Posts tagged chairs
Ideas from IKEA: I prefer the word ‘frugal,’ thank you very much
14 years ago
Finally! My 2011 IKEA catalog came in the mail! With a generous glossy, full-color 300+ pages of home furnishings amazingness, it did not disappoint. I pored over it, impressed with the company’s commitment to innovation, an environmentally-friendly mindset, and affordable design. Now, being from Kansas City, Missouri–with the nearest IKEA in Chicago–I’ve never actually been to an IKEA store. I’ve heard about them, I’ve read about them, and I’ve seen one on TV (from this one scene from 500 Days of Summer, a movie that I’ve only seen bits of), but never have I actually acquired the IKEA shopping experience. Hopefully, this will change next month when college starts up again, and my roommates and I hit up the IKEA in Ohio for the purpose of furnishing our 4 bedroom townhouse apartment. We’re college students with limited funds; therefore, our budget ranges from “Hey! Pull over! There’s a plaid armchair by the side of the road!” to “Please, sir. The stuffing is coming out a bit. Surely you can give us a discount.”
Even though we will be cutting some serious cost, style does not have to be completely sacrificed. Luckily for the design-conscious and financially-unconscious, I found some affordable (for others), stylish pieces from IKEA that looks like they cost much more than they actually do. Here’s a small sample. Take a look. (Wanna check out the catalog yourself? Visit IKEA’s Online Catalog.)
Tips for the design and budget frustrated: Even if your stuff is crappy and inexpensive, keeping your house clutter-free and purposeful will result in a space that will look better than the vast majority’s. Cherish what you have and make it a point to feel good about everything you buy. Treat and arrange everything as if they were all expensive designer pieces. Because one day they will be.
Left: VATE table lamp ($9.99) Right: VATE table lamp ($12.99): For that exotic flair in a dark room.
EKTORP TULLSTA chair ($149): For an instant, stylish pop of color! Will work in both modern and traditional rooms.
Left: NISSE folding chair ($12.99) Right: JEFF folding chair ($9.99): Yay! Folding chairs don't all have to look bad!
VIKA AMON/VIKA LERBERG table ($39.99): If you want a workstation that really looks like a workstation!
HOPEN bed frame ($149 full): A twist on a modern platform bed.
KLOBO loveseat ($149): Clean and solid. Reminds me of a marshmallow. Throw on some pillows or a throw for color.
LACK series wall shelf unit ($49.99), coffee table ($19.99), side table ($9.99): For a minimalist look.
-Beryl
Modern Marvels at the MoMA
14 years ago
Ever fall in love with a museum piece and want to take it home? Well, at the Museum of Modern Art Store you can! (For a price, of course.) With their reproductions of iconic works from modern art history, fun gifts and accessories for art lovers, and collectible miniatures from their exhibitions, there’s something for everyone at their online store (www.momastore.org). My favorite section? The furniture and lighting products, of course! Designed by the masters of design themselves, these life-sized reproductions of visionary works are now available to the homes of the public. Have a look!
Eames® LCW Chair $755
(You’ve probably seen this chair before. For those of you who don’t know, the name Eames in the furniture design world is treated with god-like reverence. Designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the 1940s, Eames chairs are universally recognized, admired, and coveted even today.)
Mi Chair $700
Bellini Chair $155
Handle Stool $495
Noguchi Coffee Table $1,500
Phrena Hanging Lamp $92
Akari Beehive Table Lamp $95
Bookworm Shelf $425
-Beryl
Sassy Seating: more haute femme chairs
14 years ago
Last week, my post on haute femme chairs (link here) received positive reviews, so I thought I’d do another story on fun chairs! (Okay fine…the positive reviews were just from my friends, but still. They count.) So this week I thought I’d share some more fabulous and zany renditions of traditional chair designs. Yay!
David Bromstad (HGTV's Color Splash, Design Star season 1 winner) costarring with his white haute femme Rococo chair in his weekly Design Star vlog. Whatever David Bromstad is seen with, it must be right.
We defined haute femme as bringing back the romanticism and plush comfort of eras past and adding whimsical modern twists. Perhaps the first person to introduce this idea was Italian designer Alessandro Mendini in 1978 when he came out with his Proust chair (Poltrona di Proust) as a part of his Redesigns Furniture series. He believed that modern design was running out of new ideas and turned to redecorating classics as a solution. Here, he painted a Louis XV chair with imagery that evokes the work of 19th century writer Marcel Proust.
Proust chair by Alessandro Mendini
Anthropologie, known for its artsy, soulful aesthetic, carries upholstered furniture that follows Mendini’s vision.
Top: Louisa Settee $2,498 Bottom: Striped Kilim Sofa $2,498
Cleo Chair, Katsina $998
Josef Wingback Chair, Butterflies $1,698
Battersea Sofette, Bloom $2,998
Soren Chair, Painter's Palette $1,598
Betram Chair, Vera Bubbles $1,598
Personally, I think Mendini’s experiment became an enormous success. -Beryl
Liv-Chic: modern baroque will get my heart broke
14 years ago
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Cue the Korean drama montages—I just fell in love!! There I was, hopefully surfing the internet for furniture manufacturers that carried playful, bold renditions of rococo-era chairs for my story on King Louis XV design (“Coo coo for Rococo!” it was going to be called), when I stumbled across my DREAM CHAIR.
Gigi by Liv-Chic ($2,185.00)
I know, I know. I’m silly. Other people have dream cars; I have dream chairs. But I had seriously been yearning for the sure to be amazing visual effects of modernizing 18th century French furniture when I came across the online furniture Liv-Chic (www.liv-chic.com) and realized that I was not alone. Founded in 2007 by New York interior designer Hilary White, Liv-Chic specializes in modern, sassy Baroque furniture that is custom-made to fit your every last whim down to color, fabric, and finish (because, according to the website, a Liv-Chic girl “wants what she wants, how she wants”).
The trend is called haute femme—bringing back the romanticism and luxurious plush comfort of eras past and adding whimsical modern twists. “There is a trend away from colder, contemporary environments to something that’s a little bit more plush, warm and eclectic,” says Wid Chapman, a Parsons School of Design professor. With its gilded frames and ornate curves (and endorsements from Madames Pompadour and Antoniette), it’s no wonder that French furniture has recaptured our hearts and fancies.
By Liv-Chic. Another possible twist to the Gigi chair. Love it, love it, love it!!!
From the BG at Bergdorf Goodman restaurant in New York. Ooh! Pretty blue chairs!
Each furniture design in the Liv-Chic line is given a female name, which is perfect as each piece pops princess personality. Add one or two of these lovely ladies to your home for instant drama and pizazz. Meet some of your royal highnesses here:
Evelyn ($1,980) and Maryana ($3,195)
Kate ($2,185) and Adelle ($3,375)
Adora ($2,735) and Anastasia ($1,875)
Seraphina ($1,940) and Vera ($3,860)
More haute femme in the weeks to come! I’m so excited!! -Beryl
NeoCon World’s Trade Fair in Review
14 years ago
It’s not too late to catch up on the year’s hottest new trends in home, workplace, and hospitality furnishing designs.
Every year, top industrial and furniture design firms from all over the world showcase their wares at the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair hosted at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. One of the biggest events in the interior design world with around 40,000 attendees, this year’s NeoCon, held from June 14-16, displayed thousands of new products from big companies and individual designers alike in over 700 exhibits. Roaming through the colorful and animated floors of the trade fair, one can see the concepts of lounge chairs, living room tables, office workstations, and lighting being stretched, remolded, and played with in every way imaginable. Here are some of this year’s highlights for and some of my favorites of the seating category. Who knows which of these fresh designs could be soon finding its way into spaces near you?
TMC Furniture’s cutting edge ImPrinted printing technique allows screen prints of photos, texts, and graphics to be applied to surfaces of chairs, lounge seating, and tables. So pretty!
Twist Chair by Sandler Seating. Twist and shout!
Adeo Chair by JANUS et Cie. So peaceful! So pure! So zen! Plus a place to store Nylon!
On Time by Sedia Systems. Anything with bold color is awesome. The seat folds up and sides fold in for easy stacking.