Cool Stuff: Crate & Barrel Channels the Past

Housewares giant Crate & Barrel is looking to the past for some of its new tableware and accessory designs.

The company's new line of Classic Century Dinnerware (above, $10 to $268) is a resurrection of Eva Zeisel's highly collectible circa-1952 tableware designs, one of which I blogged here yesterday. (If you prefer the originals, there are plenty to be found on eBay and from retailers specializing in vintage goods.)

And the Rimini Vase, $60, and Decorative Bowl, $80, are two more reproduction midcentury offerings from Crate & Barrel. The pieces, first introduced in 1953, were designed by Italian icon Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche Artistiche and are still sought after by aficionados of midcentury pottery.

(Again, vintage versions abound in high-end secondhand stores and on eBay. Clockwise below is a sampling of Bitossi originals currently available on the auction site: Pitcher, horse, vase, bird, vase, raised bowl.)

eBay Find of the Day: Eva Zeisel Gravy Boat

OK, so most of us probably only serve gravy on Thanksgiving. But there's no reason that this lovely elliptical gravy boat by midcentury ceramics icon Eva Zeisel (still designing today at 101!) needs to stay shut up in the china cabinet the other 364 days of the year.

I'd enjoy it every day as a key- and loose change-catcher on an entry table, or as a place to hold jewelry on a dresser top or hair accessories in a bathroom. What would you use it for?

Current bid: $15. (Note: Crate & Barrel has just rolled out a reproduction of this classic serving piece that retails for $48.)

Cool Stuff: Beautiful Bedding

I’m a sucker for botanical silhouettes, and the new Crate & Barrel Best Buys catalog has a couple of new bedding sets that instantly grabbed my attention.

The first is CB BB’s new Himmeli Bed Linens collection from Marimekko. The comforter cover and shams feature whispy white botanicals on a chocolate background, while the sheets and comforter reverse the pattern with brown on white. $27 to $120

The other is the Shadow Bed Linens collection. White and brown branches intertwine on a yummy aqua background, while the shams feature aqua branches on a gray background. $28 to $100.

Simple, graphic, gorgeous.

Who Knew? The Amazing Shedding Shag

About a year ago, I bought the Quinn Felted Shag Rug from Pottery Barn for our family room. (Our old oriental rug had been through house-training with a new puppy and kitten, and alas, had not survived to tell the tale.)

I had lusted after this rug -- with its incredibly thick, nubby plushness and slightly shagadelic vibe -- for ages, and loved the way it looked in the room and felt underfoot. (Our corgi, Bonnie, regularly throws herself down on it and wriggles all around while emitting yelps of pure joy. Our best guess is that she thinks the rug is another animal, and that they're playing together -- or maybe they're doing something a bit more adult, but I don't want to think about that ... ) I even felt a little smug about snagging the brand-new shag for about half of regular retail, from an eBay seller who lived near a Pottery Barn outlet store.

But let me tell you: This rug has become the absolute bane of my existence. It sheds more than our three housepets combined, and I'm regularly scooping up tumbleweeds of shed shag fibers from around the house. Just vacuuming the rug will fill a brand-new vacuum bag to bursting.

Some internet sleuthing led to a message board where owners of the Quinn and similar felted shags (like the Crate+Barrel Pebbles Shag and West Elm's Cable Shag), as well as trendy-again wool flokati rugs, were ranting about the problem. The consensus seemed to be that the shedding would calm down over time. Sadly, a year down the line, that doesn't seem to be the case with ours. Some nights, I dream of giant spheres of soft white rug fibers blowing across the floor ...

Anyway, consider yourself warned.

(And if anyone has a similar tale to tell -- or, even better, a possible solution to the problem -- please feel free to share it!)

House in Progress: The Office Chair Conundrum

So here's the deal: I work from home as a freelance writer pretty much full-time. (Yeah, I know -- I'm lucky; but if you saw last year's tax return, you would not be jealous.)

At left is the Jules Chair from IKEA, in which I spend upwards of ten hours a day. I bought it because I thought it was cute, and it only cost $40. But I simply can't take it anymore. It's just not a proper work chair, and my back and tailbone are screaming in protest. I desperately need a functional, comfortable, and ergonomic desk chair.

But here's the thing: I think most desk chairs are kind of ugly -- even the coveted $949 Aeron Chair. Since my office is in my home, I can't bring myself to buy, and than have to look at, some ugly black-and-hard-plastic thing on wheels. So I'm on the hunt for a good desk chair that's also -- and this is key -- attractive.

I'd really like something in white or a poppy color or fun pattern. It absolutely has to have lower-back support and a padded (or at least pliable) seat. I'm tall, so it has to be height-adjustable, or at least be on the higher side. It doesn't need to be on wheels or to swivel, but those would be nice options. I'm hoping to keep it under $250.

Here are a few I've been looking at:

Perforated Airgo Chairs, $179, from Pottery Barn Teen.
Pros: These chairs come in white, light green, orange, light blue, and pink, and I love the polished armrests and base.
Cons: Those armrests don't actually look so comfortable. And my ass, sadly, is no longer teen-sized.

Lilly Office Chair, $169, from CB2.
Pros: Fresh and clean in white and chrome, and a great price.
Cons: I'm not sure what "pliable white Hirek® techno-polymer composite" is, but it doesn't look as cushy as I want.

Holden Chair, $249, from Crate + Barrel.
Pros: Comfortable, adjustable, and tasteful.
Cons: It's not black, but the color is still a bit too dull and masculine for me.

Swivel Leather Desk Chair, $299, from West Elm.
Pros: It looks cool and comfortable, and the seat is adjustable.
Cons: The color. I could've sworn West Elm had this in white the last time I looked, but now it's not there. $299 is also a little more than I'd hoped to spend.

Allak Chair, $80, from IKEA.
Pros: I sat in this at our local IKEA yesterday, and it's actually very comfortable. Plus, it's white, and the price can't be beat.
Cons: I don't really love the gathering on the leather seat, and the black plastic arms and base look cheap and cheesy.

Nominell Chair, $129, from IKEA.
Pros: I like this in green.
Cons: This is lacking armrests, and it's a bit on the slight side for all-day sitting.

Skruvsta Chair, $139, from IKEA.
Pros: I love the retro shape and the fun print (this comes in white, too).
Cons: It doesn't offer as much back support as a higher-backed chair would.

Patrik Chair, $179, from IKEA.
Pros: So cute.
Cons: I tried this on for size, and the seat is a tad narrow for my child-bearing hips.

Vitra Hula Hoop Chair, $915, from Design Public.
Pros: Super-stylin'.
Cons: The price -- no way am I paying this much for a chair, as cool as it may be. (Plus, the IKEA Skruvsta has a similar look for a lot less.)

Egoa Task Chairs, $648, from Design Within Reach.
Pros: Fun colors, elegantly slim profile.
Cons: The price.

Hudson Swivel Chair, $1,415, from DWR.
Pros: How cool is this in polished aluminum?
Cons: No padding. And the price.

Eames Aluminum Management Chair, $1,998, from DWR.
Pros: I love the fresh spring green leather (it also comes in white, orange, red, power blue, camel, and chocolate) and the polished base.
Cons: The price.

Have thoughts on these, or any other suggestions? Please post a comment and clue me in (and don't forget to include any relevant links). I'll let you all know what I ultimately decide.

Thanks!

Cool Stuff: Pimp My Cubicle, Part 2

Because See Jane Work isn’t the only company out there that has some seriously fun, affordable office style on the agenda:

Ora-Ito's The Hub, above, lets you plug in up to six USB and FireWire devices at once and also has a fan, a light, and an AC adapter. $90 at A+R.

Top left: CB2 Open Storage Boxes, $20 each; top right: West Elm Trellis Print Storage Boxes, $24 and $34; bottom: Container Store Library Desktop Files, $26 each.

Left: Binth Notepad, $16; right: Russell + Hazel Pattern Binders, $24 each.

Top left: Target File Folders, $16 for nine; top right: Cavallini File Folders, $15 for 12; bottom: Spiro File Folders, $5.50 for six at The Container Store.

Left and center: Kassett Magazine Files, $4 each; right: Lingo Magazine Files, $4 for five, all at IKEA.


Left: Russell + Hazel Butterfly Clips, $20 for two; center: Karim Rashid Micro Garbini Cans, $3 each; right: Crate & Barrel Memo Clips, $5.50 each.

Left: Snille Chair, $20; right: Skruvsta Chair, $139, both from IKEA.

Top left: Jagga Writing/Magnetic Board, $25 from IKEA; top right: Blu Dot 3D In/Out Box, $29; bottom: Bin Bin Wastebasket, $50, at Velocity Art + Design.

Left: CB2 Titanium-Finish Trig File Cabinet, $149; center and right: Expedit Bookcase, $179, and Helmer Drawer Unit, $40, both from IKEA.

OK, seriously, people -- back to work now.