Monthly Archives: June 2010

DC finds: pillow-palooza!

So, I know that I teased you last week with a bunch of pretty sweet pillows that make any room look cooler. But, now I’ll show you where you can get them! oooooOOOOO! [insert baby mama voice/hand gesture]

geometric

[1] rubie green [2] the pouf [3] skinny laminx [4] trina turk [5] jonathan adler [6] jonathan adler – design your own [7] helix linen pillow [8] cross-hatch linen pillow

organic

[1] faux suzani pillow [2] elements air embroidered pillow [3] alexandra ferguson [4] jonathan adler [5] tree log bolsters [6] botany grass linen pillow [7] red floral applique pillow [8] tangelo ball pillow

graphic

[1] symbols hook pillows [2] iomoi custom canvas pillows [3] large monogram pillows [4] alexandra ferguson [5] queen crown accent pillow

animal-ic :)

[1] birds & bees linen pillow | voilet perch linen pillow [2] ferm living mr. frank fox organic pillows [3] mulit-colored nesting pillow [4] moby seafarer pillow [5] alexandra ferguson [6] goldfish postage pillow

So there you have it! Pillows for every personality. You’re bound to find one that matches your space, and if not.. you can always design your space around a pillow :) OR you can always just design your own! Uh oh.. now the possibilities really ARE endless ;) I’ll probably make some with Eames chairs on them [surprise surprise] What do your pillows look like? Share your faves with us!

Until next time!

cfs

10 things: kate haenchen can’t live without

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We’re continuing with our series featuring some of the creative people that we know. Every Tuesday we will introduce them as they share with us the ten things they can’t live without. Today we are introducing our dear friend (of derek) best friend (of catharine) and aspiring interior designer / grant winner / historical preservationista, Kate Haenchen [@denakate].

Location: Lubbock, TX

[one] faith

More than anything else, my Savior sustains me. I serve a “compassionate and gracious God; slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving of wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7). Though I’m a constant failure and a hypocritical representation, my life is littered with evidences of Christ’s presence.

[two] community

My family and friends mean the world to me. I have some of the most coveted parents on earth who love my friends deeply, support me wholly and are the best marital example I’ve ever witnessed. My brother is everything to me – we are the perfect balance as siblings. He is my best friend, life coach, and biggest fan. When friends enter my life they become family. That being said, I LOVE my friends. Majority of closest friends are scattered all over the world, but distance makes us wise and gives us an excuse to travel. I love people in general and still love to make new friends – YAY!

[three] culture & history

History has always been interesting and eye-catching to me and was highly discussed in our home. Having traveled and moved a lot during my childhood allowed me the exposure to extreme cultural diversity at a young age. Now, I crave to explore new cultures and cultural phenomena. I’m just lucky enough that culture and history play a huge role in my profession and field of study.

[four] exact-ness? exact-ivity? exact-itude?

Many a time I have been accused of having OCD. I like to think of it as an intense attention to detail. I’m focused, organized and goal oriented. I carry a measuring tape and a tiny architectural scale in my bag at all times. My calendar exists in way too many forms to disclose for fear of embarrassment. To-do lists are my saving grace.

[five] laughter

There is a reason laughter is considered the best medicine. One of the greatest things another can do for me is to make me laugh. I thrive on it. Laughter makes almost any situation light, fun and worthwhile.

[six] sunglasses

Sunglasses are the accessories where I can be a little more daring than normal; which happens to be very tame in comparison to most. I also buy cheap sunglasses because I can’t seem to hold on to a pair longer than a few months or they evolve in the “2000 and late” category. And yes… I wear them at night.

[seven] bags

The single greatest and most beautiful thing one can own is a great bag. I live by this principle; probably because I made it up to justify my misunderstood obsession. I fell in love with my first Kate Spade when I was 16 and I never went back. As a designer, it’s hard not to apply the principles of good design to every aspect of your life… and though I don’t live a “designer life”, I like to think of it as well designed.

[eight] music & movies

Movies are my great escape and inspiration, while music is a perfect form of expression. I watch and own more movies than I should and am currently working through the AFI top 100. I also chronicle my life by music. I’m the person who says, “I love this song!” to almost every song… I know it’s annoying. I have a strong appreciation for classics and theory in music, but really, I’m a fan of anything that stirs my soul. It’s art.

[nine] well executed design

I’m referencing the type of stuff that causes one to sigh as they revel in the presence of amazing products, touch a fabric, or experience a space. Design can be life changing even in its smallest forms. Color is one of my favorite passions – I don’t have a favorite one. How do you pick?! Pattern and texture are the subliminal messages of design; they aren’t as readily noticed as color, but they dramatically affect the user. My favorite designers are the people I want to be, naturally. Not only do they change lives through the adaptation of space, they live well-designed lives that perfectly reflect the essence of who they are.

[ten] apple products

Disclaimer: I am not tech-savvy like most members of my generation. That being said, Apple was made for those like me. Also, the products are superior if ever I work on something remotely creative. But the ultimate joy is the ability to sync my trillion calendars and various media that I carry with me everywhere. It makes life so easy. Plus, it’s just a beautiful product. Thanks, Steve.

Stay tuned for text Tuesday when we feature our dear friend and designer/trend follower/80s lover, Chris Davison.

Until next time!

DC

[photo: grand hotel, mackinac island, mi]

Catharine’s Birthday Present | Part III

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Don’t forget to read Part I and Part II. The final phase (which happened throughout as well) is the finish of the coffee table. Two main sides: inside which is straight black, and the outside which is stained and waxed. I went through several tests of the plywood I was using to see how it would look. I tried teak oil, wax, walnut stain, ebony stain, and finally ebony stain with a few coats of wax.

As we were working, we painted the drawers so that they would be ready when we mounted them. We did a good sanding, one spray coat of black, wet sand with 220 grit paper, then another coat of black and thus got the mirror-ish finish you see here.

One of the hard parts was that the drawers needed to be finished on their own, and then we could attach the drawer faces to them that would already be stained so prevent overspray. I was really concerned about the final appearance of the table itself, and tried very hard to keep the black from bleeding out. The images below are the drawer faces before they were mounted. We prepped the surface with pre-stain and then ebony stain. We waxed them once they were on the drawers bodies.

So once the entire body was assembled I began sanding from 80 grit up to 220 with the power random orbit sander and then 400 grit by hand. Since the corner were so precise in this piece I decided to “break” the edge with a block sander with 180 grit. Not to chamfer the edge but just take the sharpness off to prevent getting cut. So with this sanded I procrastinated a lot to avoid the big final step. I was pretty worried about applying the stain because it had such a chance to go south. When staining you have to be fast and even, very EVEN to prevent blotches and big streaks. I finally grew a pair and my dad and I did it pretty quickly and let it sit for I think 15 min on the wood itself, then wiped off with a cloth and let set over night. Once that was done and pretty I cleaned and it applied I think as much as 7 coats of wax on the entire outside face. We rubbed on wax evenly and fairly heavy then followed wiping it off WITH the grain to prevent scratching the surface. Wax interestingly enough can score and tear up the surface your trying to smooth out.