Feather Your Nest

As I mentioned in a previous post, the BF and I are searching for a Mid-Century Modern home.  I believe list making and house hunting go hand in hand.  You make a list for traits your ideal home will have.  You rattle off a list of pros and cons for a home you just viewed. list all the things you will need to change or things you like in the house you just saw.  You begin to list the things you don't have but will need once you own a home. You know, the practical stuff you never needed before because you rent: rakes, shovels (snow and dirt), a lawnmower, an assortment of tools, etc.

Then there is the list of things you want.  A new TV, a surround sound system, etc.  For some reason most the things I want fall into the seating category - sofas and dining room furniture.  Here is my abbreviated wish list for feathering our future nest:

1. A Modern Sectional Sofa in a Neutral Grey.  We currently have a sectional and love it.  The BF and I are both tall and space is lacking in the living room.  The combined chaise/ love seat allows us both to sit on the couch with our legs up with out irritating the heck out of each other.

Jane Bi-Sectional by Gus Modern

Image: Courtesy CSN Stores

 
2. New Chairs for the Dining Room.  If Emeco Aluminum & Eames Plywood chairs had a baby, it would look like this. The mid-century modern shape of this chair has a contemporary twist:  the legs, seat and back are aluminum, the reverse back can be oak or wenge stained oak.

Deja-Vu Chair by Magis

Image: Courtesy CSN Stores

 
3.  Stackable Plastic Patio Chairs.  Available in an eight mid-century-ish colors, these chairs are 100% recyclable, cold, heat, chemical and UV resistant and suitable for both indoor or outdoor use.  And they're cantilevered!  You know how much I love that!

ICF MYTO Cantilvered Chair 

Image: Courtesy CSN Stores

4. A glam chair for my vanity.  Do I have a vanity? No.  But in my dream home I do!  Although this chair is available in other colors (glossy black, glossy white, transparent orange, and transparent green) the transparent fuchsia version is a sophisticated version of Barbie Pink- perfect for a make-up chair.

Calligaris Alchemia Chair

Image: Courtesy CSN Stores

Colors, Color Palettes, & Patterns, Oh My!

I've always loved reading the names manufacturers come up with for their various patterns and color ways.  One of my recent faves was a carpet collection named after different personality types, two color names that stood out in the collection were called Milquetoast and Alpha Male.  

My love for color naming explains why I adore the website ColourLovers so much.  Members of the ColourLovers community can create, NAME! and share their colors, palettes and patterns. I never know what to expect from the emailed blog posts I receive from Colour Lovers. Typical posts feature themed color palettes  or color palettes inspired by art or photography (see "Thanksgiving Leftover" email, Left). But ColourLovers is not just  for looking at pretty colors, blog posts include information about  color trends, history, science and psychology.

ColourLovers is a must read resource for anyone who works with color on a daily basis.   Add it to your Toolbox! Subscribe for the emails here.

House Hunting and Self Inflicted Punishment

The BF and I are house hunting which is both exciting and disappointing. We are pretty specific in our search, no cookie cutter tract homes and we want a Mid-Century Modern home. But unfortunately, there aren't many for sale in our market or price range.  As an interior designer, I'd like to say I am open minded and can see homes for their potential- we expect to update some things here and there, but we don't want to spend buckets of money on a major overhaul.

Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to check out Mid-Century Modern homes for sale across the country. Here are my top 3 dream homes. Oh how I envy the future homeowner(s). (insert disappointed sigh)

3. Salt Lake City, Utah $599,000

Built in 1957 and completely remodeled in 2009. On a corner .21 acre lot. 2,600 sf two-story home with three bedrooms, three full baths, and two covered sunken parking spaces. The lower level of this home boasts another floor-to-ceiling fireplace. The lower living space, with a bar and seating area, opens onto a patio, curving swimming pool and cabana/ guest house. Floating stairs lead to the front entrance on the upper level. The main floor opens out to a large patio. The main floor features: dark walnut floors throughout, concrete sinks and counter tops in kitchen and bathrooms, and a floor to ceiling fireplace wrapped in dark stained salvaged wood.

 2. Kaweah Falls, CA $1,950,000

Designed by Frank Roberts and this home has been featured in Sunset Magazine, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.  Inspired by FLW's Falling Water, a river flows under home (there is a glass floor in the dining room under the dining room).  The home is located by Sequoia National Park in beautiful Three Rivers, CA.  Originally built in 1947, the 4 bedroom, 4 bath two-story home recently went through a 5 year renovation and it has it's own website!  How beautiful and serene is this night shot?  Take a virtual tour of the home here.

  



1. Venice, CA $2,295,000

This 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home was designed by one of my favorite architects, Marmol Radziner and featured in Dwell in Feb 2009. I remember letting out an audible gasp when I saw this in the magazine.  In fact, I tore the pages out and put them in my dream home folder. The exterior is clad in steel, glass, and stained dark stained cedar.  The entrance features a retractable screen for privacy.  The first floor houses all the public spaces; LR w/ open kitchen, dining & eating nook. There's plenty of outdoor greenspaces - including semi-enclosed atrium w/ FP.

And if you like torturing yourself by looking at amazing homes you can't afford, check out:

Solar Powered Home In Atlanta, GA $399,000

Mid Century Modern Pasedena, CA $1,750,000

Amazing Retail Space: Patrick Cox, Tokyo, Japan

I am crazy about retail store the Japanese design firm Sinato created for the shoe & accessory designer Patrick Cox.  (Discovered on DailyIcon's lovely website.)The designers kept the ceiling and floor planes relatively dark and instead of specifying recessed or track luminaires, their inventive lighting solution  is combined with the display which strongly emphasizes the middle plane, where the merchandise sits. The display cases remind me of a futuristic teleporting device.  As if the handbags and accessories where beamed in from another galaxy.  The form of the telescoping cylindrical pendants is echoed by the cove lighting cleverly concealed in the display cases' toe-kicks. The design is simple and sculptural- just like Mr. Cox's shoes.   What do you think of the design?

 

Patrick Cox, Tokyo Japan by Chikara Ohno, Sinato. .Photography: Toshiyuki Yano