Stalking: asian console table

Most of the time, I follow the "I'll know it when I see it approach," letting inspiration come from some fabulous find, and building a room or vignette from there. But sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet about something very specific, and while I can usually find it, I generally can't afford it.

Like the console for the dining room. There's already such a mix in there--contemporary turkish rug, farmhouse table, eames shell chairs, 1970s chinoiserie armoire, giant paper chandelier--it's kind of like finding the last piece in a pretty complex puzzle. But I have a vision. An asian altar table, or asian-inspired console table, in chartreuse. Specific, I know, but it is out there.

This one is perfect. But one of a kind, and no longer available.
Wisteria has one, for a mere $849.


House Eclectic has one, for a (slightly) more reasonable $630.
Did I mention that my budget is $100, tops?

Right.

So, I'll need to find an old wood one, and paint it, like this altar table that I found on Decor Pad (not for sale).


Easy, right? Wrong. So far, the Asian import stores that I've tried don't have anything in my price range, and even this one from Pier 1, with a simpler, but workable shape, is out of my budget, for $179 even on sale.

Even if I could stretch my budget, I hate to spend that kind of money at a big box store.

So what's a girl to do?


I found this set on craiglist, and was very tempted, especially since those stools would come in handy. But it reads a little too tiki to me, and they wanted $140, and I've sat on it for a while so it may not even be available any longer.

I continue to stalk craiglist, but if anyone has a good (local) source for asian imports, do tell!

It's lucky that I enjoy the process so much.

Flashback Friday: First Solo Kitchen

Love that space: Park Slope Kitchen, 1999

The Vision: Girly Vintage

The Elements:
Pink 50s kitchenette set, white cabinets with vintage hardware, girly pastel cabbage-petal china, chinese advertising poster, retro California photographs (from a BMW motorcycles photo shoot), and, um, green astroturf flooring.

The Huh? factor:
You might think I would ascribe this honor to the astroturf, but no. I am more worried about the beaded-macrame plant holder, especially since I adorned it with a butterfly. That I often wore in my hair.


The Analysis:
The kitchenette set was one of my early, great vintage finds. While in college, we were driving through New Paltz. On the edge of town, there is an amazing Victorian house filled to the brim with antiques and the like. This dinette set was on the porch, and you could probably here the screeching of my brakes when I stopped to purchase it. For $125 for the table plus four chairs. I used the table for one semester senior year, and then it went into storage when I moved into a 300sf 1 bedroom in Hell's Kitchen. With a boy. A gay boy, but still: the thing is pink vinyl. So I was thrilled that it fit--barely--in the corner of my park slope co-op. Everything else in the kitchen sort of stemmed from the pink-ness and vintagey charm. I will also note that I painted the lower cabinetsto match the lovely upper ones (another early DIY), and installed the pot rack myself. I remember buying a special masonry drill bit to go into the brick wall!

What Remains:
Sadly, none of the actual pieces from this kitchen remain. When Dave and I moved in together, I sacrificed the dinette set, the china, and the art, selling them all at a stoop sale. I have no regrets though: they perfectly represent an era of my life that was all about girlfriends and being single in the city.

Do you have a style in your past that was fleeting, and emblematic of a phase? Do tell!

What Remains:

Bare Legged Chairs

[Better Homes and Gardens]

I picked up the current Better Homes and Garden at Wallgreens today (to subscribe or not to subscribe? That is the question), and love this idea for bringing a little color to existing chairs, giving a contrast on the legs of an upholstered piece or halfway up the legs of a wood chair. Like a lady bearing her ankles, or running around in nothing but her socks. It made me think of the Hermann Czech lacquered beech chair,

which I first fell in love with in a story in Domino oh, long about 2006.

[Domino]

With these beauties ringing in around a dime a piece, I might just settle for the DIY version. It's amazing how much cheeky, sexy, attitude just that bit of paint can give an old chair.

It's also kind of like splitting the difference on the raging debate over the classic Hans Wegner wishbone chair, now available in many, many colors.

[Hive Modern]

Classicists say this is a travesty, color lovers can't get enough, I say, have it your way. But I guess I wouldn't give a Wegner ankle socks.

Fun Quiz

Two of my favorite's in one place: Deborah Needleman and Home Goods!
The former editor-in-chief of Domino has created a style quiz on the Home Goods website. It only take a few minutes, it's fun, and I actually thought my results make sense. Here they are:

Bohemian Classic

You have a refined sensibility and bring a sense of history and tradition into your decor. You appreciate how symmetrical arrangements and beautiful, well-crafted pieces create a solid foundation to a room. But you like to shake up this restraint with objects and accessories that express your personality and your love of other cultures. When traveling, you seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. You want people to feel comfortable in your home, and cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, unique pieces, and even a little touch of quirk or humor give your house a laid-back, Bohemian flair.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

So. What's your style?

Okay: Orange!

Who can keep up with all this color forecasting? Last month, my excitement over orange was seemingly misguided when it turned out the hype was about rust. Well, ever the orange freak, I was delighted to see mention in the new Elle Decor of an online color story about orange, inspired by Farrow and Ball's new paint color, Charlotte's Locks. (It's as hot as the name.)

There are nine interiors that you can check out here. It's a surprise to see how many different shades are included, from almost-yellow to almost-pink. My favorite (no surprise) is this Jonathan Adler-designed space in fashion designer Nanette Lepore's home.

I shared other pics from the same space when I was trolling for curtain inspiration.

If you were challenged to use orange in your home, what shade would you pick, and how would you use it? I love the vibrant choice of turquoise and magenta above, but that's a lot of color, and not for everyone.

Oliver's Nursery

I'm doing a nursery! So excited. Here's the before:

The space is under the eaves of a charming tudor, presenting some challenges/opportunities in all those angled walls. Originally, I was thinking we would do a map treatment on the big angled wall when you enter the room (to the left of the crib in the last photo above), kind of like this.

[via House Beautiful, 2006]

But coming into the space again, I was struck by the crib nook,

and now we're thinking about tenting it.

[Tobi Fairley]

[via Material Girls Blog]

[via The Captive Reader]

So cute, right?
Maybe awning stripes?

[fabric from Ikea]

We are keeping the green paint and roman blinds, and originally thought about bringing in navy as an accent, though Oliver's mom is thinking it might be too dark, and found this inspiration room, from the HGTV 2010 green home, to offer an alternative palette.



Well, you know I never say no to orange.

I'm thinking about vintage school posters for art

[available at Hunt and Gather]

Or maybe some typography

[Ikea]

Some great storage, a sweet spot to sit, a lamp or two. The creative juices are flowing. Stay tuned!

On-line Design Mags

In edition to all the great personal design blogs out there, more and more design magazines are cropping up online. I have this weird assumption that everyone knows about all of them, but this is probably crazy. In case you want to check them out:


Lonny, the closest thing to Domino, helmed by former Domino staffer/ the woman behind the Rubie Green fabric line

Adore Home is kind of the Australian Lonny


Rue is on issue three, and already they have a fabulous gallery on their website, organized by room

Covet Garden, out of Toronto, shares one couple's space in each issue, with features like a DIY project from the couple and some of their favorite products


High Gloss launched today!

Am I missing any? Tell me about them!