When most people move and don't need (or want) certain things anymore, they sell their furniture on Craigslist or occasionally leave it on the curb where it is then spirited away before you even get back up to your living room.
But if you have (or want) higher-end furniture, you need a better option. For you, check out Viyet, a site dealing in high-end furniture and home accessories consignment. If you're looking to sell, there are a few requirements: the items must be a designer brand, meet the minimum retail price (there are different cutoffs for different categories), and they must be in excellent or good condition, or able to be restored to excellent or good condition with a little care. Once you've submitted your piece for consignment, an expert curator will come to measure, photograph and document the details of the items you're selling. Viyet will help you market and sell your pieces and profits are split 50/50 between Viyet and the consignor. Buyers can find quality pre-owned items for 50% to 80% off the original price. The pieces are by well-known interior designers such as Alexa Hampton and Steven Gambrel or are from retailers like Century Furniture, Mecox, and Tai Ping. Modern and traditional pieces for nearly every room are available. A site like this provides an opportunity to buy a well-made designer piece when you might not be able to otherwise, and even if you do have the cash, it's a great deal. The other thing I really like about Viyet's concept is that it keeps pieces in circulation and combats the disposable culture it's so easy to fall into. No, the pieces aren't in perfect condition (though some are pretty close), but with a little TLC or perhaps some strategic furniture and accessory placement, they'll be well worth what you pay. A few of the items currently for sale that caught my eye, including the Sé Damien Langlois Meurinne table above:
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How was your weekend? We had a great time in the sunshine and the water (so happy my parents have a pool)! Now that it's basically summer, I'm thinking how much I can actually do on the iPad so I can work outside more often instead of always being cooped up inside at my desk. If you're going to work outside, you need a comfy place to sit. Now that I've seen these special edition hammocks in Elle Decor, I'm kind of obsessing over a loftier way of lounging. These hammocks are designed and woven by a young collective of craftspeople based in Masaya, Nicaragua. Each piece they produce (made-to-order) is handmade using cotton and bamboo or sustainable woods. The collective also makes a variety of hammocks, swings, and even a macrame crib! They further minimize their environmental impact by only purchasing hardwood not in danger of extinction and use recycled paper and small amounts of tape in their packaging. 10% of the price of each item is used for community projects. Don't these make you just want to set up a hammock outside, grab some lemonade, and sway to the breeze? I mean, look at these amazing settings. I just want to dive into these pictures, especially the last one (see more here): product images via savvy surrounding style, hang a hammock collective/paolo proserpio photography, hammocks in situ images via elle decor
Xx a I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We were very happy to run around and play outside, both on land and by the water. Several years ago, when I interned at Bridal Guide magazine, I was responsible for photocopying important pages from magazines we received at the office that our EIC wanted for her files. Fashion ideas, interesting page layouts, anything that triggered a thought for the future. Rather than just go up to the Xerox machine, do the copies and file the magazines, I would pore over each one, and often I'd make a second copy of certain pages for my own files. This was a great way to learn about the other magazines but also a different way of reading magazines because I was looking at ideas and trying to think of how they could be adapted for a different market. Though the name of the magazine and exactly what else was in this article escapes me, there was an article in a woman's magazine, and the gist was something like, what piece of clothing changed your life? And that sounds like it could be superficial, but one response was from a woman who talked about her first Marimekko dress in the 1960s. It's been so long that I can't remember anything else she said about her style or the pattern of the dress (though I'm pretty sure if I delved deep into my own files, I have a photocopy of this article somewhere), but I distinctly remember that when she wore the dress, it totally transformed how she saw herself as a woman. Ever since then, I've had an interest in Marimekko. I've also loved mod 60s style since I was a child watching reruns of 60s comedies. So, I was very interested to belatedly learn that Marimekko and Banana Republic have teamed up for a limited-time summer collection. The collection just launched a few days ago and is selling out very quickly already. These two pieces are some of the few still available online and in select stores. Of course, there's always the real deal, too. I love these new dresses available on Marimekko's site:
One of the things I miss about New York is easy access to the zillions of great shops with modern and cool home goods (everything here leans pretty conservative). The Conran Shop, now closed, was one of those shops I liked to take a spin through, especially their lighting department. So occasionally I check out the website of the original London shop. You can't find pieces like these beautiful glass pendants here (though, luckily, you can find them in New York). Designed by Czech partners Jan Plechách and Henry Wielgus for Lasvit, these handblown crystal glass lampshades are directly inspired by the grand chandeliers found in opera houses worldwide. There are five designs of the Neverending Glory collection: Designer Plechách said, "We wanted to create just a ghost of the original chandeliers, or just the soul, the shadow, the shine of the original ones. If you imagine the grand, original chandeliers in these opera houses, they’re glorious, and the ‘neverending’ part relates to the profiles and the idea of infinite rotation—a neverending glory." I love the sketches below showing the process of translating the original design to the modern interpretation. Another thing I love about these pieces is the scale of them. Each is between two and three feet high. I think every house needs a statement light fixture. Each light certainly holds its own, but they look quite striking together in a row. I'm not sure which is my favorite though I'm leaning toward either La Scala, or probably not surprisingly, Metropolitan Opera. Which is your favorite? Have I mentioned how much I love cuff bracelets? Probably. I think it stems from a superhero power band place (in high school and college I used to cut the tops off tube socks and wear them like power bands on my wrists). I pretty much like them all, whether they're big and chunky or elegant and minimal, like this 'Eileen Gray' cuff. Handmade in the USA, the cuff is adjustable so it can fit on any wrist. The shape is very simple and architectural. If you aren't familiar with designer Eileen Gray, this is the iconic table she is so well-known for. You can see the direct inspiration between her design and the cuff. Eileen Gray was an Irish designer who lived in Paris and worked as an interior designer, architect, and furniture designer throughout her career. This table was created by Gray and her partner Jean Badovici for a home in Roquebrune, France. They placed it bedside, but the table is often more likely seen now next to chairs and sofas.
These ice cubes are so cute! We've seen amusingly-shaped ice cubes before, but these are just a little different. Silicone molds create mini icebergs for a frozen polar bear and pair of penguins to stand upon. Created by Japanese designer Hayashi Atsuhiro, they represent the North and South Poles. As adorable as they will look in your drinks, they also serve a higher purpose: as the ice melts, the cubes act as a reminder of the situation facing real animals living on the receding Arctic and Antarctic ice caps due to global warming. The set of molds is available at Fab. Watch the video below to see how they look in a drink and get a better sense how they're made.
The other day it actually smelled like spring in the air and it was the best thing I've smelled in a long time. I can't wait to spend more time outside. Even when you're busy, everything feels a little lighter in spring, don't you think?
Spring and outdoor products are in stores now and this adorable item comes from IKEA. Developed by design studio Rich Brilliant Willing for the PS 2014 collection, the LED stool/lamp is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and was inspired by the very summery idea of fireflies alight in a jar. The name indicates the obvious double duties of the piece acting as a stool and a light. It is also available with a white top. The collaboration with RBW started in 2011, when founders Theo Richardson, Charles Brill, and Alexander Williams were invited by IKEA to be part of this year's collection. It's always interesting to me how long in the making collaborations like this are. The goal of the entire PS collection was to create innovative and accessible items. The stool/lamp is portable and is powered by rechargeable batteries. When fully charged, the batteries will provide full light for approximately five hours and the batteries themselves last for at least two years. The charger and cord are stored conveniently under the lid. The stool/lamp uses LEDs which consume 85% less energy and last 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Over the last several years, IKEA has committed to making all of their lighting extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly. I can picture a bunch of these scattered around a pool or on the lawn glowing as the sun goes down, while friends hang out and enjoy each other's company. Ever have those days where you can't find something important in your bag and you look and look and it's not there?You search the whole house and finally you find it, when you check your bag again. Or, is your place too small to have a table by the door and so you don't have a consistent, convenient place to leave your keys, sunglasses, etc? Elefunction's newest products will take care of that for you; their tagline is Design That Never Forgets. The Elephant mounts on the wall very easily and can become your command center to corral your things.. The strong cord holds glasses, sunglasses, phones, mail, and other small items, while super magnets embedded in the 'trunk' take care of your keys (even if you're a janitor, I've seen it in person). Available in walnut or ash, and with or without an edge color, these products are all handmade in Colorado. If you like to check your hair/teeth, or throw on some last-minute lipstick before you run out the door, the Echo mirror allows you to do that and has the same organizational function as the Elephant. Echo comes in walnut or ash. Keeping your keys and glasses in one dedicated spot like this also keeps your keys from scratching the lenses of your glasses, which can happen easily in a bag. Plus, most importantly, you don't run around like a chicken with its head cut off looking for things when you're trying to get out the door to work or to meet friends.
Designer Brad Reed Nelson, founder of Board by Design - who I first met when I fell for his fabulous rockers at the AD Home Show a few years ago - initially started Elefunction as a way to keep track of his sunglasses. The product, the I Wear rack, was a simple board and tension cord (it and earlier iterations are still available). In the process Brad found that what they were doing was creating better relationships because people were happier, less stressed, more prompt, and more pleasant to be around all because they weren't wasting time looking for their things. It's pretty powerful when a simple product can do that! I'm a little late in sharing, but the March issue of Redbook magazine features two stories I worked on. For tips from top interior designers on decorating with a little and a lot of color, see the slideshow from the article, featuring the room above, designed by Melissa Warner Rothblum of Massucco Warner Miller. I'm a little obsessed with that royal blue console in the corner. The other story is a cute matchup of great, totally affordable armchairs and throws I found. This isn't online but it's the back page of the issue. Hope you like! images via redbook, photographs by philip harvey and alison gootee
Xx a I love this bright open bathroom by Tamara Mack Design. When we moved a year and a half ago, we went from a large master bath to a retro pink wonder that the two of us can barely fit in at the same time: While we search for a house to buy or try to decide if we should buy this house and renovate it, I can fantasize about a new bathroom with a more modern look and such fancy amenities as a fan or a window that actually opens, and my true dream: double sinks and heated floors. This year's bathroom trends include upgraded fixtures and features, and a move toward greige and pale gray tiles, a trend I am squarely behind. I am obsessed with gray. Wallpaper and hardwood floors are huge for powder rooms, specifically, over other bathrooms. Some remodeling-related bathroom trends for 2014 as determined by Houzz's survey of 7,645 homeowners:
I'm with the more than four on that first point: I had a great big tub in our last house (which you can't see in the above photo because my husband was standing on the ledge of it to get that angle), and in the nearly five years we lived there, I used that tub zero times. I'm just not a bath person, and rarely do I have the time to really enjoy it (though there was this one time I took the most amazing and relaxing bath, but it was at a resort). I'm mixed on the rain shower vs. hand shower, but as long as it's not the chest or stomach level jets, I'm fine. I definitely agree with lots of light; the more natural light the better. A great deal of available natural light ties in with having a glass shower, which I love. The frameless is key, too, because keeping the frame clean was a pain. One quarter of homeowners are enlarging their master bath but three-quarters of them are creating en suite masters. In each home I've owned with my husband, we've had an en suite bathroom, and I prefer the privacy of it. Something that people are split on is having the toilet separated from the rest of the bathroom as opposed to exposed as it is in both bathrooms above. Ideally, my husband and I would love to have the toilet in a separate room. It's more private, and it means the other person can be getting ready for the day or for bed without having to wait. When it comes to cabinetry, white (36%) edged out dark and medium woods which were equal in popularity (21% each). I was a little surprised that lightwood (6%) was so unpopular. I really didn't like how dark the vanity was in our old bathroom, but when it's in a more modern setting, like the Kohler vanity below, I don't mind it as much. Even though gold and brass are gaining in popularity, silver-tone faucets were the clear favorites. More dreamy bathroom design:
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