutral has been a long time favorite of mine. They consistently come up with great fresh products that are generally very affordable. Design Public recently announced that they are now carrying some notNeutral Melamine trays. At only $18 a pop, these colorful little trays are just the thing for moving your breakfast outside, or adding a splash of color to a dull display. They come in an assortment of colors, and are a 15 inch diameter. I was a little disappointed to find that they didn’t have blue.
Available from Design Public for $18.

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Todd Oldham of La-Z-Boy fame has been bringing a nice modern angle to the overstuffed recliner for some time now. What a lot of people don’t know, is that he also has a great collection of accessories. I managed to find most of them on Target’s website, unfortunately they are for online purchase only. To bad too, because I would hate to blow $40 on a nice Walnut Gear Vase (shown) without being able to look at the quality first. Never the less, if you need some great MCM pieces to go with your Jet Set styled interior, make sure you check it out.

Available from Target $29-$349

Every once in a while you come across a great deal, and you don’t even know how good it is until later. Last week I was at Beyond Ordinary checking out what cool things they had, when I noticed this very clean modern chair. I meandered over there and looked at the price (that always determines if I love it or not) and was surprised that it was only $250 on sale. Not a bad price I thought. I noted the name “Nixon Chair” and figured I would go home and do some research and see if I could find a better price. Here’s what I found. The Nixon Chair is designed by the Canadian based Gus Design Group, which puts out some high quality nice furniture. Normal pricing for the chair is closer to $490, which means it is a total steal at Beyond Ordinary. Unfortunately they don’t really have a web presence, so this great deal only goes for us Utah modernists.

A lot of you have forgotten about the forums. They are a great place to write in and get some great advice. I think it’s really the community effort that makes affordable modernism possible. We recently had a plea for help in making a pretty un-modern home look a little better. Check out the responses, and see if you can’t lend a helping hand. Here’s a preview.

domanicapital:
Hello all. I recently discovered this website and think its great.
I’m building a house (pictured above) and need to decide on an exterior. Unfortunately, the home style is not very modern, but I’m wondering if there is a way, despite the traditional look, to jazz up the exterior in a modern style.? The interior will be easy because it has a nice open floor plan,.

Dallas Ward:
Hmm, you could get rid of shutters and reduce your trim. Glass and aluminum garage doors could be cool. Metal roofing if yours is in need of some replacement? Do something custom and interesting with your attic vents. Find an interesting color and do a monochrome look.

Any other ideas? Post them in the forums.

Jonathan Adler is no secret in the modern contemporary scene. Starting off in ceramics, he is a shining example of effective branding. He has been able to make a name for himself and branch out into all areas of modern interior decorating. His successful branding and passion for mid-century modern design has helped to bring good modern design to the masses. His stuff can be found at major stores like Bed Bath and Beyond and Target. The prices aren’t bad either. Take the 16 Piece dinnerware set to the right. You can get all that goodness for under $80. Not to shabby.

Available at Utilitieshome for $79.

GRM Reader Jennifer wrote in:

Do you have any suggestions on where to get decorating ideas for a modern wedding? The wedding will be in South Florida, in an Italian style courtyard. I am on a budget, but I still want to add some of my own style. Every bridal magazine I have come across is too traditional or froufy. I like to mix modern with beach/bohemian. I guess if you could compare it to a company it would be West Elm.
For the ceremony I wanted to incorporate a chic look with large white sheets of fabric up at the front, but I am not sure how. I need ideas for floral arrangements, table settings, etc. The colors I like are chocolate brown and spanish moss green or a celadon green. There will be at least 100 guests.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

I’ve got a couple of ideas, after the jump, but I though I would put it out to the masses to see if we could get some more.
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It seems that there is a positive trend with city dwellers to ditch the old SUV and get out the trusty old bike. Its an idea that helps both the environment and the wallet (especially with crude oil at a record high). Well if you live in a small pad like my wife and I do, then you know that finding a place for the bike to stay in the house can be less than simple. Luckily for us, cycloc is just that, simple. This cone shaped hanger is just the thing to hang your old metal stead on. Designed and produced in Britain, this award winning hanger comes in orange, white, green or 100% recycled plastic black.

Available from Cycloc for £49.95.

via designsponge and cocolico

My wife and I bought our home less than a year ago. While we were looking for something we were absolutely disgusted with the lack of decent affordable modern housing. Basically it doesn’t exist. We opted to buy a tiny home in a good neighborhood, and do a modern addition to it (more on that soon, plans are almost done). For those of you living in the Denver area, check out 5280mod.com Colorado based realtor focusing on modern housing. While everything might not be affordable, at least they will know where you are coming from.
The pics to the left are of a ufo home (I remember one of those in dwell) for $129, and another mod influenced MCM home for $210.

Also check out Shannon’s blog on livemodern.