Furniture on sale at Anthropologie

Some great furniture on sale at Anthropologie, especially that yellow desk. I can soooo picture that studio-like room in MY house, filled with my art...I only wish I had a spare $1000 laying around. I had to content myself with buying a koi fish-shaped sponge holder for now. Sigh....

Patio set score at Ikea

Jen and I hit the Bolingbrook Ikea today, and we were like kids in a candy store. Kids without tons of cash to spend, but the prices are excellent and there's soooo much to choose from.

I finally found my patio set, or at least part of it. This table caught my eye and it was love at first sight. Great price, sturdy construction, and look—two leaves for extra seating!


There were several styles of chairs that went with the table, including a bench and big arm chairs. I figured these folding chairs were a nice compromise (and the cheapest solution). I hate spending lots of money on something if I don't have to, and the chairs seemed nice and comfy. But it turns out they're out of stock and you can't order them.


So I'm probably going back to get these tomorrow. They're a nice mid-level chair, and you can adjust the back five different ways. And when I sat in them, I felt so comfy.



There are only 17 in stock now, and most people buy four or more when buying a set. So back to Ikea I go, bright and early tomorrow, to finish off my patio set. Now to find those lovely Italian lights to hang....

Old trunk re-do?

I just got this old (free) handmade trunk from my mom. It belonged to a grand uncle of mine that has long since passed on, and ended up in her garage for lack of something better to do with it. I needed something small and efficient (it has wheels), and I like the beat-up quality of it.

I'm debating whether to refinish it with some white paint and new hardware, maybe even some printed panel inserts, like these trunks, or just leave it as is. With the party coming up fast and furious this Sunday (a surprise party for my dad), I have precious little time left for such fun projects.

Personalizing furniture with custom knobs

I have an old maple desk that I got from my grandparents when they went to a nursing home, and I've been toying with the thought of refinishing it. I'm not sure if I want to paint it though, because it's a beautiful wood and I'd hate to "trend" it up, only to have it fall out of style a few years down the road.

But one way I've customized it in the past is to use place mats or table runners on the top for a little instant decoration (I've done the same thing with my laptop desk in the living room). Another thought is to change out all the plain knobs for pretty and unique ones from places like Anthropologie. I have seven of the bird knobs (top image, below), which I received as part of a wedding gift—the eighth bird's tail broke :(














I saw some very nice ones when I was there on Friday, and I thought of all the things I could personalize without a lot of labor, and without much permanence (I'd save the desk's knobs, just in case). They have a cool "Hardware Store" section where you can try out different knobs and pulls on some sample furniture and move 'em around as you like.



Now I just gotta decide if I want to mix and match, follow a certain color palette, or just make them all the same. Hmmm....

Crate and Barrel sofas

Love these sofas from Crate and Barrel, available in a wide variety of colors and textures.