Category: ‘D’ for Decorating

Canopy Beds
Eleanor, my eldest, is interested in making some changes to her room, and she has requested a canopy bed! After talking to her more and looking at examples together, we’re realizing that what she wants more than the look of a canopy bed is the feeling of coziness and privacy.* She wants a place to hide away and read, and I want to give that to her.

We may do something custom, perhaps building the bed into a nook, or mounting curtain rods from the ceiling, and if we do I’ll share more about that process (of course). To start though, we’ve been looking at readymade canopy beds. They’re falling into general categories, and I’ve rounded up examples below.

Curved Metal Beds

We all remember this Miles Redd bedroom, yes? It predated the chevron craze, but was also an early example of the canopy beds Redd has been doing (in ever more elaborate styles) since. I could get on board.

Pottery Barn Teen has a simple metal canopy bed that’s lovely, but it lacks a solid headboard. (Annoying because pillows tend to squish out the back.) If you’re willing to overlook a few details, this is the same shape but costs far less. I think it’s worth seeking out a solid headboard, in whatever material you like, and I’ve included a few in the mix below. What I did not include in this “curved metal” category are the arched canopies that reminded me of my childhood 80’s bed — I just can’t do it.
Boxy Metal

Again, some of these lack a solid headboard, but maybe that’s my unique fixation? I particularly like the combination of a metal frame with an upholstered headboard.
1. Lolington Canopy Bed, Wayfair
2. Moira Industrial Canopy Bed, Overstock
3. Flynn Canopy Bed, Pottery Barn Kids
4. James Walnut with Black Frame Canopy Bed, Crate & Barrel
5. Lincoln Upholstered Bed, Ethan Allen
6. Architecture Bed, Room & Board
7. Frame Canopy Bed, CB2
8. Industrial Black Canopy Bed, Baxton Studio (half the price of CB2’s, but it has more supports beneath and the corners look less elegant)
9. Amalfi Canopy Bed, One Kings Lane (and you may also like this similar style from Pottery Barn)
Wooden Canopy Beds

I’m not sure that these are right for us, but there are some lovely transitional style wooden canopy beds.
1. Gjöra Bed Frame, IKEA (not a true canopy, but interesting)
2. Lindy Canopy Bed, Ballard Designs
3. Hayward Bed, Ethan Allen
4. Colonial Cane Bed, Williams Sonoma Home
5. Keane Driftwood Canopy Bed, Crate & Barrel
6. Hale Bed, Room & Board
7. Whitaker Four Poster Bed, Serena & Lily
Forest Beds

I was surprised that these weren’t more appealing to my daughter. She loves spending the summer exploring the woods, surrounded by the forest canopy, but that didn’t translate into wanting a forest canopy bed. Still, these are fun for the right person.
1. Arbor Bed, Grandin Road
2. White Iron Mature Trees Bed, Overstock
3. Forest Canopy Bed, Houzz (I think this is the same as Anthropologie’s, but priced lower)
Modern Fairytale

These read a little more juvenile, and definitely more feminine, like something a storybook princess would sleep in. We both liked the sense of enclosure in the second one, but didn’t love the bed itself.
1. Colette Canopy Bed, Pottery Barn Kids
2. Blythe Carriage Bed, Pottery Barn Kids
Wooden Spindle Beds

My favorite style! I would invest in a bed for my master bedroom (I did, and I love it), but these are beyond my budget for a kid’s room. I could be surprised, but I expect that my daughter’s interest in canopy beds may be outgrown as she gets older.
* I’ve been saving examples in an Instagram collection to share with Eleanor and it has been tremendously helpful for narrowing down the things she likes (and just as important, the things she doesn’t). Saved collections are private, but I’ll work on moving the images to a Pinterest board. There were many responses from people that are looking at canopy beds for their kids too (or for themselves) and lots of requests for more details on the images I shared briefly in Instagram Stories. I’ll let you know when it’s up!
August 20, 2019
Retro Refrigerators and Mini Fridges

There are a whole lot of fridges on the market right now if you’re into the mid-century modern look for appliances. I was at a housewares trade show over the weekend and there’s a cute new model coming out soon by Daewoo, and one from Nostalgia that looks like a Smeg at half the price (but without a freezer compartment). Keep an eye out for those to hit the market in months to come.

There are more brands and options in Europe and elsewhere, but America tends to like our fridges BIG, so there aren’t as many cute refrigerators here on the small side. I did round up what’s readily available though, below!

Each of these comes in other colors, but red was a constant across all brands. There are itty bitty models that hold a few drinks, like the ones by Uber Appliance, Igloo, and Tectron. There’s the slightly larger cube-shaped countertop model by Igloo that also comes in a pretty coral color (er, ahem, Millennial Pink), and options from Smeg, Daewoo, Danby, and Nostalgia. And if you’re looking for a larger refrigerator, look to Smeg, Big Chill, and Elmira Stove Work’s Northstar (at least until those other models mentioned above hit stores).

March 21, 2017
Look for Less: English Roll Arm Sofa

Let’s consider this a public service announcement, shall we? Questions about my sofa come up constantly, and now there’s a good way to get the look for less.

I love our teal Winifred sofa from Anthropologie. The size and scale is great, the quality excellent (super sturdy, super comfortable), and it’s pretty darn cute… but it’s also the most expensive piece of furniture we’ve ever owned. It was listed at $3300, and I bought it when it went on sale for $2300. I feel like it was worth the price, but it was definitely a big chunk of change to put down.

Fast forward to a few years later, and it’s no longer available. If you love the look though (and not the price), IKEA now sells a reasonable facsimile: the Stocksund 3-1/2 seater sofa in ljungen blue.

Why the difference in price? The stores play a part, of course, but there are a few differences in quality too. The Anthro sofa is 98″ long with cotton/linen upholstery, a kiln-dried hardwood frame, down and polyfill cushions with eight-way hand-tied seat construction (and that cute button tufting), handcrafted in USA. IKEA’s sofa is 90″ long with a polyester cover, a frame made of particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard, with polyurethane foam cushions that have inner springs. The overall styling is slightly different as well, along with simpler turned legs and no castors on IKEA’s version.

I would expect my sofa to have a longer lifespan, perhaps needing reupholstering eventually rather than replacing, but the less expensive option is still a great choice! (We own an IKEA couch too — the Kivik — no complaints.) Throw a few pillows on there, style it up, and bam.

February 3, 2016
Protecting Our Upholstery

I am a compensated Scotchgard Brand blogger ambassador. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

Remember the pair of chairs in our living room? The ones that I mentioned were the recipient once of a nice dousing with orange soda?

Yep, those are the ones. We usually only eat or drink at the dining room table, but the soda was spilled during a party when we were being more lax (and by an adult, not one of the kids!). We got to it right away and luckily it came up without staining, but it wasn’t a good feeling to worry that the upholstery might have been ruined by one little accident.

I hadn’t taken any steps to protect them, even after that incident, until after I started working with Scotchgard Brand. I’d heard of them before (most of us probably have), but I hadn’t used any of their products or seen them in action so it didn’t cross my mind that it was an option. When I met with their team and was able to see a few demos, I realized how helpful it would have been for my chairs! Scotchgard Protectors don’t change the look or feel of your fabric at all, and you would never know a fabric had been treated unless you were to spill on it. Liquids bead up on the surface, so if something spills you have a little leeway to go get a towel and clean things up before anything soaks through.

I used Scotchgard Fabric and Upholstery Protector starting with the front of each chair and moving my way towards the backs with a single can. Come over and spill all over my things! They have magic forcefields now. Or at least it seems like they do.

I am a compensated Scotchgard Brand-sponsored blogger. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

January 27, 2016
The #LoveYourThings Shoot with Scotchgard Brand at the Randolph Street Market

I am a compensated Scotchgard Brand blogger ambassador. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

A few months back, Scotchgard Brand invited me to Chicago’s Randolph Street Market to hang out at their booth, chat with visitors, and take part in a video about things we love and how to protect them. There are always amazing vintage and antique pieces at the show — you might find your new favorite chair or rug, suitcases to stand in as storage, or maybe an old textile that has been (or can be) made into pillows.

The antidote to the all-white interiors trend, eh?

OK, but then you get your finds back home — these things that have already had a long life — and you don’t want to be the one to ruin them. And that goes for our new things too, of course. You know the pair of armchairs in our living room? Someone once spilled orange soda all over them when we were having a party. The person felt awful about it, and luckily the spill came right up, but if it hadn’t… yikes. Either we would have had to reupholster (two chairs, in this case, because they should match), live with a very strategically placed blanket, or ignore the stain. I use Scotchgard Fabric & Upholstery Protector on them now so nothing like that will happen again, because I don’t think we would have been so lucky had it been a drink like red wine. Once you see how it works, which is what we showed people at the Randolph Street Market, you realize what a good idea it is to protect the things you love with it. It repels liquids and blocks stains and can be used to protect your linens, furniture, rugs, clothes, car interiors and more.

Here are a couple of behind the scenes shots from our shoot.

And here’s the video.

I’ve used Scotchgard Protectors for a bunch of our things now. A purse, a couple of chairs, and yes, the crazy floral floor model chair I’m talking about above. I’ll show you how easy it is in an upcoming post. What are some things you love and want to protect?

January 21, 2016
20 Colorful Kids’ Desks and Chairs
The armchair in August’s room will soon be out of there. Nobody is sitting in it much (we read more in bed), and when I asked him if he would rather keep the chair or have a desk instead, he wanted a desk. Eleanor has one in her room, so of course August wants one too.

His bedroom has unpainted wooden trim, a wooden dresser, a black bookshelves. The bed will be upholstered, and the only other soft surface (the armchair) is being removed. I’ll be repainting and I’ve already added a more colorful rug, and I’m looking to bring in more color with the desk and chair. I found twenty options that can mix and match and when I showed them to August, and he said he wanted red. No, light blue. “No, all of them! Stack them up to the roof!”

A lot of help he is!

With the exception of one desk (#3, which is over by ten dollars), everything here is under $200. Much of it is under $100.
1. Commune Chair
  Bent plywood in red, green, blue, or black.
2. Tobias Clear Chair
  This is also available in a clear version, but that lilac is unexpected in a wonderful way.
3. Safavieh Bentley Writing Desk
  Industrial inspiration plus poppy color.
4. Janinge Chair
  Comes in white too, but the yellow is much more fun.
5. Pagoda Blue Evie Molded Dining Chair
  Knock-off Eames shell chairs. There are a million out there, or go for the licensed version in plastic or fiberglass.
6. Homeroom Metal Desk Chair
  Teal, lime, pink, red, or white. The rolled front edge makes the chair more comfortable for longer periods of time.
7. Student Desk with Open Front Metal Book Box
  A primary school classic that also comes in blue, but you have to order at least two.
8. Expound Desk
  That modern trestle base is a fun detail on a well-priced desk. Available in several colors.
9. Public Chair
  Just adorable. Eight wood and accent color combinations.
10. Ideal II Chair
  Bent plywood chairs are always a nice go-to.
11. Lucinda Stacking Chair
  Orange powdercoated iron. Super colorful and sturdy! Also comes in grey.
12. Domino Desk Chair
  Such a great price for a design like this! Similar styles often go for much more from pricier stores. Choose green, gold, navy, or pink.
13. Vilmar Melamine Chair
  These are usually bent wood, but the melamine makes this easier to wipe down and keep clean. Comes in several colors and patterns.
14. Go Cart Mint Rolling Desk
  Similar to the other on this list, but less expensive and in a lovely mint color.
15. Reidar Outdoor Aluminum Chair
  Metal chairs are wonderfully sturdy and indestructible. Choose from black, white, and yellow.
16. Pony Peacock Chair
  I didn’t include a lot of fabric choices here on purpose, but I liked this one too much to pass up. Comes in a gray tweed too if you’re looking for something less colorful.
17. IKEA PS 2014 Secretary Desk
  Toys and display space up top, hide everything else below! The zingy orange and modern design is great, too.
18. Marais A Side Chair
  16 colors! We have these in our dining room, in gunmetal gray.
19. Umbra OH! Arm Chair
  You know where the name comes from? You sit down and exclaim “OH!” when you realize how comfy it is.
20. Red Josephine Desk
  X-bases for the win. Plus a fold-down drawer!
August 12, 2015