New Love: Pinterest

Look right.  Now look back here.  A new follow button! This time, for Pinterest.  I'm getting a little addicted to the follow us linkage action.

So, Pinterest.  I'm not sure if I still qualify as an early adopter, because when I joined, 25 of my friends on Facebook had beaten me to the punch.  It's still an invite-only site, but after requesting an invitation I got my open sesame keys within a day or so.  When you set up your account, you're encouraged to link with Facebook, Gmail, and a host of other networks and address books.  Once you connect them, you're given the option to follow everyone you already know using the site, making Pinterest instantly personal. Love love love.

My Pinterests

I've started doodling around with their boards, so far I've got...

• Bookcases
• Stripes
• Favorites from Domino
• Favorites from Lonny
• Ron Marvin Inspiration
• Rugs
• Gallery Walls

And by "started doodling" I mean to say I pinned, err, 89 things on my first afternoon with Pinterest.  Psycho.

I assume you're just drooling to get in there yourself, so to request an invite to Pinterest click here.  Oh, and they have an iPhone App.  Fireworks.

DIY Sputnik Chandelier, Re-Posted From The Little Green Notebook

This is a re-post from Little Green Notebook, detailing a stunning transformation of Ikea's Maskros Lamp.  So beautiful, I had to share.

DIY Sputnik Chandelier

I've always dreamed of having a gorgeous sputnik chandelier, but they are usually on the smaller side and in the many thousands of dollars. I had planned on investing a little bit more of the house budget on the dining area's light fixture because it would be basically the first thing you'd see when walking into our apartment. I wanted big and beautiful.

After deciding to buy the Gossip Girl sconces, I had sort of eaten up my lighting budget and needed to figure out something very inexpensive for the dining room. I thought the ubiquitous IKEA Maskros (which means dandelion in Swedish) might be a good base for a DIY sputnik.

I had some help from my Mom and Dad, who were in town visiting at the time. We busted out the entire project in a night and had the thing hung in the morning. I love projects like that!! (THANKS Mom and Dad! xo)

It's a pretty simple project, with not a lot of tools required. I went with the 32" diameter fixture because we have a big open space, but I would recommend the 22" fixture (which is only $49!) for more traditional rooms.

Like almost all IKEA products, the Maskros comes disassembled. There are, I think, 124 white flowers to attach to long metal rods.

image via HERE

The white, plasticy paper flowers are about 5" wide. This is totally personal preference, but the thing I don't love the most about the Maskros in it's original state is all the shadows the flowers create and I needed this fixture to be a functional light source first and foremost. So I played around a bit with the proportions to shorten the petals and decided I like a 2.5" diameter best.

I used a clear (making it easy to find the center) plastic cup with a 2.5" base to trace a circle on each of the flowers. A little tip: I find that projects with many steps of many multiples are done best and fastest by focusing on one step at a time. I traced all the flowers first. Then I cut all the flowers, etc. Don't get ahead of yourself in the steps for the sake of accuracy and efficiency.

Once the tracing was all finished, I cut down the flowers. Then I pulled out my trusty old quart of Ralph Lauren Regency Metallics in 'Parlor Gold' to paint out the florettes.

If the weather had been better and if I didn't live in NYC, I totally would have spray painted the whole thing using Rustoleum's metallic line in the Brass finish. But, I am actually really happy with the look of the hand painting. It didn't take that long, and I think the end look is a little less flat than spray paint - more mottled, like real gilded metal.

While one side of the florettes was drying, we painted the rest of the fixture, including the arms (below), the cord and the ceiling mount.

Once both sides of the florettes had been painted and the fixture frame had two good coats of paint, we started gluing these adorable little amuse bouche plates on the florettes. I used two boxes for the larger size Maskros.

Fabritac is hands down my favorite adhesive and it worked really well for this project. Super tight hold and a fast drying time. I needed only a small dollop on the bottom of each plate to attach the flower.

We let the glue set up for an hour or so and then we attached the florettes to the stems as they were designed to be attached. There are little prongs (the button looking pieces in the center) that snap the flowers in place on the arms. Grace was in charge of most of the snapping.

We used a fabric roll on two chairs for holding the arms, which worked really well for letting the paint and glue dry.

My super handy dad took care of the electrical aspects and then we all worked together to attach the huge arms to the frame. It was fun to step down from the ladder and take it all in at once!

The large size was just what my dining space needed. And it's so great to have an additional light source above the table. I was surprised at how much it brightened the space - even with just the one bulb.

I love that the plastic plates have that hint of green! I think they really look like glass and the painted paper/plastic actually kind of passes for brass.

It has that Sputnik vibe, but it's definitely doing it's own thing. Not bad, for about $100 in supplies!

I'm so glad we cut down the flowers. It doesn't scream IKEA Maskros this way and the little shadows are actually quite pretty. Sort of like polka dots (I keep thinking of the Kate Spade Twirl bottle!)

A special thanks to Jenny, who writes The Little Green Notebook, for her endless creativity and design inspiration.

Painting The Roses Red

I was cruising around some older issues of Lonny Magazine, and I came across a picture with a gallery full of red mats.  Our accent color for the office is a deep red, and I was more than a little intrigued with the idea of testing out some red mat action for our gallery wall.

Original picture from Lonny Magazine. All looks a bit cluttered but it works.

Our first shot at a gallery space for the office.

Sources:
Console: West Elm, Parson's Low Bookshelf
Lamp: Joss & Main
Frames: Ikea Ribba

Same gallery space with deep red mats.

Hrrm, something about the red mats does look a little bit richer.  On the bright side, mats are inexpensive and easy to purchase / swap out, so actually testing this one out in real life would not be the biggest commitment.

I found a ton of online framing and mat stores, which seem 80% easy to use, and I have to imagine are less expensive than my local Brooklyn Heights shop on Montague, but I'll compare!

These are a few of the online joints:

• Mat Cutter: http://www.matcutter.com/index.php

• American Frame: http://www.americanframe.com/Departments/Accessories/Mat-Board.aspx

• Wholesale Mat Boards: http://www.wholesalematboards.com/custom.htm

What's your opinion on the red mats? Any good online framing shops I'm missing? Thanks Readers!

eBay: Welcome To Our World of Toys

On another fun filled ice packed morning snuggled in bed, playing with my phone, I whipped up a solid 'saved searches' list for my eBay account.

Snuggled!

And this was the list.


Accessories:

• williams sonoma zebra - On the hunt for zebra rug / zebra pillow.
• williams sonoma pillow - Generally love their pillows.
• williams sonoma home tray - Need trays, everywhere.
• williams sonoma home box - Love their boxes.
• williams sonoma home - General go-to search.
• williams sonoma cashmere - Their $200 cashmere blankets, which are my favorite physical object, can usually be found on major sale in seasonal colors and plaids.
• paul revere bowl - I cap this search at $35.  I love the style of these bowls but you only need a few.
• michael aram frame - I discovered these frames while registry shopping at Bloomingdales, where they're mighty expensive.  They're just nice silver frames with a 'nature' twist, and they stand out nicely amongst a grouping of Pottery Barn.
• kelly wearstler - I adore her, not exactly sure what I'm looking for.
• jonathan adler pottery - Sparse pickings, especially for the extra quirky stuff.
• jonathan adler vase - Usually nothing here, but sometimes you'll find those shiny platinum vases I like.

Dining:

• arabia anemone - Aunt Wendy's everyday pattern, hand painted, I love it!
• kate spade malmo - Our flatware, so much less expensive on eBay than Bloomingdales.
• tiffany and co rock cut - Our barware.

Furniture:

• williams sonoma furniture - A long shot, but you never know.

Lighting:

• restoration hardware sconce - Good traditional bathroom upgrades.
• restoration hardware pendant - Looking for new pendants for the kitchen and hallway.
• restoration hardware lamp - Love their lamps, but only at a discount :)
• pottery barn sconce - Mostly children's lamps but you never know.
• pottery barn lamp - Same thing.
• jonathan adler lamp - Expensive, even on eBay.
• jonathan adler floor lamp - Even more expensive, even on eBay.
• williams sonoma home lamp - Adore.
• williams sonoma lamp - Adore.
• williams sonoma sconce - Sparse pickings, but adore.

Rugs:

• pottery barn 9x12 - Sisal rug for the office, anyone?
• west elm rug - Bathrooms and hallways need coverage too.

I also added these gems to the watch list.

Screamed when I saw these, we've wanted them forever, though we were always looking at the 15" not the 19".
These retail for $1,108 including shipping, so eBay is sporting a 27% discount.
We just need to confirm 19" isn't too big, but given that our kitchen is open to our living room I'm not too worried.

These are currently in competition with the West Elm globe pendants; I'm debating if those are too modern.
Issue: I can only find two on eBay and I need three, but they're still being sold at Restoration Hardware so worst comes to worst I could always get the last one there, retails for $244 before sales tax, already 34% more, grr.

Check out these little munsters in a closet in Lonny Magazine.  8" of cute!

Like earrings for my hallway.

I also found our Kate Spade flatware, Malmo, which I've been terrified of filling out (we only have two sets) because it is so expensive, $69 per set plus tax and shipping.  On eBay, a bundle of eight additional sets had a Buy it Now price of $419.95, and after a few rounds of back and forth offers we settled on $364.95, which was over 35% off the retail price of $568.16 at Bloomingdales.  Score! So now we own ten sets, perfect.  Next up, filling out the dining plates, salad plates, and cereal bowls.

I haven't been a major eBay buff, ever, but honestly I'm feeling a little more confident these days.  I hate buying retail, so between eBay and my little sample sale sites, I'm deliriously excited about the savings (though that could just be the Percocet).

Lamptramping at One Kings Lane

I have to admit ever since my lamptramping at Joss & Main I've become a little gumshoe for great sample sale and eBay deals.  Also egging me on: spending all day recovering from some wisdom tooth extraction action.

Ice, ice, baby.

I like to think of One Kings Lane as the original home decor sample sale site (invite yourself here).  I don't remember exactly when they opened, maybe a few months ago, but ever since they opened they've had a major problem with inventory, to the point where I stopped drooling over their sales.  Just as the sale opened at 11:00am, almost half of the merchandise would be unavailable, and the rest would be unavailable within minutes. It was like they only carried pictures of products, instead of products.

As of recoup time, I've started checking them out again, and I'm glad I went back because they seem to have gotten their act together.  Either that, or I'm suddenly available at 11:00am, ice packs and all.

This week they held a "Visual Comfort" lighting sale, which is nice because we need more visual comfort.

I fell in love with this marble table lamp at $169, gobble gobble.

I had seen an almost identical one at Williams Sonoma Home for $295, over 50% more expensive.

Alright, I'm convinced.  Purchased! I'm not 100% sure where this one will go yet, but it'll be fun to have a little accessorizing festival with Ron Marvin at a later date when all the lamps, trays, votives, orchids, and coffee table books have been collected.

Blogger Inspiration: Young House Love

One of my favorite pastimes is cruising the inter-webs of design blogs.  I love discovering new ones, and I love coming back to my favorites (see the blog roll to the right for the mainstays).

For years, my all time favorite blog has been Young House Love.  Sherry and John Petersik write the blog as their full time gig, building, renovating and revamping everything in their house to the delight of their readers.

Of the many things I adore about Young House Love, these are my top loved features:

• Hilarious
• DIY on Steroids
• Adorable Daughter: Clara
• Bargin Hunters!

So without further adieu, ladies and gentlemen, meet the Petersiks!

John and Sherry, the cuteness.

This photo was swiped from their post on their wedding, which I've read countless times, and after far too long realized I knew Sherry's brother, Dan Treitler, who appears to be doing a reading below.

Hi Dan!

I realize this is a wee bit lame, but after following what I thought was a random blog for so long, discovering I had a personal connection to the Petersiks was all too thrilling, and bumped Young House Love up on my bookmark speed-dial, from a folder to the coveted bookmark bar!

I also need to introduce their daughter Clara, the beanette, who redefines cuteness in a white onesie.

Clara, debuting her new John-designed Clara fabric for her first birthday photo shoot!

The addition of the bean to the blog (and I suppose to the family) took the breadth of Petersik advice to new levels, well beyond painting and varnishing.  I've spent a little too much time reading the merits of cloth dipers post, which I find fascinating. Don't judge.

Young House Love was also, hands down, the inspiration for One Brooklyn Modern.  When we bought the apartment, I never had grand plans for a blog.  I wish I had, so there would be better 'before' pictures.  After the wedding, it just seemed right; I love reading design blogs, and at long last I had a home where I could install sconces and wallpaper. Without a wedding to plan, this blog has become my creative outlet.

Getting started, I took a few pieces of inspiration from their set up, which should evolve as I find time to make more pages.

We have 'Blog' and 'The Story of Our Wedding'.  Next Up: 'House Tour'!

To immerse you in the love, I'll start you out with a few of my favorite Young House Love projects.

- Clara's Weekly Photo-shoot

- The Thanksgiving Jar

- The Basement Redesign

- The Office Reveal; A Blogger's Paradise!

I'll sign off with a huge thank you to Sherry, John, Clara and Burger (their dog) for the hours of hilarity, creativity, general adorableness and inspiration.  Cheers to an amazing family :)

Toppings For The Chocolate Office.

Of the many rooms I am excited to decorate, our newly chocolatized office is first on my list.  It has the appeal of being chocolate, and amazingly, almost entirely furnished from the get go.

We already have:

1. A white Parson's desk from West Elm.
2. A couch we had made at Karges and Caron.
3. An ottoman we also had made at Karges and Caron.
4. A Crate and Barrel dresser I grew up with that is on its way from Long Island, being held by a thoughtful neighbor.
5. An end table that matches that dresser, currently in our bedroom.
6. A Williams Sonoma Home 8x10 rug, which might go in the office or might go in the bedroom, we'll see!
7. Lamps! Recently purchased from Joss & Main.

This leaves a few final touches:

1.  A bookcase, of some size.
2.  A desk chair.
3.  A man-cave worthy television: Aaron is pumped!
4.  Art, including a series of watercolors by my father of all the homes Aaron and I have lived in.
5.  A task lamp, floor length.
6.  Accessories, like pillows from Karges and Caron; we've already had the fabric sent there!

And optionally:

1. If we don't use the Williams Sonoma rug, we'll bring in an inexpensive 9x12 jute rug and a zebra rug (a'la ebay) on top of it, I love that look.

This is a quick mock up of our existing couch, the chocolate paint, some imagined pillows and the zebra rug.

Real: Couch + Ottoman + Chocolate + Sconce + Cashmere Blankie + Pom Pom Pillow
Imagined: Zebra Rug + Red Pillows + Art

Since I made this mock, we've painted the room chocolate and done some window shopping for the remaining furniture.  I'm honing in on these items:

We're not sure if we'll go for the tall bookcase or the shorter bookcase; Aaron prefers the shorter one.

Tall Parson's Bookcase

Low Parson's Bookcase

And the art in the room will live in Ribbas from Ikea. Price point is perfect!

White Ribba

Black Ribba

I love this office chair from Crate and Barrel, so classic!

Ripple Ivory Leather Chair

Task lamp, love this.

Traction Task Floor Lamp
William Sonoma Home
On sale, but still 'spensive.

And if we decide to go the jute / zebra route, these are the rugs I'm eying.

The Company Store
The Company Hemmed Jute Rug
Ivory, 9x12 - $329, which is the jam.

And the Zebra rug. This is Williams Sonoma Home but it is less expensive on eBay. Thank you eBay.

Williams Sonoma Home Zebra Rug

We all know I love a good Photoshop mockfest, so I toyed around with some bookcase / art options for the entrance to the office.  Take a look, and let me know which one you like best!

Option 1:
White Low Bookcase
White Lamp w/ Black Shade
Large Black Ribba Frames

Option 2:
White Low Bookcase
High Gloss White Lamp w/ White Shade
Small White Ribba Frames

So far I'm leaning towards the all-white look, which looks dashing on those chocolate walls.

As a finishing touch, we also needed to add shades to this room, at some point, maybe pronto because I don't want the couch to fade.

Option 1:
The Shade Store
Java Flat Roman Shade w/ White Decorative Border

Option 2:
The Shade Store
Stone Flat Roman Shade w/ Java Decorative Border

I love the flat roman shades from The Shade Store, and even more so because of that optional custom border.  Once again, I'm leaning towards option two, which reminds me of a mocha'chocha'latte.

As usual, I'm drawing inspiration from Ron Marvin here, who used these shades in an apartment that was featured in Trad Home:

The Shade Store
Roman Flat Shade w/ Decorative Border

Same shade, different colors!

On a more challenging note, the windows in our room are extra large, so the shade would be over $1,000.  Wince.

Overall, I am so excited about our plans for this room.  It's dazzling, and I can't wait until it is put together and we can kick back with some beers and watch some football.  Yep, Aaron just read that twice, woo!

Would love to hear your opinions on the many options in the post, keep'um coming!