GET THE LOOK: A JOHN ROBSHAW INSPIRED BED

I’ve coveted John Robshaw’s luxurious, eclectic bedding for years–his patterns and colors are easily mixed for a fun bohemian look. Unfortunately, Robshaw is a bit pricey. Luckily it’s easy to create the look for a lot less.

A John Robshaw Bed

 

This scrumptious bed is typical of the John Robshaw style–notice the layers of texture and pattern used to create this little piece of golden heaven.  I styled our “look for less” using this as my inspiration and turning to West Elm, which has loads of options in their bedding department right now. Remember: Always mix pattern with texture, and be sure to vary the scale of your prints and textures–layering adds depth.

The circle duvet is a great choice for its pattern scale and dark gold coloring.

Organic Carved Circles Duvet Cover, $69-99

The ikat sheet set is fun and organic. The small scale of the pattern is a nice contrast to the larger scale on the duvet. You could also use a plain white sheet set here if you’re feeling a little less adventurous.

Organic Ikat-Stripe Sheet Set, $79-119

These embroidered shams are beautiful and delicate, bringing texture and a feminine touch to our design. The silver and grey hues are a nice compliment to the ikat sheets.

maroc embroidered shams, $29-34

This swirl pillow is amazing, it adds another layer of texture but remains subtle since it is all white.

deconstructed swirl pillow cover, $44

Finally, this lovely white textured quilt helps ground all of the patterns.

Lexington Quilt, on sale $79.99-119.99

Throw in another colorful pillow of your choice and there you have it, a John Robshaw inspired bed. The biggest plus of designing your own bedding ensemble is that you can change it up easily.  Simply add or remove pillows, put the duvet over the quilt, the quilt over the duvet or just remove one.  Fluctuating between patterned sheets and crisp white sheets is also nice.  It’s OK to clash when going for this eclectic look, so if you are feeling pink and orange, then go for it!


[ad#ad-5]

STORE PROFILE: JAY EAST ANTIQUES IN DUMBO…CLOSING SALE

Inside Jay East Dumbo, photo by DumboNYC

Yesterday I passed by Jay East, this incredible Asian antiques store, and sadly found out that they’re going out of business. The good news is the already affordable antiques store has majorly slashed their prices to liquidate. If you’re interested, don’t put it off cause they could be closing any day now.

 

This red birdcage comes ready to hang, $45.

Hanging Red Birdcage, $45

You’ll never find an antique Buddha head statue this cheap! It’s been marked down to $75 from $160.

 

Antique Buddha Sculpture, $75. Click here to see it in action.

[ad#ad-2]

More zen action for even less. The wear and tear on this Kwan Yin sitting statue gives it a special antique-y vibe.

Buddha Statue, $50

Have an egg party with these majestic porcelain eggs*

Porcelain Eggs, $10-15. *Eggs look way more majestic in person.

Try something different for a change on your walls, like these carved wood panels.

Carved Wood Panels, $10

Jay East, Antique Asian furniture, collectibles, home goods, gifts
67 Jay Street (between Water and Front Streets). Brooklyn, NY
Take the F to York Street or A to High Street
11 – 6pm, daily
P: 718-237-8430
www.JayEast.com

[ad#ad-5]

TISSUE BOXES

Everyone has inexplicable pet peeves; one of mine happens to be Kleenex boxes that completely clash with their general surroundings. A very plain, monotone box surely does no harm, but tissue companies seem gung ho on getting a colorful cornucopia of flowers, zigzags and curlicues into our homes, and this must be dealt with. Luckily, these tissue boxes cleverly circumnavigate the garish Kleenex box problem:

 

The suave stainless steel SÄVERN from IKEA is like a little lockbox for your tissues—and a bargain, at $11.99.

SÄVERN Tissue box, $11.99

This is probably the only thing from Jonathan “The King of Lacquer” Adler we can afford. $38.

Jonathan Adler lacquer tissue box, $38

This boutique box nicely pairs stainless steel and bamboo. Perfect for the bathroom, kitchen, office or wherever else you might want it. $16.49.

Formbu® Stainless Steel Boutique Box, $16.49

With the transparent holder, you’ll never be caught unawares when your Kleenex is running low. $14.99.

Crystal Clear Flat Tissue Box, $14.99

Should you happen to have $45 laying around explicitly for a tissue box, we wholeheartedly recommend this stunning Japanese Hinoki cypress model from Design Within Reach. $45.

Hinoki Tissue Box, $45

 

For those itching to ditch a box altogether (and don’t live in a dust factory), we present the Bridge holder from CB2. $14.95.

CB2 Bridge Tissue Holder, $14.95

[ad#ad-4]

STORE PROFILE: THE ALLEY IN PALM SPRINGS

If you’re anywhere near Palm Springs, California, then you know all about the wonders of The Alley. It’s like an entire store devoted to the back of T.J. Maxx – those few aisles of home goods where you know you can always find a diamond in the rough.

There aren’t enough retro piggy banks priced at $4.99 in the world. It seems like they all exist in The Alley. Or, try a duck bank for the same price.

Retro Piggy Banks, $4.99

These fancy antique classics scream “rich genius,” but really they’re storage boxes in disguise. $14.99-$25.99 each.

"Antique" Books, $14.99-$25.99 each

Display your literary collection with these darling bulldog statue bookends.

Bulldog Statue Bookends, $21.99

With pottery priced to move, you can afford to display a handful of them on that lonely dresser of yours.

Pottery, $4.99

This jumbo red melamine tray will accommodate several martinis.

Melaimine Serving Tray, $16.99

Anything covered in wood grain brings me back to the 70’s, and that’s a good thing. Get your wood grain fix with this tray.

Wood Grain tray, $19.99

[ad#ad-4]

THE MINIMALISTIC BEDROOM

A minimalistic bedroom is great for minimizing distraction and fostering relaxation. It should look intentional, however, not as if you’ve just moved in and haven’t gotten around to buying furniture yet. A simple color scheme and including a few well-edited accents helps in this. Oh, and another great thing about minimal? It really brings your costs down. This whole look is just $889.98.

The minimalist bedroom eschews flashy beds and headboards. The tall wood bed frame from West Elm also comes in white and dark brown. $169.

tall wood bed frame, $169 ON SALE

A utilitarian striped wool blanket makes for the ultimate minimalistic bedspread. $148.

Wool Blanket by Coyuchi, $148

The CB2 Fold Desk is streamlined and sturdy. $279.

fold desk , $279

Ikea’s Urban makes a good basic desk chair and won’t get in your way. $39.

Ikea Urban Chair, $39.99

It doesn’t get more minimalistic than Koncept’s LED floor lamp, available through The Conran Shop. $200.

I-TOWER LED FLOOR LAMP SILVER, $200

The barebones Hyllis shelving unit from IKEA in silver screams functionality. Get a few bins to conceal clutter in. $14.99.

Hyllis Shelving Unit, $14.99

Stash this sleek twin bell alarm clock from The Conran Shop next to your bed, using a stack of books as makeshift nightstand. $36.00.

TWIN BELL ALARM CLOCK, $36

A vintage movie poster adds a touch of color and flare. From $3.99 on Ebay.

Strangers in the Night vintage movie poster, $3.99


[ad#ad-4]

1stDIBS PICKS: REAL ANTIQUES UNDER $200

Should you ever find yourself in the market for a 1955 Frank Lloyd Wright lounge chair (to the tune of $15k+), 1stDibs is most likely where you’ll want to look first (www.1stdibs.com). This online middleman for luxury antique and vintage items has a dizzying selection of beautiful things, making it a daily destination for interior designers on the hunt for special pieces. Not surprisingly, 99% of the things listed on 1stDibs on any given day are beyond the reach of most mere mortals. But he who seeks shall find, and FM has managed to find some absolute steals for $200 or below, no schlepping to the flea market required. – FM

Every room needs an antique French chalk Jesus watching over it, I always say.

Antique French Jesus, $108

Does one need a vintage opera hat? No. Does one want one? Yes, one does. $150.

Vintage Opera Hat, $150

Love your pooch? Prove it, with this old-school iron dog bed. $175.

Iron Dog Bed, $175

This gold painted mirror from the 1920’s is great for adding a bit of age to an otherwise modern bedroom or living room. $175.

1920's Detailed Wood Mirror, $175

Wondering what could possibly follow the antler/taxidermy phase we’re slowly coming out of? Well, here you have it: old snow shoes. This antique Canadian pair is by no means cheap ($200), but could prove entirely practical should Snowpocalypse strike again.

Canadian Snow Shoes, $200