Category Archives: Furniture

Ikea 2014 Favorites

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Did everyone else get their Ikea 2014 catalog a few weeks ago??
I read some pretty negative reviews online around how disappointed people were with the new products – not enough exiting updates… nothing too mind blowing…
Ummm… were we looking through the same catalog??  I thought that they had some AMAZING new things this year!

I love this idea of pushing two butcher block tables together to create a large workspace / floating island in the kitchen… (also, the bin pulls on the drawers are great, and the tall glass bookshelf is another favorite)…

And while this rug isn’t new, it’s been a favorite of mine for the last year, the clock is cool, and that black and white curtains are so on trend!

Pretty much everything in the Stockholm collection caught my eye – that coffee table… the lines on that sofa??  Are you kidding me??  It looks like it walked right out of West Elm!

I mean, right??? 
It comes in white, tan, grey… I LOVE it.
The Stockholm chandelier is also one of my favorites, and I’ve seen those billy bookshelves everywhere – here used for shoe storage, and in other places as library shelving.  And at $79 for each bookshelf, they are A STEAL.

Loving the mint shelf tucked in the corner, the floating glass shelves, and the wood flat tabletop they laid on the floating legs.  

Ahh, my favorite black and white striped throw over the back of this bed, the modern lighting flanking each side, and more of those Billy bookshelves…

I mean, it’s REALLY good, right??

I rounded up a short list of all my favorites that just came into stores – note there is SO MUCH other good stuff at Ikea, but I’m only making note of what’s NEW…

1. Shelving Unit – ok, this looks plain and boring at first glance, but imagine this sprayed a really shiny navy blue, or a bright yellow.  How fun would a few of these be in a grey kitchen to hold your cookbooks, pretty plates, glassware, and all your shiniest pots.
2. Modern Chair – a pair of these in a window with a small table between?  Stop it.  This DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IKEA.  It’s too freaking good.  Hello Mad Men.
3. Vintage-y Cabinet – another mid-century esque piece – I might consider drilling holes for small round brass pulls, but it’s awesome just as it is… and let’s be honest, sometimes we need concealed storage.
4. Round Mirror – a large round mirror is hard to find, and this one is GOOD. Perfect for an entryway, over a bathroom sink, or pretty much anywhere…
5. Mod Chandelier – A little Ikea, but really cool.  Totally reminds me of Jonathan Adler’s Sputnik Chandelier… right???
6. Woven Basket – super good price for a large basket like this.  Good for large potted plants, or for corralling all your magazines.  Perfect for holding throw blankets, kid’s toys, dirty laundry… you name it.
7. Desk Lamp – imagine this sprayed gold.  Yes. Please.
8. Wall Decor / Cabinet Front – while this is supposed to be for a cabinet, it would be kind of cool in a shabby chic space to hang these as window frames on the wall… sort of like this or this or this.
9. Mid-century Chest of Drawers – awesome in an office, or flanking a bed (all that storage) or even in a living room.  Functional, and hip.

What do you think of the new Ikea 2014 catalog?  Awesome or what?

Re-purposing a Card Catalog

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The public library is no longer the only place for the card catalog as is evidenced by the many MANY stylish spaces that use these pieces.

I feel that the apothecary table (made popular by Pottery Barn, and then made REALLY popular by that episode of Friends) was the beginning of making these types of pieces with many little drawers popular for home decor.  If you don’t get my reference to Friends, you HAVE to watch this clip…

While the card catalog isn’t super functional for someone looking for serious storage (let’s be honest, you aren’t going to store linens, plates, or anything much larger than an index card in these bad boys) they bring a lot of character to a space, and for smaller things (art supplies, kitchen utensils, crafting materials, etc) they could prove as functional as they are lovely!

They look great in a hallway… as is evidenced by this photo…
And here, the card catalog brings a “cool factor” to this otherwise traditional kitchen…
Here, a smaller natural wood finished card catalog serves as small buffet tucked into a corner of this simple dining room…
And it fits in quite well with a rustic / urban living room – aren’t all those brass handles fabulous??
And while it clearly works well in urban spaces, it works equally as well in a country-chic bedroom…
A quick Craigslist search just now proved that these are not easy to come by.  Not a single listing matched what I was looking for…

Wouldn’t it be kind of cool to try to mimic the look of one of these cool card catalogs on a double-doored cabinet, using small drawer front facades, and loads of brass pulls?

Ooh, I’m having some good ideas!!!

Inexpensive Furniture Finds

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Let’s play a little word association game – I’m going to name a store and then list out all the words that come to mind when I think of that store.

Urban Outfitters.
Ready-set-go:
College dorm-room, overpriced hoodies, hipster clothing, weird coffee table books, knick-knacks, faux-vintage, mustache themed everything, slogan t-shirts.
Ahhhh, I feel better – now here’s the thing… the other day I posted about that cool accordion side table from Urban Outiftters that was $75 compared to similar tables that retailed in the hundreds.  That led me to do a little investigating of my own, and I’ve come to find out, Urban Outfitters has grown up a bit since the last time I popped in for an over-priced (but super soft) v-neck t-shirt.  Turns out, they actually have some pretty FABULOUS home accessories, and it’s cheap!  I would never have put Urban Outfitters in the category of “great home decor” but they seriously are!
Aside from this fabulous table, here are some of my favorite finds!!
TABLES & STORAGE:
Awesome, right??  I am especially loving the owl garden stool and the gold hexagon side table. I probably won’t pull the trigger on the owl, only becuase it seems to be a little too trendy, and doesn’t seem like something I’ll love 6 months from now.  Also, not that we are in the market for a console, but the Draper style console is really cool – something I think my sister would be really into.  Her house is full of mid-century pieces, and this little guy would fit right in (in my humble opinion). 
HEADBOARDS:

Both of these have great lines, and details that I LOOVVEEE.  You all know how obsessed I am with nail-head trim, so both these beauties are A-OK in my book.
CHAIRS AND SOFAS:
Let me start by saying that I probably wouldn’t put these sofas or the chaise in my living room.  And by probably, I mean, never.  The day to night sofa (pictured in a heathered brown) would be great in an office-guestroom combo, since it does convert into a sleeper sofa.  And the chaise and Gramercy sofa are so overly feminine – I see those living in a huge walk in closet, dressing room, or bathroom.  They might even be good for an entry-way as well, but not so much for the living room.
I’d be thrilled to have any three of those chairs in our living room – the hot pink Madeline Chair especially jumps out at me.  That shocking pink for some reason doesn’t look that “girly” although I’m sure Kris would disagree with me on that.  Luckily, also comes in a ton of other colors.  
A few of my other favorites were the tan, aqua, and navy:
I think this chair might even get added onto my growing list of potential side chair candidates for our living room…
All in all, I’d say I’ve totally changed my mind about Urban Outfitters…