High vs. Low: Live Edge Dining Table

BDDW, at the end of Crosby St in SoHo, is one of those magical NYC stores with beautifully handcrafted goods. Check out this seriously amazing dining table:

Tell me that's not the greatest table you've ever seen (or at least top five)! The live edge walnut, brass legs, inlaid brass joinery... it is just. so. good. I'm not lying when I say the wood literally feels like butter, for heaven's sake.

Worth every penny... if you have all of those pennies. If not, Anthro (who has been crushing the home goods game lately) comes to the rescue with this suspiciously similar piece:

The BDDW version has an elegance that Anthro's hasn't quite captured, but pretty darn close, amiright?

Do you have a piece you'd like to see featured as High vs. Low on The Spoonful? Let me know here or in the comments below!

Office Space Inspo

Hello! Thanks for the lovely feedback on my bathroom inspiration post (here). Here's another space that I came across and just loved (and currently still love):

It's the office space at ManRepeller, who is hilarious and amazing and I highly recommend following her immediately if you don't already. (AND fun fact: I saw her on the street once and told her that I thought she was amazing and she said the same back to me although she had no proof of such.)

Those great copper chairs are by BluDot, here, and the table is also by BluDot, here. But if you're looking for a more wallet-friendly option, read on...

I love how the desk in ManRepeller is just a big, long table. This one from CB2 is similar to the BluDot one in the inspiration picture and less than half the price:

Or, better yet, this table + top from Ikea for $75 combined:

The copper chairs are a bit trickier to find cheaply, so here's what I would do:

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Ikea furniture is notoriously hard to spray paint, but my fave blogger Jenny Komenda at Little Green Notebook writes here about how she had great luck with this particular primer (note that she specifies shellac-based because of Ikea's finish). That said, you could really choose any chair that you'd like to change up and spray it! I recommend Rustoleum, but you may want to try a few brands and test out their particular shades of copper to find which one best suits you :)

Add a few sheepskins to cozy up the "metal":

And some light bookshelves (I have this one in my apartment and LOVE it):

Accessories are a must on the shelves. I love digging around in thrift stores and flea markets (or my parents' attic...) for one-of-a-kind, inexpensive finds. I like how the shelves at ManRepeller aren't overly crowded, but have sweet, thoughtful trinkets and books. Here are a few ideas:

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Voila!

Have you seen a lovely space that you'd like deconstructed on The Spoonful? Let me know here or in the comments below! xo

Bathroom Inspo

I came across this heavenly bathroom on One Kings Lane's instagram and just about died:

I love every bit of it, from the concrete floors to the leather pulls on the cabinet to the live greens to the wood slab across the tub. And the bath mat! Obsessed.

I thought I'd have a little fun and put the space together on here...

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Add a few big-leafed plants and it's a beaut!

Do you have a room you'd like broken down and sourced on The Spoonful? Let me know here or in the comments below!

Throwback DIY: Albert Hadley Walls

Many, many years ago, before I even knew the name Albert Hadley, I pinned this image of a bathroom wallpapered in a print ("Fireworks") by the design great:

A quick design history lesson... Albert Hadley was one half of the design company Parish-Hadley--"the erudite yang to Sister Parish's freewheeling yin," as Architectural Digest describes him here--who brought about wonderful things in the world of interior design. His clients included the Rockefellers, the Astors, and the Kennedys, to name a few, and his signature lay in creating a comfortable room with some punchy kick to keep things interesting. Though Mr. Hadley passed away a few years ago, his legacy lives on in many ways--including this wallpaper!

One college summer, I decided my lime green bathroom needed a facelift (really wish I had a "before" photo!), and, remembering that great image, I decided to do a little Hadley-inspired DIY.

First things first: paint the walls. I picked a sandy off-white neutral; this bathroom gets very little sunlight so I made sure to choose a light color, without feeling too sterile.

For the "fireworks," I picked a high-gloss white, the whitest white; the glossiness helps the white stand out against the sandy background color. Once the wall color was good and dry, I mapped out my pattern lightly with a pencil, taking care to space the fireworks correctly. This is one of those steps that takes a long time but makes such a difference and actually saves time--and headaches--in the end!

Then I got to work! I found it important to have enough paint on the brush each time so that the fireworks didn't look too painterly (a look I often love but not here).

I'm still so pleased with the result, even several years after completing the paint job. And it was absolutely more budget-friendly than installing genuine Albert Hadley wallpaper! Maybe one day...

Light at work

A few weeks ago I wrote about my atlas desk  and mentioned how I'd like to find a proper desk lamp for it. I love the vintage glass one on there now, but I have my sights set on a bona fide architect's light. It's a workspace, and I want it to look like one! The French-made Jielde lamp (sold locally in NYC at McNally Jackson in selected colors/styles) is a classic, and one of my all-time favorites. It was produced in the 1950s by Jean-Louis Domecq when he wanted a sturdier working light that could twist and turn without also twisting and turning its wires. Later, domestic styles and more colors (so many colors!) were added to its repertoire. The rest is history--and it has certainly withheld the test of time!

I mean, really, how gorgeous is this olive green??

After Jielde and I met, I realized the lamps were featured in many of my favorite inspiration images (and not just in workspaces):

They're everywhere! Love the floor lamps too... but focusing on desk for now. Unless of course I did a floor lamp as a desk lamp like this:



There are also several economically happy alternatives, like the Atelier line from Restoration Hardware, which comes in other finishes as well:

... and these from PB Teen:

... and this one by Kenneth Cole for Bed, Bath, & Beyond (also comes in a brass finish):

There are also some listed on Craigslist (for those of you in the NYC area) in gold:

And these vintage ones:

And of course a quick eBay search might prove fruitful, too.

The alternatives are great options... I will say, though, I saw a genuine Jielde with my own two eyes (in McNally Jackson), and the imitations don't do it justice! The colors and finish are exquisite, and it's just so sturdy--a true classic. I think I'll continue to save my pennies and watch eBay like a hawk :)