Art Ideas – James Jean’s Kindling & Charley Harper’s Ford Times collection

James Jean has an awesome new book of removable prints, and it’s available on Amazon for only $20! Check out the preview for it over at Drawn.

Also, a huge new batch of Charley Harper illustrations has just been discovered. These were illustrations he did for Ford-Times magazine that the Harper estate didn’t know existed, until they were recently uncovered. They’re amazingly cool. Check out more over at Fab Frames

Runner up for awesomeness is Invading the Vintage by Franco Brambilla – a set of old swiss postcards gone sci-fi.

Portland Design Inspiration

A while back we went up to Portland to visit the (future) MacGillivray’s.

There’s so much awesome architecture & style up there that you just don’t see in the OC (surprise!). Here’s some of our favorites:

Inspiration for re-doing our backyard fence. We think we want to go with the horizontal look.

One of the dopest & cheapest vintage furniture store we’ve ever been to – Hawthorne Vintage!

Awesome plant ideas at Pistils Nursery. First up, hanging terrariums

Next, wall art with planters built into it:

We just need to save up money for these projects ($4 apparently)

Plus, Obama says we can do it

Apartment Renerdvating Project

Friend of the nerds here. I’m planning on renerdvating my 2 bed/1 bath apt so I thought I would post the adventure. I have 2 rules: can’t be too permanent, can’t spend too much unless it’s completely removable/adjustable. Everything I’ve done so far in the place can be scrapped, so to speak. So I’m starting from scratch. I’ve done some research as to what I think could be good ideas. Here’s a summary of my research and most likely what I will be buying. The notes here are mainly for myself so don’t feel like I’m telling you what to do (I’m just telling myself so I don’t forget). I’ll be posting updates/pictures as things progress.

1. Walls (Wallpaper? Wallpanels?)
I painted the walls ~2 yrs ago so at least that looks nice/new. It would be better if there was an accent wall though. My better half really wants to do some wallpapering and I think it’d be a great idea. Don’t know which pattern to choose though…
Inexpensive Wallpaper @ DesignYourWall.com
Less Inexpensive Wallpaper @ InsideFabric.com
Angela Adams @ MDCWall.com
Wall Paneling @ Bnind.com (this might be cool in the bathroom)

2. TV, Media Center & Console
2a. 47″ LG LCD TV 1080p 120hz @ Amazon Warehouse (They have some great open box deals here. Stay away from refurbished though.)
2b. XBOX 360 as the DVD player/media center. I’ll be getting an XBOX Harmony Remote. My XBOX is already wireless so I can hook up a Netflix acct and stream through the XBOX. For downloaded movies/music, I’m using 2 Western Digital Passport HDs (get the white one!). *NOTE: They need to be in FAT32 format for the XBOX to read them (Use EASEUS Partition Manager). The beauty is they’re small and USB-Bus powered. P.S. Buy all XBOX stuff on eBay.
2c. TV/Media Console @ IKEA
However, I’ll be getting it in white, with the 2 middle doors as glass doors and the frames in white.
I really wanted to shy away from IKEA, but I think this will look nice. I have the high gloss brown doors right now and they look pretty classy.

3. Floors
Bathroom/Kitchen: Temporary Vinyl Flooring @ DesignYourWall.com
Shaggy carpet @ Flor (a little pricey though @ $25.99/tile – maybe get the Short Shag @ $16.99/tile)

4. Windows
Shades @ Smith and Noble
Etched Glass @ Home Depot (good if you want privacy AND light still coming in)
*you’ll need this kit

5. Bathroom
I like this IKEA hack to cover your cistern.

6. Guest room/Office
This desk @ CB2

If you have any good tips/links, leave a comment! I haven’t started any of this, so I’m still open to ideas (plus we still have the dining room, bookshelves, seating, and kitchen to figure out…)

Adam & Jenny’s house

We just got back from Boston for Adam & Jenny’s wedding and were totally in awe of their house. Adam’s always done a lot of woodworking, but his skill’s raised a few notches from carving pipes in college, to now handcrafting Crate & Barrel level furniture. The wood art, green computer desk, veggie tray, and orange kitchen shelf are all his handiwork.

It was a nice reminder that you don’t have to buy expensive furniture to make your house look nice. You can do things DIY and keep them looking classy.

Brook and Joe’s New Place

Being a new homeowner in the throws of renovation and remodeling, I’ve gotten all caught up in home and garden type magazines where the “simplest” styles can still be extravagant because of the zine’s selling nature. After a while it all becomes information overload. So it was a great breath of fresh air when our friends Brook and Joe sent over some inspiring pics of their new place. I’ve always envied their mid century mod pieces and I’ve always admired their sensibility with lines. Joe’s an awesome-o photographer so go ahead and dig on those pics. There’s more to see here.

Chandeliers and Ceiling Lights

The previous owners loved chandeliers. There was one over the entrance, one in the master bedroom, and one over the dining area. They even found a way to get a little guy into the bath! Most of them were pretty drab, but the one in the dining area has classy ring to it. We plan on keeping it, but it’s not really in mode with our dining table. We might move it into the master room.

Below are some modern takes on hanging ceiling lights. (From left to right) Munich based Büro für Form have some super slick futuristic styles. Their Molecular Lights (Molecular 4 shown) aren’t so space agey so they’re pretty user friendly in contemporary home. Ikea’s Fado light is a nice (and MUCH cheaper) take on hanging globes. Designer David Trubridge has these beautiful wood-based lights. And to keep it real, British flockers Thomas and Vines have put out some flocked chandeliers, a nice remix of what once hung in homes of the noble and wealthy.

Dream Homes

We still don’t have the house yet. Final walk through is this week. We should be jingling keys by next Monday! For now I thought I’d keep the flames a burnin’ and peruse a couple of homes I like to think Phillip, Socket and I are working up to.

	I love the mid century moderns. Sometimes I think magazines dress em up too futuristic like but if I came across one fully stocked with one of those Barcelona couch/bed deals and an Eames Lounge Chair, I’d happily whistle a dixie to 00111000. The first house is in Portland. I found a list load of homes I’d call Dream on www.portlandmodern.com.
Who wouldn’t want to live comfortably while saving the earth…if not universe? This one is also in the OR. I love how this house sprawls across it’s land!
	I’m not sure if Phillip could handle the density of the East Bay but I love it up there! This home is in or around the very nice Kensington neighborhood. I dig those arches in the dining room and in the built-in bookshelves. It’s also got one of those stoves that just won’t quit!

I’m sure you’ve got a dream house! Share with us by posting a link in this comment section.