Besides fiber art, I’ve also been quietly hoarding a bunch of lighting ever since the dining room chandelier moved onward to a better home. None of the lighting I’ve stumbled on has been perfect and I haven’t been able to find my dream brutalist chandelier – really the closest thing I have found was this Tom Greene for Monteverdi-Young beast of a brass thing that popped up on Craigslist for a very unbrutal price.

On the other side of chandelier spectrum is that shiny 70′s bit of vintage Lightolier chrome which came into my life late one night when I stumbled upon a very neglected and oddly described eBay auction. So? Score.

Oh, these old things?

Yeah. We’ll get to those in a bit.

Anyway, while out and about in Orange County I stumbled on a little vintage shop and left with my very own Auro Glowbal. Yes sir THAT Auro Glowbal. Don’t worry I’ve never heard of it either, but it looks to be a handmade cotton version of those cheap paper lanterns and turned out to be a nice stand-in for the Akari light sculptures that haunt my daydreams.

Bumling to the Sciolari to the Greene.

Name dropping is what I do best and annoys my friends and loved ones much more than you’d expect. Or maybe as much as you’d expect. I can be pretty unbearable.

The Bumling I’ve had for awhile, but the Sciolari is a new acquisition from a little trade I did with Ellen over at Amsterdam Modern. I imagine it will end up in one of the bedrooms? Maybe? I don’t know.

No, I haven’t forgotten the Nelsons.

I swear.

Anyways, we installed the Auro ball thing in the den, but Mr. Lightolier, Mr. Sciolari and Mr. Bumling are all still floating around totally homeless. It feels impossible to decide where they should go.

I have a raging case of decision fatigue.

But at least the glowbal was installed after sitting on the floor for months…and it looks like there’s only this image as proof since someone forgot to take after pictures. That someone being me.

I failed. I’m a failure.

Good thing I overuse instagram.

OK. So, lamps. Once. Twice. Three, no, four times a Nelson.

I was out in LA working with Laure on some photo shoots during the day and then cruising Craigslist at night, per the norm, when I stumbled on a listing for a crap ton of huge bubble lamps. I emailed them, they emailed back, I was so happy and then realized I couldn’t pick them up while doing awesome photo shoot stuff, so I begged Summer to grab them and promised to split the lamp haul between us. The end.

OK, these things are HUGE and I have four and perhaps I dove into this adventure without much of a plan. With nothing to lose I tried out something that initially felt nuts; I tried the saucer.

The Nelson bubble lamp over the dining table thing feels like it might be the biggest cliche around. Classic design icon? For sure. Ubiquitous lighting choice for mid century interiors? Sure.

Despite this obvious snobbery, these lights beefy scale made me curious about how one might look hung up in the dining room. I loosely strung one up (without fully installing) and stepped back to find that, well, I…sort of…liked it.

Now everything I believe in is in shambles.

I can’t decide if this super size saucer works or if a more unusual lighting choice is a better fit. Does large scale forgive ubiquity? Is this becoming a classic design convention? I’m not sure, but it feels kind of nice?

Hold on. There’s one last factor to consider – no big deal – just forgot to mention the amazing custom built dining table coming soon. Boom.

Everything. Shambles.

So this sucker is going to get a little test run until the new table comes and then we’ll see if it should be installed for real. Who knows! The only certainty is that I change my mind constantly.

I know. I KNOW, DAMMIT.

This fiber thing has gotten fully out of control.

Whatever.

You heard that right. I’ll say it.

What – to the – ever.

At least I can admit to being powerless against fibers. Fully powerless. Power – to the – less.

I’m turning into such a cliche since we all know this story: girl goes on eBay, girl searches for textiles, girl stumbles on a listing for a “Southwest Tapestry Weaving”, girl bids a couple dollars and one day a box shows up full of fiber art. The end.

I wasn’t even trying to find this thing. I was being good! I was just looking for rugs or maybe blankets? It’s all such a blur.

That pusher eBay just waved it this in my face and I gave in to the temptation and now it looks like the kitchen has a shaggy addition. What was I supposed to do? What could any person do? Show restraint and NOT buy old weird woven wall hangings via internet auctions?

I’m not made of that kind of steely discipline. I’m a human being.

This is the last time. The. Last. Time.

It has to be. I’m running out of wall space.

On the plus side, this stringy minx looks uncannily like the one and only ultimate piece of fiber art. See that? My new little fiber could easily be mistaken for a younger and more naive version of that massive beauty. Like that one birthed a wee fiber baby? Oh, yeah. Total fiber baby.

During a recent visit to the Ace I created some indisputable Instagram evidence to drive the point home.

Try and dispute that.

You can’t. That incredible evidence is beyond dispute.

FIBERS.

I so need to find a new thing to hoard.

The problem with having a queen size bed and a penchant for vintage furniture? The apparent lack of queen sized headboard options pre-1970 or affordable new headboards that aren’t completely terrible. So, this meant for the past four plus years we’ve been riding headboardless against cold plaster walls while our pillows continuously crept into that seemingly bottomless pillow-eating crack and pretty much everything was terrible.

Enough is enough.

After staying at The Ace awhile ago and enjoying the comfort of their cushy headboards, I thought, “hey, I can DIY a big pillow thing for a headboard. Look how warm my head is! Look how my pillow stays in place! This is the answer to all my problems!”

Then I remembered how much I hate sewing. (So much)

Good thing my favorite crotchety canvas fabricator dude LOVES sewing and also had some vintage fire tarp laying around, you know, the exact same stuff I used for those sling chairs.

Um, I call this DIY delegating? I mean, I’m so happy I hired someone to sew this, but if you love to sew, the shape couldn’t be simpler. So…anyways…

I gave him some dimensions, a few reference photos and about $100 and he made me a giant box pillow headboard type thing out of used fire tarp in about a week. After getting CRAZY expensive quotes on solid foam, I ended up ordering 30 pounds of shredded foam (at about $1 a pound – FYI) to stuff it with. Then, boom, giant cushy headboard.

The dimensions I went with are:  72″w x 28″t x 12″d.

Even though I overbought foam for the calculated cubic feet needed to fill those dimensions, it didn’t end up being enough foam to stuff the thing tightly…and…maybe…I regret how deep I designed this thing to be.

It’s too deep!

At 12″ deep, the whole headboard bulged out way more in the middle (once stuffed) than I had anticipated. This bulging situation also ended up pushing the bed way too far off the wall. So, I am going to have my canvas dude fix it to be way less deep. Like 8″ instead of 12″. So, that means the foam thing won’t be an issue?

Yup? I think.

Narrower means it’ll be plenty stuffed and closer to the wall and then all will be right in the world. Hooray.

For a first run prototype, this worked out alright in the end. Admittedly, there are some kinks to fix and I would like to try making another one of these in a different type of fabric for our master bedroom.

Say what? Fire tarp isn’t super soft?

Nope. Not at all.

But it looks AWESOME.

Funny thing is, for all it’s issues, I just can’t get Iggy off this thing. He is in love with it. IN LOVE. But Bowie? Well, he’s not so convinced and prefers to stick with itchy kilim pillows.

What a nerd.

Headboard version 1.0? Still a bit buggy.

Version 2.0 in the works.

All in all, if you have a bed and no headboard this could be a nice solution. It’s totally customizable, totally affordable to make (or have made) and totally soft on your noggin.

The circus of color that was our old Hang-It-All? So 2009.

And now?

Welcome to the den, slightly different Hang-It-All, now featuring more walnut balls and black frame style of which can be procured from that classic modern design supplier: SimplyBenches.com

DUH.

I mean, did I even have to say it? It really is the one site that can only be described as the single most important source for hip stuff. Like hip ass benches.

Frankly though, Simply Benches Dot Com flagrantly offers way more than simply benches for sale. Just look at that knock off Hang-It-All I bought from them. Filthy lies. LIES.

Also, I cannot recommend using this particular Hang-It-All as a bench.

Or maybe I could? Who knows. You should try everything once.

Anyone recall all that internet hubbub when Herman Miller released a licensed and limited edition walnut + black Hang-It-All? Not really? Whatever. Here’s a refresher from DWR’s site:

“In August 2010, Herman Miller, Inc. introduced a limited edition Hang-It-All in walnut with a black frame. This special item brings a sophisticated twist to the classic multi-colored version, and it will be in production for only a few months, ending in early 2011″.

I couldn’t afford the official limited edition back in 2010 which sold out and then subsequently missed every sale and FAB event thereafter, but hey, thanks to a hot tip from my friend Maya, this particular puppy has been working out for me just fine. I can actually hang all my stuff and be a ‘sophisticated’ lady with my dirty little knock off.

Win win.

If you saw Emily Henderson’s blue office makeover or Cassandra’s red red redo on Coco and Kelley, then it’s old news that it’s Sherwin-Williams National Painting Week. I’m celebrating paint and painting and paint related things with a bit of DIY and the funnest of yellows, Fun Yellow.

DIY? Say what.

Here’s what: Burl. Jute. Color Dipping. Magic.

Lets do this thing.

…………………..

MATERIALS

TOP
2 – wood tops/whatever you’d like to use. *I used two slabs of vintage redwood burl I found on Craigslist, but you can use anything your heart desires. Like maybe burl? Oh, wait.

LEG
6 – 1/2″ x 10″ galvanized steel pipe
6 – 1/2″ galvanized floor flange
1 – jute twine
1 – paint *I used Sherwin Williams Fun Yellow

TOOLS
1 – drill
24 – screws
1 – glue *I used Gorilla Super Glue. Why? It was already here.
1 – masking tape
1 – small paint brush

HOW TO

1. Screw the steel pipe (or nipple – if you prefer the hilarious technical terminology) into the flange.

2. Squeeze a dollop of glue onto the base of the threaded part of the pipe and attach the end bit of that jute twine.

3. Wrap jute twine around the entire length of the pipe. Yes, it’s boring, but really doesn’t take that long.

*Be sure to keep the twine slightly taut as you wrap and also as you’re wrapping, it helps to push the wrapped twine down towards base for even coverage.

4. Finish wrapping the length of the pipe and cut the twine.

5. Tuck the loose twine bit into the pipe and secure with a spot of glue.

Now you have a fully jute wrapped leg. Hooray.

*Smart person tip: notice how the twine actually wraps over the pipes rough threaded end in order to protect delicate floors and such? Be nice to your floors!

6. Measure 3″ down from the foot end of the pipe.

7. Tape around the pipe horizontally at this 3″ mark.

8. Dip the securely taped leg into some paint. Like yellow maybe?

*Smart person tip: Stuff old newspaper bits or paper scraps into the leg hole so it won’t fill up with paint and drip forever.

9. Brush off any excess paint drips with a small brush and lay the leg down to dry.

10. Once the paint fully dries, go ahead and remove the tape slowly and carefully to keep the paint edge crisp.

Repeat and repeat and repeat all of those steps as needed.

FACT : tables need more than one leg. Crazy, but true.

Look at you, you sassy finished legs. Hey now.

OK, now that every leg is jute wrapped, color dipped and thoroughly dry – then what happens?

Well, these babies can’t wait to hold stuff off the floor.

The time is now.

Lets go nuts.

Screw the finished legs onto whatever top you’ve scrounged up and then repeat and repeat and repeat. Do I need to say that the screws go through the flange holes? No, but I did.

Anyways. Boom. Legs. Done.

Now you have the power to transform anything into a table. Use it wisely.

Look whose all screwed on and ready to be a nightstand! You legs! That’s who!

Go get in the guest bedroom, you silly gooses.

Adding these custom dipped boots of color to the jute wrapped legs helped float the nightstands off the black wall and wood floor in all the best possible ways. The final tables turned out way better than I’d dare hope, which is great since I’ve gotten incredible tired of looking for nightstands.

All my problems? Solved.

DIY accomplished. Done and Done.

Even notoriously pretentious Iggy-pup is impressed. He also asks that you ignore that new headboard situation happening. Details soon.

Oh, so just in case nightstands aren’t your jam – no worries, my feelings aren’t that hurt – methinks this project can easily be customized to anything and everything you’d like to wrap in jute or color dip. Like your friends? Neighbors? Or maybe something more practical, like taller legs for a dining table?

Color boots for everyone.

…………………..

For more color fun, check out Amanda Hill’s project launching tomorrow over at Recycled Consign and Design. Thanks again to Sherwin-Williams inviting me to participate and helping sponsor my project for National Painting Week.

The New York Times recently featured artist Doug Aitken’s home in Venice, California and I’m crushing on it so very hard.

It’s torturous.

Considering that it’s been a good long while since I’ve felt that deep gnawing tingle of a hardcore house crush, I had completely forgotten how creepy it feels to suddenly catch myself randomly daydreaming about a total strangers home.

Please stop seducing me, Doug Aitken’s house.

Also, please stop making me want piles of these Constance Holt Bolivian frasada pillows and all of Jamey Garza’s leather furniture so goddamn bad. I can’t afford this stuff. I CAN’T.

Despite being deeply obsessed with everything Bolivian textile now, I still haven’t woken up as a person who can afford to run over to Heath in LA and grab a shitload of $400 pillows. So, I’m spiraling into madness and spending dumb amounts of energy looking to source affordable Bolivian blankets and such. The reality of the sheer volume of time that’s been dedicated to this endeavor would terrify and concern folks.

Good thing all that concentrated effort has amounted in exactly squat.

On the bright side? At least I know what my next six months are dedicated to finding. Thanks again, crazy brain.

I need so much Garza Furniture in my life (to fill up that deep dark needy furniture shaped hole in my heart).

Go ahead and quit trying to tease me with that sassy little poppy leg and peek of perfect leather. I get it, chair. I like you.

You win.

Wood. Windows. Rails. Work it girl.

We just started moving ahead with some big landscaping projects (like a custom gate and steel planters and so much DG) and I keep returning back to this simple little outdoor area with it’s casual succulent and cacti plantings. I’m totally going to so casually plant desert type plants all over my yards. I’m going to do that so hard.

Hell yeah I am.

Also, did you know that this house is also a musical instrument? Yup. Apparently.

I sort of styled up the fauxdenza…oh look at that…almost a YEAR later. That woman is aghast at how long it’s taken.

Better late than never?

Still need to throw some plants up in there, so let’s all meet back here in a year and see if that worked out.

*Also, check out my favorite new ebay kilim pillow. Sassy.

I picked up this hunky bit of burl some time ago with plans to rip off those too tall and weirdly sad peg legs that had been slapped on it. This chunk of redwood burl is everything I’ve been dreaming of in a coffee table, so I wanted to do something spectacularly special and possibly brassy for the base?

So, of course I gave up after a few weeks of failed ideas and worse attempts at brassy greatness by throwing some basic hairpin legs on this puppy.

Come on.

Sometimes you’re on eBay and you’re fed up and you buy some 12″ hairpin legs and call it a goddamn day.

Three legs with three screws each and boom, done. No more stressing out about legs.

Now it sits at the right coffee table height (about 15″) and these new hairpin legs don’t actually offend me. I like the contrast in materials and maybe I’ll eventually figure out how to get some brassy ones on there. For now, this is working out great.

ADMIT IT. That’s some good wood.

So burly.

The living room is still going through some changes, so pretty please let’s all agree to just ignore the layout. Focus on that chunk of amazing wood. It’s growing on you. You like it.

Burls.

Laure and I are excited to reveal that our first ever PHOTO | CAMP will be held this upcoming Saturday, March 24th, at the ever so shiny Ban.Do studio. It’s like we’re girls! Fancy sparkly girls or something!

Above are a few shots Laure snapped at Ban.Do, which happily has turned out to be the perfect space for this first workshop. Oh, and besides the tons of photo tips and step by step editing guides, we’re also going to have some sweet goodies from blurb books and At Your Leisure as well as an extra special treat waiting for campers. No big deal, but I’ve been looking over the great photos participants have already sent in and might be feeling incredibly impatient to meet everyone and start spilling all our go-to editing super duper top secret sweet-ass tricks.

There’s still a couple spots left, so if you would like to step up your photo-game and take better photos, please feel free to check out workshop details here or register over here.

Not sure if you’ve already seen Grace’s fantastic home tour on Design Sponge, since per usual, I’m late in the sharing of stuff. Laure shot the pretty tour photos while Abby came with oodles of awesome props and I had a blast styling the house up. Always a good time working with these ladies and a better time when we end the day with some boozing, Huskies and tasty carb-loaded treats.

And then BOOM. Color.

See the whole tour and interview over here on Design Sponge.