A very unusual building came to my attention a few days ago. Shaped like the Greek symbol Ohm, the proposed 140 meter Bandra Ohm residential tower (named the Parinee Ism by the architects), currently under construction in Mumbai, India, is designed to evoke the ripple effect generated by water droplets, also known as capillary waves. According to designers James Law Cybertecture, the outline of the tower demonstrates the fluidity and dynamic nature of the ripple. The design features a central void containing an orb-shaped clubhouse. Even more striking, however, are the glass-walled swimming pools on the balconies. Continue reading →
I like old things. Pretty much anything old. Thus I am starting a series called Old is Good. First off: ads.
Times and social mores change. The beer ad to the left wouldn’t fly now – omg it has a boobie in it! No more beer for health, either. No more beer for babies. We’ve come a long way when it comes to advertising – haven’t we? Continue reading →
On a recent trip to the U.K. we spent as much time in pubs as possible. We’d snoop out the proper pubs – old, dark buildings with low ceilings and beams with padding on them so when you walk into it you don’t hurt your forehead too badly.
Mainly we were in search of bitter beer, which is hard to find in SoCal, where we live. The pub food… well, the fish and chips were greasy and the chips didn’t taste as much of potato as they should. Anyone wanting a light meal was out of luck (try the antipasto plate, it’s as close as you’ll get to a salad, most places).
No one even seems to offer a ploughman’s – a trad lunch of Cheddar and/or Stilton Cheese, pickled onions and good bread. Continue reading →
Can you believe it’s been months since we last spoke about a group of magical people who live in the magical lands of Scandinavia? How exactly did this site survive? While previous posts highlighted the clean, minimal and organic lines of Nordic design in lamps, storage, accessories, and everything Marimekko, today’s post will showcase classic Scandinavian chairs. So, let’s talk about dead people and the technically revolutionary chairs they created, shall we? Continue reading →
As humans we’ve had a long relationship with wood. First we lived up in the trees, lounging like a bunch of lazy monkeys feasting on our day’s gatherings as the savanna sun set. Then we discovered we could burn the trees. We had become cooks, pit-masters, and fire-keepers. Then we decided to start making useful things out of trees. We called these “tools,” “weapons,” and “houses.” Then we started making pretty things out of wood, things which were also useful. We called these things “furniture” and “architecture.” Then some people decided that beauty has utility all its own. We called the things they made “sculpture” and “art.” Continue reading →
Accessories are the true gems of any room. Thoughtfully added, they provide the “finished” look that no garish 60-inch television can ever hope to match. Today’s post will celebrate Scandinavian design and their penchant for creating beautiful and highly functional accessories. Continue reading →
While some people may feel that dumping documents, books, and clothing into bankers boxes, or heaven forbid, Rubbermaid containers is an effective “organizational” strategy as witnessed above, I’m afraid they’re doing it wrong. In most cases, there is an objective and measurable “right” way of de-cluttering and storing. Once again, it’s time for Scandinavians to show us how with a few examples below.
Welcome to the almost-but-not-really Tax Day edition of PhotoFriday. I’m Pssshwhatever and I’ll be your host for this week’s installment, which is all about handbags. Or your bed. Whichever.
I have a weird fashion industry job that I shouldn’t really be able to get paid for doing, and in my particular case, that means handbags indirectly pay my rent. And then sometimes they make it difficult to pay said rent, as was the case the month that I made the inadvisable purchase of the Celine tote that you see at the top of the page. So ladies, show us your handbags – your favorite one, the one you carry everyday, the backpack that you take to class. Surprise us.
Menfolk: You’re not excluded either. Show us your wallets, briefcases (I’m going to be extremely impressed if any of you actually own leather briefcases) or laptop bags. Hell, even your gym bag, if it’s worth showing. I will kindly ask that you not show us your balls. (Sorry, Gooch.) That’s not the kind of sack I’m talking about.
Or, alternately, show us a different kind of sack – your bed. That is my extremely cheap Target (it’s Dwell for Target, thankyouverymuch) comforter in the background; I felt it only right that as your host, I go for the double-whammy.
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I spent a long, horrible summer putting up drywall in my basement. All I have to show for it is this empty yellow box.
There are no windows in the space, so we put in six recessed lights (on a dimmer) and a central fixture. The ceiling is too low for anything really fun or dramatic with lighting. I definitely want to use the space for an office and a guest room is optional (we have an extra bedroom that we use for guests now). I buy a lot of furniture on Craigslist and love a bargain, but I’m willing to spend money on a few signature items – a rug, a bed, a cool print – that I can take with me. I don’t plan on living in this house for more than a couple of years, so I want to spend my money on things that I don’t have to leave behind.
I’m not afraid of color, but I can’t live with deeply saturated colors. I actually don’t care for yellow, but I wanted something warm to balance the gray of the fake slate floor. This new space is directly off of a big family room in our basement, which is
mostly cream with neutral carpet. The slate floor continues from the office to the connected bathroom.
I’ll send better measurements when I can shake the child from my leg. Which reminds me – this is NOT a kid space,
though there may be grubby little ones passing through to use the powder room during play dates.
I have hit a wall with this windowless box and need some inspiration.
Cheers & Smooches,
Your Loyal Subject
Dear Lovely,
Congratulations on all of your hard work and new skill set! No one likes drywalling, not even professional drywallers. Perhaps you have hit a wall with this room because it serves no immediate need- you have an available guest room and you are not working from home full time. I am game to explore the dual potential of this space and create an office that doesn’t feel so underground!
I’m okay with the yellow & choose to treat it as a cheery neutral backdrop. I won’t stray too far from the existing contemporary style and palette of the rest of your home. Building from the ground up, I propose a mainly grey palette punctuated with toasty maple wood to give it warmth and a bit of a vintage vibe. I like the idea of skillfully mixing in a few lilac and deep purple accents to draw a relationship to the connecting powder room but don’t over do it. I am always wary of being too ‘coordinated.’
Home Office With Daybed
I rather like the idea of a modern daybed in this room and am inspired by the simple, chic lubi daybed from CB2. While
floor plan to scale using lubi daybed from cb2
taking precious little floor space it actually unfolds into a king size sleeper. This leaves plenty of room for a proper desk with ample work surface. Max out the storage with a mixture of closed & open options. In addition to floating shelves above the desk, choose a tall bookcase or wardrobe for the short wall nearby to house your printer and computer accoutrements. These shelves will establish a nice height line in the room that can be repeated by adding a large print and substantial floor lamp to the daybed wall. A lower open bookcase along the entry wall with a large photo grouping or fabric covered bulletin board above will fill out the space nicely and give the room a nice sense of proportion & scale.
I chose the Zebra rug in grey & cream from West Elm as inspiration to keep it bright and fun. I could as easily visualize the Chrysanthemum or Ferris rugs at WE in this room. When I am on a strict budget for a room, I will choose a solid color remnant from a carpet supplier and have it machine bound. This has the added benefit of being able to custom size, super size or silly-size a rug to suit your needs. Sizing: Position a 7′ x 9′ area rug to ground the seating area, leaving about 12″ under sofa or choose a custom size 7′ x 13′-6″ to fill entire room with an equal border of floor showing on all sides.
Sophistifunk! Hip, edgy and underground. *click to enlarge
Lighting: It is wonderful that you installed both recessed lighting and a central light fixture, all on dimmers. It is always best in any room to have multiple sources of controllable light but especially so in a room without windows, further enhanced with ambient & task lighting/lamps. I encourage any basement renovators to install the latest and greatest in recessed fixtures/pot lights. I really hate to ask someone to change a fixture that is brand new but I really want you to change the brand new center light fixture. I appreciate how difficult it is to find a low profile fixture for a room with less than high ceilings- really, I just scrolled through 800 of them. I also realize you not wanting to bust the bank on your basement reno but it seems too builder-basic foyer. This room isn’t either (and neither are you) so here are some picks for between $59-$189 in your town.
Clockwise from top left: Home Depot $189, Metro Lighting $141, Metro $59, Metro $172. *click to enlarge*
Additional Finds & Inspirations:
I cannot help myself with mid-mod inspired furniture, I like to see it paired with well travelled, global accents like over sized baskets or Asian fretwork. Vintage industrial elements like printer’s blocks and wire baskets make a hip. happy marriage too.
St.Louis has a robust Craigslist and it may also serve to guide your inspiration for this room. I hope this becomes a room that inspires, where ideas are born & private dreams are hatched! I feel I have spent some time in it already. In fact, I believe I left my shoes by the daybed. If you could send those back to me, I would be much obliged.
Hello chickadees. Are you excited over Spring’s arrival? LaZiguezon certainly is and spent the greater part of the week basking in glorious sunshine. This got me thinking about the properties of light, which led me to ponder over the development of modern lighting. So, dear Crasstalkers, today’s post will be about the illuminating qualities of Scandinavian design as it pertains to floor lamps, table lamps, and pendant lamps. Oh my! Continue reading →
