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The story began when I saw this step end table on craigslist and immediately knew it was calling for me to take it home.


My end table, view 1


My end table, view 2

The step end table is one of those quintessential mid-century silhouettes and doing a little internet digging to its lineage led me to the classic Heywood Wakefield (amazon book link) Step End Table:


External photo: Heywood Wakefield Step End Table (Springdale Furnishings)

The Heywood Wakefield furniture line from the 30s to the 50s was a showcase of clean lines and functional design, all in a gorgeous champagne finish. These days, vintage Heywood Wakefield has an almost cult-following. After flipping through a few of their designs, I've gotta say, I'm hooked too.

It's so fun discovering design sources like this, something that really sparked the formation of a genre.


External Photo: Heywood Wakefield Corner Table (Springdale Furnishings)


External Photo: Heywood Wakefield Full Upholstered Chair - (Springdale Furnishings)



External photo: Heywood Wakefield Trophy Line Dresser (Springdale Furnishings)

Practically speaking, I could see myself getting a few pieces here and there. Too many, and we're dangerously close to 50's kitsch. And I know the light champagne color is a departure from the usual dark teak mid-century-modern palette. But Heywood Wakefield has got this inherent likeability to it - something about the combination of solid practicality, light-heartedness and a tad of nostalgia. I can't help but love it.

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I'm trying to find a couch for the new parlor. Something comfy and with character, but with clean lines. None of that Pottery Barn over-stuffed pillow business for me, thankyouverymuch.

Some considerations:
- Can it comfortably fit two? Can it cozily seat three?
- Is it nap-able?
- Is the fabric easy to clean?
- Will the fabric hold up to everyday use, or will it start to look worn/dingy over time?
- Will the frame hold up for everyday use, including arms? (Because I refuse to be a sofa-arm-nazi).

And most importantly:
- Will Neko like it?

Some ideas from my inspiration board (Google Notebook is perfect for this), to get the thought process rolling. All of these are beyond my budget and some obviously hit more considerations than others, but serve as useful style guides for craigslist/antique/thrift hunting. Of course, all bets are off if I find a couch I love that fits absolutely none of these guidelines whatsoever.

In order of price.

1. Urban Outfitter's Mid-Century couch. Decent price, great lines. Unfortunately, looks and feels cheap in person. 480.




2. The affordable Encore Couch from Room and Board, which also converts to a bed. I'd actually consider saving up for this, however I worry about the white microfiber piping quickly looking dingy. 700.



3. The ever-so-charming CB2 Chet Sofa. 900.

4. The ubiquitous Jasper Couch at Room and Board. Like the Eames bent plywood chair, this guy seems to be popping up everywhere these days. 1300.



5. Another Room and Board fave, the Clarke. 1800.




6. Another mid-century, the Wells from Room and Board. 2100.



7. The sexiest-sleeper-ever Nomade Express from Ligne Roset. 2800.



8. The gorgeous Milo Sofa. Drool. Anthropologie 3500.


9. The Hall sofa from Viaduct. No price listed.


There's more. A lot more. Mostly at Room and Board where I go and try not to drool on the upholstery. But there is definitely a pattern emerging, non?

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Tags: couch, parlor

This is the month I actually moved into the apartment after spending three months traveling for work. Lots went on in terms of getting settled. It's been helpful to have a few days off work at the end of the year for some intensive nesting. Some highlights:

1) Decorating for the holidays. I haven't decorated for the holidays in over a decade, so it was nice to do it again. Christmas stockings monogrammed with Swarovski crystal. A real Christmas tree set in the bay window. Matching pine wreaths for my next door neighbor and me. Christmas twinkle lights set on a timer, so I'm always greeted with the lights aglow in the evening. Decorating for Christmas really made it feel like home.







2) More furniture. Lots of craigslist trolling which resulted in a couple tables, a bunch of chairs. You can never have enough chairs.

New dining table:



A fabulous free Craigslist chair, which Neko has claimed as her own:




An IKEA trip brought two nice chairs which perfectly fit with the kitchen table:



3. A new computer. Which I'm now posting on, and which means I can actually process and post photos now.

4. New traditions. I really love fresh-cut flowers, and I think I'd like to keep up the tradition of keeping flowers in the home.


5. First dinner party. We had our first official guests over to entertain yesterday. Although the apartment has far to go, it was nice to have people over and the apartment be in semi-presentable condition.





6. Operation: Weather-proof. The apartment is an old, drafty Victorian, and it's been a very cold and windy SF winter. The apartment has been perpetually freezing.

Solutions?
-Adding insulation to the uninsulated ceiling in the Ice Cold Kitchen.
- Hung window plastic sheeting in the windows.
- Added door insulation around the front door.
-Added a draft dodger to the back door.
- Brought in an electric space heater for the bedroom for spot heating (which is now broken).
- Hung curtains in the entryway, and walkway to the Ice Cold Kitchen.

There's still tons to do, but this is a good start for Month #1!

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Tags: wrapup

I am soon to become the proud parent of a brand new computer - a desktop PC built expressly for photo editing. Between work and home, I've too many laptops than I'd care to admit, both Mac and PC. However, what none of them have is the processing power to handle the level of photo editing work I need (CS3 + Lightroom + archiving).

I'm well aware of the eternal Mac vs. PC Debates. They rage on in message boards across the Internet. Much like the Canon vs. Nikon Debate, there's lots of rabid opinions, but no clear winner. But for my situation, the determining factor boiled down to cost.

Sure, I'd happily plunk down a bit more for the elegant design of a Mac, even it means tightening the budget elsewhere. But for the specs I need, a Mac laptop would be about 3x the cost of a PC desktop. So while a sexy Macbook Pro laptop with an external 30" Apple Cinema Display would give me major hipstersnob cred and bragging rights, I just can't jusify the steep price differential, at least without some serious sugardaddy/trustfund/fairy godmother fiscal support. Sans said resources, at 3x the price, a Macbook becomes a financially unsound choice for my needs.

So, pending a magical influx of funds, I've decided to take matters in my own hands and adopt a much more sane approach:

- Custom-built desktop PC. My Newegg.com Shopping list has most of the specs. $1,000ish.
- Used Dell 20" LCD Monitor (see left) . The well-reviewed Dell 2007WFP. $200.
- Student discounted CS3 + Lightroom. $380.
- Something like the Spyder Express 2 Screen Calibrator. Not yet ordered.

My friend Richard and I ordered the parts last week, they just came in today, and I'm going to help build tomorrow night. That's right. I'm BUILDING MY OWN COMPUTER. Hipster cred means nothing compared to the major geek points I'm getting with this. Plus, I'm eager to get my photography+computer gear back in working condition for 2008 - lots of photography gigs in the pipeline.

In conclusion:

Sure, Macs are plenty sexy.
But learning how to install a motherboard on my own PC? Even sexier.

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Tags: computer

Wow. I wouldn't have believed it until I tried it myself. I only have two small closets in my apartment, which were quickly becoming full.

I bought 2 10-pack sets of these slim-line hangers from Bed Bath and Beyond, and once the clothes were re-hung with the new hangers, they occupied 1/3 of the space they originally took. Which means I could fit around 3x the amount of the clothes into the same space. Amazing.

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those with tiny closet spaces (especially relevant in old city apartments). This is not an excuse to clutter closets full of unnecessary clothes, but it's a fabulous solution to dealing with tight spaces.

Rave. Rave. Rave.

I'm probably going to get two 50-hanger sets ($40, or $32 after coupon), and replace all the hangers in my closet. For a three-fold increase of functionality of the space, it's well worth the price. Go. Try them now.

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Hurray for Craigslist! I was able to snag for snag for a song the Beta Dining Table from Scandinavian Designs. Hurray! No more eating on the couch! The leaves slip under the table when not in use, then slide out to expand. Elegant and totally sturdy. I'm into the multi-functional idea behind tables with leaves. Keep it small for everyday use. Expand and clear the furniture for dinner parties. And I plan on having many many dinner parties. Plus, I vastly prefer the simplicity of neatly-tucked in leaves to drop-leaf tables or clunky leaves that require separate storage. However, getting it home I realized that the table can only really comfortably hold four people, and I need a dining room table that holds at least six. I plan on holding many dinner parties, and I need a table to accommodate for that purpose.

So I'm still on the lookout for The Perfect Dining Room Table. This piece at least buys me some time so I'm not eating on the sofa for everyday use. This will pretty much be furnishing strategy for this apartment: First, get basic items now, so I can nest comfortably and happily in my own home. It's important that it doesn't feel like I'm camping or that I'm in crash pad. Then over time, slowly over time swap out with more things I love. I'm trying to avoid desperate scrambling.

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Tags: finds