CasaSugar -- Home sweet home.

Nice and New: California Home + Design Online

casasugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:30:52 -0800

California Home + Design is now online! The West Coast design magazine's website has lots to offer, including daily finds, archives, video, event recaps and photographs, and the currently monthly issue in digital format. For those of you not familiar with San Francisco, here's a fun video of one of our most design-oriented hoods, Hayes Valley. I'll look forward to watching plenty more of these! In other words, if you aren't already spending enough of your time online, prepare to. Just save a few minutes for me, okay? Source

Nice and New: Pottery Barn Leah Desk

casasugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:00:29 -0800

A friend of mine has the Neiman Marcus Mirrored Vanity ($899) and I love its flip-up center storage compartment, but I've been feeling lately that mirrored furniture is heading for the "out" bin. So, I was delighted to come across the Leah Desk ($469) in champagne at Pottery Barn. The desk also has a center section that lifts to reveal a beveled mirror and a faux drawer front that folds down to store accessories. Whether you're using the desk to do work, surf the web, or get all gussied up, it has a has a power strip that provides a central place to plug in your Macbook or your straightener. Aside from the technical features, I'm loving its glam champagne turned-wood legs and unexpected red painted interior finish. What do you think?

Nice and New: Simrin Farmyard Placemats

casasugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:30:30 -0800

You may not enjoy the scent of cow manure or the sound of a rooster's crow at the break of dawn, but you can still bring a little farm life into your home without counting Babe as one of your dependents. Velocity has introduced Simrin Farmyard Placemats ($36) into its collection of fashionable table linens, and I think they're just the thing to give us all a taste of the old days, short of rearing animals ourselves. The placemats are made from 100 percent cotton, and can be easily machine washed and dried. But that shouldn't prevent you from line-drying them out in the pasture, if you so please.

Nice and New: 50th Anniversary Swan Chair

casasugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:00:45 -0800

You've no doubt seen it in a trendy design store, a hotel lobby, or a wealthy friend's living room. The Swan Chair, designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, is one of the design world's most famous chairs, thanks to its welcoming and comfortable curves and lack of straight lines. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Fritz Hansen, the original manufacturer, released 1,958 limited-edition Swan Chairs on Saturday, each in swan-white, semianiline leather with a pearl-white base, each with a sterling silver pendant around its base, engraved with a unique number. The chairs will be available in selected stores around the globe, including Suite New York. For more information, go to Fritz Hansen's site.

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Nice and New: Home Decorators Tamara Sofa

casasugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:53 -0700

I've always loved the feminine shape of French settee sofas, but they rarely look comfortable. So, I was delighted to come across the Home Decorators Tamara Sofa ($1049), which features a plush white cushion seat and two back pillows, in addition to stylish curves. While the white upholstery may frighten some of you, it can always be reupholstered in a darker fabric, tossed with a throw, or even printed to make it more stain-concealing. At $1,049, the sofa is really a steal for what it is, and if you purchase it before Nov. 10, you can take advantage of Home Decorator's Customer Reward Days, which will land you a $10 reward for every $50 you spend (i.e. $209).

Nice and New: DwellStudio Petal Plus Bath Mat

casasugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:30:56 -0700

It's hard not to love DwellStudio, especially considering all of designer Christiane Lemieux's talent and design expertise. I've long been a fan of the textile company's bedding designs, but unfortunately I'm not in the market for new bed linens. So, I'm delighted to see that DwellStudio has made its foray into la salle de bain. The DwellStudio Petal Plus Bath Mat ($67) is good, clean fun. Its pared-down "petals" are in essence colorful, iconic, First Aid symbols, which couldn't be more appropriate for the bathroom. The 100 percent cotton mat is also super plush and double-sided, making it a cinch to throw in the washing machine. You like?

Nice and New: Travelmate Portable Fireplace

casasugar — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:30:14 -0700

When it comes to most of the products I recommend, finances are usually the only thing keeping you from taking them home. OK, maybe your husband would be opposed to mirrored furniture, but, moving on . . . There's one thing that's never been an easy purchase, and that thing is a fireplace. Why? Because a fireplace requires a chimney, which requires a contractor, bricks, etc.
To find out how to get around those pesky requirements,

Nice and New: Bubble Lamp Shade

casasugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:00:34 -0700

In 1947, George Nelson decided to create his own collection of lamps, when the silk-covered Swedish hanging lamp he coveted was out of reach financially. The resulting collection, known as the "bubble lamps," became an iconic one, still used prolifically by interior designers today (in fact, Vern Yip is using them in his reno of a community center). The lamps, made by coating a steel-wire skeleton with a plastic coating, were first produced by the Howard Miller Company in 1950. The collection includes a range of pendants in various shapes and sizes, as well as several sconces. Unfortunately, the most demanded type of shade — a table lamp shade — was never produced by Nelson. Thankfully, though, Modernica, the official manufacturer and distributor of the collection for the last 12 years, has recently released a table and floor lamp shade based on Nelson's original designs. The Bubble Lamp Shade ($225 and up) is available in three sizes, and will fit most traditional bases. At long last!

Nice and New: Lisa Stickley Tablecloths

casasugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:15:01 -0700

I just came across the Lisa Stickley Custard Cream Tablecloth ($287 and up) and Duck Plates Tablecloth ($287 and up) at Rose & Radish, and I'm completely smitten. Stickley has incorporated a trompe-l'œil effect onto her printed textiles, giving the illusion that her tablecloths are topped with traditional British tea plates. The Custard Cream Tablecloth is printed with floral china patterns with painted rims, and the Duck Plates Tablecloth is based on her own grandfather's duck-themed tea service. I love this twist on vintage British style, and think it's the perfect fit for a tea party among modern girls.

Nice and New: Brocade Home Brushed Metal Vase

casasugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:00:22 -0700

We discussed last week how Brocade Home is back, but with little fanfare and no new Fall collections to show for all the time it spent on its grand vacance this Summer. But, I did notice something nice, new, and appropriate for Fall in the shop. The oversized Brocade Home Brushed Metal Vases ($129) in high-gloss bronze have a warmth that faces off with the rapidly decreasing temperatures these days. At 22 to 30 inches high, they're also statement pieces that will demand attention whether or not you fill them with fresh flowers. If bronze isn't for you, though, they're also available in silver. What do you think?