Objects of Lust: Jayson Home & Garden Fantasy Shopping Spree

Sorry I am so, so late with this post today -- I have an awful flu complete with ear infection and ruptured eardrum, the pain of which made childbirth pale in comparison. Nick, bless his heart, got the kids off to school this morning so I could sleep until the absolutely unheard of hour of noon. (He is the best nurse, and his kindness and patience with me makes my crankiness and impatience during his own recent bout with this virus all the more unforgivable.)

Anyway, to distract myself from my clogged head, aching body, and hacking cough, I indulged in a little fantasy shopping spree at Chicago's sublime Jayson Home & Garden, putting together a virtual ladies' salon that's equal parts refined and romantic.

The elements, clockwise from top left: Caravan Chandelier, $1,295; Lotus Flower Dishes, $24 to $48 each; Antique Carved Mirror, $11,995; Barnard Lamp, $575; Vintage French Chair, $1,150; Cerise Pillow, $315; Frank Table, $3,695; Faux Zebra Hide Rug, $1,095; Amalfi Sofa, $2,316; Vintage Wooden Shoes, $295; Petrified Wood Table, $1,495; Moroccan Wedding Blanket, $795; and Factory Light Sculptures, $85 to $225 each

The grand total for my fantasy space? A mere $25,703. Le sigh ...

Cool Stuff: Iconic Furniture

I've written about B+N's Iconic Panel line before, but the Bay Area company has just expanded its stylish sunken-relief surface concept into a collection of striking modern furniture featuring a variety of subtle textural motifs and warm walnut accents that I couldn't resist sharing.

Screens

Dressers

Credenzas

Beds, Headboards, and Nightstands

Tables

Mirrors

Each piece is available in a choice of materials and surface patterns. See the entire collection right here.

Cool Stuff: Egg Collective Tables

I'm digging the cleverness and ingenuity coming out of the all-female Egg Collective. The virtual design studio is the brainchild of Stephanie Beamer, Crystal Ellis, Hillary Petrie, and Julie Scheu, four friends who met at architecture school and who are now based out of St. Louis, Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Portland, respectively.

Take these Stumped Side Tables, created from fallen trees and wired to hold an integrated light. Beautiful and useful.

Another one for the "why didn't I think of that?" file: Egg's (wait for it now ... ) File Table

The Pill Table, which functions as both coffee table and bookends

Set Table, constructed from solid walnut and embellished with cheeky, 24-karat gold leaf place settings

Contact Egg Collective directly for pricing and availability, and check out the studio's other clever creations right here.

Cool Stuff: West Elm Bridge Tables

I'm kind of over West Elm -- all that wenge-colored wood, all those boxy upholstered pieces, the whole "modern/rustic/ethnic" thing ... But there are occasional exceptions to my growing apathy about the store's trademark look.

Like these Bridge Side ($179) and Coffee ($299) tables, especially together. I really like the contrast of smooth white lacquer with a silkscreened jacaranda-leaf motif and the earthy, striated sungkai wood. Yes, please.

Cool Stuff: Marimekko Tray Tables

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know how I adore all things Marimekko.

So imagine my delight upon discovering that the Finnish textile company is now making these wonderfully versatile and colorful tray tables.

Available in a variety of familiar Marimekko patterns, they're $302 each from the Scandinavian Design Center.

eBay Find of the Day: Nicos Zographos Marble Table

Could this be an affordable -- but equally stylish -- alternative to that marble-topped Eero Saarinen Tulip Table you've been eying at DWR?

Designed in 1964 by Nicos Zographos (whose name may not be as familiar as Saarinen's, but who has his own band of devoted, discerning followers who snap up his designs for Knoll and his own firm), the table features a 2.5-inch-thick, 4-foot diameter white marble surface atop chromed legs.

Originally designed as a small conference table (the Houston-based seller has many items liquidated from the former Enron headquarters), it would look just as striking in a modern breakfast room or petite dining area.

Current bid: $99. (Hurry -- the auction ends Wednesday afternoon, July 30.)

eBay Find of the Day: Vintage Wheat Sheaf Table

Simple but sculptural, this vintage travertine-topped table would strike a sophisticated note in just about any room. The walnut-toned, wheat sheaf-style table was made in Italy and possibly designed by the legendary Edward Wormley.

At 20 inches tall and 26 inches in diameter, it can be put to use as a coffee table, a nightstand, or an occasional table. This smart little table would compliment a variety of decorating styles, too, from midcentury to Hollywood Regency to eclectic modern.

Current bid: $100. (Hurry -- the auction ends Monday evening, July 7.)

Retail Therapy: Jason Lees Design

Talk about finding treasures where you least expect them ... The Jason Lees Design showroom is tucked into a small storefront in Oakland's sleepy little Glenview District, which isn't exactly known as a hopping retail or design center. (Totally random fact: Both Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood grew up there.)

But that suits Lees just fine, since his customers tend to seek him out rather than simply happening upon his gorgeous furnishings.

The self-taught furniture designer creates wood pieces that combine a midcentury modern aesthetic and a Zen sensibility with playful bursts of color, and that somehow manage to be both sleek and warm. "I love modern design, but I didn't want my furniture to be cold," the British-born, California-bred Lees explains. Behind him is the BASIS American walnut and red lacquer media cabinet, $3,050.

His designs have won accolades from such prestigious publications as Metropolitan Home, The World of Interiors, and Better Homes and Gardens, and Lees counts luxury hotels and major universities -- as well as the requisite architects and interior designers -- among his clients. Not bad for a guy who's only had his shingle out for four years. (Prior to venturing out on his own, Lees worked for a large interior design firm.)

Lees' handcrafted furniture collection is, as you might expect, an investment: Prices start at about $1,110 and go up to nearly $5,000. To be honest, I can't afford any of this stuff -- and I suspect that many of you can't, either. But each exquisitely made piece is worthy of saving up for and hanging onto for a good long time.

A look at some of the furniture on display in Lees' showroom:

In the foreground is the TERRACE coffee table, $2,765, crafted from wenge, painted wood, and glass; against the wall is the PLANE media cabinet in walnut, $3,995.

A round WALLSCAPE display unit, $4,950, in walnut and white lacquer. The shelves are topped with tiny models of Lees' designs.

The rift-sawn white oak and Richlite SPAN desk, $3,640, is Lees' newest product. In addition to Richlite, made from compressed paper, the furniture maker has also begun to incorporate other sustainable materials, such as certified organic domestic bamboo, into his work.

Another new design is the BACKDROP wall-mounted media console, $3,740, constructed from lacquered oak with walnut pulls.

The zebrawood OUTLINE writing desk, $3,910, and the minuscule model that Lees built first.

Custom teak and lacquer display bookshelves. Lees can craft semi- or totally custom pieces to your specifications, which generally adds about 20 percent to the final price.

NETWORK 2x2 display cubes in walnut and lacquer, $3,060.

The RECESS coffee table in teak, $2,190, is one of Lees' most popular pieces.

Lees' versatile walnut WHOLESOME design, $2,170, can be used as either a coffee table or a bench.

Left: Custom bamboo table. Right: LATITUDE zebrawood occasional table, $2,125.

On its own, a single EASE unit in walnut, $1,125, is a chic low table. Stack two or more, and it becomes a bookshelf. Clever and functional!

The Jason Lees Design showroom is located at 1577 East 38th Street in Oakland. Hours are Monday through Saturday by appointment. Click here to see more of Lees' work.

Cool Stuff: Street Sign Tables

A simple and clever idea to steal: The UK's Cockney Design has created a line of tables from repurposed, circa-1960s and -'70s London street signs. The tables sell for 159 pounds sterling, or about $318.

I think it'd be relatively easy to do something similar on your own. Those legs, for instance, look suspiciously like IKEA's steel Vika Fintorp table legs ($7.50 to $10 each) to me.

You could buy a set of those -- in either the shorter coffee table height or the longer dining/console/work table height -- and then hunt for a cool vintage street or business sign at your local salvage yard. Spray-paint the legs to match your sign and have a welding shop fuse it all together, and you'll own a functional and totally unique conversation piece.

(Via Retro to Go.)

The Artful Home: Jessica Gonacha

It's hard not to be charmed by Jessica Gonacha's exuberantly colorful -- and just plain exuberant -- artwork. (Above: Banzai; below: Sea Lily.)

The Atlanta (by way of Boulder, Colorado) artist works with a variety of mediums, including yarn, gouache, gold leaf, and glitter to create trippy, intensely colored organic and botanical studies as well as winsome illustrations.

Originals (like Opposites Attract, above) are available on Trunkt and through Boulder's Rembrandt Yard Gallery. Prices range from several hundred to more than a thousand dollars.

If that's a little out of your budget, Gonacha also does 6-by-8-inch mini-paintings featuring brightly hued avian and sea creatures (such as Peacock in Red, above, $85) that are available through öm time (OK, how groovy is that?) in Boulder.

For those on an even tighter budget, check out Gonacha's signed and numbered archival prints, which sell for $15 apiece on Etsy: Above: This is Your Life.

Juniper and Carnation

Black Rain

Potential

Cotton Berries

Recently, Gonacha expanded her repertoire to include furniture as well. Her series of one-of-a-kind, painted and collaged tables is available at Denver's Translations Gallery (but be warned: prices are not for the faint of heart). Above: Flame Turns Blue, $2,725.

Gold in the Air of Summer, $1,825

Magnolia Roses, $2,545

See more of Gonacha's work right here.