My wife and I have been planning to get a new duvet for our down comforter for a long time now as our old beige one from Ikea is starting to look pretty blah. I am always on the look out for good affordable modern duvets. Today I was over at shelterrific and I came across a post about this West Elm Mod Pod quilt that is now on sale. I have to admit, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for quilts. This one may be a little over the top for my taste. One of those purchases that in 3 years you look at it and think "What was I thinking". It may not be timeless, but it is good looking and on sale.

Available from West Elm for $79-$109.

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Via Shelterrific.

One of the reasons I started this website was to connect aspiring young modern artists/designers with potential buyers. The truth is nothing does this better than Etsy, if you have time to wade through all the non modern stuff. Today I bring you an up and coming designer from the Philadelphia area. Modern Equation makes some nice simple modern pillows out of one of my favorite materials, felted wool. Priced at $65, its not the best deal out there, but you are getting a product that is completely original, and supporting someone who is pursuing their dreams. Modern Equation also makes some nice simple felt iPod holders for $12. Available at Etsy for $12-$65. Comments? Post them here.

We got our bent wood tables from The Company Store today. Over all, I am pretty happy with our purchase. I opted to get the walnut, which unfortunately isn't a real walnut, but just a darker stain on the birch. We were a little excited when we got them, and ordered 4 of them. I had hoped that even though they were "tables" that we would be able to use them as benches. Our house has seriously been lacking guest seating since we gave our futon couch away last year. They actually feel pretty sturdy, and I think it will work out fine. One of them is a little warped and doesn't quite sit flat, which is a bit of a bummer. I just have to keep reminding myself it cost less than my dinner last night. Comments? Post them here.

While I have no actual idea how much this rug costs, I am pretty sure that I can't afford it. Although the idea is simple enough I am sure it could be carried out fairly affordably. The rug which is called "Memento" is designed by a design studio in Norway by the name of 2 Form. It is made of 100% felted wool and has the images laser cut. It is white on one side, and black on the other side, and is fully reversible. Vacuuming is recommended. Thanks Mark for the tip! More pics after the jump. Anyone know about pricing, or where to buy it?

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First off a super big thanks to Ralph, as this is his second recommendation this week. Community contribution is what it takes to make an affordable modern movement work, so keep sending those tips in. So you just moved into a new apartment, and those 70's glass globes over all your lights are driving you crazy. Butter, a NY based design studio had your dilemma in mind when thy designed the Lunette Clip-on Shade. Made of fiberglass, this simple fixture clips right on top of the bare bulb, offering an affordable and stylish alternative to the hideous glass globe. Animated view after the jump.

Available from Butter for $25.

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Click to animate.

If you have been reading Grassroots Modern for long, you probably already know that I am a huge fan of anything bentwood. That is why I was so excited when Ralph, a Grassroots Modern reader, emailed me last night about the Bentwood Tables on sale over at The Company Store. The table with magazine rack shown to the right is on sale for $22, and the table without the magazine rack is on sale for TWO for $29. Yep, you heard me two. They are both available in Walnut (my new favorite) and Birch. I though it was such a good deal I bought 4. Maybe that was a little overboard. Now I just need to figure out where to put them all... Available at The Company Store. Two tables for $29 or one table/magazine rack for $22.

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For me, good modern design is more than just a sofa that looks good, it has to be functional. For those of us who's homes and apartments are square foot challenged there is no more important function than storage. That is one reason that I love this Tweed Storage Sofa from Urban Outfitters. It has a classic retro/mid-century modern lines and a pleated tweed pattern that complements its sleek low stance. Speaking of functionality, not only does it have storage, it also folds out to make a bed. Not too much more you could ask of a sofa, especially at $580. Available at Urban Outfitters for $580.

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I came across this website some time ago called Bluefly. Their claim to fame is that they have items from over 350 designers, starting at over 40% off. The first time I perused their site, it looked to me that the prices weren't too much better than anywhere else online, and their selection was a little wanting. I stopped by again today, and I may be having a change of heart. They have a good selection of Dwell sheets and duvets on sale, both last years styles (or is it two years ago) and some newer ones as well. The Butter Hexagon queen duvet shown above is $123 which seems like a pretty good price. They also have quite a bit of Jonathan Adler stuff as well, but textiles and housewares. The sage green relief stoneware "Slide" desk lamp shown above is $150. So the question is, has anyone else used bluefly before? Did you love them or hate them?

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The other day I was at the farmers market, and I was dying for something to drink, so I wandered over to Tony Caputo's looking for a something not sweet and refreshing. I came across the Voss water, and as always was entranced by the beautiful glass bottles that they come in. So I finally pulled the trigger, and bought a 4 dollar bottle of water. I justified it in my mind by telling myself that I wasn't really buying a 4 dollar bottle of water, but I was buying a 4 dollar modern glass jar, that just happened to be filled with water. Lets be honest, thats the real reason I was buying it. So, how was it? Pretty much tasted like water to me, maybe next time I will have to try the sparkling kind. On the good side, the bottle really was quite nice, and I am sure I will find many uses for it in the future.  

As modern design moves into mainstream culture, more and more people are trying to cash in on good design. The good news for us humble modernists is that the more mainstream a style goes, the more likely we are to find affordable modern furniture. Case in point. Pier 1, long time importers of eclectic furnishings at affordable prices, has recently shifted its market toward modern design with the birth of its new line "Loft 21". A shinning example of their take on affordable modern design is the Bradford Straw Chair. A simple armchair with clean modern lines at a price that's not too shabby. It's currently on sale for $329. I haven't made it down to check out the quality of it, but if anyone has, let us know. Available at Pier 1 for $329.

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My good friends mentioned to me some time ago that they were looking for a platform bed. They are West Elm junkies and have an nice modern style going on in their house, so I quickly offered to build one for them. Just a couple of weeks ago, they had an anniversary coming up, and I had an opportunity to build one as a surprise. They wanted something similar to the West Elm Low Platform Bed but slightly different dimensions. We ended up making it out of walnut (my new favorite wood) and it turned out really nice. We made it a little chunkier than the Low Platform. It sits at 10" high overall instead of 5", and it is a couple inches shorter too.

Price of materials $280.

Detail pics after the jump.

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A while ago I posted some pics of some cabinetry I had done for a friend. I am still not finished (need to do some drawers) but he did finally get the top on, and it really tied it all together nicely. The countertop is a honed absolute-black granite. Its a beautiful slab, and looks great on top of the cabinets I built. His whole house is turning out really nice. One of these days I need to get over there and take a bunch more pictures. It truly is a great model of an affordable modern home. It's in a transitional neighborhood, and the lot is a little small, but he paid well under $100 k for the home. I think his goal is to have it all done for around $120 k, which he should do pretty easy.

Well after several weeks of waiting, we finally started to make some more progress in the bathroom. For a little background, check out this post about our ofuro tub plans. I'll give more details about the tub later. We finally decided on a tub filler for our ofuro. We ended up going with the Danze Parma, mostly because it fit our style, and more importantly, our budget. That doesn't mean of course that it was really affordable. It ended up being right around $300, which seems like a lot of money until you see what the other options are. Before we could put our ofuro tub in, we had to rip out the old shower and tub. It turned out to be a pretty easy job with only one big surprise. The wall below the window was mostly rotted out from water damage. Luckily we plan on replacing that whole window, and so we will need to frame out that section of the wall again anyway. Getting the ofuro in place was fairly straight forward. It was a lot lighter than the other tub. I lined the two side walls with dura rock, so we will be ready to tile them soon. We were kind of nervous that our boiler and water heater would have a hard time filling the huge tub. I think we figured it was over 100 gallons pretty easy. To our pleasant surprise, our boiler did just fine. The tub accommodates two people quite comfortably. My wife and I spent about an hour soaking in it the first night it was done. We also had our mirror delivered finally, which makes the bathroom feel a lot bigger. Check out the pics after the jump to see what I mean.

I always like to support the little guys, and to be honest, that is part of the appeal of this hand bag from Queen Bee Creations. Made in Portland Oregon, this simple modern bag is just the thing to tote around and stuff full of all your daily goodies. The Truckette is constructed of high-quality waterproof vinyl, has two front pockets underneath flap, an additional layer of vinyl on bottom of bag for reinforcement, adjustable heavy duty seat belt webbing strap, and a silver velvet lined flap that closes with two snaps. If you are in a family way, make sure you check out Queen Bee's kid line called Chickpea Baby, where she has a similarly styled diaper bag.

Available from Buy Olympia for $58.

I wanted to take a moment today to give props to some local SLC guys that are doing some wonderful work. The company is called Cre-8-ive Tension, and they specialize in modern home furnishings, and make some very beautiful and very affordable modern furniture. One of my favorites is the bench shown, which is made of maple plywood stacked vertically so the grain is showing. I have seen it in person, and the quality is really wonderful. It's great to see a local company focused on affordable modern furniture. This line from their about page sums it all up:

Our goal is to continue to create reasonably priced, quality furniture that can be enjoyed by its users.

Sounds a lot like the purpose of this website.

Tension bench is available from cre-8-ive tension for $275.

This is my last post about the Outdoor Retailers Expo, tomorrow back to my normal content.

Eton, makers of stylish audio devices, has recently teamed up with the American Red Cross to make the perfect emergency radio. Available in several different configurations, all their radios boost AM/FM radio, with your choice of Short Wave or NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and TV/VHF (for listing to local TV stations). They include a hand crank to charge the radios internal Ni-MH battery pack, and three AA batteries for other devices, as well as a cell phone charger. In addition the radio includes a LED light and flashing red strobe light. All this packed into a small 6" x 6" x 2" radio in a stylish white case. Emergency preparedness has never looked so good.

Available from Eton from $50-$60.

It's pretty hard to get someone excited about something like coolers. At a show as big as the Outdoor Retailers Expo, it's even harder to get someone walking by your cooler booth to do a double take, and come back to check out your cooler. But that is exactly what happened. Yeti, is making some of the nicest looking extreme coolers I have ever seen. The design, especially on the smaller 16 quart model shown, is minimalistic and clean. I love the big stainless steel handle that doubles for a latch. The hinges are all super strong, so you won't ever have to worry about them breaking. I am hoping to be able to get a hold of one so I can see just how well they actually hold their ice. Stay tuned, and I'll let you know.If you are interested in purchasing, check out their website at http://yeticoolers.com

Of all the things I saw at the Outdoor Retailers Expo, I think that this was the one that hit me the most with the feeling "Why didn't I think of that". Very simple idea, cheap, and super cool. The Firefly by Guyot Designs is a waterproof LED light that fits into the lid of any Nalgene sized bottle. When filled with water and tipped upside down, you now have turned your water bottle into a lantern. I saw one at the show, and it was very impressive. I am sure they don't put out a ton of light, but I dare you to find a more compact lantern. Available from Guyot Designs for $21.

They also have a very nice shorty insulated bottle for $20.

Let me preface this post by reminding everyone that some of these finds at the Outdoor Retailers Expo do not fit in the affordable genre. This is one of those. Snow Peak has apparently been making camping accessories since 1958, why I have never heard of them before is a mystery. They make some of the most beautiful stuff I have ever seen. Take for example the Single Action Table shown. Made of .6" thick plywood and aluminum legs it is a truly beautiful table. What the picture (and their website) fails to show is the way it opens and closes in one smooth action. It's one of those things you just have to see to get how cool it is. The price is $224, which is a little rich for my blood. Make sure you check out the stacking cups on their website too. Expensive, but very nice. All their stuff had a pretty Asian style to it. Simple and sweet.

This past week was the Outdoor Retailer Expo here in Salt Lake City. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's one of the biggest outdoor retailer shows in the world. While the focus is not really on anything modern, I figured I would check it out and see what goodies I could find. I would like to give a special thanks to Sara Nazzaro, who was kind enough to help me get in at the last minute.It's pretty funny, as I wandered around one of the things that I noticed the most were some of the elaborate booth designs, and the nice simple furniture that a lot of the booths had. I think I was more excited about that than a lot of the products. However, for the rest of this week, I will highlight some of the products that I thought were the coolest.