Trend Watch: Sleek Metal Cafe Chairs

February 8, 2010 by Blair Pfander

They may not be the most comfortable of seating options, but when it comes to effortless home styling, we’re head-over-heels for a simple metal cafe chair — or preferably, an entire set.

At once classic and stylish, a good set of metal cafe chairs will see you through years and years of daily use, either indoors at the dining table, or outside with patio furniture.  They always look better a little scratched up, or mixed in with a mismatched collection of flea market dining chairs. We’re digging these ultra simple matte aluminum chairs from Eurostyle for $150 each (believe it or not, that’s a pretty good deal).

If you’re fortunate enough to have a high butcher’s block or perhaps a craft table in your home, check out these sleek aluminum counter stools from Home Decorator’s Collection. We think they’d add some serious flair to the kitchen or the office–plus, they’re easy-to-clean (and impossible to break), which are practical features in both spaces. They’re on sale right now for $139 (down from $150), so if you’re as enamored as we are, be sure and hurry to the checkout!

Categories: Furniture Finds
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New Best Friend: Staple/Nail Gun

February 4, 2010 by Blair Pfander

Who knew that $30 could buy so much happiness?  We recently purchased a staple/nail gun, and we’re confident that our life will never be the same.

The first thing you realize when you buy a staple gun is that cords in your life don’t have to be a mess all the time. The office, wall sconces, chargers, the zone of terrifying cord chaos behind the TV (an area of our apartment so evil we avoided touching it at all costs).  A few careful, deliberate punches of the staple gun along the baseboard and behold: neat, organized cords whose purposes, plug-ins, and points of origin are totally clear. We will sleep easy tonight knowing the red cord on the TV is totally separated from the red cord with the speakers… okay, maybe that’s a little OCD.

The other wonderful thing this magic little tool can do is punch nails into things.  This is no revelation to the more hardcore of craftspeople among you, but to our novice brain, this was like a caveman finding fire.  Awesome…but maybe a little dangerous. We’re pretty good with nails and a hammer, but oh, the convenience of gluing together a wood drawer for our closet and then boom boom boom, nailing it together in under a minute. We’ll probably be buried clutching this thing to our chest.

Categories: Design DIY, Home & Garden
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Make Your Own Terrarium

February 1, 2010 by Blair Pfander

A new landscaping shop called Graceful Gardens recently opened along our route to the subway in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  After weeks of skulking around their doors, we finally stopped in for a visit.  We couldn’t exactly afford any of their phenomenally beautiful potted plants or gardening gizmos, but we were inspired nonetheless to incorporate a little more “green” into our apartment.

We’ve always made an effort to keep cut flowers around, but of course, their pretty petals eventually wither and die–especially when the radiators are going full blast during the winter.  The low-maintenance solution to our un-green thumb? An easy to make, easy to care for Terrarium, also described as a micro-landscape.

How to Make a Mini-Terrarium

1) Go to your local flea market or dollar store and pick up a glass bell jar with a lid. You could also use a glass candle terrarium like this one from Target.

2) At a landscaping or gardening store, pick up 1-3 small, hardy plants such as succulents or cacti (we recommend micro sinningia).  Determine how many you need based on the size of your terrarium jar. You’ll also need a small bag of potting soil, sand, or pebbles. TIP: if you have friends with lots of plants, see if they’ll give you some cuttings.

3) After cleaning your jar, place a small layer of the pebbles or sand in the bottom of the container (this helps prevent water damage).  Next, place a layer of the potting soil on top of the sand/pebbles.

4) With your finger or a piece of wire, carve out a small hole in which to plant your succulent.

5) Carefully remove the plant with its root ball, and place it in the hole. Gently tap down the soil around the plant.

6) Spritz with some water–and voila!

Our first Terrarium–please excuse the BlackBerry picture quality, our camera didn’t cooperate.

Next time, we’re going to copy this mega-cool “Wardian Case” Terrarium to put on top of our office bookshelf.  Pretty snazzy, huh? Oh, and did we mention the unbelievable gift potential?

Categories: Garden Guru, Green Home
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Not Your Mama’s Table Linens

February 1, 2010 by Blair Pfander

There is a time and a place for the checkered linen tablecloths and french provincial prints we grew up staring at beneath our dinner plates.  But when it’s dinner time around our apartment, we aren’t looking to make a big production of unfolding a newly-washed table linens and setting elaborate places.  Function is our primary concern…okay, and maybe aesthetics are a close second.

Chilewich’s vinyl placemats in bold graphic designs are chic, easy-to-clean, and will save you and your family countless trips to the laundry room (and thus, will save you money).  Best of all, they look like they’re woven from fabric, but because they’re plasticky they’ll last way longer than their real fabric counterparts, which fade and warp after countless washes.

If table mats aren’t really your bag, a simple runner will lend a bit of understated elegance to any dinner table. Also designed by Chilewich, this pressed cubic table-runner is modern without being too harsh, and will protect your tabletop from serving dish scratches or burns. Now we just have to find serving dishes as stylish as our new table runner!

Categories: Kitchen & Table
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Soft Bedside Rugs

January 28, 2010 by Blair Pfander

There’s nothing we loathe like putting our piggies down on an ice cold floor in the morning.  That’s why we’ve been scouring our neighborhood home boutiques and Pronto Home for the perfect soft, cushy rug to keep at our bedside–along with a new pair of fuzzy slippers, of course.

sheepskin rug

If you’re skeptical of sheepskin, we completely commiserate: it’s undeniably 70’s, tricky to clean and maybe even–gasp!–a little tacky.  It is, however, quite a seductive textile when it comes to creating a soft spot for our bare feet. This single sheepskin longwool rug is only $70, and if styled well in the room–that is, if everything else is kept neutral, maybe with a few industrial accents to ward off the “grooviness”–we can see this becoming a cool feature.

rug by silken desire

Having said that, the vague pelt shape still kind of freaks us out.  We found this soft plush ivory rug by “Silken Desire” (ignore the name) that may prove another good alternative. You get all the benefits of sheepskin without the potential ick-factor. The 2 x 8 foot runner is only $240, which is a pretty good bargain in the realm of luxe rugs, and it’s available in a range of colors to suit your palette.

Now we just have to find a matching pair of slippers.

Categories: Home & Garden
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Smart Buys: Steak Knives

January 25, 2010 by Blair Pfander

You don’t have to be a very enthusiastic meat eater–or even a meat eater at all–to appreciate the convenience of a well chosen set of steak knives. Nothing is more unappealing than sitting at a dinner party and watching guests struggle to separate bites from their rack of lamb with a piddly butter knife or other inadequate piece of tableware.

Steak Knife

The Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Steak Knives feature hollow ovals cast into the blade that prevents food from sticking to the knife as you slice your way to epicurean heaven. Plus, they just look really slick, with a lean non-serrated edge and triple riveted handle.  Check them out before they sell out at the sale price, marked down to $179.95 from $300

Steak Knives 1

Just one afterthought: a set of beautiful steak knives can make a fabulous–and totally practical–gift when presented in an elegant wood casing.  This set from Zwilling J.A. Henckels is only $169.99, and would last your giftee for years. We’d consider buying them for the next wedding on our calendar, or even better, for Father’s Day.

Categories: Kitchen & Table
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When in Doubt, Choose the Penguin-Shaped Appliance

January 22, 2010 by Blair Pfander

Too often we wake up in our over-heated and under-ventilated New York apartment with a sore throat, split lips or ultra dry skin.  The culprit, of course, is the wicked winter air coupled with an ancient heater (with no visible temperature adjustment).  A friend recommended the old trick of putting a pan of water on the radiator at night, which may have made some slight difference, but not enough to rescue our suffering skin.

Ultrasonic Humidifier

Enter our new best friend, the Penguin-style Ultrasonic Humidifer, whose ingenious tag line reads: “enjoy the benefits of a humidifier with the appeal of a penguin.”  What is it with household electronics and penguin shapes? Remember the penguin spritzer bottle? Not that we’re complaining…they are strangely appealing.

This little fella handles a gallon tank of water, and offers a nifty “mist intensity” knob so you can adjust the humidity of your desert-like apartment or home with ease. His no-slip flippers will keep him firmly in place on whatever surface you plant him on, and the silent function will make you forget he’s even there.  Though honestly, who could forget a face like that?

Categories: Home & Garden
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Boil Over

January 20, 2010 by Blair Pfander

Nothing cheers up a stark white kitchen like a brightly-colored tea kettle. The trouble is, it’s weirdly tough to locate a reasonably priced and attractive kettle that is neither too fancy, too heavy, nor too slick.  It’s an easy undertaking, people.  We’re boiling water, not curing disease.

paula dean kettle

Our search criteria was simple: color, a sturdy hand grip, and a really loud whistle for under $60.  This fetching little Paula Deen tea kettle hit all the marks, and looks about 400% cuter than its more expensive, designer-brand counterparts (this one retails for only $34). The red porcelain enamel boasts easy-to-clean and stain resistant properties, and the drip-free arm will prevent any unwelcome, early-morning finger burns.

Kitchenaid Ketles

If variety is what you seek, check out Kitchenaid’s collection of 2-quart porcelain tea kettles, available in seven different colors.  A heat-resistant silicone grip guarantees comfort and ease while pouring, and the base is made of a “triple ply” stainless steel to secure fast, even heating.  Of course, if nothing else, don’t they look cute?  And if coffee is more your speed, try using your new kettle in conjunction with an extra-fancy french press.

Categories: Kitchen & Table
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The Avington Collection at Target

January 18, 2010 by Blair Pfander

Recently, we purchased a moderately priced hardwood desk from Target’s Avington Collection, thinking it would be the quick-fix to tide us over until we could afford (or build) something better.  However,  after using the desk for a month now, we think our modest little Avington table will become a permanent fixture in our home office.

Target Avington DeskIt’s not too often that you find hardwood offerings under $200 from mainstream discount retailers.  Ikea, KMart, Walmart, and Target all pride themselves on unbeatable prices, but of course the materials are often plasticky or plywood, and you wind up spending more money replacing the darn thing than you would have buying something nicer in the first place. We purchased the table pictured above just one month ago, and granted, it hasn’t been all that long yet, but the quality is such that we’re gearing up to buy a pair of bookshelves from the same Avington collection to use in our living room.

Target Avington Side Table

We’re also big fans of the Avington side tables for just $120 each.  The dark wood stain is a convincing cherry, and the brushed nickle hardware is classic and expensive-looking. Top with a flea-market lamps or big stack of books, and you’re good to go!

Categories: Home & Garden
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A Few Faves at Anthropologie

January 17, 2010 by Blair Pfander

We look forward to the Anthropologie catalogue every month — less because of the pseudo-French-countryside apparel than its immaculately styled, beautifully merchandised ‘Home’ section. Their buyers do a truly bang-up job scouring the world for unusual trinkets and special home accents; in fact, they were the subject of the Sundance show, Man Shops Globe, this past fall.

anthropologie apron

We love that Anthropologie always keeps a wide selection of quirky handmade aprons in stock. The one pictured above is called The Lady’s Apron, and conjures up memories of our grandmother kneading cookie dough with pink kitten heels on. Aprons are a highly underrated kitchen basic, and what could be more charming than incorporating a bit of vintage fashion into your dinner prep routine?

anthropologie potholder

And on the subject of kitchen fashion-ization, we’re big fans of their brightly-colored and trippy-patterned potholders. Technological breakthrough? Not really.  But when purchased in a set, these would look great hanging on the wall next to a kitchen cabinet, or stacked neatly on a butcher’s block. This Stockholm Flora potholder is imported from Sweden and features an unusual, blown-up lace pattern (also check out the matching oven mitt).  Browse the entire Anthropologie Home section here, and see what other design flourishes would mesh well in your kitchen!

Categories: Kitchen & Table
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