Tag archives: Furniture

DESIGN.DECOR | Student Style That's Worth Stealing

Some of the best high style, low budget decorating ideas come from design students whose apartments serve as blank canvasses for expressing their creative ideas. The New York Times Home & Garden editors recently visited the interior worlds of several future design stars and uncovered 19 ideas worth a steal. Many projects feature quickfire re-design ideas that will inspire your inner weekend warrior.

ODE TO FOAM

A constellation of styrofoam veggie trays make a personal, modernist statement. Mounted with push pins, you can create your own art in minutes. Read the New York Times article on the design by Pratt Institute student-design Michelle Nicholls

ANIME BOOKSHELF

An Ikea hack by illustration student Young Nam Heller reminds us of the newspaper wallpaper idea we shared a few months back. Here Ikea Lack shelves are covered with used Japanese comics and lacquered with Minwax (we recommend using a non-toxic, greener alternative offered by OSMO or AFM Safecoat). Or forego the lacquer altogether.

DRESSED TO THRILL

Idea No. 11 | Castoff dresser drawers (found lying on an obliging Manhattan sidewalk) are primed, painted and transformed into wall-mounted, floating shelves and planter. Clever design by Cooper Union architecture student Kayt Brumder.

For more chic-n-cheap makeover ideas see the complete New York Times slideshow.

Photos by Phil Mansfield, New York Times

DESIGN | Falling for A Hot Rocker

gothamrocker.jpg

The rocking chair is one piece of furniture with a bad rap. Instead of being seen as dynamic and fun, it harkens associations of aging, stodginess, a bygone era that was soooo last century. Enter the Gotham Rocker.

I’m in love. Just look at it. It’s gorgeous and sculpturally interesting from all sides.

gothamrocker3.jpg

Designed by J. Persing Company (formerly Danko Persing), the Gotham Chair is actually made from surplus automotive seat belts, dyed with non-toxic water-based inks. Its lightweight form is intentional: great design with minimal material. It’s available in a wide selection of belt colors and wood stains. It makes a greener design alternative to fans of the iconic Risom Chair, and it’s more fun.

Interested in a little rocking chair trivia? Here’s what wikipedia says:

According to an american legend, the rocking chair was purportedly invented by Ben Franklin by simply taking a standard chair and adding rockers to it. Cabinetmakers began producing rocking chairs in the early nineteenth century, and many examples from that era still survive today. Their popularity has only increased, and antique rockers of many varieties are highly collectible today.

The Gotham Rocker retails around $1000 and was spotted at Vivavi.

Ask Fab Green: Hot Shops in D.C.?

Dear Fab Green,
I live in Washington DC and recently bought a new condo which I’m interested in furnishing with green furniture and accessories (most of what I have now is of the college junk variety, so in a lot of ways I’m starting over). Do you have any suggestions (besides “Come to LA, and bring a truck”)?
Thanks very much, Jenny

Hi Jenny,
I’ve enlisted the help of DC-based gal pal and fellow designer Nicole Foley for suggestions. For home furnishings she recommends two spots:

For style mongers, D.C.’s Craiglist is a treasure trove for mid-century modern finds, and Domino-inspired revival pieces. In fact, Nicole says it’s often easier to snag a deal on modern furniture in D.C. over L.A. since the demand for and knowledge of mid-century design is less developed. Maybe I should rent a truck and swing out your way!

Case in point: $299 chair by Brocade Home (left). A set of four selling for $100 total in Arlington (right)

For new, eco-friendly furnishings Nicole recommends:
Eco-Green Living.
1469 Church Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Mon – Sat, 11am – 7pm
Tel: 202.234.7110

What you’ll find: an organic coffee/tea bar, corn-silk carpet tiles, low-odor and no-odor paints (many of them milk-based), organic tees, and solar-powered radios.

Thanks for writing Jenny!

Uhuru | Reclaiming Design


This Brooklyn-based design-build studio knows how to look at something old in an unexpected way. Founded in 2004 by a quartet of designers, Uhuru is a company that loves to rescue materials around town and transform them into clean, contemporary furnishings. Their latest love is heart pine, a popular construction material 25 years ago. This beautifully-grained wood is excavated from demolished buildings and given second life — like the Stoolen Lite stool above.

This Fenced In table converts an abandoned cast iron fence into furniture. This collection is all manufactured locally in Red Hook Brooklyn.

You can find more pieces and work by Uhuru on their website.

Fab Friday | Interior Finds

TGIF! Some fabulous finds for the modern home discovered on the web…

BEAUTY [re]COVERED

Lounge Chair, Lotus Bleu
Vintage chair reupholstered with a French floral print linen

Spotted at Lotus Bleu

YOU KEEP ME IN STITCHES

Stitched Felt Coasters, $16 for set of four
Biodegradable felt on top, sustainable cork on the bottom
Spotted at ELSEWARES

MADE TO DEGRADE


Eco Ware, Tom Dixon
Made of bio-degradable plastic, 85% Bamboo
Spotted at Tom Dixon

RAISE THE RED LANTERN

DIY Style: Origami Lights
Little lanterns made from recycled magazines
Spotted at Curbly, via everything@once