Design Crisis Loves Daniel Loves Objects

Today's post has lots of gold, the dirtiest lamps you'll ever see, and very little writing.  Let's do this:

See!  What did I tell you?  At Your Command Lamps by Daniel Loves Objects

Bookcase From his  Of Wars Wits & Power Series

These Bookshelves remind me of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

I will give you a million dollars if you can guess what this is.  A humidifier!  Hello!  I really don't need one of those here in Texas, but if Daniel ever comes up with a dehumidifier in gold, I will be first in line to checkout.

Daniel Loves Objects has lots of great goodies, you should go check them all out, I just chose to share the ones that were my favorite color.

Magical Mystery Tour

Panic happens. I've been flapping around my house like a hobbled chicken, squawking at unpainted walls, at our totally unfinished kitchen, at every dust mote that threatens to coalesce into monstrous proportions, at our unmowed lawn, at the unplanted flowers wilting away on our patio, at everything, really. I usually try to take a laid back approach to such chores, figuring things will happen when they'll happen, but now that I have a ticking time bomb in my belly, I find myself lying awake at 3 am contemplating faucet choices and agonizing over paint colors. As a result, I've been spending rather less time at the computer, and while I have 8 trillion potential posts prepped and bookmarked, I really need something glorious to motivate me. So, thank you, thank you, Stephanie from Even Cleveland, for sending me a super awesome link and saving my panic stricken, high strung ass from the certain ignominy of a lackluster Friday post. You are forever my homie!

You see, the Humlegarden Apartment, renovated by Swedish architects Tham & Videgard Hansson, simultaneously soothes my frazzled nerves and jump starts my system with a jolt of go juice.

Nestled inside this rather innocuous building in Stockholm lies a magical wonderland of color that brings me back to my youth, reminding me of that awesome 80's movie, Troll. Surely you have experienced the majesty of Julia Louis Dreyfus becoming a fairy princess and Sony Bono turning into a pickle while living a plain jane apartment that was taken over by trolls and turned into an enchanted forest? No?

Well, I'm pretty sure something like that could happen inside Humlegarden. After all, its floorplan and color palette were designed to mimic the changing seasons of a nearby park.

Some kind of magic definitely happened here, and it's making me want to stain my floor in a more seasonal palette. Unfortunately, since that would greatly lengthen my To Do list, I think I'll just enjoy the gorgeous ash parquet floors Tham and Videgard Hansson (Hansson, for short) have already installed.

Now I have that stupid MmmBop song stuck in my head. Thanks a lot, Hansson!

For serious though, with a house this uniquely bright and colorful, you have to wonder what kind of furnishings would possibly fit the space...

Well, while does go with everything... Wait, what's that I spy in the corner???

Why, it's Karly's favorite life sized stallion turned lamp from Front Design! Maybe the trolls have been here, busy creating a secret indoor forest? I, too, yearn for an indoor stable, but since I already have a messy husband, a cat, and an ankle biter on the way, I may already be on my way to achieving that goal.

This is a little 2001 meets psychiatrist office for me, but perhaps that's just my own little drama.

I do really like the sunshine yellow kitchen, and it's nice to see the common Windsor chair appear in a fresher shape and color. I would have the entire dining set covered in spaghetti sauce in no time, but that's really beside the point.

The point is, this place gives me the happy tingles inside, and it inspires me to get to painting, cleaning, and editing, pronto. All of it seems suddenly more doable. Now if only I could have those floors...

Crap I'm Thinking About Buying

It's no secret around these parts that I am cheap.  I mean really, really cheap.  I can't think of a single item in my home, aside from mattresses and electronics, that weren't purchased at a thrift store, flea market or garage sale.  Sometimes I'll pick up goodies at Marshalls or TJ Maxx, but usually if they're on sale.  For me, shopping for my home isn't just about finding awesome items, it's about finding awesome items at an even more awesome price.  It has nothing to do with my income, I just love it.  If finding deals were an ultimate sport, I'd be draft pick numero uno every year, which is good because I suck at real sports.  Yuck, dirty. Even though I would never buy any of the goods I show you all daily, every once in a while I find something online, something that has (gasp!) never been owned by another person, and, well the price isn't so bad.  That is when I do something really bizarre:  I think about buying it.  

Without further ado, I give you my newest DC column:  Crap I'm Thinking About Buying.  You guys decide.

Aurel Schmidt's door-sized print, Supernatural has been begging to live out it's years in my living room for sometime now.  At only $90 for 7 square feet of badassicalness, it is totally absurd that I do not own it.  But every time I hover over "add to cart" I think, shit, how am I going to frame it? 

What do you say, Supernatural:  Buy?  Don't Buy?

When I was putting together my How-To post the other day, I came across this 72" wide beauty on ebay.  I know, I know, who the hell needs 2 giant tapestries?  You kids are barking up the wrong tree:  I aready own, like, 8 or 10 (a bit smaller, of course).  But look at how big and pretty it is.  With a current auction price of $14.99, this little gem could bring some much needed color to my dining room.

Another Tapestry:  Buy?  Put it Down and Walk Away?

Ok, this little beauty isn't really open for debate, as I already told the artist, Hope Perkins, that Tiger in Bed has found it's forever home in my bedroom.  Once he comes down from his current show, he'll be mine forever.  (and for only $250!) Check out more pieces from her show HERE

Tiger In Bed:  Not Open For Discussion

There is a bar in Austin with a giant plastic horse head hanging on the wall.  I almost made my way out with it one night until the bartender grew a conscience and changed his mind.  I made it mission #1 to find the horse head on my own.  Once I found him at this prop shop, I was crestfallen at his $319 price tag.  Couple that with the fact that I did just get a 3' tall brass pony and one has to start to wonder:  how many horse replicas does one girl really need?  (I can't believe I just typed that) 

So, what do you say, Horse Head Mount: Buy or Don't Buy (you guys really can't let me buy this)

Almost as practical as a giant horse head is this oversized pair of scissors, which I found on (wait for it) Great Big Stuff dot com.  At $219, the mere fact that I'm even considering these scissors confounds me.  But! Guess what! For only $10 more you can upgrade to GOLD handles.  Yes-sir-e-bob, great big stuff dot com, that sounds like a deal to me.

Verdict, Giant Scissors: Yes! No!

Elle Decor South Africa featured these hand beaded animals on their blog a while ago, at $24 US per toy, these little guys are easier for me to stomach.  Oh, and the money goes to support women and their families living with HIV in South Africa, so, we can feel all warm and fuzzy about saying yes to these guys.

Life Saving Animals:  Yes? No? 

Recently, I was helping my mother find a new couch online, not one to normally shop for couches outside of craigslist, I was amazed at how many decent options there were at reasonable prices.  Of course, rather than finding a couch I really need, I found this little Escala Seat.  Now, I really don't think I could bring myself to spend $875 for an indoor / outdoor seat, but it would be pretty perfect for the nook in my bedroom.

Dudes, you're up, Escala Seat: Yay or Nay

While on the same mom-couch-hunting-mission, I also found these couches that I would happily replace my (tres uncomfortable) living room couch with.  I know, I know, a white couch?  I'm pretty sure that I've proven with my choices up until now that I don't put a very high premium on practicality.  

I do like how deep the top couch, the Spazio is, but at $2000, I don't think I could bring myself to write the check.  The bottom couch (bye bye flower pillows), the Sebastian, is much more reasonable at only $1,234

You guys can vote, but I'm not going to buy them.

Ok, here's something I really and truly am going to buy:  tile for my fire place.  Both samples above are mirrored, affordable, and (guess what!?!?!?!) on sale at glass tile oasis.  On the left, we have the gold mirrored tile I'm considering for the living room.  I like it, it's lovely BUT, I do have a lot of gold in there, and I'm a little worried about what gold mirror tile will do to the resale value of my home.

On the right I have black mirror tile which is absolutely going to be purchased for my bedroom, no questions asked.  I'm checking out as you read this.

So, the vote gets fancy this time, Gold Mirror Tile for the living room:  Do it! Do it! OR, No, it's just way too much look, sister.

PS, if not gold mirror, than what should I use.  See my living room HERE (psst, there's a lot more stuff in there now and the fireplace has been painted white)

Ok, I actually had a couple more things to show you today, but I feel like I might be overwhelming you, as I have myself, with too many options.  So, you guys go calculate, do some math, and let me know what to buy.  I'll save the rest of the items for our next installment.  Unless you think this column is as crappy as it's title.