TheDesignFile

On the hunt for a mid-century credenza

In my real job, the one that pays the bills, I have a tiny little office in the basement of a historic building that has ugly fabric walls, and a mustard yellow plaster column, and a drop ceiling with tiles missing because there’s no air circulation otherwise.

Then there’s the big heave in the middle of the floor that I’ve covered with a carpet remnant.

Still, I have a little dream of creating a stylish space out of the mess.

I’m convinced the key to this dream is a vintage console or credenza, something with lots of storage that is low enough to hang art above it. It would be the perfect focal point for office redo.

My dream is to get something like the beautiful piece against the left wall in the Light Locations photo below or in the Light Locations photo above.

The problem is that I’m cheap, especially when I’m considering furniture for my office. I’ve been watching the Indianapolis listings on Craig’s List and stop by vintage and used furniture stores now and then.

I’ve found the most beautiful pieces at Lushpad, a great online marketplace for all things mid-century modern. But they’re out of my price range! Still, I thought I’d show you a Lushpad options:

Top row, from left: Danish modern rosewood credenza sideboard, $2750, Lushpad, and Rosewood Mid-century Modern by Danish Designer Jens Quistgarrd, Lushpad, $4400

Bottom row: Rosewood "Tulip" credenza, $850 CDN, Lushpad, and Cherry credenza, $3,600, Lushpad

New craft furniture collection has plenty of options

Have you seen the new Martha Stewart Living Craft Space Collection from Home Decorators Collection? It’s fantastic.

I love furniture that’s meant to store away all our wrapping, craft, painting and other supplies. But typically, I find such pieces kind of lacking.

Leave it to the folks at Martha Stewart to design – or at least put her name on – something fabulous.

These pieces seem incredibly practical and can be put together in all sorts of combinations to create the perfect craft room. Wouldn’t we all love to have the craft room/office above?

At right is the Eight-Drawer Flat-File Cabinet for $399 with the Gift Wrap Hutch for $169 on top.

Now, for all my bragging about this great set, I actually am not so sure that the wrap hutch would serve my needs. But I’d certainly be willing to give it a try!

And I love all the shallow drawers in the lower cabinet. I can imagine all the craft items I could stuff in there!

Of course, it would cost a small fortune to put an entire room together with these pieces. In fact, I’m too afraid to add up the cost of the entire room above.

Still, it’s fun to dream. And I suspect that one or two of these pieces combined with some of what you already have might still be pretty helpful. I know it would at our house!

The furniture comes in three colors: Picket fence, sharkey grey and rhododendron leaf. (I swear I did not make up those names!)

Here’s are some more of the pieces:

Top row, from left: Storage Cabinet, $399, and Craft Table, $249

Bottom row: Three-Drawer Flat-File Cabinet, $329, and 21-inch wide Storage Console, $129

The Design File's top Etsy picks of 2010

Regular readers know that almost every Wednesday, I feature an Etsy shop that has something to do with art or home decor.

Today, I’m going to look back at the five most-viewed Etsy posts from the past year – and then at the end of the post I’ll link to my personal favorites.

1. BIG decals to spice up your walls

Etsy is full of decal options but the ones at the shop NouWall jumped right out at me because of their size and flexibility. They are so fun and cool.

This one measures 145" x 94" and is $175. It’s like an entire wall mural.

 

2. Pretty monogrammed pillow

I'm kind of a sucker for monograms -- always have been. I try to pick and choose, though. A little bit goes a long way when you're talking about personalization.

But I did love the Etsy shop called Letter Perfect Designs, where artisan Peggy sells pillows with gorgeous monograms made from buttons.

It was the second most-viewed Etsy pick in 2010.

 

3. Chic baby bedding to dress up a nursery

The Holly Chic shop on Etsy sells handmade modern baby bedding and accessories that are so beautiful. The patterns are just gorgeous and the pieces pretty affordable.

It was the third most-viewed Etsy pick of the year.

 

4. Easy furniture plans for a modern home

All you need is a hammer, screw drivers, a drill and maybe a jig saw or circular saw to create some amazing modern furniture if you use the detailed directions you can purchase from the Plan Canvas shop on Etsy.

These affordable plans are great for creating your own furniture and doing so without great expense or great woodworking experience. At right is the Modern Coffee Table. You can get the plan for $6.99.

 

5. Sleek modern pillows

I’ve featured a lot of pillows and they’ve all been beautiful. But I have to admit, I’m just crazy about the ones I found at Mi Casa Bella.

You must be too because it was the fifth-most viewed Etsy pick.

 

My favorites

So those were the most-viewed Etsy picks of the year and I really like all of them. But here are some that are my favorites:

Zen Threads: Fun, eco-friendly pillows & more (see the Poe pillow at right)

Mint Home: Vibrant colors make furniture fun

Fabulous Mess: Fabulous vintage furnishings

Red Hot Pottery: Potter creates precious, pretty pieces

Cordial Kitten: Cat-erpillar pillows, kitty prints and more

IMA's Design Center to close in January

The Indianapolis Business Journal is reporting today that the Indianapolis Museum of Art “will close its design-centered gift shop next year to make way for a display about the Miller house in Columbus, Indiana.”

While I’m excited about the new exhibit, I’m really sorry to see the Design Center go. It’s always been such a treat to stop in and see so many wonderful and largely accessible modern design products there.

The shop opened in 2008 to “complement a growing permanent collection in advance of the March 2009 opening of a European design exhibition,” IBJ says. “The shop offered a full array of iconic objects, from an $18 fly swatter designed by Phillippe Starck to a mid-century Charles Eames chair for $679.”

Apparently, the Design Center will close Jan. 4 and inventory will be discounted until then. Some merchandise will still be sold at the museum’s regular gift shop, the IBJ says.

The shop’s closure will make space for an exhibit about the Miller House and Garden in Columbus (at right), which the museum plans to open to the public in May.

The home is one of the country’s most highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist residences. It was designed by Eero Saarinen, with interiors by Alexander Girard, and landscape design by Daniel Urban Kiley.

The Design File's top under-$30 tips in 2010

My favorite feature series of this past year was the 30 decor ideas in 30 days for under $30 posts. I did the series in September and it was fun and challenging to come up with all those cheap ideas.

It seemed to be a hit, garnering some of the most page views of the year.

Here were the Top 5 most-viewed $30-and-under ideas:

1. Paint an accent wall

Paint is one of the quickest, easiest ways to make a major change in a room and you can do it with just one gallon of paint – no matter the size of your room – if you paint just an  accent wall.

It’s a great idea, which made it the most viewed under-$30 idea in The Design File series.

 

2. Frame fabric to make affordable art

I love the idea of framing fabric and readers must have too because it was our third most-viewed under-$30 tip.

The example above is from Apartment Therapy. These fabric hoops have been hung from the ceiling in a nursery for maximum impact.

 

3. Paint or paper the inside of a bookcase

This was one of my favorite tips of the under-$30 series. It’s a great way to introduce a little color and fun to a room without too much commitment.

In the BHG kitchen above right, you can see how the red background inside the cabinets makes the white dishes really stand out. In the uperr left photo from MyHomeIdeas.com, the blue paint inside the hutch gives the antique a modern twist.

 

4. Make or repurpose a headboard

It’s been a decade since I’ve had a headboard purchased at a store.

I made one years ago from some clearance fabric and batting stretched around a piece of plywood and mounted to the wall.

The headboard (at right) in my guest room is a wooden screen that had been in my Mom’s house for years, got passed down to me so I could hide my cat’s litter box and then become a headboard when my husband and I redecorated the room.

Check the post for more ideas.

 

5. Frame your jewelry for convenience and art

There are few things women own that are prettier than their jewelry. So why are we hiding it all away in jewelry boxes and drawers when we could be using it to spice up our bedrooms? That’s why I made it an under-$30 tip.

The photos above are from Better Homes and Gardens. You can get a link to a great tutorial for this project at the post.

 

Want more affordable ideas. Check out the entire 30 decor ideas in 30 days for under $30 series.

Sunday roundup: A DIY frame project and more

I was so busy celebrating the holiday this weekend that I completely forgot to post my weekly roundup of links. Oops!

But the day is not gone and I am determined not to leave you linkless, no matter how late I might be.

I haven’t been keeping up well with Craftynest, a great blog full of inspiring projects.

So I stopped by this week and found this simple but wonderfully elegant frame-in-a-frame project.

This is, of course, the after photo. Make sure to stop by the post and see the before, get a materials list and all the instructions.

Here are some other fun posts to check out:

• It may be a bit late for this year, but Design Dazzle has a fun post about a service that lets you put Santa into a photo of your living room so you have proof for you kids that the jolly guy visited!
• The Kalamazoo Gazette has a photo gallery of a modern and interesting modern home.

Merry Christmas to you and yours

I just had to share this adorable photo of one my nieces on her first Christmas two years ago at my parents’ house.

For me, this picture just sums of the family fun of the season and I can’t wait to see my nieces again this year.

Somehow, though, I think she and her sister will get the whole Santa and presents thing just a little bit better this year! It should be entertaining!

An after-Christmas sale at IKEA

It’s Christmas Eve and so I hate even to mention more shopping, but I got an email alerting me to an after-Christmas sale at IKEA and, well, I thought I’d let you know.

My link took me to items that will be on sale at the West Chester IKEA, which is just north of Cincinnati, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 9.

The HEMNES wardrobe at right is one of the sale numbers at the West Chester store.

It typically sells for $299 but will be on sale for $199. That’s a serious sale!

I love this wardrobe as well as the entire HEMNES line and think how much storage this would give you!

There aren’t a lot of other items for sale – eight listed at West Chester – but some of them are nice deals!

Top row, from left:

FÄRGRIK, 18-piece dinnerware set, $19.99 (down from $24.99)

LUDVIG, laptop shelf/charging station, $39.99 (down from $69.99)

Bottom row, from left:

FELICIA pair of curtains with tie-backs, $99 (down from $29.99)

HAMPEN high pile rug, $59.99 (down from $79.99)

The Design File’s top tips of 2010

Now and then – although not nearly as often as I should – The Design File offers more than just inspiration for your decor but an actual tip for how to do things differently.

So here are the blog’s Top 6 tips from the past year.

1. Hang drapes hide and wide to make your windows seem larger

Check out the illustration above, which shows a rendering of drapes hung close and short verses those hung long and wide. The room on the left looks bigger, even though both rooms are the same size. And the window on the left becomes a focal point, while the one on the right seems like an afterthought.

See some photos showing the difference at the original post.

 

2. Tips to make your home more appealing to a buyer

It's one thing to decorate your home to suit your style and tastes -- complete with all the accessories, photos and colors you love. But what about when it's time to sell? Diane Brooks, an Indianapolis real estate agent who writes the blog Realty Insights, shared her idea for making your place ready to sell and it was the second-most read tips post this year.

 

3. How to find a second-treasure to remake

The folks behind Curbly's Thrift Store Chic offered up some fantastic tips for finding great thrift-store furnishings that are perfect candidates for a redo. It was the third most-read tips post of the year.

 

4. Use warmer, darker colors to make a room intimate

This tip came from the fantastic book, "The Comfortable Home" by Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, which includes some amazing decorating advice and tips.

They include the following:

"Darker shades and warmer hues -- beiges, yellows, oranges, reds -- can make a space feel more intimate."

So this post aims to illustrate that point with some photos, including this gorgeous dining room from a Village of West Clay home I visited in 2009.

 

5. Kitchen remodel tips from Consumer Reports

The August issue of Consumer Reports included a comprehensive kitchen remodeling package and as a sneak peek, the magazine gave us four simple renovation rules to follow.

They are: Don’t rush, don’t stuck on a size, beware of budget busters and get everything in writing. Check out the details at the post.

 

6. Choosing the right bed sheets

The folks at Jabbour Linens, a shop of imported, fine linens, provided this guest post to teach us all about the art of choosing sheets, including invaluable info about thread count and other key components of good linens.

 

Want some more ideas? Check out the top tips of 2009.

Etsy pick: Great calendars to usher in 2011

On most Wednesdays, I write about an individual Etsy shop but this month, I’ve been featuring collections of products available at the online, handmade marketplace.

Because it’s too late to order for Christmas, I thought I’d focus today on the new year by seeing what types of calendars the crafty folks at Etsy are offering. I was not disappointed!

I love the little illustrated desk calendar at right from the Aliette shop.

It’s $20 and includes 12 illustrations printed on premium cardstock with a glossy finish. Each page is 8.27 inches by 3.74 inches. So cute!

I found so many more great options! Check these out:

Top row: 2011 Black and White Desktop Calendar, $15, AnCar Photography; 2011 Mod and Retro Desk Calendar, $13, Posh Girl Boutique; and Creative Inspiration - 2011 Printable Calendar, $10, Empaper.

Bottom row: 2011 Weekly Calendar--Original Bird Art, $18, Birdartist; Chalkboard Wall Calendar with Memo, Vinyl Wall Decal, $64, Simple Shapes; and 2011 Paris Poster Calendar, $22, Little Brown Pen.