CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Easy Album Art

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:30:11 -0700

It's safe to say that most of you buy albums for the tunes, but cover art is a whole other beast in itself, and believe it or not, a lot of time and energy is spent to make it right. So, if there's an album cover that strikes your fancy, I give you permission to pull its spine out from the rows of records on your bookcase and let it shine. Album covers make easy art and look much more precious if you display them in a Lucite album box.

Here, in the Modern by Design showhouse, Gary Hutton transformed the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers with an affordable box from TAP Plastics. Got any records worthy of becoming décor?

Midday Muse: Surf This Wave

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:00:49 -0700

I recently spotted this very cool sculpture, made from old record albums, on Make magazine's website. Titled "Sound Wave," artist Jean Shin melted and manipulated records to form this wave. I love the use of recycling in this sculpture, as well as the punny title. It also makes the observer reflect on the changes in media, and ponder the fate of all of the LPs and mixtapes sitting in thrift stores, closets, and garbage dumps across the world. It's nice to see a few, at least, being put to good use.

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Etsy Find: Recycled Album Jacket Coasters

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:03 -0700

If you're decorating a masculine bedroom or a hipster dude haven, or if you just want to show off your taste for rock 'n roll, add a set of Recycled Album Jacket Coasters and a Vinyl LP Bowl ($29) to your home.

Etsy seller Inoudid's Attic is repurposing her husband's vintage vinyl record album collection into these one-of-a-kind coaster and bowl sets (side note: my husband would never forgive me if I started deconstructing his vinyl collection). Each set has nine coasters, made by laminating the album jacket to a piece of Baltic birch plywood. They're then protected with a clear, moisture-resistant finish, and have felt pads underneath to protect your tabletops. Are these your style?

Ask Casa: Best Ways to Store Vinyl?

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:00:39 -0700

Hi Casa,

I recently had the idea to start a record collection because I found some old vinyl albums that belonged to my parents and I live near a record store, and I also have a few CDs as well.

I was keeping one of my favorite vinyls in my bedroom but for some reason when I took it out of the cover it had cracked, now I'm wondering what is the best way to store vinyl records so this does not happen again as well as possible ways to store my CDs.

Do you have any design or organization tips? I've checked out Ikea or the Container Store but I don't want a bunch of separate containers scattered all over my room and I live with my parents so I can't just put a music collection in another room. Any ideas?

Thank you,
Peachy

To hear my suggestions for Peachy, read more.

Hi Peachy,

Between my husband and me, we probably have around 1,000 vinyl records at our house (at a minimum), so I understand your concerns! We used custom-made shelves that we bought inexpensively and stained (you can see them on the right side of this photo). Check out our other music storage solutions here.

Another great, inexpensive way to store records is by heading to Ikea and picking up some Expedit shelves. Record geeks note that each space holds 90-100 albums, so that should easily accommodate your needs (and the need to grow your collection).

I also love the solution that Gemma Ahern used in her apartment, which you can see in the top photo. She simply used a floating wall shelf from Ikea that she hung at a height about an inch above the height of a record, and then painted the shelf to blend in to the wall. This created instant storage, as well as space for books, a turntable, and sculptural objects.

As far as keeping your records in tip-top shape, always store them upright (not stacked) encased in the sleeve and a plastic or paper insert. Keep them out of direct sunlight, and if your record happens to warp, place it between two pieces of heavy glass, and lay it in mild sunshine for several hours, until the record lies flat.

Does anyone else have a brilliant storage solution? Tell Peachy about it in the comments!

Cheers,
Casa

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Cool Idea: Grown-Up Record Collection

CasaSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

Designer Kenneth Brown offers this smart idea for integrating vinyl record collections into a home. Instead of bulky record shelves (which is what I currently live with), he designed pull-out, partially exposed drawers to house a family's 2,000+ records. I love the accessibility of this storage solution, and the varying shades and patterns of the record spines offer a built-in design accent.

Do you have a savvy solution for storing albums?

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