PopSugar

Do You Own a Furniture Set?

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:00:57 -0800

When you move into an empty house, it's tempting to head to your nearest Rooms to Go and buy a set of furniture in one fell swoop. But, if you do so, you put your home in danger of looking uninspired and like the showroom it came from. Of course, you can combat the bachelor pad look by bringing in accessories that showcase your personality, painting the walls, and hanging original artwork. Unfortunately, not everyone understands that a furnished room isn't necessarily a finished room.

Ask Casa: A Color Palette Query

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:47 -0800

Hi Casa,

I am moving into an apartment soon with roommates and want some help decorating. I get my own room and can style it any way I want but can't decide on the color palette.

I love dark moody lounge type colors (dark grays, reds, purples, etc.) and bright bold colors for furniture, but the room is not that big. I'm scared the dark colors would shrink it even more. Not a big fan of light pastel colors since most of my rooms in the past has been light blues and such but I love different shades of white. I'm aiming for a space where I can dim the lights and put on some music and chill but at the same time can transition into a workspace. Any suggestions? Thanks, Tiffany

To see my suggestions for Tiffany, read more.

Hi Tiffany,

What a great question for Color Theory month! If you remember my post on cool colors, the hues that range from blue-green to blue-violet, including gray, you know that cool colors tend to recede, which has a calm and relaxing effect. Warm colors, the hues from red through yellow, browns and tans included, on the other hand, advance, with a more stimulating effect. So to achieve the effect you're looking for, you should paint your walls in cool colors.

Take note, cool vs. warm is not the same as light vs. dark - it's about the actual hue. That's not to say you can't use dark colors. But if you do, just pick one that's more blue, green, or gray, or a purple that's more violet, instead of a dark red or brown.

Then, you can use lighting to turn your dark and moody bedroom into a stimulating workspace. Obviously your workspace should be bright, whether your set your desk near a window or just have proper overhead lighting. But you can actually purchase tinted bulbs, for instance soft pink, to bring warm colored (stimulating) tones to your workspace.

I like your concept of using bright bold colors on furniture. Whatever dark moody wall color you choose, just choose complementary colors (on the opposite side of the color wheel) for your bold furniture pieces.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Casa

Source and Source

Before and After: Boring China Cabinet to Fabulous Bookcase

Casa Community — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Su Casa member LittleLeo recently transformed a dated china cabinet into a fabulous bookcase:
We inherited this piece from a friend who was getting a new dining room set. My husband couldn't understand why I wanted the cabinet and not the dining table too. I explained I had a vision for my home office. I sanded it all down and painted it matte black, wallpapered the back, and had acrylic shelves made. It has set the tone for the room and now the "office" doesn't take away from the living room. It actually adds an extra layer of function to the room, at least I think so.
To see LittleLeo's finished project, .

Have you made over any furniture lately? Be sure to add photos to our Su Casa group!

Casa Interview: The Good Wife's Stephen Hendrickson and Beth Kushnick

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:28 -0800

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a huge fan of the new CBS series The Good Wife. In particular, I adore Alicia Florrick's (Julianna Margulies) apartment. With classic styling and great use of color, it's definitely a look I'm currently coveting. Luckily, I recently had the opportunity to chat with the two people responsible for the look of that very apartment. The Good Wife's production designer, Stephen Hendrickson, and set decorator, Beth Kushnick, answered my questions about the look of Alicia's home.

CasaSugar: How did the production designer and set decorator define Alicia (as a starting-over mom, lawyer, etc.), and how did this play into their concept of her new apartment?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: We defined Alicia as a working mom who wanted to make a comforting life for her kids as they had to downsize from a large house in the suburbs to a much smaller apartment which she purchased and had renovated. We kept some furniture from the old house like the kids' beds and the dining room furniture. In addition the show creators wanted to keep Alicia's king size bed as a visual - that it was too big for her new bedroom and show that one side of it was now empty. We also created a maid's room in the back of the apartment for all of her husband's belongings.

CasaSugar: How did Alicia’s style as a North Shore mom change when she moved into Chicago proper?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: Her new apartment had a sophisticated color palette . . . Alicia's apartment also has more contemporary living room furnishings and an upgraded kitchen.

Read the rest of the interview, and check out photos of the set.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:08 -0800

Get inspired by these table settings. - AT:Chicago
Find out about a super-easy backsplash installation. - Charles and Hudson
Get lost in Maura McEvoy's photos. - Desire to Inspire
Start compiling some gift inspiration. - PoppyTalk
How about some bowling lane furniture? - Re-Nest
Keep calm, and carry on (through the holidays). - Simply Stated
Get the scoop on mums. - ShelterPop

Found It! Gossip Girl Bamboo Folding Chairs

CasaSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:32 -0700

In last night's episode of Gossip Girl, beautiful bamboo folding chairs were used for seating guests at Lily and Rufus's wedding. When it comes to folding chairs, this is probably the most chic design you'll come across. But they're also good-looking enough to use in your home, not just for when you're having a party or extra guests. Wondering where you can buy some for yourself? Then read more.

A set of two Bamboo Folding Chairs ($89, reduced from $99), available in tortoise, black, or antique white, is currently on sale at Ballard Designs, and the store always seems to have them in stock.

A set of two Tropica Folding Chairs ($59.95, reduced from $128), in a black color, is also on sale at Anthropologie, but the shop doesn't always stock them.

And, you can also find a set of two Bamboo Folding Chairs ($75.99) at Target, where you'll save 15 percent and earn free shipping if you spend $125 on furniture. So, you'll only spend $129 for a set of four!

Photo courtesy of The CW

Cool Idea: Play in Public

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:07 -0700

We may not remember rocking away in bouncy seats as infants, but I'm sure we all remember playing on swing sets as kids. In either case, was it ever not fun? I think not. So, why are Trix just for kids? And why should play be relegated just to playgrounds and backyards? I think adults should get a piece of the fun and games, and play should be accepted in public, and apparently so does British industrial design student Bruno Taylor.The renegade playground builder has decided that it's about time we bring play back into public space. He has created a project which incorporates incidental play in the public realm, including a public bench that bounces, for all to use, and the installation of swings into existing bus stops. Is that rad or what? To see a video of Taylor's swing being installed guerrilla-style into a bus stop, read more.

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Roundup: Mirrored Cocktail Tables

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:00:41 -0700

I was taking a look at some set photos of Melrose Place and noticed this showstopping clover-shaped mirrored cocktail table. It was from Horchow/Neiman Marcus, but it doesn't look like it's available any longer - to be honest, this whole room looks like it could have been furnished by Horchow. Anyway, you know how I love mirrored furniture, so it's no surprise that this caught my eye. But seeing it makes me think if you're going to go for the glitzy trend, you may as well show it off to your cocktail party guests. So see a few of my mirrored cocktail table picks when you read more.

"Mirage" Cocktail Table - $1,199.00	John-Richard - $1,829.00
John-Richard - $1,529.00	Jonathan Adler - montmartre table by jonathan adler - $1,200.00
John-Richard - $799.00	Cappellini - cappellini ministeel table series by carlo colombo - $968.00
Clairemont Coffee Table - $699.00	Jonathan Cocktail Table - $2,195.00
Meridian Cocktail Table - $849.00

Photo courtesy of The CW

Sugar Shout Out: A Red Sky in Australia

PopSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:55:00 -0700

Spain Scores Record For World's Longest Restaurant Table

YumSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:30:17 -0700

Perhaps the world's lengthiest dosa has finally found its place at table.

Over the weekend, a dining table measuring 1.258 kilometers, or more than three quarters of a mile, entered the Guinness World Records. The front-page furniture hailed from the Valencian town of El Campello in Spain.

The feat was made up of tables from at least 60 various local restaurants. Restaurants that contributed space were allowed to decorate, wait on, and serve diners at these tables to their liking. Despite the fact that the record-setting structure beat out an 2007 record held by a restaurant in Vienna, Austria, that was 1.176 kilometers long, every single seat at at the table was occupied. Do you enjoy dining at long tables?

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