CasaSugar

12 Works of Art Made From Books

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

You needn't spend top dollar on oil paints and horsehair brushes to prove your artistic skill. These days, plenty of artists are creating magnificent works of art from things as simple as books and X-acto knives. Some of you may think that books are sacrilegious, and that they should remain as they were printed, from cover to cover. But don't forget that books are printed en masse - and these days, available for download - and one-of-a-kind artwork made from books can be much, much more than the sum of their parts. Let me show you!

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Home Library: Downtown Chic

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:47 -0700

No academic course will teach you how to give a derelict house a gut renovation and turn it into a fantastically unique, high-style home. That skill comes with experience and serious design savvy, something which Robert and Cortney Novogratz accidentally learned they had.

After renovating their first home in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood 10 years ago, which then was a neglected, not-so-fashionable area, they realized they had a knack for building and decorating, together. Since then, they've renovated and designed numerous buildings in and around NYC, including an entire block in SoHo and a house in the country, and founded their own design powerhouse, Sixx Design. As a memoir of sorts chronicling seven of the couple's projects, the Novogratz clan - did I mention they have seven children? - published Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home, From Wreck to Ravishing. Hear my thoughts on the volume when you read more.

The first seven chapters of the book each cover a house the Novogratz couple have renovated, including lots of before and after shots. The duo offer advice learned from each experience, such as how to handle contractors, tips for buying a wreck, how to make your house renter-friendly, and how to mix high- and low-cost furnishings.

While the book jacket says each project proves "time and again you can bring charm to any four walls - and do so affordably," it actually just left me with a sense of envy, and with the reminder that the word "affordable" is all relative. The pair do have a knack for flea marketing and using vintage artifacts and architectural treasures in a unique way, but having the time to do so is a luxury in itself.

The book is full of tips like taming bold colors with neutral furnishings and mixing modern pieces with regional furnishings that in theory are helpful and affordable. But in reality it's the Cappellini coffee table, the luxuriously upholstered bed frame, and the couple's extensive collection of artwork that make me want to "get the Downtown Chic look."

This book is definitely a treat to read. It offers a sneak peek into one family's wonderful life as well as lots of inspiration, but in all likelihood, it won't solve the everyman's design woes. But then again, I guess you can hire Sixx to do that for you.

Cool Idea: Books by the Foot

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:00:26 -0700

I am on a never-ending quest to expand my home library, and fortunately my home is small enough that I'm not plagued with any bare bookcases giving guests the illusion that I'm illiterate. But, if I did live in a sprawling space with lots of storage, why not fill those built-ins with books? Enter Wonder Book, which sells books by the foot. Prices for "like new" hardback books begin at $6.99 per foot. Depending on what look you're trying to achieve, or what you're interested in, you can choose from modern cloth hardbacks, vintage club books, oversized coffee-table books, vintage kids books, sets, books by subject, books by color, and more. I love the look of the Vintage Club Books ($49.99). I would prefer a collection of books I've bought one by one myself, so that they're not only decorative functional, and so the collection tells a story. But you never know, maybe you'll find a gem around foot 2.

Do You Store Your Books on Chairs?

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:00:23 -0700

It's a trade secret for interior designers to set coffee table books on side chairs, creating an instant, elegant little vignette. You'll often see a small bowl or objet d'art set on top of the books as well. Although this is mostly a decorative trick, it's also a good place to store your coffee table books, instead of allowing them to hog your cocktail space. I personally like to switch my coffee table books out every now and then, to keep my guests interested with new material. Do you store your books on chairs?
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DIY: Literary Clock

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:00:34 -0800

If you're stumped for a unique holiday gift, you could bring some timeliness to a friend's life with this book clock ($19.95) from Etsy seller Recycleeh. Or, if you're feeling handy, you might consider personalizing your friend or family member's favorite book by turning it into a clock.

To make this cool clock, simply choose a hardcover book, without a busy cover, so that the clock numbers are legible. The book also needs to be large enough to fit the clock hands. Aside from the book, you'll need a clock hands set (available at Michael's or other craft store), a ruler, a protractor, pen, paper, scissors, and a drill. The stem of the clock hands set varies between 1/4 and 3/4 inch, so be sure it fits the thickness of your book.

To learn the steps for this project, read more.

Here's how to do it, according to Instructables:

Use your ruler to find the center of your book. Then mark it with a pen.
If you like, spray paint your clock hands in a different color.
Drill a hole where you marked the center of the book. Your clock hand set should suggest what size drill bit to use, so follow its instructions.
According the instructions, install your clock hands and parts into the hole you drilled.
Using the longest clock hand as a guide for the radius, draw a circle onto a piece of paper with your pen using the protractor.
Cut out the circle, and center the template over the center of the book (where the clock hands are).
Adhere the clock numbers onto the book, a bit beyond the edge of the circle template, evenly all the way around. Begin with numbers 3, 6, 9, and 12 and then fill in the other numbers. Fini!

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Home Library: Bazaar Style

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

After months of heated anticipation, I've finally had the blessing to read Bazaar Style, an interior design book from beloved Designer Spotlight, stylist Selina Lake, interiors writer Joanna Simmons, and interiors photographer Debi Treloar, which was just released in April. Chock full of salivating images of homes furnished with French flea market and Moroccan bazaar finds, alongside modern design classics, big-box buys, and inherited antiques, the book will reveal the potential in your beat-up furniture and a can of
paint, inspire you to paint the surround of a window to frame the view, and liberate you to break conventions, be it by setting your table with mismatched china, or duct taping fresh flowers to the wall. While the photography alone would be enough to sell me on this title, unlike some of its contemporaries, the ratio of editorial advice to image content is not negative, let alone meager; Lake and Simmons have channeled their industry expertise into hundreds of tips, suggestions, and solutions for achieving this unprecedented style in your home. To hear more about this impressive book and see some photos from it, read more.

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While the bazaar look fully embraces welcoming street and thrift-store finds under your roof, it isn't necessarily about buying everything cheaply. The key is that mixing layered flea-market purchases, unique pieces picked up during your travels, and a single crave-worthy modern splurge will elevate an entire room to new heights of chic — a point proved page after page seeing real homes furnished with this in mind. Words of bazaar style wisdom range from the narrow, "Pasting wallpaper to tired kitchen units and a plain white fridge — and inexpensive — way to give them a colorful new look," to the broad, "reduce visual shock by finding one unifying element." But, Bazaar Style itself is divided into broad themes, explaining elements such as furniture, textiles, lighting, accessories, display, and color, then going on to show how a particular style works in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and home offices. By the time you reach the source directory (which offers up Lake's digits as a resource), you'll be dialing +44 to call Lake in the UK and hire her to design your own home's interiors. You'll be out of luck though, true bazaar style is all about the DIY.
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Sale Alert: 50 Percent Off Home Titles at Taunton Press

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:00:12 -0800

Hurry! Until Thursday (yes, that's tomorrow), Taunton Press is having its biggest sale of the year on home, garden, design, and crafting titles. There are some excellent titles here that will help you renew your home in different ways, and if you're planning on trying the Thing-A-Day challenge, there are some inspiring craft titles as well. Finally, for all of you Midwest and East Coast gardeners dreaming through the Jung's catalog this Winter, there are a bunch of garden titles at 50 percent off to have you planning garden rows through the rest of this chilly season.

Roundup: White Dining Room Chairs

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:57 -0800

The Blind Side, which opens today, promises to be a tearjerker. The movie, which is based on the true story captured in Michael Lewis's book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, stars Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Touhy, the Christian, Southern mom who takes in Michael Oher, played by Quinton Aaron. Touhy's house is pretty standard for an upper-middle-class Southern family, but one element that caught my eye were these white dining chairs.

I love the idea of using white chairs in the dining room. The color can really lighten up the space, even if the chairs are geometric and wooden, like these. See some of my favorite white wooden chairs below.

Vintner Side Chair/Cushion - $39.95	Farmhouse Ladderback Armchair - $425.00
Circle-Cutout Chairs + Cushions - $189.00	Victoria White Ribbon Back Arm Chair - $359.00
Macau Armchair - $279.00	Ingolf Chair - $59.99
Olle Chair - $34.99	Le Mans Dining Chairs Set of 2 - $249.00
Cindy Crawford Home California Cottage White Farm Side Chair - $109.99

Share Your Thanksgiving Vignettes!

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:15:46 -0800

I hope by now you've joined my new group Lovely Little Vignettes, which is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or at a friend's home. There were some great Halloween decorating vignettes shared in the group, but now I'm anxious to see your more autumnal and Thanksgiving-related vignettes! (If you're not sure what I mean by vignettes, this slideshow should make it clear.)
So, show me what you got! Be it some art books on your coffee table or your arrangement of green cachepots on your windowsill, I want to see all of your beautiful photographs of the little details throughout your home.

Source: Flickr User bangli 1

Guess the New Moon Character's House!

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:01 -0800

Do you know your New Moon? If you're a fan of the Stephenie Meyer book, this quiz shouldn't be so hard (and definitely see how well you do on BuzzSugar's New Moon quiz, too). Check out these quotes from the book, and then tell me whose house is featured in each quote.

Take the quiz