I love creative DIY projects, especially ones that are inexpensive. I came across this post over at Make where someone used an old washing machine barrel to make a decent looking lamp. Seems like it would be fairly easy to do, and I see really cheap and/or free washing machines on craigslist all the time. Almost as exciting as the DIY lamp was one of the comments where someone mentioned that washing machine barrels make great fire pits as well. I have been looking for a decent looking inexpensive modern fire pit for a long time, and this might just be the trick. Anyone else have creative ideas for an old washing machine barrel?

While I am not usually a fan of wicker style chairs, I have to admit the the new ANGE chair from Ikea is pretty good looking. Based around a black steel frame, twisted paper provides a seating surface similar to rattan, only softer. The twisted paper also brings a "green" element to the chair also, since it is possibly recyclable at end of life. Priced at $129 each, its certainly not the cheapest chair available from Ikea, but compared to the competition it's still a pretty good deal. Available from Ikea for $129.

Here are a couple Craigslist finds for you locals. Some are better than others.First an Ikea Poang chair with ottoman for only $25. You almost can't go wrong there. It says that it is re-upholstered in medium moss green, which sounds pretty nice. Unfortunately no pictures. A little more upscale, and expensive is this barely used Mies Leather day bed. I'm no Mies expert, so I'm not sure if it's a knock off or not, but this is definitely a classic modern piece that would look great in just about any house. Price is $900. Last is a olive sofa set. I'm not too crazy about the color, but the couch has some nice simple lines. They are less than a year old, so they are in good shape. Asking price is $950, but since they are moving in three days it's negotiable. Included is a couch, love seat, chair and two ottomans. That's a lot of couch.

I love DIY projects, especially when you are able to get a high end look for an affordable price. Somehow it seems that a lot of those involve Ikea somehow. This one is no different. John and Kristie wanted a nice looking pendant chandelier for their dining room table, but they didn't want to spend a lot of cash. The budget was around $300 which isn't much considering the size of a pendant they wanted. With a little ingenuity and some KRYSSBO lamps from Ikea they were able to make a very nice pendant chandelier. They were also nice enough to share their project over at instructables so that others can do it as well.Check out instructables for full DIY instructions and more pictures.

My wife is a wonderful cook, so bringing leftovers to work always sounds better than hitting up the old cafeteria. Soups have been a challenge in the past though, as we don't really have a great soup thermos. I came across this great thermos from plastica over at Popgadget, and it looks like it might be just the thing I need. It keeps your food hot for 12 hours, or cold for 20, holds 3.5 cups and even comes with it's own spoon that locks into the handle. What more could you need? Available from Plastica for $30

While the warmth of summer still somehow manages to allude us here in Utah, I am sure it is just around the corner. Somewhere. When it gets here, you can be sure I will taking advantage of the nice warm weather by sitting outside. I'm always on the lookout for a good outdoor chair that will hold up to the elements. Until now I have completely dismissed the old metal chair, but thanks to this Ibiza Steel Green Folding Chair, its back on the radar again. It has all the practicalities of a metal chair; cheap, sturdy and it looks good to.Available from Sprout home for $36

Sorry this is sort of a Salt Lake City locals only post. I have been hooked on Craigslist lately looking for any good deals for our new house. I came across these two pieces the other day, and while they didn't quite fit my need, I thought they were pretty cool. The chair on the left is an Overman leather recliner with a rosewood case. It has a great classic danish look to it, and for $95 its a good deal. The dresser is solid walnut with white drawer fronts. It could use a little help with the drawer pulls, but it has a great look to it. I especially like the base. Once again, very classic danish/Mid Century and only $95. Both are for sale by a guy named Rick, check out the Craigslist ads for more info.

Craigslist ad for Overman recliner. Craigslist ad for dresser. Let us know if you score either one of them!

I featured an Ikea chaise lounge a couple of weeks ago that was a bargain at $159. If that is too rich for your blood, but you are still wanting some good outdoor furniture, the VADERO bench may be just right for you. The bench alone is only $79 and at nearly 4' long should provide some quality seating for two. Combine it with the VADERO table, which also doubles as a footstool for $59 and you've got a nice flexible setup. Both are made from oiled solid acacia wood, so they should stand up to the elements quite well. The bench is shown here with a VADERO cushion which is 100% cotton and machine washable. It will set you back $50 which doesn't sound like quite as good of a deal considering the price of the bench. They are all part of Ikea's seasonal summer designs, so they may only be available for a limited time. Don't say I didn't warn you. Not available online. Check your local Ikea for availability.

I love it when someone takes a simple everyday product and makes it beautiful. Muji has been doing it for years, and although their prices range from affordable to expensive, this Tape Dispenser is definitely on the affordable side. For only $2 you can have a great looking tape dispenser from the MoMA store. It will probably cost you more than $2 just to ship it, but you will still have a great looking tape dispenser for cheap.Available from MoMA Store for $2.

Who says a plastic cup can't look good. Though these B1 cups might have a grown up modern look, the sturdy plastic makes them a great option for kids. Each cup is made of a white hard plastic exterior and a softer brightly colored interior. They are available in blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, and each cup stands 4" tall and 3" wide. Just to make things a little easier they are microwave and dishwasher safe. They are $7 each, which is quite a bit more than my plastic Ikea tumblers, but then again, they do look quite a bit better! Plates and bowls are available as well. Available from Rose and Radish for $7.

I'm always on the look out for a new desk since the one I made when I first got married almost 5 years ago is starting to show it's age. I think the first thing that really caught my eye when I saw CB2's Go Cart Desk is that nice powdercoated mandarin paint job. I'm such a sucker for orange. I also really like how simple and mobile it is, which would be a big change from my current desk which is very bulky and impossible to move. Priced at $149 its a pretty good deal too. Available from CB2 for $149.

Driving home from work yesterday I noticed there is a new store that sells vintage furniture. I thought I better go check it out to see if it was any good. The Age Cage is all about vintage, but not necessarily modern, although they did have a few decent danish pieces. Most of their goodies comes from estate sales, and the variety was pretty good. They have only been open for two weeks now, so who knows what the future holds. Prices certainly weren't discount but depending on the piece they weren't too bad either. The chair shown below (click on continue reading..) was around $120, the coffee table around $170, the set of kitchen tins $25. The Age Cage is located just behind the Tea Grotto on 21st South and 9th East, and it's definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

Business Address: 2030 S. 900 E. Ste F Salt Lake City 84105

Hours: 10:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.

WIth some things, you get what you pay for. I was looking at the Urban Outfitters Either/Or sofa, thinking it was a pretty good deal ($480 and it's a sleeper!) until I read some reviews of the quality. There is nothing worse than having to spend money twice because the first thing you got was shoddy quality. So I decided to check out Room and Board for affordable sofa's. I came across the Townsend 64" Armless Sofa shown above. While it may lack the some of the length and features of the Either/Or, I'm sure it makes up for it in quality. Plus I really kind of like the simple shape of it. Currently on clearance at Room and Board for $699.

With summer looming just around the corner it's time we turn our thoughts to the important things in life, like basking in the sun. If you need are in need of some good outdoor lounging furniture (and who isn't) check out this new chaise from Ikea. The KVARNO chaise lounge is made of oiled solid acacia wood and anodized aluminum. Not only does it look great, it's flexible too. Keep it flat and use it as a bench, or get comfy with an adjustable head and foot. Pricing is a little on the high side for my taste at $159, but that is a lot better than anything else I have come across that looks this good. It's part of Ikea's seasonal summer line, so once the warm weather goes away, it probably will too. Available from Ikea for $159. (It's not on the website yet, check your local Ikea for availability)

I have been doing a fair amount of Craigslist surfing lately. I started using Byebyelist.com so I can just browse through pictures. While it is a little buggy still I sure saves a ton of clicking. The other day I stumbled across this Mid Century Modern rocker. I have no idea who designed it, but I love the look of it. It says its in great shape besides two small blemishes in the vinyl. Asking price is $150. Looks like winner to me, someone should totally score this.Anyone have anymore info on the chair?

Finding a good diaper bag can be a hard thing. There is a huge selection out there, and not much sets one apart from the other. Fleurville is trying to stand out from the competition by offering a greener solution, and I'm not talking color. The Fleurville Re-Run series is made from recycled plastic bottles. For each Re-Run messenger bag made they keep 10 600ml plastic bottles out of the landfill. Style and function hasn't been compromised either. The bags are available in 7 different colors/prints and come with all the bells and whistles a diaper bag should.Available from Fleurville for $75. Via Treehugger.

Some friends of mine are getting ready to buy a nice little mid-century home here in Salt Lake City. A while ago I went to look at it with them and admire the good design. The home is pretty original, right down to the old clay bullet planter in the back yard. It got me thinking if there are any good affordable bullet planters out there today. Here is what I found.

Tripod planter from Chiasso is made of stainless steel for extra durability and easy care. 12" dia 19" high, It could be yours for $148.

Hip Haven has some nice OG looking fiberglass ones that start at $150 15" wide, 16" tall.

DWR has almost the the exact same firberglass ones for sale for $140 for the 16" wide and 16" tall one. They do note that it is suitable for indoor use, and limited outdoor use, which is probably true of all the fiberglass ones. The short answer is, it depends on what you consider affordable. There really isn't much out there for less than $150 for any size that I have been able to find. There has got to be something better. Any ideas?

I realized yesterday that I never put up any last pics of our bathroom to show our shower completely finished. It has been done for quite a while now, and we really love it, especially the dual showerhead. To pull the whole dual showerhead off on the cheap we ended up going with a Danze Parma shower/tub combo. The Parma has the tub diverter right next to where you turn the water on (instead of a pull up thing on the tub spout) so it makes for a clean look. Instead of diverting to a tub spout, it goes to our adjustable shower wand. Set it somewhere in between and you get dual shower heads! The tub/shower combo was around $350 and the wand was about $150. $500 isn't exactly cheap by my standards, but compared to any other dual head systems I could find it was a steal. More pictures after the jump.

We are big fans of the tea pot in our house, especially during these winter months. The last couple of weeks though we have noticed that our trusty little stainless steel tea pot has lost it's whistle. It got me thinking that maybe it's time to start looking for another. That's when I stumbled across this one from Target. By the looks of it designer Michael Graves knew his tea pots. For example our old one has a spout with whistle and a lid, but we almost never use the lid, filling it instead from the spout. Obviously Michael had this in mind when he designed the Wide-Mouth Tea Kettle because it ships sans lid. All the filling cleaning pouring and general tea loving are made possible by the extra wide pour spout. I really like the contrast of the rust colored whistle with the gun metal grey of the pot. It also is available in white.Available at Target for $18.

I admit that I am addicted to dinnerware. I love all the different sizes, shapes, colors and patterns. Thats probably why all of our plates and bowls are either flat black or flat white, because I just can't decide what I want. CB2 has got another hit on their hands with these great Bubbles porcelain dipped plates and bowls. The grey, charcoal and olivine circles have a nice pop on their white background making it interesting without being to over the top. Pricing ranges between $3 for a bowl to $5 for the largest plate, which is pretty spot on, especially when you consider that they are porcelain. Available from CB2 for $3 - $5.