Put the Ike in Ikea

Today marks day one of The Hunny's stupid week long business trip to LA, which means for the next five days it'll just be me and precious Baby Ike. Now I'm not a religious person, but I do believe I just crossed myself all Father, Son and Holy Ghost, style. Anyhoo, Karly promised to think about maybe possibly potentially accompanying me and the babe on an Ikea shopping spree this Friday, which would be Ike's second trip to Ikea although he visited at least 867 times in utero. In fact, we went so often while renovating the kitchen that we may have named our firstborn son after Ikea (he's going to love this story when he gets older). These days I can't just jet off to Austin's northernmost reaches whenever I feel like it -- I have to PLAN, so I think I'm going to get started by typing up my dreamboat shopping list. Some of these things might get boughten, and some of them might not. By Friday, I will probably be playing fast and loose with the credit card, but I can always claim delirium as an excuse.

Part Most of Ikea's allure lies in its flagrant cheapitude. Clockwise from top left: the Fado pendant light will be going over the kitchen sink (but you know I will be painting that hardware a bronzy gold), Gilda pillows for the living room, yet more Aina linen curtains to form a giant sexy curtain wall behind my bed, and loads of Elly dishtowels.

I have no use whatsoever for either of these new Ikea Charlotta fabrics, but I am in love, sweet love, with both of them, especially the Block print on the left.

How adorable is Ikea's new Dekad alarm clock? As if I needed something other than Ike to help me wake up... Whatevs. For $5.99, it's coming home with mama.

The time has come for Ike to get a highchair, and I had been planning -- nay, counting -- on buying Ikea's Leopard chair on the left, but it got discontinued due to some supposed safety issues. DAMN IT. Now, instead of looking at a Casala inspired, ultra cool leopard, I'm going to have to settle for a wimpy old Antilop. Definitely not king of the jungle, but least it's cheap.

In other news, I have a pillow and blanket problem. Behold:

Cute stuff: Karlstad, super cheap Henny, and Gilda pillows in two different colors.

My blanket fetish has been spurred to new heights by these inexpensive offerings. Clockwise from top left: Henny, Stoff in charcoal and natural, and Sticka.

ZOMG I want this so bad! The new Solig solar powered floor lamps are scorching hot.

Ok, so what I really want is this dumb CB2 knit pouf thing, but it only comes in puke green. WHY CB2? WHYYYY? Must everything come in some kicky punch color? Would it kill you to make it in white or black or gray? Whatever. I plan to fill the gaping pouffle shaped hole in my life with Ikea's Alseda, which is A) not green and B) hella cheap. $29.99 -- take that, CB2 bitches!

I want a new bed, so I plan to peruse Ikea's offerings. So far, I'm interested in these fine specimens:

Queen of ubiquity, the Malm. Perhaps painted white?

I'm pretty intrigued by the Aneboda's shape, but I'm a little concerned about those screw things in the corners. Will this look like a cheap piece of crap?

And of course there is the super dreamy Edland, which would unfortunately draw the eye right up to the nursty faux wood grained ceiling fan over our bed. What? It gets hot in Texas.

Does anybody have one of these beds? Do they even make them in King sizes?

Speaking of cheap, what do you think about this:

I'm a little embarrassed to even post the Tranby, but I've been looking for a pair of round mirrors for my living room and why the bleep is everything so expensive? I don't know about this, though... I kind of feel like it belongs at TJ Maxx.

And finally, IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! I need your help:

We neeeeed a new rug, and I want something big, cheap and flatwoven, because I am sick to death of woolen tumbleweeds blowing through the house. Which of these Stockholm rugs do you prefer for my living room? The furniture has been rearranged, but the pieces are still the same. I'm worried that the triangle rug will be too busy, but will the striped one get dirty on the white parts? Plus everyone in the universe has the striped one -- should that disqualify it? Plus I'm not even sure that Ikea still makes the large 8.5 x 11 size. Does anyone know if they still carry it?

Ok, by my calculations I have spent approximately $3459 virtual dollars, and that doesn't even include all the cinnamon rolls and ice cream cones I plan to eat. Gotta trim the list down. What do you dudes like?

Towards a New Geometry

Bang, bang, Baroque is dead. There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Euclid. Along with Deputy Pythagoras, Sheriff Euclid is here to promote order -- no blurry lines for this straight edged law man. Still, Euclid ain't afraid to loosen up and get all scalene in the hizzy. So bust out your protractors and compasses, and don't forget to bring your perpendicular polygons. Kids, we're gonna wax axiomatic today.

Softly rounded biomorphic ribbon chairs by Pierre Paulin are the perfect foil to hard angles. via Karl Anderson.

Hot shiny circumference supported by sexy supplementary angles = featherweight heavy hitter. Geo Side Table by West Elm, $199.

Kelly Wearstler knows a thing or two about balancing solid forms. I love this idea. Going to tell The Hunny to bust out his whittling knife and get busy.

Who wants a piece of the Pi? Just don't forget to square the radius, or you may end up with a wimpy circumference. via Ngoc Minh Ngo

These wee Hexpods would be fab dangling from fishline, forming a constellation of acute angled beauty. I would paint them gold and silver and hang them in front of a black wall. Small Hexpod is $9.95 from CB2.

Hexagons and rhombuses, unite! via Ruy Teixeria

Chad Hagen's Nonsensical Infographic No. 1 may not prove any corollaries, but it does demonstrate how beautiful spatial relationships can be. Prints available through 20x200.

No funny stuff, just crushing on these rectangles. I want this painting bad. via Ngoc Minh Ngo.

Apparently the home owner never leaves his house. I wouldn't either if I had a pool flanked by these mirrored isosceles megaliths. via OWI

I'm considering this rug for my redesigned living room. It's probably too busy, but think of how much cat hair it would hide. Ikea Stockholm Rug, $229.

Wouldn't it be awesome if just one window in your house had beevision? You have to appreciate how orderly those little captains of industry are. via Ruy Teixeira.

Balance. Mathematical perfection can come from a paint can. via Christoph Theurer

Boho Geo Fringe Pillow courtesy of Urban Outfitters, $38. Love it.

This is quite possibly the coolest bathroom I have ever seen. Something tells me I can't get those cabinets from Ikea, but that's not going to stop me from lusting after their trapezoidal beauty. via Christoph Theurer

That's it for today's roundup. Hopefully you were all able to follow along, and are prepared to take a pop quiz. Questions: What do you think of this new trend? Do you mourn the absence of curlicues? Could geo peacefully coexisit with flowery damask?

Design Crisis Writer Finally Gets Act Together

Quite some time ago, way back in the beginning of the year 2009, I made a list of Design Crisis New Year's resolutions.  Some of them worked out (I'm pretty sure I painted a lot of stuff gold last year); some of them are still in the pipeline (where is all that money this blog was supposed to make us?); and some of them are finally being wrapped up today.  Yes, 419 short days after last year's new years resolutions, I'm putting some of my own work up for sale.

photo by our own lovely Erin

You dudes may remember this horse I designed way back when.  Well, I finally screen printed him and I'm trading the prints for cash-dollars.

Fun Facts:

This print is HUGE.  Monster huge.  It took me almost a month to find the 3-foot-square paper it's printed on.  You know what that means?  You can actually have a giant piece of art without paying Michelangelo prices.

Fun Fact 2:  I only printed 30 of these.  7 of them are gone.  math math math... that means there are 23 left.

FF3:  Yes, there was only one picture in today's post, making it relatively short, but the news is huge and that's what matters.

FF4:  You can get your print HERE.

go forth and make momma proud, ya'll.