We write often enough about modern birdhouses around here that I thought it was time birds got some coverage. OK, not real birds, but these really cool bird salad bowl and server sets. The white bowl is made of plastic for durability and easy cleaning, and the two bird utensils perched on top are just as functional as they are beautiful.
Bird Salad Bowl and Server Set £29.95
Gray Works' handcrafted cutting boards, or "Footed Plattes" as they call them, are works of art. Each piece of functional design is made by hand (check out a video of the process here) from local, sustainably harvested or salvaged hardwoods. Working out of their studio in the small Catskills Mountain town of Woodstock, NY, Gray Works also creates solid wood furniture and decorative bowls. Check out their whole collection right here.
LINK: www.grayworksdesign.com
Footed Plattes by Gray Works: $35 - $100
I'm always amazed at how much you can spend on something like a trash can. I've seen designer ones easily reach the $200 mark. That's why it's refreshing to see an affordable option from Conran with the classic bin. I love that its not stainless. Available options include black or red. White would have been a nice option too, but that's not anything $5 of spray paint couldn't take care of. The only downside that I can see is that there doesn't appear to be a liner which means your bag will always be hanging out.
It's not too late* to snag a calendar for the new year! While we've featured quite a few recently, this Mid-Century themed wall/desk calendar from PS Paper Goods might be my favorite. Each month features an iconic design in a range of soft candy colors (reminiscent of the pink or blue tiled bathrooms of yore). If you're already set with a 2011 calendar, check out this Mid-Century notebookinstead!
Mid-Century Modern Calendar by PS Paper Goods: $15
*When is it too late to get a calendar for the current year? February? May? Are there rules for these things?
Did you know our very own Capree has her own fabulous blog? I spotted these fantastic vintage posters over at myadventureisyouradvantage.com this week. It's just a taste of the fantastic things Capree blogs about.
Check out MAIYA for a link to 1,000s more images like this one.
I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that these pebble shaped floor pillows are completely DIY-able (a good thing, too, since they start at $175). It's a fun take on the old square pillow, that's for sure. What do you think? A relatively easy DIY project or worth throwing down $175 - $365 bones? I vote for a DIY version in a monochromatic color scheme, i.e. three shades of grey or green, etc.
Throwing Stones Floor Cushions by Iglooplay: $175 - $365
GRM reader Sarah was kind enough to send me the story of the house that she and her husband built in in Texas last year, and I absolutely LOVE it. Long story short they built a 20' x 40' modern home by themselves for $100,00, and it turned out fantastic. You can read the whole story after the jump.
Story by Sarah Lindsey
When we were given the opportunity to build on 2.5 acres, we knew we couldn’t afford an architect to design our dream house. But we also knew we didn’t want a cookie cutter plan from a book. So we set out to design a house that fit our needs and tastes, that was energy efficient, and that we could afford. Oh, and that Chris could build by himself.
When we started to put our ideas together, we were working and living on a sailing yacht, but we were ready to make the move back to shore to start our family. We decided that we would save a portion of our salary toward building the house, and that we could leave the boat when we had $100.000. It took just over three years to save our goal, so we had a lot of time to think about what we wanted in a house.
We started with Google Sketch-Up. Our priorities were these: First, we didn’t need a lot of square footage. Living on a boat had taught us that it’s not the amount of space you have, it’s what you do with it. And frankly, any bedroom where you could sit up in bed without your head hitting the ceiling would seem spacious. Second, Chris needed a workshop. For the sake of our marriage, he needed a mad-scientist lab where he could make stuff (and messes), that was totally separate from our living space. Third, we didn’t want to have to stay sealed in an air conditioned box through the hot Texas summer, so we wanted to incorporate passive cooling techniques. And fourth, it had to be as simple as possible, be- cause Chris was going to do all the work himself. And we were determined to stay within our budget of $100,000.
What we came up with was a two story 20’x40’ rectangle, with Chris’ shop on the ground floor, and our living space up top. The interior, one big open space with a sleeping loft. To keep it cool, we decided on a south-facing shed roof (perfect for solar panels), clerestory windows to vent the warm air, and a big covered deck running the length of the house to keep the sun from coming through the two 8’ sliders into the living room. We took our Sketch-Up drawing to a sympathetic architect, Travis Young at Studio Momentum in Austin, who agreed to be our advisor and work with what we gave him for a fraction of his full service fee. He drew full plans, made sure the engineering was solid, and served as a valuable mediator in helping us make final decisions. We were ready to start the permitting.
Chris had built houses before. And his duties as captain of a yacht, aside from driving it, included maintaining all the systems. So he had experience with electricity and plumbing. But there was certainly a learning curve. For one thing, the materials he was used to from building in New England were clapboard and shingles, not stucco and standing seam steel. But once he started, he resolved to do everything possible by himself. From the framing to the wiring, the stucco to the concrete countertop, the drywall to the bathroom tile for Chris, it was a one man job. At first I helped a bit. Mostly cleaning up, handing him things when he was on the scaffolding and providing company. But 6 months into it, I became pregnant, and queezy. After that, even I stuck to budget minding and other stationary jobs.
Our choice of materials had two criteria. One, that it be low maintenance and as sustainable as possible, and two, that it fit in the budget. For flooring, we didn’t want pre-finished wood or laminate, but couldn’t afford hard wood, so we opted for plywood. Chris cut it into 4’x4’ squares, then stained and finished it with satin polyurethane. The result is clean and warm feeling; Fireslate countertops were out of our price range, so we went for concrete. Chris built the form and poured them 2” thick. We left them grey and they really pop with the plywood cabinets and stainless appliances, making the kitchen my favorite part of the house; Our dream was to frame with steel and concrete block, but we went for stucco on stick frame. The best part was, we never felt we were making sacrifices. It was more like a fun puzzle. Ikea cabinets for the kitchen were the least expensive option, but we didn’t like any of their fronts. So we bought the frames, and Chris made the fronts out of a beautiful, grainy Chinese birch plywood from Home Depot. We liked the look of the birch so much, we used it to panel the kitchen and one of the living room walls.
What we ended up with is a house that is very specifically ours. There is only one interior door (on the bathroom), giving it the feeling of a loft apartment out here in the woods. Sure, there’s not a lot of privacy, but as the baby gets bigger and busier, it’s easy to keep an eye on her in a big open space. We don’t have a dishwasher, because we never had one before and we got to like hand washing the dishes. Our dining room is outside on the deck because living on the boat gave us a taste for al fresco dining. And we live on the second floor, so Chris can have his shop and because we love the tree house feeling we get up here. Yes, we will need more space and privacy when our little girl gets to be a big girl, but we’ve got 2.5 acres and plenty of time to build the next phase of the Rhombus Ranch before then.
Chris and I have been together since 2002, and this is the first home we’ve had together that was really ours. We’ve lived in a glorified tent, in a friend’s spare bedroom, and then on other people’s yachts for 5 years. This place is ours, for exactly the way we want to live, from the slab up.
Photos by Adam Glick Photography, Chris Renner and Thao Nguyen
The Statesman also did a nice article on the home which you can read here. I've included some of the pictures from the article above.
Huge thanks to Sarah for sharing!
You can contact her at sarahelindsey (at) yahoo.com
Boodalee, the modern kids bedding and accessories company that we've posted about before, recently announced that they'll be closing up shop after 5 years in the business. We're sad to see such a unique brand go, but lucky for you this news means great deals on cool kids stuff. Everything in their shop is 50% off or more, so if you've had your eye on one of their designs, now's the time to get it! Shop online at boodalee.com or check other online retailers (like 2Modern, DesignPublic, Oompa, or Modern Nursery) for discounted goods.
Modern Kids Bedding from Boodalee: now $20 - $95
It's been almost a year since I first posted about the Chelsea Sofa. This fantastic looking sofa with a $649 price tag sparked a lot of interest, and a few brave readers took the plunge and ordered. The initial reviews were positive but I still wanted to see it for myself. I've had my Chelsea sofa for a good month now, if you want to know what I think, read on..
First off I'd like to thank Fashion 4 Home for providing the sofa so I could review it. They went out on a limb shipping it to me knowing that I was going to provide an objective review that they didn't have any control over.
As far as the ordering and shipping goes, I was very impressed. Some prior GRM readers that ordered their sofas had to wait a long time to receive them. The Chelsea I ordered was in stock, and I got it in a couple of short weeks. The delivery company called me to arrange a time to drop it off, and the guy was nice enough to help me carry it into my building, up the elevator and all the way into my front room. Nice.
The sofa was inside a sturdy cardboard box, and it was also wrapped in plastic to keep it clean. The only assembly needed was attaching the 4 metal legs. Assembly was straight forward and easy.
As I said before, I've had the sofa for over a month now, and I've put it through it's paces, watching movies, reading, computering, even a little fort building with the kids. Here's what I think about it.
Style: The good looks are obviously the thing that first caught my attention about the sofa. In real life it has lived up to my expectations. The overall shape and proportions are as expected, no surprises at all. If I had to pick one thing to complain about it would be the legs. Don't get me wrong, they are fine. But that's almost the problem. The sofa looks much more high scale than "fine". A pair of nice dark walnut legs would really take this sofa to the next level. I've even thought about maybe trying to modify some to fit. Still for the price, I think you are hard pressed to find a better looking couch.
Comfort: Obviously comfort is a very subjective thing. Personally I prefer a nice firm couch over the overstuffed RC Wiley TV marathon versions. The Chelsea is definitely firm but comfortable. The foam in the cushions feels like it is good quality. Definitely not like the cheap couches I've sat on at Urban Outfitters where if feels like you are sitting on plywood with 1" of cheap foam. I've sat through an entire movie without feeling uncomfortable at all. Also, for me the proportions feel good. Not like my KRAMFORS from Ikea where I always felt the bottom cushion was too deep.
Quality: The construction of the sofa feels quite sturdy. It's not a very heavy sofa, two people can easily carry it, and one can slide it around a room no problem. The legs are solidly mounted as well. It's not the kind of sofa you are going to worry about having your extra large aunt May sit on. It can take the weight. The tufting is well done as are the pillows.
If I had to complain about the quality of one thing it would be the fabric. I suppose I'm not sure if it is really a "quality" issue or if it is just a style issue for me. The fabric used on the couch is a "high quality upholstered finish with hand stitched imbedded buttons" made of "60% cotton, 10% linen, 30% viscose rayon". It definitely has the linen sort of look. The weave is looser like a linen and because of this in some area's you can vaguely see the stitching between pieces. I imagine that this looser weave along with the light color may make it harder to keep clean, especially when compared to a microfiber or leather couch. It certainly doesn't look "cheap" though and it seems to be holding up well. I have noticed that the front seam is starting to slip down a little from use. You can see it in the pictures, it just ruins that night straight cushion line a little. I honestly have never noticed it until I started taking pictures last night.
Value: As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. This is certainly a case where I feel you really are getting more than you paid for. It's easy to sit around and nit pick little details about something, or find something that is better. I would absolutely admit that this couch doesn't compare to a nice B & B Italia piece. At the same time, the prices aren't even in the same league. That doesn't mean though that one has more value than the other. I fully intend on dropping several thousand dollars on an Eames Lounger in the next year or two. To me it will be good value because it looks amazing, has amazing heritage and will last me my lifetime. Yes lifetime. The Chelsea Sofa, as handsome as it is probably won't last a lifetime, and that's ok as long as it's not your expectation. I would say that it will last just as long as anything you could buy at Ikea or the like, and it will probably look a lot better. Ikea does have some good looking couches, but none that come close to this for the money.
A word about pricing. When I originally found the Chelsea sofa it was listed at an amazing $649. It is not listed at $799. My first thought was "Ahh they figured out how awesome the couch is and now they are jacking the prices up." Luckily I found out that's not really the case. Originally it was $649 plus $155 in shipping. It's now $799 but shipping is only $44. That makes the total price shipped $843 vs the old $804.
Options: It looks like they are offering the sofa in a couple different fabric colors. Personally I think the dark grey looks fantastic. They also have a black leather version. Real leather. It looks amazing but it will set you back an extra $600. Still it would be a good deal I think. The Chelsea range also includes an armchair for $369 in fabric or $669 in leather. Both of them are equally attractive and would look great paired with the sofa.
Available from Fashion 4 Home.
More photo's including high res shots on my flickr page.
Aside from possessing one of the most impressive collections of vintage clocks I've ever beheld, the Woodley House is a treasure trove of atomic awesomeness. What began in 2006 as a white-walled, sparse, and dreary space has since turned into a flourishing abode of Mid-Century treasures. Check out the full house tour on Flickr, including a set of "Before" images that will really put this transformation in context.
Click here for the full house tour.
More pics after the jump!
This is pasted all over the internet today, but in case you haven't seen it elsewhere, it's worth checking out. This nifty little device turns a bar of soap into nice flake size proportions. Simple, effective, attractive. Someone hurry up and put it into production please.
Soap Flakes by Nathalie Stampfli
It looks like Gus Modern has a whole slew of new chairs and stool, and I really really like them. Maybe even love them. They have that old MCM simplicity and style that I love, which to me makes them timeless. Pricing for the stackable church chair shown above is $190, which is no bargain, but it is a chair I can see having for a very very long time.
With all the terrarium buzz that's been going on in the last year or so, it's unusual to see such a unique approach to the trend. But, the super-creative Shane Powers managed to pull off a refreshing twist - in collaboration with West Elm, no less. The Cut Clay Cylinders and Dome set consists of three earthenware vases and a large glass dome. Each element is sold separately, but can be combined to create a "staggered, architectural tableau for rocks, sand, cacti and succulents". Very cool. Very cool, indeed.
Cut Clay Dome available from West Elm: $19 - $49
Click here to see Shane's other designs for West Elm.
Dear world,
I feel completely powerless to resist anything modern and felt. Add to that any Apple device and you have me wrapped around your finger.
Love Creede.
While I'm not sure I could really rock a felt case for my iPhone (mine prefers to go commando) I do love felt, and I like the idea of having a place for my credit card too.
Felt iPhone case $15 from Landmarks & Lions
I've been looking for small and simple key hook and this steel number from CB2 may be just the thing! It gets its name from the fold at the top, which is designed to hold mail, checks, bills, you name it. At only 3 by 4.5 inches, it'll fit pretty much anywhere, too. Designed by Mark Daniel; powder coated in a bright Pool Blue.
I'm loving this 1957 Czech video about the kitchen of the future. I'm obviously behind the times because they predicted that we would have induction cooktops in the year 2000, and I totally didn't get mine until 2009. I do LOVE the way it is fully integrated into the marble countertop though. Someone get on that.
Most planters I see like this fall somewhere in the $150+ range, so seeing these new ceramic planters from West Elm for $70 and $80 is pretty fantastic. Plus, they have such great, modern shapes. I'll take one of each, please!
Ceramic Planters from West Elm: $70 - $80
I love the look of these vintage cage lights. I have been seeing them everywhere too. Remodelista featured some great vintage cage lights a couple years ago for a mere $900. Anthropology has some cool "mechanic's beacon lights" for $150. Apartment had a good list of metal cage lights from $43-$3,200. But it just doesn't seem like they should be so expensive. I mean, these are like the simplest wire cage lights that used to be so common back in the 30's. Determined to find a better deal I rolled up my sleeves and started looking.
It was actually a lot harder than I thought. Eventually after searching for a while I was able to find two metal replacement cages that are fairly readily available. The small wire keyless lamp guard (left) for $2.84 and the metal lamp guard (right) for $3.70. Both are available from 1000bulbs.com which looks to be fairly reputable. Grainger has the metal lamp guard too for $6.82 and I know they are legit.
Of course that's just the replacement cage. Keep reading after the jump for the rest of the story....
To make your sweet new $3 cage into an actual light fixture, you are going to need a socket.
In the interest of one stop shopping, 1,000 bulbs has this decent porcelain socket for a cool $1.73. They also have a black candelabra socket that appears to be switched for $1.36 although it looks like it would be a little harder to cover all the wiring on it.
Speaking of wiring. Next thing you need is some good cord to get power to your lovely new light. This is where a little attention to detail will go a long way. To pull of the look you really need to get a nice cloth covered cord. Luckily Sundial Wire seems to have a huge selection of everything from braided to colored or just plain black or brown. I'm no electrician, but I think a 2 wire 18 gauge should do the trick. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Either way all their wire is about $1.30 a foot. Wiring should be pretty straight forward. If you've never done it before, find a friend that has and invite them over for dinner.
To finish it all off you will need a nice Edison style bulb. 1,000 bulbs has you covered there again with a decent selection of vintage bulbs priced between $2 - $12. Buy a couple extra so while you are at it to save on shipping when it burns out.
Total cost: $10.64
Metal cage $2.84
Socket $1.73
3 ft wire $4.05
1 bulb $2.02
I'm sure there will be some shipping and tax mixed in there, but that is much more reasonable sounding than $150. Plus you get to do a fun project too.
If you are looking to mix it up a little, here are some other cool things I found while searching around.
Two different wire guards from a company called Vator. Price is $5.50 each.
McGill had some of the coolest wire lamp guards I found. I emailed them to try and get pricing but never heard back. I'm sure with a little effort you could get a hold of them and place an order. Based on the nature of the website I would assume pricing is reasonable.
Lastly if you are looking for some better sockets, grandbrass seems to have a good selection. Just keep scrolling.
Pricing seems very reasonable, around $5 each. They even have some pre-wired one if the idea of wiring your own terrifies you.
I've never ordered from any of these stores, so if you decide to take on this project, let us know how it goes. We'd love to see pictures of you finished project too!
It's only the first week of January, but that's not stopping me from day dreaming about swimming pools and sunshine. Especially when they look like this modern beauty designed by architectPadraic Cassidy. The ipe wood deck, the custom tiles, it's all so perfect! Take a peek, or should I say a dip, at/into more photos after the jump!
LINK: Master Stroke on Dwell
Photos by David Allee
I love LOVE it when I see architects and builders working to make affordable modern housing. The 100k house was a great example of this, and now Celtic Works and Studio 2LR have come up with another shinning example. 1519 Cleveland.
This 1,120 SF single-family dwelling includes 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths with an open living/dining/kitchen space.It's located at 1519 Cleveland St. in Columbia, SC, and is listed at $130K.
Yes, you read that right. 130K for a brand new 2 bed 2 bath modern home.
Check out the 1519 Cleveland FB page for more info.
More pics and a floor plan after the jump.
