Finally a use for those outdated yellowpages that they insist on dropping at your doorstep. The folks over at www.afroditi.com came up with this great simple idea. You take a bunch of pages from your yellow pages, twist them up, and stick them inside of the tube of your choice. You get a low dollar holder that can hold your business cards, photo's whatever. The only part that they left out is where to source the metal collar....
Via Core77 and Treehugger.
I haven't done a lot of reupholstering over the years, but I have looked into it. One thing that always surprised me was just how expensive good fabric can be. Luckily Modern Fabrics is here to change that. By reclaiming fabric cuttings from factory floors they are able to accomplish two things. First they prevent all the usable fabric from just getting thrown away, and second they are able to resale beautiful fabrics at a fraction of the normal cost. With choices from Knoll, Maharam, Architex and many more you are sure to find some good stuff. I am now seriously thinking about getting some of this for the free couch I found a couple of weeks ago. I have seen prices as low as $15 a yard, which is a smoking good deal.
Kids are messy. This is an undeniable fact that every parent will agree on. Luckily as parents we have tools at our disposal to help keep things clean, like these great placemats by Modern Twist. The come in a generous 14" x 16" size and the variety of prints range from clean modern designs to the more childlike graphic designs shown here. Modern Twist doesn't sell direct (except wholesale) but chances are they have a brick and mortar near you that sells their stuff, or you can always look online. Heliotrope Home has them for $15.
Check the Modern Twist website to find a store near you.
Even though we just bought a house, I still try and keep a pulse on what's for sale here in Salt Lake City. While homes with modern/contemporary exteriors are still few and far between, there are more and more available with clean modern interiors. A good example is my friend Mark's house. His family is building a new (super modern) home and selling their old house. It's in a great neighborhood, and while it doesn't look like much from the outside, they have done some great work on the inside. For more details on price, square footage, and more photos, check it out on zillow.
House for Sale on Zillow.
Some of my favorite toys when I was a kid were the ones I could build things with, and the bigger the better. Offi has a great little system for your little builder, the YooDo. In all honesty, you could probably make your own YooDo kit if you had access to a refrigerator box, but for those that are less motivated you can now pick a set up for sale from Design Public for $29. Each set includes 16 pieces;
Add a little imagination, and your kid will have a great little space station or modern crib to play with their buddies. Perhaps the best part of all is when they are all worn out and mangled you can just recycle them since they are made of heavy duty cardboard.
I'm always surprised by the wide range of products that Umbra has, everything from wallpaper to furniture to accessories. While I think that their real strength is in their accessories new pieces like this Mimosa Side Table with storage show that their furnishing are pretty good as well. Made of sustainable acacia wood, the Mimosa is a simple table that features a built in magazine rack. A clever little table with a clean design, the Mimosa is 17" x 17" x 14" and is priced at $94. If you like the look, make sure you check out the whole Mimosa family of furniture (the coffee table is pretty nice too).
Don't forget to take advantage of you local Ikea Labor day sale. Free breakfast everyday until 10:30, $59 POANG chairs and $7 LACK tables. Man you just can't go wrong.
I have always admired Bodum for their simple yet effective kitchen goods. We have a nice little tea press made by them. For some reason when I think about Bodum, I only think of simple glass goods for the kitchen. Well today I discovered that they do appliances as well. This simple and affordable Bodum coffee grinder is nothing special, it won't mow your lawn or organize your favorite strudel recipes, but it will help you get your grind on. This attractive little guy will grind up to 1.6 oz of coffee at a time, helping you start you day off fresh and in style.
Here at Grassrootsmodern we are big fans of mid-century modern design and also big fans of Curbly. So you can imagine when the two come together we are all over it. Chris Job made a great how to video on making a mid-century modern style birdhouse. The video is great (watch it after the jump) and along with the article over at Curbly it's got great instructions on how to make your own. He does use some slightly more advanced woodworking techniques (dado's) but points out that they are not really necessary. This would be a great weekend project.
Check out the article over at Curbly.
I guess it may be a little early to start looking for a 2009 calendar, but the way time flies, it's really just around the corner. I came across some Egg Press Calendars over at Design Sponge today, and while the offset calendar is nice, I'm more partial to the simplicity of this letterpress 2009 one. It has only four pages, one for each season, and is printed on thick cotton pages. What it lacks for functionality (good luck marking all your lunch meetings on this one) it makes up in looks.
Whether you are a jetset junkie, or you just like going on picnics every chance you get, an insulated bag is a great way to keep your food cold (or hot). I've bought simple plastic ones from Rockhill Creamery at our farmers market to keep things cool, and they worked great. If you are looking for something a little more stylish however, definitely check out the canvas cooler bags by Sagaform. Unica home has them in stock in black or khaki, with the small size starting at only $29.
I'm a gadget junkie, which means that when we go traveling we have a small arsenal of electronics to take with us. The Load Ding device organizer by XXD is just the thing to add a little organization while charging on the go. This simple piece of white pastic is flocked with black, red, or pink on the inside and folds up to form a little tray to hold your electronics as they charge. When not in use it packs flat and takes up hardly any space at all. Just perfect for an adventure on the road.
Available from A + R for $15.
I'll be the first to admit that this isn't the cheapest water pitcher on the market. While the $85 price tag may be hard to swallow, there is no doubt in my mind that it looks $50 better than my old Brita water pitcher. The clear glass pitcher uses Iouseki stones come from the mountains in Kanazawa, the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. In addition to the stones the pitcher uses Binchotan charcoal to filter your water. The combination of the two leave it pure and mineral fortified. The charcole and stone filtration system can last up to six months, and save all those plastic filters from going to the landfill. Oh, and did I mention it's absolutely beautiful?
Well I have been avoiding it for long enough. I finally took the plunge and set up a facebook account. I'm hoping that besides being a fun way to stay in contact with some of my old friends, that it can also be a good way for me to get in touch with some of the awesome people that follow my blog. So if you feel so inclined, add me as a friend. I also set up a Grassrootsmodern group on facebook. I thought it might be a good place for some further discussion on living modern affordably.
I'm a sucker for funky watches and clocks. The idea that after all these years we can still come up with new ways to tell time is amazing to me. This Hourglass Shaped Desk Clock by Kirkkeland is not the cheapest desk clock out there, but it is one of the most unique. It displays minutes on the top half and hours on the bottom. Current time is indicated by the red line. It even has a readout for seconds on the very top. It runs on two AA batteries and measures 6.5 x 4.75 in.Available from Fitzsu for $39.
I'm always on the lookout for good affordable modern duvets. Last year my wife and I bought an orange and white one (ANDREA KAKEL) from Ikea for $20. While I will be the first to admit that the quality wasn't the highest (low thread count) we have been quite satisfied with it. Apparently we aren't the only ones that don't mind sacrificing a little quality for affordable design too, we have seen the same duvet on quite a few friends beds over the last year. Ikea has a new budget duvet that might not be quite as bold as our old one, but I love the looks of it. The JORUN FORM quilt cover and pillowcases will only set you back $20 for a queen. It's only 104 thread count, so don't expect anything too special, but for $20 you really can't go wrong.
Being the cheepskate that I am, free is one of my favorite words, and almost nothing is better than free furniture. That's why I was excited to run across this little ditty the other day as I was riding my bike home from work. It has obviously seen better days, but I'm really pretty fond of the overall shape of it. It almost has that mid century wingback chair look to it. Of course it is a little worse for the wear, and it probably needs a good reupholstering. I have thought about doing it myself, but realistically I may be better off just taking it somewhere. I have a little trick up my sleeve for inexpensive material to use. I plan on getting a used wool blanket from a local army surplus. The color options are orange, (shown rolled up on the couch) white, grey and of course army green. I am leaning towards the grey.
Anyone know a cheap place to get it reupholstered here in Salt Lake City?
I have always like the idea of making my own one of a kind t shirts, but the thought of learning to silkscreen seemed too intimidating, and the iron on things just didn't seem quality enough. Now there is a new option for creating custom t-shirts, SKREENED. Sure, there are lots of online design-your-own t-shirt shops. What makes SKREENED different is the equipment they use to print your shirts. It's basically a highly modified ink jet printer, which allows them to do one of a kinds at a much lower cost. They also use all American Apparel shirts, so you know your getting a quality product. Best of all the prices are great. A custom organic shirt will run you under $17. Very nice!
Design your own, or choose from some great designs at SKREENED.
While I am a firm believer in finding "affordable" furniture, there has to be some balance in price and quality. The Andre sofa from Room and Board seems to do a pretty good job of balancing the two. It's classic mid-century modern styling gives it a look that will endure through the years, and the build quality should help it to go the distance. At $1,599 it's not the most affordable modern sofa, but it's definitely one of the better looking ones I have seen in a while.
Available from Room and Board - $1,599 to $1,699.
I have always wanted some sort of automatic ice cream maker. I came across a review at apartment therapy about my dream machine, a Cuisinart ICE-50BC (the big one on the left). The verdict was it was a keeper. It has a built in compressor so there is no need to freeze a bowl or anything. The bad news is that they are quite expensive, like $300. Now I love ice cream, but not quite that much. They had the right idea though buying it used at a deep discount. For the more thrifty there is always the Cuisinart ICE-20 shown on the right. You will need to put the bowl in the freezer for 24 hours before you can make a batch, but the cost is a lot less at $50.
If you just have to have the big guy, keep an eye out for factory Remanufactured Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker occasionally available on Amazon for $119. I might just like ice cream that much.