ohbrooke

Craigslist Treasure of the Week: Noguchi-style Coffee Table

The great features of this piece:

1. the glass top makes it appear to take up less space,  if you are worried about a coffee table cramping your room, this would be perfect.

2. Solid wood base keeps it grounded and gives the piece some visual weight.

3. Organic shapes could help if your room is starting to feel boxy (couch, rug, frames…)

4. Mid-century modern look is great for modern rooms and vintage alike

5. Who wants a coffee table that looks like everyone else’s when you can have this!

View the original Craigslist Post here.

Win This Poster!

I was inspired to create posters for my office. I saw it here, and loved it enough to make it, not enough to buy it. The phrase ‘Keep calm and carry on’ is a message that was posted all over Britain during World War 2. It was a message from King VI to the people to endure the war.

I made a series of sayings including something I had said while at work (unrelated to the posters):

And Lastly, it inspired me to make a poster for my sister with a special wedding song for her, “Lucky” by Jason Mraz.

detail view:

SO – email me at brooke{at}brookehalldesign.com to be entered into the drawing to WIN ONE OF THESE POSTERS – your choice. I will be drawing names on Tuesday when we come back from the holiday, so hurry and email! (And don’t worry if you are my friends… I want you to enter too!)

Inspiration

I love a little mid-century modern piece, and this post from Design*Sponge is fun. Check out the before and afters.

This is always inspiring to see this kind of creativity. It makes you wonder what you have that you turn into a fun piece!

Rugs Keep it Cozy

Rugs always make your place feel more cozy. It makes it more comfortable, adds color and texture, and shows that you’ve put some thought into how your room should look.

Here are a few rugs I think make a fun statement (Do you have some I should add?):

Pottery Barn’s Moorish Tile Rug (I have two: one in orange, one in brown):

Target’s San Remo Rug – Venetian Oak:

West Elm’s Giraffe Rug:

Cost Plus World Market’s Medallion Tufted Rug:

Pier 1 Import’s Damask Tufted Rug:

Builder Incentives

This article about a Taylor Woodrow community proves that almost anything can be negotiated when purchasing a new home. A few negotiable incentives include:

Discounts: Asking price can be negotiated.

Upgrades/Credits: Others ask for credits for upgrades or furnishings.

Closing Costs: Mainly for those who are short on cash, the builder can pay closing costs.

Rate Buy-Down: The builder will pay a premium to lower the interest rate of a buyer’s loan.

Here are the highlights from the article:

Jim Hammett, 64, was the first person to move into Taylor Morrison’s 76-unit Sendera development in Concord in November. His three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath, Plan 1 home was $597,000, but in a phone call from the builder he found out that prices dropped $50,000.

“I asked if that was going to include me because I was already in contract,” he said. “They said yes.”

But Taylor Morrison didn’t stop there. When Hammett couldn’t pay more than $3,000 a month, the builder kicked in money to lower his monthly mortgage payment from $3,800 to less than $2,500 a month.

“They really wanted me to buy out here and gave me what I wanted,” Hammett, a retired police officer, said.

Sendera in Concord, is now starting in the upper $400,000s.

Craigslist Treasure of the Week

Stainless Steel furniture:

You can see the original post here.

You can see additional pictures here.

Return on Home Improvements

Remodeling magazine’s report on average return on home improvements is as follows:

Protect Your Investment: Caring For Your Hardwood

Interior designer Coral Nafie from About.com wrote a great article on cleaning your hardwood floors. They look amazing, and here is how you can keep them amazing:

1. Vacuum once or twice a week to remove dirt and sand. Use a soft brush attachment to minimize scratching.
2. Since water is one of a wood floors worst enemies, get rid of water right away! Remove wet spills ASAP with soft towels or a wet/dry vacuum, then dry thoroughly.
3. Use a very dry damp mop when mopping polyurethaned wood floors, since excess water can seep into seams and ruin a wood floor.
4. Consider using carpet runners (with non-skid pads) over wood floors in high traffic areas.
5. Vacuum area rugs and runners often so dirt doesn’t filter down through the weave and scratch the wood underneath.
6. If possible, do not wear heavy shoes or high heels on hardwood floors, as some heels can cause dents.
7. Never drag furniture or other objects across a wood floor. Instead, clean the floor thoroughly to remove dust and grit, then use “gliding” furniture pads underneath the piece to aid sliding it across the floor.
8. Install floor mats at each entrance so you don’t track in dirt from the bottoms of shoes.
9. Be sure to follow manufacturer recommendations to treat flooring scratches and dents. If an area of the finish is damaged by water, it may be difficult to fix it.
10. Use furniture pads to place under table and chair legs and on the feet of dressers and armoires. They can be purchased at a local hardware store or home center.
11. Some floors may require periodic waxing and buffing. Get recommendations from the manufacturer for the specific procedures for your floor.

See the original post here

When to Splurge

Anyone who knows me, is aware that I am a deal shopper. I love creating the Pottery Barn look for the Ikea price. Having said that, I know when it’s time to buy the real deal.

This weekend my husband and I went out to a furniture distributor to pick up a new bed for our condo (see bed below).

While there, I found some really unique pieces by designer John Reeves. His work all had similar qualities: highly laquered finishes, curvy lines, and modern design with vintage touches.

There were two pieces in particular that I fell in love with:

1. This O&L storage cabinet

2. And the tall dresser on the left.

I settled on this Dresser because I thought it would be great storage in my office/studio. John Reeves is extremely talented and has a passion for his work, and I find that to be more attractive than picking a dresser up at a chain furniture store.

I particularly like the leg treatment in his “Loius” collection shown below. He splits a turned leg into quarters, creating this play on modern and traditional furniture design. His Louis coffee table was picked up by Anthropologie to be sold in their store.

Here is the next piece I am after (The Louis Zinc Table):

To see this beautiful work in person, visit the U.S. distributor Next Door Trends. Dennis Deisinger is a knowledgeable and friendly resource and he helped us pick out our pieces (And he’ll give you a good deal!) They are located in Richmond off of the Marina exit on I-580. His number is 415-441-0980.

Long Live the Stencil

Okay, I know stencils can sound hokey. But in moderation and good taste, stencils can look phenomenal. I have put together a collection of excellent uses for the stencil.

Okay, so how can we learn from these successful applications of stenciling?

• those that have the ENTIRE surface covered in stencil chose a low-contrast color combination. Choose two colors that are close to each other in the color family, to keep it from being overwhelming. If you want blue – chose a blue and a lighter shade of that blue.
• Those that had smaller applications of the stencil treatment could afford to use brighter colors. A neutral background (black, tan, white) looks great with small areas of reds, blues and brighter colors.
• Smaller doses keep the area looking special. Stenciling a dresser makes that piece unique and gives it personality. Then using the same stencil on the wall makes it kitschy and less effective.

I found a great website that has beautiful stencils that I would like to try out for myself. Stencil Gallery has everything from floral to lettering. Look at their impressive Photo Gallery.

How can this apply to your home? Do you have a stencil success story?