Williams Sonoma Home is having a sale with up to 50% off items from linens to furniture.
I like this Montgomery Cocktail Table, marked down to $340.
2007: A Few Favorites
It’s the last day of 2007, so I can’t help but reminisce about some of my favorite finds of the past year. Here they are in no particular order:
Favorite Furniture Steal: The Hemnes collection at Ikea.
This stuff is classic, simple and striking. I recently checked out a few pieces in store, and they were sturdy and well-made, no screws showing or peeling veneer.
The collection includes a bed, side table, this fabulous mirrored dresser, and a beautiful chest of drawers. Pieces range from $49.99 – $349.99.
Favorite Artist Discovered Online: Linzie Hunter
I’m completely infatuated with Linzie Hunter’s collection of Spam One-Liners. The handmade typography is striking and the messages are a fascinating snap-shot of online life. Prints of the one-liners are available at Thumbtack Press for $30 a piece.
Favorite Online Gift Source: Etsy
It’s handmade, it’s quirky, it’s the perfect place to find that thing that you can be sure they don’t already have. I love shopping on Etsy. From toilet tank decals to mean bags to cute, swear-word embroidered bunnies, I found most of my holiday gifts right here online.
Favorite Source of Decorating Inspiration/Frustration: Zara Home
The images from their catalog are soul-crushingly gorgeous and they have no American retail outlets. And even though cruising their site makes me want to rip my hair out from frustration, Zara Home is one of my favorite sources of decorating inspiration.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Fabulous Sale at West Elm
Sometimes after-Christmas sales disappoint. There’s a lot of hype for not a lot of mark-down. But, the West Elm sale is a shining beacon of post-holiday dealification.
My family and I recently went by the Dallas location and ended up buying entire sets of velvet and silk curtains for rooms in my home, my brother’s home, and my parent’s home. They were marked down to $30 per panel.
A few other things I have my eye on:
The Step Side Table in beet, $129.
The Octagonal Table Lamp, $59.
The Imperial Embroidered Duvet Cover, $79 (only king is still available online).
Design Steal: Thomas O'Brien Duvet at Target
While after-Christmas shopping online, I ran across a sale on Thomas O’Brien bedding at Target.com. You can always count on the Thomas O’Brien line for classic, well-made style at a good price. But this Rich Neutral duvet cover really goes above and beyond.
The duvet is a beautiful, rich brown. And if you look closely, you can see there is an almost deco-inspired floral print that adds an air of luxury. And it’s on sale for $59!
After ordering this duvet and the matching sheets, I realized I’d seen this before in a beautiful bedroom featured in "Maxing Out a Small House" article in the December/January issue of Domino Magazine. As it turns out, the featured home was decorated with O’Brien’s help.
Holiday Wishes
Mmmmmm. I wish I had a box of these candy cane Joe-Joe’s from Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately, the store hasn’t made it to Dallas yet.
DIY Wrapping
Can you believe these presents are wrapped with grocery bags? They’re gorgeous. And green. The decoration is made from stickers you can get an any office supply store.
Get the DIY low-down at Casasugar.
Last Minute Gifting Power Via Etsy
I just noticed that Etsy has a Shop Local feature up for last minute shoppers. Simply type in your home town, and Etsy will give you a list of all Etsy sellers in your area.
Modern Gingerbread House
A great twist on a traditional holiday gift from Refinery29’s Gift Central: a modern gingerbread house.
It has all the right details, down to the rock garden. And you can have it customized with the recipient’s name.
Puppy-Proof Puzzle Rug
I love rugs. I love dogs. My dog, Thora, loves to ruin my rugs. I’ve never owned one that she hasn’t sent to an early grave.
How does she ruin them, you ask? To be delicate, let’s just say that she has some tummy problems and my rugs seem to her the perfect outlet.
As a result, the only rugs I’ve owned in the last 5 years have remained behind closed doors in the office or guest room.
But, my rug-ban may be nearing an end. I ran across this gorgeous puzzle rug on Design Spotter. Well, technically it’s modular flooring in a rug design. It’s not only colorful, and playful. It’s also made of rubber.
Gifts for the Design Inclined
It’s getting a little late for holiday shopping. Which means, of course, that I haven’t even started yet. Procrastination is a curse.
Luckily, the design blogs are loaded with wonderful, simple gift ideas for the design-inclined on your "nice" list.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Ornaments from the Frank Lloyd Wright collection for the architecturally-inspired.
For the design library, Punk House, a deviant take on interior design.
For your favorite green thumb, a miniature citrus tree. A lovely, classical accent for any home.
For the font-fanatic, the bold, grahic Noa Bembibre calendar.