Where Are the Wild Things?

After viewing the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are, and jonesing for its release, I thought I would peruse the web in hopes of finding some furry, fuzzy, wild pieces of furniture in the attempt of taming my desire. Since I know these wild ladies here at Design Crisis love a good animal+furniture = cracked out awesomeness post, I am guessing this idea will fit right in. Oh, wait, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet. Though I wish I were Karly or Erin, sadly I am not. I'm Jess at The Homebound and do come and say hello if you would like.

Alright, back to business. I'm not going to lie, fur scares me just a bit. Faux fur, real fur, it's all the same to me, and I don't really care if someone wants to throw red paint on some celebrity. But, fuzzy things do creep me out a bit and this terrifying chair found at miller studio might be my nightmare.

If I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that, I would scream and maybe soil myself. The buttons even look like eyes!

Now, this couch from Unica Home is another story. Smooth, velvety texture on my face as I take a little snooze in the afternoon. Yeah, I think I could get after that. The price, however, I could never get after.

Another piece that I could see possibly making friends with is this Childrens Emma Chair by ABC Collection.

Can't you imagine the hippest mom ever with this chair in her kiddo's nursery? I love the gray color and this fur seems inviting, not frightening.

Back to frightening, I don't think it gets more literal than these chairs by Serge Olivares found on La Dolce Vita.

Do you see horns? Because I see horns, and a tail for that matter. Plus, that texture is making my skin crawl. I do love how sexy the girl chair is though. It is saying, look at me with my fringe and flower, aren't I inviting?

All right, I hope that tides you over until the movie comes out. Thanks for letting me share over here at DC!

Round Top Round Up

Last Friday was my first visit of the season to the semiannual Round Top Flea Market.  With fields of dusty goods as far as the eye can see, it is a heaven that requires several days to sort though.  My normal wing-ladies, Hope, Jen and Erin were all indisposed with trips to Hawaii and new born babies so I brought a new copilot, Diana, who was a Round Top virgin.  I must say, she did an excellent job keeping up with me as I darted through the fields, avoiding the vendors whom I know to have booths filled with over priced goods or hand painted crafts.  Our trip began with a bang as we were greeted by this lovely fellow:

The purpose of this giant peacock remains unknown, but it certainly was a pleasure to cross his path.  We felt the day was off to a good start and we were not wrong, shortly thereafter we stumbled across this pair of lamps:

At $50 for the set they were mine for the taking.  Matt thinks they look like popcorn poppers, but I don't care because they look darling in my guest bedroom.  Hopefully my visitors like to read under a nice orange glow.

The very same vendor had this odd little plastic seat, like the peacock, we could not determine it's function, but it was mighty cute all the same.

This little tulip table and chair set called my name, but, alas, I already have 3 extra tables in my house with no purpose what-so-ever, so I had to pass.

I spotted lots of stainless commercial kitchen goodies, which gave me hope and promise for the budget stainless kitchen remodel of my dreams.

I was truly smitten over this gigantic gold coin and even imagined a few prime spots for it in my house but I didn't trust it's authenticity of being vintage so I kept movin.

Only a few booths down from the giant coin was this Native American Head, oh how I loved it so.  It was in a notoriously expensive booth so I didn't even bother inquiring about the price, though.

This hoop chair cost more than the bathroom remodel I'm planning, so I snapped a picture and ran.

Diana eagle-eyed this partition and imagined its possibilities as a headboard, I thought the idea was GENIUS, mostly because it is gold, but purchasing it would have drained her last dollar and it wasn't even noon yet. 

I snapped a picture of this creepy taxidermy display in honor of Hope, who certainly would have spilled her ice-tea slushy down her shirt had she gotten the chance to see it.

This fearsome bust made me quite angry with myself for having passed up a similar statue only weeks ago at the thrift store.  If only I'd thought about how darling he would look covered in a thousand million necklaces.

Now THIS piece was truly unbelievable and the photo does it no justice at all.  It is a 3' tall lamp / fountain / vase and it totally and completely rocked my world.  Had it not sported a $300 price tag, I would be typing beneath it's heavenly light right now.

I love old trophies, each of these wanted to come home with me, what they did not realize was that I already have quite the collection that I've won the hard way:  by slamming down $2 to $3 at a time at my local thrift store.

The piece de resistance was most certainly this brass horse.  Why was he so special you ask?  Because he was THREE FEET TALL.  Um hello!  Our eyes met across the field and I ran to him as though caught by the ocean-side only a stone's throw from a long lost lover.  The angels came down from the heavens and the trumpets shouted in triumph.  Our romance was not to be, however.  Like the star-crossed-lovers of yore, our love affair ended when he yielded a price-tag of $150.  Well worth it, but, hey, I've got a bathroom to remodel.

It was the day of lamps.  In addition to the popcorn popper pair I purchased, I also got the one pictured above...

... as well as this hanging lamp that has been poorly photographed on it's side. I only have room for one in my house and I couldn't decide between the 2 very different styles, so I haggled like a pro and got the set for $50, I figure I will sell which ever one doesn't make the cut.

So, that's that.  Round Top day one complete.  I'll be revisiting the flea this week with my homebound pal Erin and my visiting friend Patrick.  You kids will get updates post haste.

You know you want a grotto...

  Hello all, I'm susie from eye spy. Today I’m mussing up all the D-C shiny and sleek and metallic and new by posting some old antiquish well-worn goodness.

I have grottos on my brain today. It began years ago when, upon meeting my future mother-in-law the first time, we small-talked for less than 5 minutes and she told me that her life would be complete if only she had her very own grotto. I had boat-bobbed in Capri’s touristy Blue Grotto a couple of years earlier. Back then I was niave in the ways of decor, I assumed my mother-in-law longed for a watery cave. But it was an elaborate garden folly that she has on her “to do before I die” list.

Poets build grottos as places for reflection. The devout build chapels based on grotto design. Some make miniatures of others. 

{ Above images via JPaul, spondle, + lowooley / Flickr }

When the shells ran low, mosaics were made with ceramics, glass, rock, crystals... well, anything. An it only looks more fabulous.

{ Above images via lovedaylemon, Kaptain Kobold, + dovolena s Andelem / Flickr }

And no grotto would be complete without a bust of Neptune. Or the Holy Mother. 

{ Neptune bust, Lois Macauley } 

The Pope has a centuries-old stone and shell grotto. The Playboy Mansion has a newish bulbous concrete grotto. Ariel has a fiberglass grotto. 

{ Photos: Papal grotto here }

So recently I brought up the grotto plans with my mother-in-law. She told me that now she’d rather have an indoor grotto (shoo, silly nature) and would now prefer a shell-embellished room or furniture. As long as it conformed to her more-is-more decor school of thought.

Crazy talented shell artist Blott Kerr-Wilson makes garden structures, houses, rooms, and furniture from shells. Many of which are restaurant discards. Her career was launched in 1993 when World of Interiors named her artist of the year.

How does one illuminate a shell room?  Oly Studios has a fabulous collection of shell lighting, but I prefer an Adam Wallacavage Octopus chandelier. 

Maybe you too would like a shell house, but you crave some bright and shiny. If your tastes run to the fantastic, here’s a nautilus house in Mexico City that might inspire you. 

{ Photo: dVice }

Though it looks like it might have washed up on some beach, The Shell House is deep in the forrest of Karuizawa, Japan. Designed by Artechnic, this double-elliptical vacation retreat was inspired by a conch shell.

What about furnishings? A little modern? Antique and ornate? For streamlined classics, there are Hans Wegner shell chairs. Or you might like the symmetry of the Nautilus Chair available here.

For the antique variety, 1st Dibs and ArtFour have gobs of grotto furniture. Be a seated Venus when you perch on the piano stool below. Fabulous. 

Golden baby putti, above, is saying that’s all folks. I’ll update you when my mother-in-law starts gluing on her shells. Thanks for dipping your toes in my grotto.