Showing posts with label interiors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interiors. Show all posts

7.26.2010

DIY Geometry Painting

I'm not gonna lie. I'm one of those. I can't pass a pile of furniture or junk or anything interesting looking on the street without contemplating how I could repair/reupholster/repaint or otherwise salvage any kind of street find. I've taken dressers, coffee tables, even a severely traumatized Herman Miller Shell Chair.

Also, I'm only going to be able to bring this up once. I've never told anyone. But. One time. Not that long ago. In the West Village. There was a vintage HM surfboard coffee table. In white. ON. THE. SIDEWALK. I had somewhere I HAD to be, with my boyfriend, who was with me. The MoFo (the table) was also HEAVY. I was tempted to ditch the BF and take the sucker home, but it was way too heavy, and try as I might, I couldn't convince the BF to show up at a semi-business semi-social function with an enormous and heavy surfboard size designer coffee table in tow. I gave it a quick pet, like an adorable ragamuffin puppy in a Central American alleyway, turned my back--thought again if I might be able to manage to hobble to the train, but knew that it was woefully impossible--and KEPT WALKING.

Whew. Now that that story is out of the way and WILL NEVER BE MENTIONED AGAIN, here is something I found abandoned right down the hallway of our mega loft building:

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I went, "Hrmm..." at the big fat NYC reference (um, really? someone must have bought this within 2 months of living in NYC, because the last place, in all of NYC that I want to think about being in when I'm at home--THE LAST PLACE, okay, maybe not Brownsville--is Times Square). Of course, I began brainstorming what I could paint over on the nice big pre-framed surface. Going through my Tumblr, which is soooo satisfying to recount all the loved images I've loved, I came upon this:

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Gorgeous, right? Amazing. AND, kinda perfect for my growing attraction to black and white and vaguely graphic. But I nixed the feather and the wheel. Those would be the parts I would just eff up. Stick to geometry. Which turned out to be harder than I thought...

After a good few white coats:

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And some strategic painters tape:

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And figuring out how the triangles are actually made from bisected squares, so that determined the squares height and width, and then the circle's radius was equivalent to the length of one side of the square, with half of its circumference round, and then the length of the extended "arms" going as far as to be in line with where the top most circle circumference would be. I got pretty darn good grades in high school, but I think I came close to a D or something in geometry. Bah. I got my painting out though dammit; I conquered:

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Final cost: ZERO. I already had the paint and brushes and tape. Way hotter than taxis in Times Square. But I still love you Ikea. Sometimes. But not more than Herman. Sigh.

7.17.2010

At Home

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Sorry, no new arrivals, no big news, just some happy tweaking and tooling around the house lately, in minor, minor ways. But there is something that makes me happy about moving things around slightly, leaving them for a day, and revisiting and making judgment. Who knows. Tomorrow, things will look different, but today, my home was something like this, in spaces and negatives. Strange how things have gone very minimal and neutral from this.

6.15.2010

4.26.2010

Indescreet with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

While the entirety of this move is quite gorgeous and perfect in that 50s 60s genre of light drama / early romantic comedy, I was especially attracted to Ingred Bergman's character's London apartment. Here's some screen shots of what is clearly a Design*Sponge "Sneak Peek" worthy apartment:

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Ooohh, color. And upscale eclectic feel, big fat lamp in the corner, big comfy chair, sofa, lounge, built in banquette seats, carefully colored pillows.


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French doors at foyer, Picasso and art everywhere.


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Banquette with oversize lamp, picture frames, wall sconces.


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Polka dot robe with that couch.


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Aren't they adorable?


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And, her wall length windows open to the terrace fully for some great indoor / outdoor living.


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How perfect is this kitchen? Tiny, but adorable, with the windowpane dividing wall. Cary Grant smiling at her so!


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Built in banquettes--perfect for what looks like the most romantic breakfast possible.

3.06.2010

Atlast Sound, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, Quick Canal, and Midcentury Heaven



I've been obsessed with this since the first time the BF shared it with me. And now I found the video. And now I'm in heaven. Midcentury, Atlas Sound, Stereolab-y heaven.

2.19.2010

Modernism Magazine Tear Sheets

A while ago a friend gave me a stack of back issues of Modernism. Here's a few favorites I scanned:

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Oh, to be those girls...

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I cropped this rather wonkily, but the one black cushion on the pair of chairs makes me swoon. A Jacobsen Egg never hurts either.

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The lightest poured concrete ever.

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If this were my door, I'd come and go from home all day just for the approach.

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Growing up in California, and going to elementary, junior high and high schools highly influenced by 60s modernism, there's always nostalgia for open work brick. Someday I'll have a house with pretty shadows.


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The house, devastating. And in Mexico. AND WITH A PUPPY.

1.08.2010

Today's Pics






Koala wall hanging, $60. Monkeypod bowl, $22. Porcelain lamp, $34. Lampshades (one pictured, sold as pair), $55. Set of 4 calico place mats, sold. Set of 8 Bombay hors d'ouvres forks, $5 (several sets available). Pole lamp, with original box in near mint condition, sold. Transparent blue vase, $65. Log bowl, sold.

At this point, I've got my new Etsy stores finally lined up (thank you Etsy support!), the furniture starting to get up for sale/auction on eBay, and TONS of photo'ed listings needing to be added, going all the way back to the Aloft photo shoot, up through some of the newer things that have been popping up here on the blog.

Wish me luck with my slow (building provided) internet! Today was day three of the requisite hour-long phone calls with Verizon, looking to get an individual (and speedy! oh I miss you speed!) DSL account. They are going to "update" me on Wednesday as to why it is they can't seem to figure out how to give me service...

11.29.2009

A Girl Can Dream

We've got friends that live in the most lovely house in the Poconos in this very development. While their house takes the cake, this one comes awfully close, with a little imagination, one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, a car, and some tweaks (such as like tearing out the carpet and office lighting right now, and replacing it with some bamboo eco-friendly something-er-other) what an awesome pad this would be.


Deck and balcony and screened in porch?


Carpet, no, fan, no, couch--can I have it?


George Nelson lamp going here...



High gloss paint for the fire place. No TVs. Style up that mantel something crazy.


Yes, please.


Violet attack! But some salvation, maybe, is that a semi-cute fixture over the bed?


Ack! Office ceilings! But some good windows, room for man cave.


Can you leave the bar stools?

Three bedroom, two bath, walk in closet, two fire places, and what looks like a great view. Full listing here. Maybe I should add this to my Xmas list?

Alvar Aalto Studio Tour

Bowled. Over. Kicking myself for selling my Aalto stool and chairs now... Full tour and lots more incredible photos over at Apartment Therapy.


These perfect flat files.


The chairs, the pendant lamps, all those little boxes, SWOON.


The light.


Sighhh.

11.28.2009

Mint Pole Tension Lamp with Box


Mint condition pole tension lamp in store with the original box it was stored in--not even the slightest layers of dust or wear! Casts gorgeous turquoise light... Available in store for $245 or on Etsy. Hoping to get a preview of our Pennsylvania finds up later today too!