Doubly Happy Chinese New Year

One of our Chewish goals is to have a gathering to celebrate each of the three New Years: Jan. 1st, Chinese New Year, and Rosh Hashanah.  This weekend, ten days into year 4079, we finally had our Chinese New Year party.  (Better late than never, right?)

I've been busy with work, so we decided we'd order most of the food from a local Chinese restaurant. But there was no way I was going to contract out the funnest part of party prep -- the decor!

The cold temperatures made it difficult to get fresh branches, so I used artificial branches from Pier One for our money tree.  They're so much sturdier than real branches and were perfect for hanging the ornaments I imported from Hong Kong.

I also hauled a ginormous bag of candy from Hong Kong: chocolate coins (like Hanukkah gelt, but with Hong Kong coin denominations); adorable little plastic pineapples, fortune cats, pigs, and gold ingots with chocolates inside; and red firecrackers with little candies inside.

As with Rosh Hashanah, Chinese New Year tradition is to eat lots of sweets.  My mom sent along some peanut and sesame candies from LA, and I added some giant chocolate Pocky.

I made a few simple red tissue poms,

hung a "Happy New Year" pennant, and got a giant paper dragon from the local party supply store.  I started to realize I might have been getting a bit too much into the decorating thing when my husband looked up from his computer and observed that our living room seemed to be shrinking.  What can I say?  I lack self control around pretty things.

Next up: the food.

Are you an over-decorator when it comes to parties?   Come on, surely I'm not the only one who gets a little cray-cray around tissue paper?

Read more...

Living Room Re-Design Unveil Part 2

We are nothing if not talented procrastinators.  Why do today what can be put off until tomorrow?  Or the next day?  Such is the reason why weeks passed between our finishing the first half of our living room and our even attempting the second half.

But the half-unpacked boxes serving as furniture in our seating area got to be sufficiently embarrassing that we eventually gave ourselves a mutual kick in the asses and got to work.

Ta da!

After over a year in this house, we finally have matching bookshelves that aren't made out of cardboard. Woo hoo!  We ended up getting custom-built, freestanding bookcases because we were too cheap to have real built-ins installed.  The shelves are already almost completely full -- of just my husband's books (mine are in my office) -- so there isn't much styling to be done there, but now he actually knows what books he owns because he can see them.

After much deliberation about the furniture for the seating area and even more consternation about the lighting, we finally settled on the Sanna chairs from Room and Board, the brass barrel-shaped Cascara side table from Anthro, and the Sweater Rug from West Elm.  (The latter, by the way, sheds like a sweaty dog, so be advised.)

Eventually, we'd love some huge art piece to hang on the wall behind the chairs and to balance out the crazy floor lamp, but until we win the lottery, I decided we'd make do with a large canvas print of one of the tea cups from our Chinese Tea Ceremony (among my favorite moments of a very happy wedding day). 

Finally, this means we're finished dealing with our living room.  Now we move on to the dark hole we call our entryway . . . . 

Read more...

Painterly inspiration

It's been a cold, cold weekend here in Boston, which leaves me already dreaming of spring.  Until warmer, greener months arrive, though, perhaps I can find solace in the work of Harrison Howard, whose paintings are brimming with spring.

My favorites come from his "Chinoiseries" series:

"The Poem"

I love the meta-fictionality in Howard's work and the playfulness with which he handles scale and dimension.

"The Architect"

There's a touch of Borges in these, no?

"The Two Gardeners"

From the "For Children" series:

"Rabbit Talk"

From the "Gardens" series:

"The Green Folly"

The details in the paintings are so surprising and whimsical; I feel like I could stare at them for hours and still find something new and unexpected the next time I encounter them.  They're like 2D cabinets of curiosities or -- a total oxymoron -- 2D pop-up books.

I hope you're finding some cheer and warmth as we head into winter.  Brrr.

Read more...

Cheap 'n Chic: Iron Ring Wall Mirror

I know giant starburst mirrors have been everywhere lately, and I don't blame you if you're totally over it.  And to tell you the truth, I thought I was too.  But then Copy Cat Chic found me an ginormous bargain over at HSN in the form of this Iron Ring Starburst Mirror, and suddenly I found myself unable to resist the starburst mirror trend.

Call up "Hoarders," because I have fallen into the rabbit hole that is HSN.  This mirror is, according to my husband, "heinous."  But I love it.  The frame is a coppery, rusty iron, which works well with the brass and patina that we already have going on in the living room.  And the rings are totally mid-century chic, bringing a bit of sexiness and curve to the area above our bar cabinet in the dining room.

Plus did I tell you that the mirror is $62.40, and is an uncanny replica of (if not exactly the same product as) this pricey Celeste Mirror, which retails at Williams-Sonoma Home for $195 (original price $350)? And don't forget the 2.5% cashback from Ebates.

Seriously, I am on a home decor bargain roll.

Read more...

Cheap 'n Chic: Lachlan Glossy End Table

I've been on the hunt for a Parsons end table that would fit over our subwoofer.  Sounds simple, right?  I found about a zillion Parsons-style tables, but all were either too expensive, like this Bungalow 5 one, or too small, like this West Elm one.

Then one night, in a fit of boredom, I surfed Overstock.com and landed on the Lachlan Glossy End Table, which came in white, red, and black.  It was $31.99, with $1 shipping and 5% cashback from Ebates.

Surely, I thought, this was too good to be true.  But the dimensions were exactly right for hiding the subwoofer, there was a sweet drawer for remote controls, and the red was not a bright fire-engine red but a more restrained brick red that seemed to not clash too terribly with our rug. And at $31.99, how could I not try it out?

And I'm pretty thrilled I did!

The table arrived today and took me all of 15 minutes to assemble.  It's got about the same footprint as the IKEA Lack table, but unlike the Lack, the similarly named Lachlan feels substantial, with the heft and feel of real wood.  And even though the table is made out of a combo of melamine and MDF, it looks like it's made of real wood -- you can even see the wood grain pattern through the shiny red lacquer paint.  I'm also pretty psyched about the color.

I'm fairly sure this is the smartest home-related purchase I've made yet, and I'm pretty proud of myself.  Woo hoo!  I think I will reward myself with a new Anthro purchase.

Read more...

The Floor Lamp's Tale

There once was a floor lamp called Regolit,

Which looked so very fun when I googled it.

Ikea Regolit Floor Lamp

But then I took it home,

And it had a GIANT dome,

And looked so crazy I couldn't handle it.

Then one rainy autumn day,

I invited other shades to play.

Some were big and mean,

Others were small and meek,

But one was nicely sized to stay.

The end.

Read more...

Living Room Re-Design Unveil Part 1

Back in June, we decided that we'd just about had it with our living room.  It was dark, chaotic, and depressing.  The black IKEA shelves from my husband's bachelor pad sucked all the light out of the room, and when combined with the half unpacked boxes and the disorganized books and knick knacks, the effect was more basement storage than living room chic.

Living room "before": All that's missing is some lava lamps and drunk teenagers

Slowly but surely, we unpacked (or moved) the boxes, engaged in some much-needed space replanning, and sold/donated our old furniture and appliances.

One of the first items to retire?  Our tube television.  (Yeah, we were so old school that I didn't even know that you can't even buy a tube tv anymore. I actually went to Best Buy and asked to see their "flat-screen tvs" as though there were anything else!  Doh.)

Our ridiculously awesome (and affordable) AV team from Harmony Home Theater got our house cable ready, installed the new TV and a new entertainment system (complete with a rad Sonos multi-room music system), put in some serious ceiling speakers with an even more serious subwoofer for my audiophile husband, and basically brought us into the 21st century.

Living room "during": Even just taking out the black shelves makes a world of difference

And then were were ready to move all the furniture back in and redecorate.  You might remember that our living room mood board looked like this:

Living room vignette 1 by Jellyby on Polyvore.com

Well, here's what the finished entertainment area looks like:

It still needs a bit more art work, but we love how much brighter, more organized, and "us" it looks.  Look at how happy and sassy Skeletor looks perched atop one of the big floor speakers (which were actually my husband's parents' speakers from their very first home!).

We're almost done with the other side of the living room, with the bookshelves and seating vignette, and I'm looking forward to showing that to you soon.

Read more...

Paper Cuts

In my fantasy house, I'd turn this

and this

and presto! chango! into this:


Laser Cuts by Jellyby on Polyvore.com

Read more...

I'm Flor'd

I have been staring at fifteen almost identical, mainly cream-colored carpet tiles for three days.

AAAAAAAARRRRRGH.

I have a (in)decisiveness problem.  

If admitting you have a problem is the first step, what do I do next?  Throw a dart?

Read more...

You're porcelain in a paper cup world

Where is this whimsical party, where the teapots are lights?  And why have I not been invited?

Anthropologie

I'm so charmed by these teapot pendants at Anthro.  

Teapot Pendant

It's too bad they totally don't go with our decor. And that my husband would have me committed if I were to install them in our house.

Teapot Pendant, Tall

But if I were designing a little girl's room, I'd totally use them as the focal point of an Alice-in-Wonderland themed room.

Teapot Pendant, Wavy

Sigh.  Another addition to the fantasy house in my mind.

Read more...

Sweater Weather

Maybe it's because of the chill that's now very much present in the air, or maybe it's because I've been watching too many episodes of "Hoarders" and sort of feel like an old cat lady, I saw these crocheted poufs on Desire to Inspire today and really wanted to snuzzle up on one.

Lindsay Bentis via Desire to Inspire

"Snuzzle," it turns out, is not a word.  But it should be.

Lindsay Bentis via Desire to Inspire

Because how else would you describe these giant, sweater-like ottomans other than as "snuzzly"?

Urchin Pouf

Grouped together, the snuzzly poufs are extra-snuzzly.  And tres adorable, like cozy sweater candy buttons.  (It's best not to over-think the similes; just go with it.)

CB2

I found knitted poufs at CB2 for a reasonable $79.95.  They come in gray or blood-orange, and while they're not quite as large and statement-making as the ones in the inspiration photos above, they still seem pretty snuzzly.

CB2

I'm thinking they'd be great as ottomans in our living room.  Now, to decide whether to get one or two . . . and gray or blood-orange?

Update: These poufs from Ferm Living might be even better!  How about a large gray pouf with a medium mustard-colored pouf?

Ferm Living Poufs

Read more...

Missing Links

Scrolling through Apartment Therapy today, I came across this living room that is like an amped up, technicolor version of ours.  And my eye was immediately drawn to the cool little drum-shaped, chain-linked accent table between the two Eames plywood chairs.

It was quirky, minimalist, industrial chic . . . I loved it.

Apartment Therapy

After much googling, I discovered that the object of my desire was the "Links side table" from CB2.  "CB2," I thought to myself.  "Awesome!  Must be affordable."

And you know what?  It was.  $149!

Emphasis, however, on WAS.  Damn table's sold out.

Arrrrrrgh.

The only tables I found that are remotely close to the CB2 table are this cylindrical version:

Lazy Susan Weathered Oval Ring Table

and this hourglass-shaped version:

Hourglass Side Table

Neither are as affordable as the CB2 table.  Boo.

What to do?

Read more...

Serena & Lily are my new BFFs

Seriously, I pretty much love each and every piece of furniture at Serena & Lily.  Not only are the pieces all gorgeous, most are customizable.

Look at the ornate carved details on these chakkis.  They're probably a bit too ornate for our living room, but I could see them working as functional and chic ottomans.

What might work, however, is this Gemini Bench, which is the perfect combination of mid-century simplicity and chinoiserie.

How fun is this lacquered bamboo Lucky table?  

Speaking of fun, I'd design a whole party room around these cheerful Chai Nesting Tables.

Sigh.  If only I had an unlimited budget and a few extra rooms to work with . . . .

Read more...

Pink Wishbone Project

As someone who loves classic, iconic furniture, I've been pining for a Wegner Wishbone Chair, especially after I discovered that it was designed by Wegner as an homage to the Quan Yi, a Ming dynasty ceremonial chair.  Imagine my delight when I heard that 20 designers were updating the Wishbone Chair to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Oh, and all the chairs are pink.  Be still my Lisa-Frank-loving, 10-year-old heart.

Here are some of my faves:

Julie Hillman for the Pink Wishbone Project

Mid-century modern meets Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Sara Rothman for the Pink Wishbone Project

Sara Rothman's chair is cray-cray, and I love it.  It was inspired by the Portuguese Man O' War, but it reminds me of a giant Koosh ball.

Kelly Wearstler for the Pink Wishbone Project

Kelly Wearstler's chair has a leather cushion bedazzled (be-pinned?) with a gazillion safety pins.  Very Versace chic.  Looks about as comfortable as a Versace too.

You can see the rest of the designs on auction at the Charity Buzz website.  Which is your favorite?

Read more...