Mungle Contemporary Office Desk

Unique design office desk.

Contemporary through its bold design, the Mungle Office Desk by Greek designer Dimitrios Tsigos is a sleek interpretation of forms and geometry. Using a digital design technique, the designers were able to create intricate designs with the help of simple elements.

From the iPhone... Color Inspiration

This weekend I was digging around my computer looking for a photo I took last year some time. It was fun to flip through all the phone pictures I've taken on my work adventures and I thought I'd share some this week.

Never thought I'd say this, but I am so inspired by the colors in these rug pads from Home Depot. Lots of these colors are going into my apartment - cobalt blue, touches of neons, jade green, persimmon, mustard, even a little pink, with lots of white, black and gray.

Rainbow Desk: Design of a Wood Desk

Desk design examples of some types of wood. desk like a classic design.


Made from a combination of walnut, sycamore, elm, oak and yew, the Rainbow Desk gathers a beautiful collection of wood types in a single desk. Designed by the furniture artist Allan Lake, the Rainbow office desk celebrates the diversity of British native hardwoods. Four layered legs support the beautifully crafted workspace.

Furniture: VU.VU.VU. Computer Desk

Design computer desk designed by Ballabio. Home computer desk design. Elli, the VU.VU.VU. Computer Desk is made from multi-layer plywood. A suspended wood structure is Prepared to store your PC and the desk Also has CD / CDRom / DVD space and extractable drawer for a PC keyboard. A practical desk, the VU.VU.VU comes in Wenge and oak wood, with a chromed aluminum base structure.

Design Computer Desk

Kidney Shaped Office Desk Elegant

Design table with a strange name. The Kidney shaped desk is Actually an Elegant Addition to any office. It could be to the Home Office Desk.

Designer John Wiggers explains his inspiration:”The curvilinear shape and exacting dimensions of this award-winning desk are carefully proportioned to be consistent with the holistic design principles of Feng Shui and the Vastu Shastra of the ancient Vedic tradition in India.”

Simple Desk Design by I-Con Arco

Design a simple table and looks slim. With a cabinet with 3 drawers. A seamless drawer adds to the contemporary feel of this desk and this puts a visual accent in the spotlight.

The I-Con Desk by Arco has a solid wood (oak or American walnut) work surface, while the legs are made from aluminium. The rounded detailing of this desk can be also found in the accessory that is available for it – a container with three drawers. Office Desks

That one bed I upholstered a long time ago...

Hi guys! Happy weekend! Sorry about not posting yesterday - I was dealing with some technical difficulties that I think are all straightened out now.

More than a year ago, I was determined to make a gorgeous upholstered bed with a headboard, footboard and side rails.

I found this old (probably from the 30's or 40's) crate bed at a vintage furniture shop in Maryland for not a lot of money - maybe $50? $75? It was not much to look at, but it was the perfect base to build on.

I had two 2x10's cut to size at Home Depot and screwed in some metal mending plates on the front and the back to firmly connect the two pieces.

Then I upholstered the headboard, footboard and rails with this pretty suzani-inspired fabric I bought at Interior Alternative in Newark, DE.

I used a roll of brass nail head trim to detail the far edges. A little note: I don't really love the look of the nail head that comes on a roll. The finish varies a bit and the look is kind of cheap when you get up close. That said, I really HATE when nail head trim is not perfectly lined up - drives me crazy!! So since I had so much surface to trim out, I opted for the rolled trim with perfectly straight lines.

Since taking these photos I carefully rubbed a little bit of Buff N Rub on tops of the nail heads and that helped make the finish a little more uniform. (we also put on a mattress cover for the box springs)

I styled the room for the folding screen project, but never really decorated the space like I had planned to before we left Delaware for NYC.

The plan for our bedroom (if we ever get to it! It's lower on the priority list) here in our new apartment is to make the footboard really low by pulling off the 2x10 piece. Then we'll cut out a curved pattern on that board and add it to the headboard and then reupholster the whole thing. I think I'll do a solid color fabric, since we're wallpapering the room (yay!!).

As far as the headboard shape goes, I want something that doesn't scream Pottery Barn. I want it to look custom, but not ridiculous, so that it will stay fresh for at least a couple years. Here are some contenders:

Coastal Living


HB


Elle Decor

I like the width of the top curve here (same with the photo above - an exaggerated curve)...

Caitlin Moran


BHG

This sort of Deco-rounded-corners situation is the dark horse option of the group. I'm liking it more and more the longer I think about it. Love the first picture (from Brooke's blog) best.

Velvet and Linen


Lynn Morgan


Calico Corners

But then I look at this pretty bed with all those curves and that nail head trim pushed right to the edge!! Love it...

Domino

If you could get a new bed this weekend, what would you do or which one would you buy?

Design Xcetera Desk from Recycled Materials

Design for the home office desk. Can also to computer desks for children.

Designed by Basten Leijh, of Bieijh concepts & design, the Xcetera Desk is made from recycled wood and has recyclable steel components. A big “X” marks the two ends of the desk and all the lines of Xcetera are rounded once they reach a corner.

Rolled Fabric Shades

I stumbled across some of Katrin Cargill's work and I noticed that she uses these rolled shades a lot.

As an aside, I love seeing photos of a space we all know from a magazine, but unstyled and less perfect. This first image is from House Beautiful, the second is from Katrin's website.

This image is less pretty, but you can see a lot more details of the room when the photo isn't so blown out and bright. I would kill for that blue pendant.

Anyway, this rolled look is so fresh to me! I love it and am wondering how practical they actually are. Any readers with personal experience with these?

I ordered her book, Katrin Cargill's Curtain Bible, for about $7 on Amazon and I'm excited to see her suggestions for recreating the look. I'll be sure to report back.

Are We Overexposed to Design?

From the comments section of yesterday's post about the DIY Draper chests:

I have a question for you...
I am currently redecorating my living room and dining room. I decided to go with a 70's British bachelor pad inspired look. Sort of a well traveled look with some Kuba cloths and other ethnic textiles for art. Lots of navy and gray.
Then I looked at this Draper project and realized I am still in love with Hollywood Regency. I am not too far into things to make the switch. It's just that things like x-benches, Chiang Mai (love and have been holding onto a piece for a while now), chevron, painted furniture, and so on...seem so done now.
Are we too exposed to design? I love my blogs, especially yours (very honest unabashed flattery), but are we over-exposing ourselves (Keep Calm Carry On)? This is something I have been wondering about for a while now. It seems like once I finally get to taking on a project (making ikat drapes now), it starts to seem cliche.
Do you think we are moving too fast with interiors, or do you think we are moving in the right direction where anything goes. Sort of like fashion, you can still wear your skinny jeans or flares. When you start a new project do you agonize over doing something new, or do you just go with what you love at the time even if the idea has been seen?

House Beautiful

Just two days ago I was brainstorming with my mom an idea for my apartment when I nixed the project we were discussing because I felt like it had already been done on blogs or in magazines. I think we both realized how silly that sounded as soon as I said it. Why wouldn't I do what I really love for my space regardless of whether or not a version has been done before?

I feel like it's especially tricky as a blogger. If I put up a picture of campaign dressers (which I love), I'll usually get one or two anon commenters talking about how campaigners are so over and so boring to them. And here's the tricky part - we look to blogs and magazines for inspiration, for fresh looks, so I can understand in a way why the commenters are annoyed. They're saying - "Yup! Got it. We know campaigners are/were cool. But what's next?"

NYT

Are we oversaturated with design trends as bloggers and blog readers? Totally. I have hundreds of blogs in my Reader and sometimes I feel like I'm seeing the same thing over and over again. So I'm there with you.

But I also think it's easy to forget that most people in the world don't read design blogs. Most people don't really know about ikat or suzanis or lacquer or lucite the way we all do. It's crazy to think that someone is discovering a Keep Calm poster for the first time today!

A neighbor stopped by my house a few months ago, noticed my ikat skirted console table and said - "I love your decorating style...but what is that funky fabric on your console table? Crazy!"
And then just a few weeks ago I was meeting with a client here in the city, who reads my blog and who is a blogger herself, and she told me how much she loves ikat but feels like she can't have it in her home - like it's too expected now or something.

NYT

Are we decorating for ourselves or for our design-conscious friends (or blog readers)? Every time I feel like some of the sparkle of decorating is wearing off, I realize it's because I'm over-thinking it or worrying too much about what other people will or won't like. Unfortunately I think that comes with the territory as a design blogger. Still, don't let yourself fall into that trap. If one in a thousand visitors thinks your decor is dated because you love your Chiang Mai pillows and the Keep Calm poster, don't sweat it. Guaranteed the other 999 will wonder where you got them.

Maybe it's time we take a collective chill pill about decorating and see it all for what it is and should be - a fun way to express yourself and your style.

What do you say?

PS Have you been watching Portlandia? Shell art is OVER! Seems so appropriate for this post.

PPS All the Miles Redd images above feature ikat chairs, which I love and think I might go ahead and do in my house, even though they have been done before. :)

DIY Draper Chests

We took the water taxi to IKEA on Saturday. The boat was fun, but we didn't have the best time at IKEA. That place is such a madhouse on the weekends! I left the store telling myself that I didn't want to go back there for a very long time. Then. I got home and saw an email in my inbox from Nancy. She was sharing a little link to her great blog and a new project. And just like that, I love IKEA again.

The Rast is a little $39 dresser that was absolutely MADE to be hacked and upgraded.

We all remember this great project, but did you ever imagine that the Rast would make such a lovely Draper chest?

Read all about Nancy's genius project here. It's probably one of my very favorite DIYs.

WA Office Desk by Piero Lissoni and Marc

An entire range of furniture can be linked to this desk, creating an office design where the owner can play with shapes anytime, rearranging how it all looks. Ergonomic accessories called “soft parts” soften the interface between the user and the work surface.

Designers Piero Lissoni and Marc Krusin created a very versatile desk for Knoll International. The word “Wa” means harmony and this is exactly what the desk represents.

Bureau Home Office Desk Design

Bureau home office desk design is minimalist and versatile.


Designer Martin Holzapfel created a desk that is both a work surface and a series of shelves, depending on the owner`s desire. Many things like files and folders, books, office supplies, can be hidden inside the desk. It has a beautiful grey colour and it`s not very pretentious, so it fits perfectly in a home office.