The Starburst Mirror Round-up

Here's the high, low and medium of the ultra cool sunburst mirror. I'm drawn to these lately. I just recommended a starburst to a friend who is re-designing her living room. 

I can see these above fireplaces, above entry-way tables and above a high headboard. 

The $447.00 Horchow Starburst wins my vote. Very sheek. My favorite.

 

And then the $19.99 IKEA special -  Figgjo Mirror. Not exactly the same look but might work in the right spot.

The Ballard Design Susanne Kasler Sunburst Mirror $99. I like this one too. Not as glitzy as the first but the price is great.

Northern Delights

And oh, are they a delight! I love Scandinavian design.

This book in now at the top of my Christmas list. I love these images already. Right up my alley - simple, clean, minimalist, nature-inspired.

Sorry the images are so small. The book is coming from overseas and doesn't seem wildly popular here yet. Here's a quick write up:

"Northern Delights reveals why hardly any other interior or product design is so timeless, so functional, so aesthetic, and of such high quality as that of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. The book’s stunning selection of Scandinavian design ranges from individual products to skillfully staged living spaces. Although it also presents iconic designs, the book focuses on the work of young talents who are consciously building upon local sustainable design traditions and further developing them in a way that is consistent, intelligent, and reflects an unerring sense of style."

I underlined an important part of this passage. Local sustainable design. So important. I am trying to weave these words into my design approach as much as possible. Still exploring how to truly do this but I am just glad it's a concept that's becoming popular.

What about you? What's on the top of your Christmas list?

In need of a bunkbed?

I just ordered bunkbeds for my kids. They currently share a room and it's becoming very apparent that my older child needs his own space, even if it's just a shelf at the end of his bed. He'll love it!

I started looking around, Room & Board, Modern Seed and even IKEA. As usual, the modern bunkbeds I love are way out of my price range. But I found a great local company on Craig's List called Maine BunkBeds. Not only are these well constructed and sturdy, they come in cool colors and are very eco.  They use milk paint, which is about as non toxic as you can get. And I love the photography of the beds on their site. Bunks in a pasture, bunks in the city. Clever. Check them out www.mainebunkbeds.com

Fascination

As mentioned, I love DWELL magazine.  I'm a true modernist at heart. And once in awhile there is a house to really lust after. One hit the stands this month. Lots of very interesting things about this house. Check it out.

The house was built for $320,000 and it's 4,357 square feet. Ofcourse you could say, that's because it's Mexico. Probably true. This house is built in a gated community, where there are very high gates, armed guards, barbed wires and IDs required round the clock. So as long as you never leave your house, you safe I suppose.

The architect Jorge Gracia is well-known in Mexico and Southern Calif. Gracia says he's "an architect in a city with no architecture" and if you look at the front photo of the house you can see it's stand out. In these parts, and he says it's true of Mexicans in general, they stay close to their families and are home a lot, so this house faces inward. Everything hidden and private.

I love the pool and the deck and the kitchen and the bamboo. And they have a parrot and a turtle. Easy to do I guess when you live in the lovely hot Mexican climate.

So although this modern home may be a bit too stark-modern for most, you can't deny it's very cool.

Cubitec Shelving

Design Within Reach is one of my favorite furniture design sources. But they happen to be very 'out of reach' from a price stand point so I find myself getting ideas from them and then trying to find close seconds at IKEA, Room and Board or West Elm. That said, they do have one product that is not only beautiful, functional and well designed, but also affordable - the Cubitec shelving unit.

I love these. The shelves are light weight, sturdy molded polypropylene and can be attached and stacked to create any size. They look great as book shelves but I think they're sturdy enough to be used for toys too.  I think one unit is around $250. And I have to point out -   there's a HUGE difference between DWR quality and West Elm, Ikea etc...it's always worth the extra money when you can swing it.

Add caption

So what do you think? Doesn't the color coded book shelf above just inspire you? I feel like color coding every thing in my house when I see such order!

Kids bedrooms

My 50th blog post. Hooray!!

So more inspiration for you as promised. Here are a few files I have stored on kids' rooms. I love these all and kept them for when/if my kids ever get there own rooms, and if not, I may take bits and pieces. And as a side note - I snagged these so long ago I can't give the proper credit out for either the room designers/home owners and/or the photographer. But I know they came from Swedish blogs.

Don't you just love love love this rock wall below. How great would this be for a kid?

Some of these are custom built bedrooms, but most of these are very do-able on a limited budget. Between paint colors, IKEA, and some crafty artwork, you can recreate most of these bedrooms. Enjoy!

Love Mae

Another great find on Etsy.  Love Mae is a group of women from Australia who design wall decals. I've seen a lot of wall decals and these are by far the sweetest. I think I may work these into my office somehow, I can't resist. I love that little flowered squirrel.

Calm week ahead

I've been busy. Open house this weekend and another birthday party.  Feeling a little out of balance, but this week is low key and I'm going to take full advantage.

So I'm not in organizing mode right now but I've heard alot of chatter lately that there is an New Year's organizing trend happening, so I thought I'd share this photo. In my next house, when I have more pantry space (fingers crossed), this is what I will aspire too.  I love order, so ofcourse this is perfection for me.

I also love being able to use glass instead of plastic and the idea of buying in bulk, therefore saving money. I made a decision this weekend after chatting with a relative who is particularly good at saving money on food to buy bulk snack items instead of the prepacked snack foods for lunch boxes. Not to name names but snack packs of veggie booty are way over priced! So I'm going to try stick to raisins, pretzels,  fresh whole fruit, nuts and blue corn chips. We'll see if my kids get on board!

As for containers, I know alot of people who use the BPA-free Bento lunch boxes for kids lunches. I try to stay away from plastics altogether so I've been using LunchBots and Kids Konserve containers. They are a small initial investment but it's so worth not having to use plastic bags over and over. And there is no worry about chemical leakage from plastic. And they are dishwasher safe ofcourse.  Isn't it great we have all of these options! You can go to their direct website, but also find deals on Amazon.

What am I missing - any other frugal, eco ideas or products for school lunches out there?

H E L K A T

I was starting a post today about calendars for the new year when I came across these sweet homemade hand printed pillows from an artist on Etsy. Each one is separately hand printed and one of a kind. Aren't they great? This artist is from the UK. Here is a direct link to her Etsy shop:  HELKATDESIGN. They average around $54 and you will find over 124 different pillow designs on her Etsy site.

My favorite is the lone red wolf pillow below. Wouldn't he be striking on almost any piece of furniture?