PETA, look away now

Since I was in elementary school I have been obsessed with fur. When all the other fourth graders were wearing their Northface jackets, I was strutting my school’s  hallways in a miniature fake fur coat. Through the years, my obsession for fur has not waned, and while I continue to amass fur coats (my latest was a shaggy black and grey ombre one from H&M), this obsession has now translated into interiors as well –  specifically cozy, luxurious fur throws on beds. Five years ago I bought a girlish pink version from Home Goods and during college I stole one of my mum’s for the end of my bed. While looking at one of my favourite blogs, The Aestate, yesterday, I came across designer Ryan Korban who, wouldn’t ya know it, shares my exact passion for fur throws on beds.

He even incorporates it into his pillows which is just like duh, why didn’t I think of that???

(All images via The Aestate)

My ideal fur throw (parents, boyfriend, are you writing this down?) would be this World Market chocolate fur throw http://www.worldmarket.com/product/chocolate-faux-fur-throw.do?&from=fn ($59.99) or this pricier Z Gallerie version http://www.zgallerie.com/p-5050-zambia-throw-chocolate.aspx ($129.99). In my opinion, bedrooms should always be luxurious and welcoming, and a fur throw ticks both these boxes.

Seeing Double

Probably the easiest way to impress your guests with your design prowess, besides buying literally anything from Nate Berkus’ Target line, and also besides ploughing them with enough two buck Chuck that they’re just a little bit in love with everything, is to place two matching chairs in your living room, either opposite or perpendicular to your couch. That’s it. Obviously the more interesting or unusual the chair, the more your interior design skills will be complimented and brought up in subsequent conversations (not to mention the money you’ll save on two buck Chuck), but there is something so disarming and beautiful about the symmetry of a matching pair of chairs. Employing this design plan is also practical as it solves the problem of seating when said guests come over – if your chairs aren’t too heavy or big, nor your space too small, another couch or love seat woud certainly not go amiss.

I love the masculinity of these leather chairs, and their low, square, Marcel Breuer-esque shape

Of course I loooooove the leopard print

(All images via Pinterest)

And in the right sort of space, a pair of wingback chairs could look pretty cool. As an avid watcher of Nashville, Rayna James’ green gingham pair had me oohing and aahing every week (who cares that Deacon is actually Maddie’s real father, show the gingham wingback chairs again damnit!!).

I see my two favourite characters in Nashville in this picture and I’m not talking about Rayna and Teddy

(image via Cathy Lancaster Studio)

(Images via Pinterest)

And finally we have the gloriousness that is….the x-bench

(Images via Pinterest)

Nice for those who can afford it, but as a 23 year old perpetually on the job hunt, I’m going to have to stick with your run-of-the-mill, everyday, average person’s stool. Even if I obsessively surf Craigslist, watch eBay, and drive to every single tag sale in a 10 mile radius, finding cheap chairs and stools as cool as the ones above might prove to be a little difficult.

(image via Pinterest)

I’m sure by now everyone has seen this very cool DIY version of the Mongolian lamb stool at Preciously Me: http://www.preciouslyme.com/diy/diy-mongolian-lamb-stool-2911 So if you want to try out this very cool trend, you could always hit up your local Ikea. As for me, I’ll keep stalking the For Sale section of Craigslist, because this easy, but impressive trend is not one I’m going to miss.

 

The Art of the Cart

Here at my parents’ apartment in England I’m working on a bar cart. When my mum told me we were redecorating the apartment I sent her copious ebay links to bar carts, insisting that she had to buy one (we were, after all, going for a sort of sleek, city feel), but lo and behold, my mother already OWNED a bar cart. After we dragged it out of our densely packed garage (seriously, it’s like Hoarders in there, I had to climb over microwaves and belly flop onto picnic blankets and old rugs) and I gave it a little lovin’ with a dish rag and some soap, it turned out that my mother was in possession of one of the coolest bar carts I have ever seen. She and my dad received it as a wedding present in 1975 and she’s basically horrified and confused by the fact that bar carts of this nature are now making a comeback (“but they’re so old-fashioned!”). What’s old is new again, Mother!

Said bar cart

But as you can see, I’m having a little trouble stocking it. I’m hoping this has more to do with the fact that booze is about 80 times more expensive in England than it is in America, and less to do with my as yet undiscovered lack of natural ability to actually interior design. A regular size bottle of Jack Daniels will run you close to forty dollars in England, and I grimace to think what the Costco sized guys will cost (if they even have Costco size bottles!). So I’m in kind of a Bar Cart Rut (if you’re trying to think of a name for your band, your search is over) and have been turning to the ever-faithful pinterest to get some inspiration.

I think we, of the lazy variety, all appreciate a pin that spells it out for us

All images above from Pinterest

My sister, following in my mother’s footsteps, scored a very cool bar cart from a tag sale for just $10 and then painted it gold. We should all be so lucky.

Nothing But Bonfires

And what my parents’ bar in California lacks in Lemons & Limes/Accessories & Glassware it makes up for in booze, booze, and more booze (plus a really nice gold mirror).

Do you know how hard it was to take this picture without being

a vampire and thus not in possession of a reflection?!