Baller vs. Broke

There is a lot of "Splurge vs. Steal" talk in the design world, comparing high-end expensive items to their lower priced counterparts.  Copycat Chic, for example, is one of my favorite sources.  This is one of my favorite topics, so thought I'd start my own version.  Introducing "Baller vs. Broke"; because we're not all ballers.  Today's find - kitchen islands.

Baller version from Crate and Barrel, Broke version from Target.

New at Cost Plus

I went to Cost Plus World Market the other day and totally died when I saw their new Aiden furniture collection. So industrial chic and different than what they usually carry. Love, love, love.



And the coffee table looks almost exactly like the one in Emerson's home that I just posted!

The EDLAND

I was at IKEA this weekend picking up a few things for a client. I stopped by the As Is section and saw an EDLAND dresser in pretty much perfect condition. Regularly $199, on sale for $125.



As you may know, IKEA's As Is section is a bit of a war zone. I quickly marked my territory by parking my cart right next to the dresser and setting my purse on top of it. As I waited for a text from my client to see if she wanted it I was accosted by fellow shoppers eyeing my dresser. Several of which did not hide their annoyance that I was stubbornly refusing to move. The good news is, the dresser was eventually mine.

Here are some other things we have in store for this room.

Possible art wall arrangement


Rug

Poufs

I need a floor pouf. Well I want a floor pouf; because I don't think anyone really needs a floor pouf. Also, I just like saying pouf.


Pouf #1
Pouf #2
Pouf #3
Pouf #4

Chair Deal

If you are a regular reader of design blogs you are probably very familiar with the Tolix Chair. I talked about my love for them last year on my other blog, here; where I also complained about how I could not find a Tolix chair for less than $200.

Well today I happened upon this beauty for $99!



A small victory for the cheap-o's like myself. Yay!

New Sofa

I realized I never posted pictures of my new couch. So here she is:



We finally decided on the Milano Leather Sectional from Macy's. It was our first real furniture purchase, and we felt like genuine grown-ups.

It's super comfortable, fits both of us nicely for movie watching, and I love the leather for easy clean-up of cat hair and husband crumbs.

Ikea Faves

I received an e-mail from a reader named Caitlin regarding Ikea. Caitlin is getting married soon and will be receiving a generous gift card to Ikea from her in-laws. She asked for my recommendations on what to buy to furnish her new place.

Ikea can be hit or miss as we all know. My favorite items are the ones that don't scream "Ikea", but instead kind of fade into the background as just good, classic pieces. That's the whole point right? Sticking to a budget, but creating rooms that look like you spent lots o' benjamins.

Here are my favorite Ikea products for each room:



1 - HARRY chair $49.99 : nice clean lines and if you don't like the color options, you can buy custom covers here.

2 - ELIAS chair $69.99

3 - DOCKSTA table $149 : This table has definitely made the rounds in the blog world, I still love it.

4 - TOBIAS chair $99.99



1 - KIVIK sofa $768 : I have not seen this sofa in person, but I love the shape of it.

2 - BAROMETER floor lamp $49.99 : I have this lamp and it looks much more expensive than 50 bucks.

3 - LIATORP console table $199 : I also own this console table, I use it in my entryway.

4 - STOCKHOLM coffee table $199 : Sarah Richardson herself has used this table, I'm sold.



5 - KIVIK chaise $379 : I've always wanted a reading nook with a chaise and this is a great looking one.



I really like the HEMNES line for the bedroom, each piece is classic. However, I wouldn't buy all these together because it's too matchy-matchy.

1 - HEMNES bed $279

2 - HEMNES dresser $299

3 - HEMNES nighstand $59.99

4 - VARMT RAND bedding $19.99 : Loving the stripes, comes in lots of cute colors.

Bookshelves in the kitchen

I love this idea of using a simple bookshelf to display dishes and other kitchen items. It is unexpected, functional, and too cute.


Sunset Magazine


My friend Malia's shelf.


Kelsey's Kitchen

Sofa Shopping

We want a chaise sectional sofa. We watch a lot of movies at home and I want something we can both fit on comfortably. I also would like to not spend a million dollars.

This one is from JC Penney
$500 on sale
91 inches long
Not sure about the color and not sure I want microsuede because of the cat hair factor.


This one is from Cost Plus World Market
$700 on sale
84.5 inches long
Love the look of this one, but I think it would get dirty fast, and it might be too small?


This one is from Macy's.
$2,700 (Yikes. But it goes on sale sometimes for $1,700.)
117 inches long (Maybe too big?)

Zach really wants leather. I think leather would be good because cat hair won't stick to it and it will be durable when we have kids; but this is the only leather couch I've found that I like.

Sofa shopping is hard.

Island

I had been planning on buying this stainless steel kitchen island from Ikea:

Utby Kitchen Island - $328


But then I found this at Costco of all places, and it is almost exactly the same size (slightly bigger actually):

Trinity Stainless Steel Work Table - $139.99 (including shipping!)

Not sure why they have it styled in the garage next to a car. The point is, it should be arriving at my door step any day now. YAY.

Behold the beauty of a stainless steel island. Behold it!

via Design*Sponge


via I forgot.


via Flickr

DIY : Door Desk

So what do you do when you want an "L" shaped desk but you are cheap? You make one out of two doors. Here is how I made mine.

Here are the supplies I used and about how much I spent.


(2) 24"x80" interior doors - $20/each = $40

(2) 29" table legs - $12/each = $24

White interior latex paint = $10

Wipe-on polyurethane (clear gloss) = $10

29" high bookshelf = free
(Make sure the bookshelf is the same height as your table legs.)

(4) "L" brackets and (1) flat bracket = about $4

Piece of lumber sized 1"x2"x96" = $8
(The wood board needs to be about the same length as long side of a door + short side of door, which for me was 80" + 24" = 104", but 96" was plenty long enough to support it.)

TOTAL for entire desk = about $96


The first step is mounting the wood board to the wall. This is going to support one side of the desk, like this:

My bookshelf and table legs were all 29" tall, so we obviously mounted the board so that the top of it was at a height of 29".

Before you start to put together the rest of the components, paint everything white.

Next attach the two table legs to one side of a door. I didn't take a picture but it looked like this, thanks Google.












Then it's simply a matter of setting the doors onto their various supporting elements. One door is supported by the bookshelf on one end, and the wood board on the other.


The other door is supported by the two legs on one side, and the board on the other.


We used a little wood glue on top of the wall board and on top of the bookshelf to keep the doors from sliding. Then connect everything together with the brackets and drill a hole where you want your computer cord. Finally I wiped on two coats of clear polyurethane after it was all put together.

Done and done my friends.

Now you're all very sick of my office. I'll talk about something else tomorrow I prom prom promise.