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.

Available from Ikea for $20.

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?

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.

There are a lot of new things going on over at Nurseryworks this week. They have a completely redesigned web site, as well as a few new pieces of furniture. The new pieces are what I like to call Lux Modern, a mix of clean modern lines and colors with more traditional "luxury" ornate elements. It is a trend that I have been seeing growing in popularity in the modern furniture realm, and one that I can't say I am very excited about. Pricing is similar to the rest of their line, which is in the medium to high end range. The question is will Lux Modern continue to push out good clean design? I hope not.

See the rest of the new line (including puffy headboards) at Nurseryworks.net.

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.

kitchen from Creede on Vimeo.We have been in our house for almost 6 months now, so it's inevitable that I finally got some demo work done. My wife was out of town for the week and had no idea what I was up to. The whole thing was very inexpensive, less than $200. It took me about a week working on it when I got home from my 9 - 5, and on the weekend. The worst part was really all the cleaning. I swear I spent as much time cleaning up my mess as I did making it. The video shows the progress as I knock down two walls, move the electrical, add some new lighting and start putting it all back together. This is the first phase in our kitchen remodel.

Sometimes you don't have to go to super discount shops like undrgrnd.com to get good design at 50% off list price. Such is the case with the Snare Pendant lamp from CB2. This compact 11" diameter brushed steel lamp with frosted glass is a good deal at it's normal retail price of $49. Lucky for us, it's and even better deal at the current price of $19! I have a feeling that these won't be sticking around for too much longer, so if you want one, I'd act fast. Available from CB2 for $19.

I've always been a big fan of melamine plates. They are super durable which is nice if you have kids, and they are a nice medium to print graphics on. I stumbled across these Thomas Paul sea life plates, and I am loving them. It looks like I'm not the only one loving them too, as many retailers are backordered. The set includes the four plates shown above for $28, which is admittedly a little steep for melamine plates. Also available is a nice melamine tray.

Available from Burke Decor for $28 for the set of four.

Outdoor enthusiasts who know about websites like Steep and Cheap know just how addictive the one day limited quantity super discount sites can be. Now design junkies can rejoice and share in their addiction, undrgrnd.com is here to feed our hunger for affordable design. Here is the way it works. Undergrnd collects new and open box furniture and furnishings from stores like Design Public, and then offers them for sale on their website at deeply discounted prices. There are no returns, and shipping anywhere in the US is a flat 15% fee. To keep things interesting only type of product is available a day, and only for 24 hours. For example the Thomas Paul rugs shown here are 50% off, and will only be for sale for another 30 minutes until todays deal shows up. To get the good deals, you've got to check the website daily. I'll do my best to get the word out if I see great deals too.

Check out the crazy deals at undrgrnd.com.

The new Ikea catalog is out, and I've had a chance to glance through it real quick. Some of the things I am most excited about are the kitchens. It seems like there are a lot of new cabinet styles and colors that I hadn't seen before like the SOLAR beech cabinets (top right) and the APPLAD orange and white combo (bottom right). While I love most things that Ikea does, I still think that kitchen cabinetry is one of their stronger points. Not only are they able to make good looking affordable modern kitchen cabinets, the level of quality is really quite good. They use all high end Blum drawer slides and components that really give them a nice feel. When we get ready to redo our kitchen, there is definitely some Ikea in the future. Check out the new catalog here.

I have some good friends who have recently purchased a wonderful old Mid Century Modern home in Salt Lake City, and they are in the middle of updating the interior. While looking at kitchen appliances online at Jenn-Air they found this picture entitled "Scandanavian Oasis" and completely fell in love with all the white. The cabinets and appliances will be easy to reproduce (Ikea and Jenn-Air) but the white flooring has got them (and me) stumped.

So how do you get white flooring like the one in this picture?

I wanted to share some of the websites of the vendors I visited at the Las Vegas Market. They are not necessarily affordable, nor do they all sell directly to the public, but it will give you an idea of what most "modern" wholesalers are selling. They are listed below in no particular order. Surprisingly a lot of them have pretty lousy websites. Enjoy your curated virtual market... Modern Materials and Design - A Utah original. More updates soon.... Sitcom - They design for West Elm amongst others. Check out the Audrey line. Tema Home - Good European design and construction from Portugal. New site soon... Focus on Home - Southern California designed and produced. Very nice in person. Vig Furniture - They had a few nice lines. Acco Furniture - Lots of designer knock offs. Zuo Modern - Best website, large selection. Nuevo Living - Carry the Obelisk outdoor seating. Mobital - Nice design from our northern neighbor. Alphaville Design - Comprehensive modern line and accessories. K & D - Modern and Contemporary, extensive line. Pangea Furniture - Looks like a lot of Asian imports. Selamat Designs - Not all modern, but had some nice things. Against The Grain - Original designs, made in the USA. Creative Elegance - More good stuff made in the USA. Furnitech - Modern furniture for your home entertainment system. Pampa Export - Brazilian modern furniture exporters.

Urban Outfitters does a pretty good job at kicking out good looking products at an affordable price. It's always good to check it out in person first though, as the quality sometimes is not the best. This Mini Spindle Lamp may be small in size at only 12" high and a 4.5" diameter, but the price is small to match at only $19. The shade is not included in the price, but should be easy to pick up pretty cheap. Definitely stick with white on white for a nice clean looking affordable lamp. Available at Urban Outfitters for $19. via BLTD

I am totally in love with these Case Study Planters from Modernica. Available in Sage, White, or Charcoal these great mid-century planters would look equally great indoors or outdoors. The wooden base is really what makes the pots look great. At $149 for a small, and $189 for a large they are not cheap, but they are a pretty reasonable size. The small sits at 19" high and has a 12" diameter, while the large is 21" high and 14" diameter.

Available from Modernica starting at $149

The biggest surprise to me here at the show is the lack of original design. It seems like I am surrounded by knock offs of classic mid century pieces. I just wandered into Tema Home and it was a refreshing stop. They have a great line of furnishings designed in house and produced in Portugal. More info to follow.

Day two is off to a good start. So far some of the best accessories I have come across are from SLC locals Modern Materials Design. Check out some of the pictures below and stay tuned for more details.

My first day at the Las Vegas Market is coming to an end. I'm riding the shuttle back to the hotel right now. I got a late start today, and I only had a couple of hours to look around. I really didn't even make a dent in it. I saw 5 of 16 floors in 1 of 3 buildings. Luckily most of the modern goods are concentrated on two floors. I plan on checking them out first thing in the morning.

Some of the best affordable modern finds are the secondhand ones. Unfortunately not everyone has the time to hit the second hand stores and garage sells looking for that undiscovered treasure. Luckily the kind folks over at Feel More Human are doing there best to help out the cheapskates. They have launched a modern flea market for people to be able to sell all their second hand modern goods. While it looks like things are starting out sort of slow, it's worth keeping your eye on it, as things may pick up. Besides, you have to admit it's a lot easier than looking in the paper for estate sells. Modern Flea Market at Feel More Human.

I'm always trying to think of great recycled materials that could be used for making affordable modern furniture and lighting. While cardboard doesn't seem like the most likely medium to create great lighting, the folks over at Graypants are out to show that it absolutely works. Using salvaged cardboard they sculpt beautiful modern lights that have a wonderful natural glow to them. You can purchase their wonderful lights from Velocity Art and Design in either a hard wired or plugged version with prices starting around $135, which is pretty reasonable. Of course if you are feeling a little more daring, and have access to some scrap cardboard then the possibilities are endless.

Available from Velocity Art and Design starting at $135 Via Shelterific

Proof that good design always looks good, this stacking bin has been in production for more than 30 years. Designed by Castelli Farrieri for Kartell the Componibili is made of durable plastic and available in the traditional red, or the recently introduced silver. The units are easily stackable and require no hardware to keep them secured together. The 16.5" diameter storage unit is available in either a 2 compartment or 3 compartment configuration, both of which are on sale for $48, a huge discount over the normal price. Better move quick, these won't stick around for long. Available from DWR fro $48.