A Color-Inspired Win-WIn

I'm obsessed with color. And I have an inability to leave well enough alone. Which I'm constantly painting more walls. And i'm left with shelves of half empty paint cans. But latex paint can't be thrown away, so what do you do with it?? 

Turns out, there's a delightful, repurposing solution! Repcolite, at the Benjamin Moore store on Plainfield, takes old latex paint (that is odor-free and non-clumpy). The paint is then turned into new paint—a 50% recycled paint, called re-coat. The reprocessed paint is a environmentally responsible, top-quality, economical paint and it's available in 20 colors. 

It's an easy way to clean old buckets out of your basement and keep hazardess waste out of the landfill! 

Click here for West Michigan locations and hours.

Chic Out of Convenience

Circa 2003, as I was preparing to move into my first college apartment, I built a coffee table in one of my studio art classes. The assignment was to make a tile mold, make tiles of a repeating shape, and then produce a piece of art. I was tired of project that didn't really serve an ultimate purpose and my roommate and I needed a place to eat our TV dinners. Thus, the table was conceived.

I knew the table top would be heavy, on account of the tiles and grout. And as my construction skills are limited, pipe became the most practical structure for the table legs. It was a simple build, setting the tiles around a small inlay that originally housed photos of friends under the glass. The table has moved with me, from apartment to apartment, and now sits in my home living room, still tying in seamlessly to the room aesthetic. So much so, you'd think it was planned. 

Turns out, I accidentally hit on something that would become a trend. Industrial furniture. The January Martha Stewart Living, outlines a DIY project that evolved from a very similar situation as mine: A first apartment in need of furnishing.

The article outlines the How-To for a bench, a desk, end tables, and a storage unit. All at minimal cost and with easy to secure materials. Like Legos, the plans can easily be converted and adapted. The result is nothing short of a beautifully unique, and sturdy piece of handmade furniture.  

Shoe Gratification

I love shoes. And this works of great, considering the business I'm in.
Given my daily shoe engrossment, I'm somewhat surprised it never occurred to me that my furniture might like a new pair of shoes.

But PrettyPegs didn't miss this opportunity. Check out this new collection of designer furniture pegs—fit for personilizing the somewhat less-than-personal Ikea furniture.

I can see the future... special holiday pegs and seasonal sofa swapping. Oh and speaking of new shoes for a new season—(in case you were curious) what's my favorite line for Spring 2012? Yeah... I'm a sucker for stripes.

Not your Grandmother's Wallpaper

Historically, whenever wallpaper was mentioned it was cause to cringe. But now there's so many bold, beautiful patterns there's loads of opportunity to incorporate wallpaper into modern, sleek decor.

What a sophisticated way to textures and patterns to a room. For endless ideas simply visit Pinterest and search "wallpaper".

Check it out, I need more walls to colorize!!

Christmas Army

You know you've reached the epitome of cool when you're on a beer bottle. Well I don't think it's news to anyone that gnomes have made it. They are currently driving the cool train. Check out this amazing packaging for the Norwegian Beer Norsk Ol.

So, want a cool Christmas Tree? Try these DIY gnome decorations.

These dudes aren't just for Christmas. Gnomes are cool year round. So craft on, knowing you can enjoy their splendor past December 25th.

Before and After: The Wall

I know many of you were horrified when I said I took down "the wall". Well rest assured, I never took it down, it was just time for an update. Phase 2 shall we say?

I was very happy initially to have the wall complete, but the squareness of it always bothered me. Granted, I planned it out that way. The OCD alignment nerd in me did the math and figured out how to make the wall parallel. But I grew to need something freer. Something with more open space and fewer harsh lines. Something that could evolve and change easily. (Perhaps this is the Gaudí and Wright angels on my shoulders dueling it out).

So one day I just started taking pieces off. And putting them back in different orders. Removing all the black frames lightened up the wall and I added shelves to make it more dimensional and functional.

Before (Phase I)

After (Phase II)

I'm happier now for the time being. But I'm sure "the wall" is certainly still a work in progress.I'd like to add a small, white, ornate mirror and a cuckoo clock but I'm still on the hunt for perfect specimens.

Small Dose of American Beauty

Martha's done it again.*

The 8 page segment Going Bandannas by Rory Evans and Ditte Isager in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living was so beautifully shot and written, that it inspired me to use a classic American bandanna for the cushion on my new entry-seating.

I acquired this interesting throne last summer and was finally able to finish stripping and painting it. With minimal rearranging it now resides by my front door.

(click to enlarge image)

When I saw the bandanna feature within the pages of my favorite mag, I knew immediately what my throne needed. What amazed me was how large an actual bandanna is—this pillow is made entirely of one bandana, and finished is probably about 10" square.

I couldn't find the precise article on line but here is a link to some other bandanna crafts ala Martha.

*Inspired me that is.

Simple Things for Creative Minds

It always amazes me how the simplest things seem to impress people the most. It's always the shoes that I just wasn't sure about that receive the most compliments, and the designs that seem the most basic that become the favorites.

Take these apples for example. I made these last summer using the wood from my dorm room loft, old square nails my mother had collected and hidden in her desk, acrylic paint, fabric scraps (that I soaked in wood varnish to stiffen and make look dried) and a piece of wire. Just a bunch of scraps that people just love to compliment.

Now granted, you may not have these items laying around your house. But chances are there is a great idea hidden in your clutter. Perhaps you have an old suitcase with a broken clasp or maybe an old globe that still has the Soviet Union on it. It's time to give these items new life—let them start a conversation.

I highly recommend Design*Sponge's DIY projects for inspiration.

Spicy Color

I can't believe I'm talking about catalogs again—you're going to think I'm obsessed with Antropologie. Really, I'm just a catalog admirer.

But seriously! Check out the art direction on these photos for the home section for the October catalog. LOVE. On the website they are saying "Quick hits of color to spice up your space." And you know I'm all about spicy color.


I'm basically gaga over these images that paint around the objects. Though did have one friend that once painted around his sofa when painting his living room versus moving the piece of furniture. It didn't have quite the same effect, and I don't necessarily advise it!

I don't have much else to say, except, check out the lamp on the top right! Reminds me of the Artworks pieces (shown below) at UICA during ArtPrize!

Label It, Alphabetize it, And Stick it in a Drawer

For this last installment of my catalog-inspired, home furnishings, retailers rants, I was actually inspired by a window display. Luckily the cover of the store's current catalog depicts exactly the same thing, so I qualified it.

It's the Fall 2010 Printer's Collection from Pottery Barn.

Now, given the 104 drawer card catalog in my kitchen, we already know that I'm a sucker for old hardware, things with lots of drawers and things that can be labeled and alphabetized.

With this collection, I love the cup pulls, I love the big, blocky wood with it's heavy varnish, especially when it's paired with CB's modern dishes, and I love the incorporation of the typeset letters, as I myself am currently collection a set of these....

You know, what, there's so much I love, click on the image to see the collage enlarged with callouts... (and click again to zoom!)


I'm a little disturbed by the black crows on page 23 but the whole book has a old-school Salem Halloween thing going on, so I guess it works. Overall, total "win" for Pottery Barn!

DIY: Familiar Finishes!

I've long been a fan of Crate and Barrel and their organizational solutions, as well as their clean use of color (though I am more apt to personally identify with the style choices of CB2).


Again with this week's catalog collection... I noticed these chairs in the Crate and Barrel Best Buys Catalog and, while I quite like them, I was reminded of something....


My dining room chairs, which I spent last Spring collecting from local antique stores/Salvation Army, then hit up the spray paint aisle at Menard's and went to town. I paired them with my great grandmother's dining table after applying a coat of whitewash. The combination of these and Fiestaware* is charming!

So, by all means people, do-it-yourself!

*Fiesta dishes are my second favorite vintage dishware after Pyrex! (and Kohl's doesn't count as vintage!)

The Sounds of These Hours*

I'm going to let catalogs be this weeks theme, as another gem hit my mailbox today.

If you're unfamiliar with Anthropologie, it is run by Urban Outfitters and their products include everything from furniture, linens, wallpaper, art, clothes, shoes—an entire lifestyle.

I went to Wikipedia, as I'm apt to do several times a day, and learned that Anthropologie was "founded in 1992 'by a small group of people with a love for making things that inspire the imagination'". As this catalog didn't have a letter stating their vision for the current collection (bummer!), we'll let that act as their overarching philosophy—because I like it.

My one critique is that the font here is squintingly small (oh my god? am I getting old?). But this means it's not about screaming "BUY ME", rather it's about making the viewer fall in love with these images and products so much that they hunt out the details, they go out of their way to purchase them.


The style and spreads of this product line are very different than that of Restoration Hardware. That doesn't mean I can't like them both. They both encourage the unique, one of a kind look. What appeals to me about Anthroplogie is its warmth and personality. It's bright, bold and comfortable with its intentional chaos!

You can browse the catalog here! Again, consider it inspirational window shopping—no credit cards required!


*This is the only copy in this catalog aside from minimal product names and pricing, and even this is somewhat small on the inside front cover. They don't even tell us how to place an order. This doesn't make me like them any less—more probably, which was undoubtedly their goal.

Inspired by Life.... and Catalogs

It's the start of catalog season, and as I'm gluttonous for all design, I eat catalogs up. Since the internet now houses the inventories of actual products, the format of catalogs (for the companies who still bother to produce them) has the shifted dramatically. Rather than listing products, they act as inspiration, and sell lifestyles.

The Restoration Hardware Fall Collection catalog arrived this week—
The chairman/CEO opens the catalog with a powerful letter, which struck me because it's message I agree wholeheartedly with. Here's a snip:
"Introducing over 500 new pieces that are a personal expression of a lifestyle that reflect the juxtaposition of form and function, past and present and an environment that is both relaxed yet refined."

This is exactly the ambiance that I am striving for in my house (but with brighter colored walls, the catalog displays a lot of taupe—Martha and her palette should pay their studio a visit. ).


It's a vintage, yet modern feel—placing antiques (or in the case of Restoration Hardware, pieces inspired by antiques) in the home amidst contemporary pieces to create a fresh look.

The CEO's letter places the company in a new era, calling them "'curators' of the best historical design has to offer."

I'm not an expert on history or historical design, but I love this tribute to the past. So many admirable and beautiful pieces have already been designed, and it's time we embrace them and continue to use them in a functional way, rather than turn our back on them.

Check out the Restoration Hardware website (and request a catalog!—the website is nice, but doesn't do the printed catalog justice with it's call outs and historical notes.) I direct you here, not with the goal of getting you to drop a bunch of cash and purchase the RH Fall Collection (it's not like I'm on commission or something!), but to encourage you to incorporate pieces from your community, family, flea markets, etc. into your daily style. Take the pieces from your past and use them to inspire the present!

Colors that Grow on You


Paint is the cheapest and boldest statement you can make within a home. I'm not entirely sure what my house is saying, but whatever it is, it's loud. This past month, I painted my basement what Menards dubbed "Highlighter". It's yellow. Fantastically bright yellow.

I realized in the midst of this project that a perk to making bold paint choices is that you end up with a collection of beautiful rollers and stir-sticks. Over the course of the 3.5 years that I've now lived in my home, I've made some bold color choices. And I can confidently say, that I've had no regrets.

I think my most daring move, in regards to paint, was in the apartment I lived in prior to this house; where I painted one wall "Jazz", a hot shade of fuchsia. Across from it, over the length of the mocha wall, I applied a 6-inch wide stripe of shiny, gold paint. I wasn't in that apartment long, but leaving that fuchsia wall was the saddest part of moving.


So I encourage you, next time your perusing paint chips at your favorite hardware store, step away from the taupe, the tan, the eggshell, and pick up the chips that would make your mother shudder. My mother certainly cringed the when I announced my bedroom was going to be "Carrot Cake".