CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: TP For Your Tech

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:00:16 -0800

I just spied this inventive idea on Real Simple and couldn't help but pass it along, considering that my gadget cords all look like a messy ball of yarn. If you're anything like me, and you've got cords for your camera, iPod, computer, BlackBerry, blow-dryer, speakers, television, DVD player, etc. clogging up your outlets, God bless you. No really, if that's the case, then here's a trick for you. When you've finished a roll of toilet paper, just slide it over a collection of your cords to keep them contained and untangled. Or, you can use it to keep a single cord from coming unwound once you've folded it up for storage. This is particularly a great idea to keep in mind come Dec. 26 when you've got tree lights to store!
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Casa Quickie: Chicken Wire For Open Shelving

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:15:00 -0700

Vintage china cabinets may be beautiful, but their glass doors are too precious for some homes. So if you have an all-wooden armoire or glass china cabinet, you can replace the wooden or glass door façades with chicken coop wire to bring an inherited piece of furniture into the 21st century. Chicken wire offers the visual lightness of glass, but it's less formal - ideal for those of you with eclectic or shabby chic homes. And yes, you could just remove the doors, but this effect is more unique. I love how the collection of beautiful dishes looks stacked in this cabinet. Why hide them?
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Do You Have any Furniture With Chicken Wire?

CasaSugar — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:30:12 -0700

Traditionally, farmhouse kitchens often featured furniture with panel doors covered with chicken wire or screening. Pie safes and cabinets with chicken wire were usually used to store cooking dishes and food items. I love the country look of this cabinet and wouldn't mind adding it to my own home.

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Steal of the Day: Wire Stools

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:00:11 -0800

Cruising the new Company Store site, I came across these handsome Wire Stools ($39, reduced from $89) in the clearance section. Aside from being wowed by the 55 percent discount, I'm really impressed with the design of these stools. They have a sort of Warren Platner style, but they're not so precious. You could use them as spare seating, footrests, small side tables, or even flip them over and use them as planters or chandeliers. So versatile! Made from copper finished iron, I suspect that they're sturdy pieces, too; I hope I'm right.

DIY: CB2 Ornament Wreath

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:21 -0800

The super stylists at CB2 DIY'd a stunning, colorful holiday wreath using ornaments from their holiday collection. The wreath can definitely be re-created with any standard ornaments, but I love the nontraditional colors and various shapes on this wreath. To make it, you'll need strong stiff wire to bend into a ring (like aluminum wire gauge 20 or a wire hanger), 30-90 ornaments depending on the size you want, strong tape or pliers, and ribbon. To check out the instructions, read more.

Here are the steps from CB2:

String one ornament at a time onto the wire ring, alternating colors, using smaller ones to fill in the gaps.
When the ring is completely covered in ornaments, fasten the ends together.
Use a ribbon to cover the spot where the ends are fastened together, and hang!

Tip: Best not to go too large in diameter as the wreath could become too heavy and stretch out.

Desire/Acquire: Anthropologie Songbird Chandelier

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:23 -0800

Featuring finches, lories, and parakeets behind a delicate copper wire, the Anthropologie Songbird Chandelier ($798) is a bit gimmicky, but I can still definitely see its appeal. It would look great along with some busy, bird-themed wallpaper - like the one in Domino editor Rita Konig's foyer. But for a piece that requires a very specific design scheme, I certainly wouldn't spend nearly $800.

Luckily, you can buy nearly a carbon copy of this bird chandelier for under $100! To see it, read more.

Etsy seller Meggan Colleen's Twitterpated Chandelier will cost you only $99, and it's complete with a wire cage and plenty of birdies sitting on their bars.

The Card Shop: Fold Cards

CasaSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:30:03 -0700

Artist Miro Chun makes her Fold handmade cards sitting in her workshop surrounded by stacks of paper, lengths of wire, and spools of thread. Mini wire sculptures sit on colorful arrangements of paper, creating a motif that is both pared down and full of personality, be it a simple sailboat, a wedding cake, or any number of recognizable creatures including lobsters, frogs, and robots. Her inspiration for these meticulous creations includes her namesake Catalan painter and sculptor Joan Miro, as well as Alexander Calder, known for his wire circuses and mobiles. Send one of these charming cards to a friend, and suddenly "hello" can help someone collect art. I'm loving the Summer style of this five-by-five-inch Boat Card ($11).

Etsy Find: De Beaux Souvenirs Bingo Basket

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:00:30 -0700

Ever since I discovered Marie Christophe's wire sculpture light fixtures, I've had a new-found love for wire art. My latest wire art discovery is the work of French designer Claire Rougerie, also known as De Beaux Souvenirs.

Her collection of modern wire designs includes handmade home accessories like sconces, table lamps, frames, baskets, decorative accents, as well as "snapshots" of scenery recreated in wire. I love this Wire Bingo Basket ($126), which has vintage wooden bingo numbers woven into the handmade structure (I <3 Bingo!). As you can see, it's a great place to stash shelter magazines. I might also use it to keep towels in the bathroom, or even shoes that pile up downstairs.

Colette Commissions Lisa Fontanarosa Collection Wire Art

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:00:11 -0700

You may not know your Left Bank from your Right Bank, or have ever stepped foot on French soil, but you've probably heard of Colette, the fashion and design temple of Paris. The preeminent concept boutique hails art-loving hipsters from near and far, and regularly organizes exhibitions with both up-and-coming and established artists - including my beloved interiors photographer Todd Selby. Colette's latest exposition is MeWeCycle, a project curated by Karta Healy featuring a collection of designers’ work, based on their love of the bicycle and creative recycling. Some of the most innovative designers around have created furnishings, lighting, clothing, accessories, and design objects for the shop all from recycled materials.

To hear about the artist behind the bicycle pictured here, read more.

Always on the hunt for international talent, Colette called upon Lisa Fontanarosa to tap her stable of European and American designers to create bespoke pieces for the show. Lisa asked Marie Christophe, known for her exquisite, whimsical, wirework light fixtures and sculptures, to create a life-size bicycle in wire with a transparent crystal seat and a crystal bell. The bicycle, shown above, hangs in the window of Colette. Another wire artist from Fontanarosa's collection, Barbara Gilhooly, made industrial hearts from vintage erector sets exclusively for Colette. Both are magnificent proof that "recycled" and "refined" can be one and the same.

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Love It or Hate It? Danny Seo's Beaded Hanger

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:00:12 -0700

Danny Seo recently wrote that he's been getting his creative juices flowing in preparation for a new book. A recent crafty project was stringing vintage wooden beads onto a wire dry cleaner hanger. I think it's adorable, and seems like it might cause less wear on your clothes from the poking wire hanger. Do you love it, or do you pass?
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