SPOTTED: My HomeGoods find In Lonny's office

We all know the distinct pleasure of a bargain find.

And readers of this blog know I have a love affair with HomeGoods lamps.  While the quality is not top notch, they just do an amazing job of producing low-cost knock-offs of high end lamps.  Some of their lamps seem to be OVER produced, and you see a bunch of them at each store, but every once in a while you see a sort of one-off lamp that is super unique and you wonder how it got there (but first you snap it up.)

Such was the case with my office lamp.  I spotted it, had NO clue where I would use it, but grabbed it anyway because I loved it so.
 

It ended up in the office, where it works because it has a similar color value as the orange Eames chair (i.e. they are similarly bright and clear), and because there's plenty of yellow in the office gallery wall.

The cowhide rug brings in a natural element and grounds all that psychedelic color.  (We're working on the desk situation.  While I actually don't mind the casual plywood on file cabinets thing, we do need a bit more space, and the room could use a desk with a bit more weight.)

All in all, the office is one of my favorite spaces in our house, even though, in a way, it is the most "unfinished."

It was icing on the cake to get a gander at the new Lonny offices in the latest issue and to spot my fabulous yellow lamp, and to discover just what a bargain I got.

My price tag: $49.99 (on the high end for HomeGoods.)  The Lonny lamps?  $458.  Each.

Did you check out the new issue?  What did you think?

The Lamp Factory

I currently have three pairs of lamps in various stages of makeover.

It's no secret that I L.O.V.E. Home Goods lamps. They have a wide variety, they often have pairs (and I love pairs of lamps almost as much as pairs of chairs), and you can't beat the price. Even other mass retailers that I think of as being inexpensive, like Pier 1 or West Elm, sell lamps for about three times as much. Many of my faves from Home Goods look unique, and you would never guess I paid under $50 at a discount store.

However.

For some reason, the default base seems to be that brushed nickel, no matter what the style of lamp. And with gold accents in most of my house, nickel lamp bases just won't do.


So I've been spraying a couple of them with metallic brass rustoleum. In the un-ventilated basement. (Still too cold to open the windows here!) When the girls and I walked in the back door after school pick up, the house reeked. Oops.

This pair also had mismatched finials, and neither looked like it went with the lamps.
So I got an extra $5 knocked off each one and figured that a matching finish would at least distract from the mismatched shapes. Maybe eventually I'll buy new finials (but I doubt it.)

Pair number 2: ikea wall lamps for the guest room. You can see one in the middle there, also going from nickel to brassy, along with the wonky finials.


(You can also see the legs of a set of 4 white Ghost chairs, all stacked up. I almost sprayed them gold, just by the proximity of that spraying station. That would have been a VERY expensive mistake. Sometimes I'm a total idiot about my projects that way.)

Pair number 3: What do you think about this classic navy ticking to top off these brass stick lamps? The original white shade is feeling a bit stark against the new navy walls.


I think I'll probably go for it. This is the last project for the guest room, and then I can share the results! But at least this is a sneak peek of the wall color. I like it more and more and more and more. And our weekend guests dug it, too.

Oh, and the green lamps back in the living room.

Perhaps the most subtle "after" shot on earth. But much, much better, especially since the frames on the wall RIGHT THERE are black and gold.


Sometimes it's the little things, isn't it?

Confession

I spent the past week painting the guest room navy. "Peaceful Night," actually, which seemed very fitting for a bedroom. It took four coats. FOUR. One coat of tinted primer and three coats of paint, and by the fourth pass on the fourth wall, I found myself cursing Behr and feeling a little persecuted for forsaking my main man Benjamin Moore.

But it's done. As we were moving the furniture back in, I made a confession to my husband. He was helping me hang this mirror, seen here "before,"



and I said: "You know, this mirror is the real reason I wanted to paint this room navy." (bleached wood on khaki wall = sad beige world. As if it needed explanation).

There was a slightly stunned silence. I had, after all, just painted for three days, culminating in a 2-coat marathon that ended at 1 am.

And then he asked, "How much did this mirror cost?"

And I told him. It was on clearance at Home Goods and cost $29. Except I had a gift card, so I actually didn't pay real money for it.

"And how much did the paint cost?" He asked.

"Well," I said. "Seventy-five dollars. But that's not the point."

And then he looked at me like I had finally, truly, gone insane.

Of course, this is not a simple equation, and in the end I didn't paint an entire room to make a "free" mirror work; it's more that the mirror inspired the next step in the room. We all know that this decorating madness is like dominoes. So I wonder: what was your craziest reason for a major decorating endeavor? Do tell. Please.

And speaking of dominoes, when I finished the room, my four year old walked in and asked, "Mommy, why didn't you paint the ceiling?"

Indeed.

Shopping round up

I made the rounds to a couple of big box stores yesterday, looking for bits and piece for various projects, and found some surprises that I thought I'd pass along to you.

Target has this new blue and white ikat melamine plates, just a few dollars a piece. (If they were ceramic, I would pick up the bowls to go with our royal copenhagen blue fluted mega china, but alas.)



At Home Goods, in addition to snagging lamps in the right shade of green for the living room (more on that later), I spotted this little slipper chair with a vintage polo print. So cute for a little boys room and just $99.


But the real surprise was Pier 1 imports. I remember shopping for CLOTHES and jewelry at Pier 1 when I was a kid (I remember one dress in particular in blue, black, and white ikat--it would be so "in" again today), but their home stuff is kind of all over the map, and often seems a bit pricey for the quality. I have found good deals on occasion though, like our outdoor chairs, so I popped in on a whim yesterday, as I was in the market for some "global" throw pillows. While they didn't have quite what I was looking for, I did snag this teeny tiny geometric pillow for just $3 (one corner is missing its pom poms--adds character, right?)


And I saw many other items of interest. Another good choice for a boys room, I love this little rattan bucket seat for $129


Love this modern red X-base table, though I couldn't find the price


Was very tempted by these beaded-edges cloth napkins in great colors for less than $5 a piece (but worried that the bead trim was not the best for daily use, and we use cloth napkins every day)


Caught sight of this chain-mail pillow on my way out the door


Love this outdoor lantern for inside--kind of reminds me of those franco albini rattan ottomans that I do so love

But my absolute favorite is this outdoor throne.


It reminds me of these 60s outdoor sets (of course not as cool, but much more accessible), which I covet intensely.

[House Beautiful]

I also picked up to excellent little surprises for Oliver's room, but I think I'll hold onto those until we reveal the "after."

Have you had any good find lately? Let me know!

Kantha

Is kantha the new ikat? Feels like it's popping up all over the place.

Elle Decor featured these pillows from Jayson Home and Garden in the last issue
And West Elm is offering a very similar version for much less money (though if you live in the Twin Cities, you're out of luck: they only have two left in the store and they won't get more until June. Plus, if you ordr online you have no control over the color or pattern that you get. Booooo.)


These came from TJ Maxx (but they're too pink and will be going back)


And this screen was on display at Home Goods yesterday.


"Kantha" actually refers to a type of embroidery popular in Indian, and while all of these pieces are embroidered, it seems that the most "authentic" take on kantha uses vintage saris that have been embroidered. If you want to be authentic, try these, from ebay.


What do you think: will this be a flash in the pan, or a global trend with staying power, like suzanis, ikat, and beni ourain rugs?

Fun Quiz

Two of my favorite's in one place: Deborah Needleman and Home Goods!
The former editor-in-chief of Domino has created a style quiz on the Home Goods website. It only take a few minutes, it's fun, and I actually thought my results make sense. Here they are:

Bohemian Classic

You have a refined sensibility and bring a sense of history and tradition into your decor. You appreciate how symmetrical arrangements and beautiful, well-crafted pieces create a solid foundation to a room. But you like to shake up this restraint with objects and accessories that express your personality and your love of other cultures. When traveling, you seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. You want people to feel comfortable in your home, and cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, unique pieces, and even a little touch of quirk or humor give your house a laid-back, Bohemian flair.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

So. What's your style?

The cutest

It's a good thing I didn't see these before I designed the girls room--I would have HAD to have them, in that pink patent leather, and really, even at $69 from Home Goods, a pair of them would have been a budget buster.

I know these chairs have been really trendy of late, but made pint sized, somehow it doesn't matter. And seriously, this is the reason that decorating little girls' rooms is so much fun.