CasaSugar

Weird Furniture: England's Dreaming

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:00:26 -0700

Forgoing a shepherd's pie ottoman or a Wimbledon coffee table, London-based architecture and design practice Fat created England's Dreaming as a tribute to its native country in furniture form. The antique chaise is covered at one end by a mini English landscape, juxtaposing scales and references, prompting the lounger to "Lie back and think of England." I only wonder why Fat didn't choose a traditional English piece of furniture, such as something by Thomas Chippendale; we all know that the chaise lounge (longue) originated from the French. To see the mini landscape up close, read more

This is clearly an art piece, and not something you'd actually rest on in your home. But given that, what do you think?
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Less or More: Fainting Sofas

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:00:00 -0700

I've actually taken a look at tufted velvet fainting sofas before, but I'm back for more to truly stump you. For the next installment of this game, take a look at each of these apple green fainting sofas and see if you can answer my questions about them.

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Crave Worthy: Crate & Barrel Josephine Right Arm Chaise

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:30:21 -0700

If the Crate & Barrel Josephine Right Arm Chaise ($1,299) wound up in my bedroom, I can pretty much guarantee it'd become a breeding ground for my daily wardrobe castoffs. But I certainly wouldn't complain about it being there; it's a picture of pretty. I love how the traditional chaise shape is updated with Marimekko-esque graphic black and white florals, giving it a modern edge that fits seamlessly into a classic home. It's the perfect venue for a midday snooze or a late-afternoon read. I'm envisioning a big stack of books right beside it, topped with a nice, cold lemonade. Do you love it?

Crave Worthy: Rustic Teak Double Chaise

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:15:50 -0700

I don't know what I'm craving more: this Bali Rustic Teak Double Chaise ($1,548), or the idea of lounging on it with my honey in a tropical location. I love the generous size of this chaise; it would be perfect for reading to your nieces or nephews poolside, or for cuddling up with your true love and some cocktails. The dark-stained teak is extremely weather resistant, and the water-repellant, fade-resistant cushions will hold up over many seasons of outdoor recreation.

Love It or Hate It? Artifort Chaise Lounge

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:00:23 -0800

The Artifort Chaise Lounge ($5,287) was designed in 1970 by Geoffrey Harcourt, which goes some way toward explaining its groovy lines. Its shape comes courtesy of a tubular steel frame and molded foam, and if you're not thrilled with the yellow wool upholstery, it's available in a number of other colors. Would you want to chill out on this chaise?

Desire/Acquire: Teak Chaise Lounge

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:00:27 -0700

As the temperature rises, so does the need for sleek, welcoming outdoor furniture. The Teak Chaise Lounge ($1,340) by Maku Furnishings has a minimalist modern look that's warmed up by the teak wood used in its construction. The Maku Chaise features Häfele hardware, custom bracing, dovetail joinery, and wheels for easy transportation. However, at well over $1,000, it's not the type of splurge most of us will be making this Summer. For a more affordable alternative, read more.

The Del Mar Chaise ($489) from Smith and Hawken is a definite steal. Like the Maku Furnishings lounge, it's also crafted from teak, which means that it will hold up to the elements, as will its corrosion-resistant hardware. It has a similar modern look, and its rubber-coated wheels will let you wheel it around poolside to catch the best rays.

Inspired: Tufted Velvet at the International Rome Film Festival

CasaSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:15:10 -0700

When I spotted this picture of director Laurent Tirard at the International Rome Film Festival, my eyes immediately wandered to the gorgeous tufted velvet cubes to the director's right. They look so luxe that I immediately wanted to add one to my own home.

Tufted velvet combines two sumptuous decorating ideas: that of tufting, which is achieved when upholsterers thread through layers of fabric and secure the ends of the thread with a knot or button, and velvet, which is one of the richest fabrics used throughout history.

Tufted velvet is all over the decorating world, and I'm particularly smitten with this Scandinavian chaise ($7,995). This gorgeous mid-century piece features a tufted purple velvet cushion suspended on a rosewood frame. While I could never splurge on this piece, a girl can dream, right?

See some other dreamy tufted velvet finds when you read more.

Student Designers Win Corrugated Chair Competition

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:00:03 -0700

This year, the fourth annual Chair Affair student design competition asked architecture and package design students from 49 schools throughout North America to create chairs from nothing but corrugated board and glue. After much deliberation, the competition sponsors, American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, have chosen six lucky winners. First place went to Cuesta College's Jessica Leung for her Hole on Hole chair, which I must say looks very inspired by the Campana Brothers' Favela Chair. To see and hear about the other winners, read more.

Two teams - Winston Mi and Jessica Brown of Rhode Island School of Design, and Sarah Clement and Michael Wallace of Louisiana State University - tied in second place. Mi and Brown's "Profile and Silhouette," clearly draws inspiration from architect Frank Gehry's innovative corrugated board 1972 Easy Edges Side Chairs, which are in the MoMA Collection. Meanwhile, Clement and Wallace's "A Corrugated Chair or a Chair Made of Corrugated" conjures Gehry's Bubbles Chaise Lounge, with its soft top layer.

Honorable mentions went to Keith Holman, Benjamin Shullaw, Neal Birchum, and Sean McDow for University of Oklahoma for their "Adjustable" chair; Brad Smith of Cuesta College for his "Caterpillared" chair; and Jonathan Coop of California State University Long Beach for his "Corrugated Board Chair."

It's inspiring to see how these students have created stylish, modern furnishings from such a common packaging and display material. Corrugated board is made from a natural renewable resource, and seeing these innovative creations suggests that the possibilities for sustainable furniture design truly are endless. While I personally like these contemporary creations, what I'd love to see is a corrugated chair designed for traditional design enthusiasts. Sustainable furniture designs will never make a huge impact if they don't appeal to everyone's tastes.

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Madonna Wants to Re-Create Her Former English Manor in NYC

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:03 -0700

Since her split with Guy Ritchie, Madonna has parked herself in an Upper East Side apartment, moving on from their shared historic estate in Wiltshire, UK, the Ashcombe House. But, according to the Mirror, she misses the English countryside so much that she's asked her architects to re-create her country home room by room in her NYC digs. Let me add that the Mirror is not always the most reliable source, so this news bit still has rumor status.Apparently, she's hired people "to go out and troll the Upper East Side boutiques for candelabras, side tables, and period chaises" and even had the wood floors of her new Georgian-style townhouse "ripped up and replaced with terracotta tiles, similar to Ashcombe." There's even talk of bringing chickens into the Manhattan pad to make her kids feel at home - I'm going to go out on a limb and say that might be stretching the truth. Nevertheless, do you understand where she is coming from? Would you do (or have you done) the same thing? Or do you think she's nuts and should decorate like she lives in Gotham City, not the English countryside?

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Cool Idea: Ostrich 3-in-1 Chair

CasaSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:30:40 -0700

I'm not gonna lie: I like to flash a little tan in the Summer. But getting an even color can be tricky on the beach when you also want to read. So I was kind of thrilled when I came across this Ostrich 3-in-1 Chair ($89).

This is not your standard folding beach chair. The seat comes equipped with a face flap with cushions on the backrest, which you can flip up when you want to tan your back, and arm slots, allowing you to read with a book below. It also has five back positions and a three-position footrest, so it works as a chair, recliner, and chaise. I never thought I'd see innovation in a beach seat, but I'm so glad it has arrived! Now only if I can get myself a house with the ocean as my backyard . . .

Button-Tufted Stool - $139.00	Old Hickory Tannery Royal Marco Chaise - $2,999.00
Old Hickory Tannery Forest Green Velvet Recamier - $2,899.00	Old Hickory Tannery Red Tufted Chair - $1,599.00
Old Hickory Tannery Tufted Velvet Chair - $999.00	Old Hickory Tannery Tufted Velvet Sofa - $3,399.00
Peyton Upholstered Headboard - Clearance - $1,350.00	Tufted Velvet Headboard - $1,429.00
Haute House - $4,829.00	Chloe Velvet Metro Living Sofa - $899.00
Chloe Velvet Metro Living Chair - $699.00	Hutton Left-Back Sofa in Vance Cloud - $1,999.00