I’m in the midst of completely redoing my office (which is also my library / guestroom / furniture storage area), and my inner OCD is really coming out to play. Normally, I don’t have a modern bone in my body when it comes to decor, but suddenly all I can think about is minimal, white spaces, no clutter, and a hyper-organized office. (I blame our recent downsizing…clutter is contagious when your square footage is suddenly cut in half. Read on
That mega house-redesign project I’m working on (the series starts next week!!) has really brought out the compulsive shopper in me. Give me a retail task, and I’m like a frantic, obsessive beagle tracking a scent….no way am I giving up until I find that thing! So, I shop and shop (and shop), looking for every.possible.option, until I’m so sick of whatever I’m looking for that I can’t stand the thought of seeing one more, ever.
Then, inevitably, just as I’m ready to move so that I don’t have to find a console table at all, the right option materializes.
So, I was thinking….I might as well put some of that obsessive hunting to good use and share it. What do you say? Are you up for a little more chatter about design?
With that, a few of my favorite desks from the latest compulsive hunting project:
Left to right, from top: Josephine desk in light blue, World Market, $140 / Parsons desk in diamond-weave grasscloth, West Elm, $499 / Beckett desk, Serena & Lily, $899 / Besta-Burs desk in white (also in black and red), Ikea $269 / Ava desk in nickel (also with wood base), Pottery Barn, $499 / Go-cart desk in chartreuse (also in orange and carbon), CB2, $149
I was looking for something feminine, but not girly. Something I could put in an office that my hubs wouldn’t be embarrassed to use occasionally. And, most important of all, something with a very light footprint that would sort of disappear into the room. My office/guest room/library has become a furniture graveyard – currently, it boasts four bookcases, a queen bed, a giant upholstered chair, filing cabinets and a cedar chest. Adding a desk to the mix almost seems cruel, but I’ve got work to do!
What did I end up with? It’s all in the reveal, friends. I know, such a tease. Mark your calendars – my home redesign series starts next week!
Friends, one of you sent me this question back in January, and I am incredibly tardy in responding. But in my defense, it wasn’t that I forgot, or that I had more important things to do. No, it’s that it was a genuinely tricky query, and I needed some time to marinate on the best options.
The attached photos you may recognize as Jenna Lyons’ closet. I love the shelving she uses to store her shoes and would like to recreate it in my own closet but I don’t want to spend a fortune. I’ve tried to find some shelving that looks nice…..not so industrial but no such luck. Any suggestions? ~Jaime R.
{Photos c/o Trulia}
See what I mean? Jaime wants me to do better on a closet storage option than Jenna Lyons? Talk about a tall order. And so, I just sort of pushed her question to the back of my mind, where it’s been rolling around aimlessly for the last month (or two).
But, I think I finally have a suggestion that will work brilliantly. Those shelves you see in Jenna’s closet are actually glass, with powder-coated metal framing. I’m guessing it’s the frame you’re not crazy about – and, to be honest, I’m guessing those shelves are commercial display models, so you don’t have to worry. You’d never be able to find them anyway.
I trolled all sorts of home design stores looking for solutions, but I think they’ll all still have that industrial bent you don’t love. Then it hit me, like a bolt from the blue: floating shelves are what you need. Glass would be the closest to Jenna’s look, but I think it depends on the space and your personal preferences. A few parameters:
If you play your cards right, you should end up with something that looks a bit like this:
{Images c/o Architectural Digest / FloatingGlassShelves.com}
As for sources, your best bet for glass (after an exhaustive search) is Home Depot – they have every shape and size you could ever wish for. If you’re after a non-glass option, IKEA has dozens of choices in everything from wood to laminate to metal, and it’s hard to argue with their prices.
If you don’t love this option, I heartily recommend the current issue of Lucky, which includes a fantastic how-to section on closet storage ideas (including some great shoe storage options). It’s definitely worth a look before you make any decisions.
One last tip: Jenna has her shelves incredibly overloaded…which makes me both envious and stressed out. Leave some space between your shoes, and you’ll have a much cleaner look.
Good luck, Jaime! I expect an update when this project of yours is completed.
Have a fashion, beauty or design question that’s leaving you stumped? Send it my way, and I’ll do my best to sleuth out a solution. editor {at} shoppingsmycardio {dot} com
in honor of the movie du jour, julie & julia, i thought i’d share a few of my favorite foodie finds of late.
speaking of the movie, if you’re looking for a way to spend a few hours of your weekend, i have to admit that i loved julie & julia when i saw it last weekend. for fans of the book, i wouldn’t worry about being disappointed…the two are really only the same in concept. i wasn’t crazy about the actual “adaptation” of the book (as usual), but if i’m being honest, i loved that we saw so much more of julia child in the movie than you do in the book. if nothing else, you have to see it just to be amazed by meryl streep’s portrayal of julia child: it’s utterly amazing. see the movie, and then stop by your neighborhood bookshop and pick up the novel – they’re so different, you’l have no problem enjoying both. oh, and then go out and buy something amazing to cook. trust me, you’ll be in the mood!
i’m finding absolutely everything at maryhill clayworks to be utterly charming this week. i love the free-form, crumpled glasses, i love the exaggerated bumps on their “bumpy bowl,”…this whole table just looks like such a cozy, warm setting. and oh goodness, please don’t get me started on the chocolate ware collection.
i actually couldn’t believe it when i found out this stylish, chic kitchen storage collection was from ikea. ikea! as in, not one of these pieces is more than $10. i’m dying to pick up a whole stash of those canisters (left) for my dry goods, and i’ll use the “soy sauce” pitcher for balsamic vinegar, i’m thinking. those sweet little spice bowls? for the salt and pepper next to my stove, naturally.
and if none of that inspires you to head to the kitchen this weekend, i’m willing to bet my favorite food blogger will. happy friday, everyone!