Rugs: Modern and Inexpensive?

 I've been on a mission for the proper living room rug. I gotta says it's been a challenge. First of all the room is an odd shape. Second, rugs are expensive! And since all our money is blown on the construction there's not much change in the purse to buy the decoratives. So in these pics I've got 2 rugs. The first I really enjoyed when I saw it at IKEA. Enough to go back buy it, place it in our room, realize it was too small and then take it back! The second rug is a little bigger which is good and I love the color but the size is still not ideal. I got it from TJ Maxx for a great price and it is really working in the space right now. I need to get a detail shot of it because it's a rug with ridges and grooves in a cool geometric pattern. The color is also great because it pulls in the Jay Ryan print from the other side of the room seen HERE and here. We still have yet to hang art and I've finally got curtains up (that will be another post). But all in all things are getting put back in their proper places - including my fave Heywood Wakefield Lounger, Ottoman, and the Blue Modernica Eames rocking chair - deep sigh of contentment.

Window and Door Trim: Modern Organic

Life is busy these days so I'll keep it brief. Here's our front door without any trim. After some discussion David Schmitz, AIA directed us to go in a less conventional direction. You can check out the trim on the windows below. We kept it continuous with the hallway doors as well. David plus Jonathan at Bunchberry woodworking built us a new hallway closet door to also keep to look consistent. It was a little extra cost at the end but well worth. This is a design piece that we really didn't think of until the very end. It took a few extra weeks to get it all installed but it's looking great and the trim really makes the whole place feel finished. The trim seems minor but without it the whole remodel would have looked either incomplete or simply an after thought. It was indeed an afterthought but thanks to David's smart thinking it looks like it was always a part of the plan.

Modernica Bar Stools: Eames Wire Chair

Well here they are. . . after many days of going back and forth about whether to buy something inexpensive to just meet the need or to spend the money on that which would fit the space exactly we went for the later. Now having had these lovely Modernica Eames wire bar stools for the last month or so I have to say I'm very happy with that choice. We couldn't really shell out the cash to buy 4-5 of these stools but the two are working for us for right now. Mr. Monkey was adamant about finding bar stools with a full back. He did not want a demi-back bar stool. This substantial stool supports our lounging over dinner and drinks for hours and so let it be known Mr. Monkey was right on this one.

I was so excited I took a picture of the boxes they came in!

As a part of this purchase we debated the wether to wait and find vintage stools. This proved to be challenging because Eames vintage bar stools do not come around very often. We looked at some really gorgeous Danish Teak with black leather bar stools at Oak St. Vintage (they're still there in case you're wondering) but they turned out to be counter height (24 inches or so) and not bar height (30 inches or so) which is what we were looking for. Another more patient furniture lover might have waited and searched for just the right bar stools but once I saw these beauties I knew they would be just right. By the time Fall rolls around we hope to be able to buy two more. I'm still having one debate though. Should I stick with the Eames wire chair or should we add 2 Eames shell chairs in oatmeal with the same legs?

Schoolhouse Electric: Pendant Lights Arrive!

Well they're here and I have to say the lights from Schoolhouse Electric Co. are lovely and I love the packaging and labeling as well. Here are some close up shots as well as the lights installed. I'm so proud to have the lovely artwork of Yellena James in the house in this way. I love have local focal points like the locally harvested/salvaged walnut island top and now the pendant lights brought to us by a Portland, OR based company and artist! Things are in bloom so the tulips were locally harvested from our front yard! ; ) As you can see things are coming together splendidly. We couldn't be happier. Just final touches remaining to share with you - recycling center under the sink, walnut trim to cover under cabinet lighting, dimmers and electrical outlet plates in stainless steel are still coming, early next week door and window trim is being installed, and today I sit around hovering by the front window waiting for the UPS man to bring 2 bar stools!

For Earth Day Buy Furniture?!

Well it's Earth day and here in Eugene it's a big deal. There are free events at 5th St. Market for example and sales (i.e. at Oak Street Vintage) galore. Last night Mr. Schmitz & Mr. Plummer came over to talk about final touches in the kitchen and mostly about trim. We talked for 30 minutes about all things trim including where this wood is going to come from. Buying wood is definitely a conundrum. We talked about buying a ready to go maple trim and Mr. Plummer suggested it would be FSC or Forest Stewardship Council certified. We also talked about using Appleply for the trim and I asked Mr. Plummer if that wood would be FSC certified and he said no. For another client they bought FSC applyply and in the end discovered that the core was from China which then leads to a whole bunch of questions about carbon production and shipping from across the world - not very earth friendly acts! They made the point that even though the applyply that we have in our house is not FSC it is locally (Oregon) harvested and manufactured (Lane County). So you see it's not so easy being green! 

We're trying to make the best & most eco-conscious decisions during this remodel by taking more than just a simple label into mind. Thus my dilemma about buying furniture for Earth day. I want to but do I need to? NO! Here's some rationalization for you though if you care to indulge me. We'll be getting rid of some furniture on Craigs or via a garage sale or donating it to Goodwill or Bring Recycling which will keep it out of the landfill. This is good. But then is it a good idea to consume more stuff on a day that celebrates not consuming more shit? Not good. I think in the end don't buy anything at CB2 today just because they're going to plant a tree for you (you can plant a tree yourself). Falling for that sales pitch is not very eco-savvy. If I have to buy furniture it seems like supporting a local vintage store is a great way to consume stuff in an earth-friendly way. Plus Oak Street has marked everything in the store off 22% for April 22nd!  You're saving furniture from the landfill which I think is an Earth-friendly action. Probably instead of buying stuff at Earth Day sales it's probably best to just get out into nature and remind yourself why we have this day to begin with. Another good Earth Day activity is donating to a small environmental non-profit like Cascadia Wildlands - a small group that is on the front lines of old growth and endangered animal protection in the Cascades from Oregon to Alaska! Also right now you can double your donation because of a generous offer from a great business Mountain Rose Herbs.com. Happy Earth Day, Modern monkeys!

Schoolhouse Electric Lighting on its way!

I just learned that our pendant lights from Schoolhouse Electric shipped today and they should be here by the end of the week! Very exciting. I'm still looking for a flush mount ceiling light for the hallway. Let me know if you have any great ideas or pictures. Here's a picture of our pendant lights. The one on the left. It's from the Artist Series - a local Portland artist in fact! We chose the blue and red version and I can't barely remember now but I think I chose a white ceiling fixture and white cord. I hope that turns out well. Technically they're considered custom. One drawback of the Schoolhouse Electric website is that is doesn't give you a visual mockup of what you're ordering so you just kinda have to close your eyes, picture it, and click "purchase." I wrote more detail about the lights back here. I did take the plunge and purchase 2 bar stools. They were a bit outside our price range so it's just 2 for now and hopefully another 2 or so in a few months. I'll get pictures posted later this week with all the deets. Also friends, I completely didn't think about it but we're gonna be in the market other furniture too! There is some sort of snowball effect happening here I think. We didn't stop to think about fitting our old couches and chairs and table into our new space. Hmm, while the kitchen may be done soon the overall new look may still be a ways off. In the meantime however we are really enjoying the basics like having a kitchen sink!

Kitchen Faucet: Kohler Simplice & Tile

Thanks to those of you who offered your opinions on FB Networked Blogs and here in the comments section and in person about kitchen faucets. It was nice to hear what people's reactions might be. In the end we chose the Kohler Simplice and so far we're really happy with it. It's a bit splashy but we're learning to manage. What I love about it is that the head pulls down and out very easily and there are three buttons on the back that allow you to have a single stream, shower spray, and a final button allows you to momentarily stop the flow altogether. The hose has a great range which is real nice and essential because we opted for only one sink but it is one big sink! Oh and that button next to the faucet is the garbage disposal button. Love it! It keeps the backsplash clean of outlets and switches. Below are some close ups of the tile so that you can get a better sense of the design. I'm so glad I found the tile and I'm so glad that Mr. Schmitz was able to access his architect discount! It seriously saved me from the dilemma of glass mosaic tile that was terribly expensive and impossible to find something that I liked for a even slightly reasonable price. This tile is your basic Italian ceramic. What's nice about it is it's 3-d textured-ness and its large size. Larger size means less grout means less kitchen goop stuck in kitchen places means less cleaning of goop! Yay again! Next up I gotta share some close up pix of the island top. It is gor-or-geous! Seriously a show-stopper!