While I typically dread the coming of Labor Day — a.k.a. the end of summer, there is one good thing about it: the sales. Traditionally, Labor Day is the last big sale time for furniture until January, and in some rarer cases the day after Thanksgiving. So if you’re in the market for new furniture, now is the time to score some good deals.
But be careful. It’s easy to be influenced by the price tag and buy something just because it’s on sale. I know I have, and I always regret it. The worst purchases we make are those influenced by discounts.
So take this weekend and the following week to see what’s available. Then compare your options, and if one of your favorites is on sale, score. If not, well, it’s up to you.
Just remember, if you only buy what you love, you’ll always be happy with what you have.
And while you’re looking around, you may want to check out William-Sonoma Home (enter UPHOLSTERY at checkout), West Elm and Horchow, they’ve started their upholstery sales early and their pieces are the ones pictured above.
When browsing through my archive of room photos for inspiration for our new home, I realized many of my favorite rooms have steel framed windows and doors. And I must not be alone in liking them, because they keep popping up everywhere. For good reason.
Steel framed windows and doors add an instant focal point to your room and exude immense character. They can be sophisticated modern with a touch of industrial chic. They can be farmhouse rustic with a French or Italian vibe. Or they can bring a hint of greenhouse charm, slightly reminiscent of a conservatory.
Their only downside is the cost. Few people have the money to shell out on brand new windows when redecorating their home. But that doesn’t mean you can’t steal the look. Scroll to the bottom for a super simple and chic solution.
We’ve finally found a home. Hooray. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to be signing the lease this week. I was starting to fear we’d be living in a cardboard box. But instead, we found a great place with 12′ tall ceilings and large blank walls.
Yes. Lots of large blank walls, and on one or two of them I’ve been toying with the idea of hanging a large scale photograph. And by large, I’m talking 6′ wide by 4′ tall.
Given that it would be a bold, bold statement, I thought it would be wise to find a few inspiration photos before diving in and buying a ginourmous print. So I went through 1,000s and 1,000s of photos in my archive — literally — and was shocked. I could barely find a handful featuring large photographs.
My theory? Many shy away from large art due to sticker shock. They see the price tag and run the other way. But if you have a big wall to fill, you’ll often end up spending the same amount — if not more — on lots of little pieces of art. So there’s no reason not to go big, especially if you’re looking to make a big statement in your room.
Giant photos act like portals, instantly transporting you to another world. And that’s a big bonus if you don’t have great views from your windows. With the photo being so large, you can get lost in it and almost fool yourself into feeling as if you’re where you wish you were.
Which in my case, is a rocky coast. And in my new home in the middle of the sticks, I think I’ll be in need of a little transporting.
While looking for examples of rooms for yesterday’s projectors post, I stumbled across this home owned by event designer Alexandre de Betak on the island of Majorca and had to share. I couldn’t stop staring at the photos. Somehow, the home manages to be chic, playful and practical all at the same time.
And yes, that is an ash tray modeled to look like R2D2 from Star Wars below. If my brother smoked, he would freak out over that one.
The entire home is decked out in vintage military linen that’s easy to wash, making the home a worry-free space. How smart.
To see the entire feature on the home, visit the New York Time’s T Magazine. There’s a short video about the home, and if you watch closely, you’ll see a ridiculously awesome bathtub chiseled out of stone.
Our TV-centric lives pose an all-too-common problem. Where do you put the sofa? Facing the fireplace — or windows — or facing the TV? Hands down, the TV always wins. What can we say? We’re suckers for sitcoms.
But that doesn’t mean we always want to see the TV. We only want to see it when it’s on. When it’s off, we wish it would disappear. In fact, our urge to hide our TVs is so intense, we’ve created custom lifts and doors and an entire furniture genre — the entertainment center — just to conceal it.
But there’s a better way. A much, much better way. And with it you can do something you could never do with your standard TV: face your sofa toward your windows without blocking the view. I know. Incredible.
So what’s this magic device? The projector.
I realize, just the sound of that word may bring up horrible flashes of painfully boring science class ameba films. But I assure you, projectors aren’t what they used to be.
For the past 6 months, Brent and I test drove a pocket-sized, portable projector — the Qumi. To put it in perspective, that projector is the Honda Civic of projectors. Nothing fancy. No special bells or whistles. But it gets the job done. So well in fact, we’d never want to go back to an ordinary TV.
With a projector, you get a movie-esq experience. The picture size is huge. And when it’s off, you’d never know it was there. Simply put your screen up, and voila, no TV. It’s the best of both worlds.
The one downside to projectors is for the lower-end models the room must be completely dark for you to be able to see the picture. But if you’re willing to invest in a nicer screen and model — or blackout blinds — that’s not an issue.
Above and below you can check out different projector set-ups. If you decide to get a portable projector like us, you get the added bonus of being able to have movie nights outside under the stars. Talk about awesome.
Side Note: I’m not 100% sure the above photo is of a projector; however, if you have plain white walls, you don’t have to get a screen. You can project straight on to them.
