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 ...

Objects of Lust: New Florence Broadhurst Rugs

Thirty two years after a still-unsolved murder brutally ended her flamboyant and controversial life, Florence Broadhurst's dramatic designs are still as heart-stopping as the day she dreamt them up.

Broadhurst's intensely colorful, geometric and nature-inspired patterns are available as indulgent fabrics and luxe wallpapers, and British firm Knots Interiors came out with a line of Broadhurst rugs in 2007. Now, several more of the Australian icon's timeless designs have been reproduced as handknotted wool-and-silk rugs by the U.S.-based, high-end carpet company Woven Accents.

A few of my faves from this new collection:

Honeycomb in cornflour

Floral 300 in scarlet and ivory

Kabuki in olive and brunette

Solar in saffron and navy

Japanese Floral in tangerine

Horses Stampede in noir and steel

Siam in cream and aqua

The rugs are available for order through L.A's Woodson & Rummerfield's. (The cost: Most likely more than many of us can afford. But let's all just indulge in a collective swoon anyway, OK?)

P.S. For more on Broadhurst, pick up a copy of the gorgeous book, Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives.

Cool Stuff: New Kaui Rug at Urban Outfitters

Oooh -- I like this. (It's surface-dyed, flatweave cotton, which means it'll probably look like crap after about two months of being stepped on. But hey -- what do you want for $68?)

Cool Stuff: Dan Golden Pillows and New Rugs

I got an email from Dan Golden a couple minutes ago letting me know that he's just about to launch a line of pillows based on his hilarious rug collection. (The "Morphine" design is so mine.)

The hand-embroidered, velvet-backed pillows measure a generous 22 by 22 inches and come with a feather insert. They're priced at about $175 each -- not cheap by any stretch, but owning one of these would make me smile every time I looked at it, and that's worth a lot. They'll be available for order starting next week at Eccola in Los Angeles and directly from the designer.

Golden is also rolling out a witty new rug collection next week. Called "The Meds," it's based on imagery from popular prescription medications woven into beautiful abstract patterns. Each design is named for what the pills do: Rise (Viagra), Calm (Paxil), Grow (Propecia), and so on.

The busy designer has a couple of other exciting new projects in the works, too, so stay tuned for news on those.

Thanks, Dan!

Objects of Lust: Dan Golden Rugs

I spotted these rugs from designer Dan Golden on the always-awesome Design Crisis yesterday, and promptly choked on my coffee.

I really don't have anything intelligent to say about them other than, "OMG, how freakin' kick-ass are these?" Above: Morphine

Keep Dogs Off Grass

So Long, Suckahs!

Financially Abundant

Crazy New Shit

The hand-tufted New Zealand wool rugs range in price from $2,880 to $12,960. So yeah -- keep dreamin'.

See the entire collection right here.

Etsy Find of the Day: FilzFelt Floor Mats

Much as I love pattern, I've been shying away from strong pattern on the floor after having had to craigslist one too many nice rugs that simply didn't work with the ever-changing decor in our rooms. (I told you I have design ADD.)

My new strategy is to opt for simplicity in the larger elements in our home, like flooring and furniture, so that I can go wild with color and pattern in easier and less-pricey-to-change things like pillows, artwork, and accessories.

So these simple, earthy felt floormats from Etsy seller FilzFelt (aka Boston designers Kelly Smith and Traci Roloff) are especially appealing. (Plus, you know how I love felt.)

They're made from high-quality German industrial wool felt, come in 6-by-9-foot ($405), 4-by-6-foot ($180), and 2-by-3-foot ($50) sizes, and are available in an array of Pantone-matched hues.

FilzFelt also has a great selection of simple, modern placemats and coasters, pillows, and felt by the yard.

Check out all of Smith and Roloff's Etsy offerings right here -- and see more of their designs here.

Cool Stuff: Koko Indoor/Outdoor Floormats

Fun new floormats from Koko: I especially like the 6-by-4-foot Trees Floormats above, $52 each.

Made from woven plastic, the inexpensive mats can simply be shaken out or hosed off if they get dirty. They're a great way to brighten up the patio or deck, the kitchen or laundry room, a kid's room -- or even to roll up and take with you for a day at the beach or a picnic at the park.

Leaves Runners, 2.5 by 8 feet, $52 each

Classic Floormats, 5 by 9 feet, $76 each

I'm partial to the older designs, too:

Optics Floormats, 5 by 9 feet, $66 each (We have the blue one in our daughter's room.)

Birds Floormats, 4 by 6 feet, $46 each

Beachmats, 2.5 by 6.5 feet, $36 each

Check out all of Koko's vibrant and playful floormats at 2Modern -- or in even more colors at Koko's own webstore.

Double Take: Pottery Barn and IKEA Rugs

Do my eyes deceive me, or are these two rugs -- the one on the left from Pottery Barn, the one on the right from IKEA -- actually one in the same? (And if so, who's ripping off whom here?)

Pottery Barn's Pieced Awning Stripe Mat (shown here in blue, though it also comes in black like IKEA's) is 100 percent cotton, and runs $109 for a 5-by-8 and $179 for an 8-by-10.

IKEA's Stockholm Rand Rug (shown here in Nicole Balch of Making It Lovely's dining room) is made from 100 percent wool, and costs $179 for the 5.5-by-(almost)8-foot size and $299 for the 8-by-11.5-foot size.

I can't believe I'm about to write this, but not only is the IKEA version pricier, it sounds like it may actually be the better quality of the two. (God, how often can you say that about an IKEA product versus practically anything else? It's like we're in Bizarro World or something ... )

Anyone seen both of these in person and care to weigh in on their relative appearance and quality?

Etsy Finds of the Day: Modern Rugs

I'm continually amazed by the sheer breadth of handmade goods available on Etsy -- not just art and pottery and the like but, increasingly, major household items such as handcrafted furniture and even area rugs.

Let's take a look at some of the unique (and often eco-friendly) floor coverings currently on offer: At top is a 5-by-7-foot Grey Astrakhan Rug, made from six vintage sheepskin coats $2,500 from Ouno.

8-by-13-foot Felt Block Rug, available in a variety of custom-dyed colors, $1,875 from feeldesign.

4-by-5-foot Ramona Rug, made from hand-pieced New Zealand Merino sheepskin, $686 from Glacier Trading Co.

4-by-6-foot RAW Recycled Rug, made from carpet scraps discarded during the manufacturing process, $480 Union Eighteen.

5-by-7.5-foot Modern Pile Rug, made from hand-tufted 100-percent New Zealand wool, $449 from modernrugs.

5-by-8-foot Cafe Au Lait Recycled Rug, hand-sewn from strips cut from over 70 discarded t-shirts, $365 from TalkingSquid.

58-by-26-inch Green and Orange/Fuchsia Rug, hand-knit and hand-felted, $250 from Fafnir.

P.S. Speaking of Etsy Finds, I just wanted to point out the Etsy widget on the left-hand side of this page, which I update daily with five fresh Etsy finds. (If you use an RSS reader to stay up-to-date on your surfing, you'll have to click through to the blog to see it.)

Cool Stuff: Dash & Albert Rugs

We've been looking for a new rug for the living room, to replace the red-and-camel Caucasian that's there now. (It's beautiful, but I'm bored with it. I'm also phasing out the red in that room and want something that's a bit more modern and versatile and that will work with the constant changes my decorating ADD demands.)

Nick is leaning toward a FLOR rug. But as much as I love the idea of FLOR, the previous one we had in a hallway was like a freakin' pet-hair magnet and I just can't deal with that again. I'm also in the mood for something kind of feminine, fresh, and fun. (This is a new thing for me, as "pink" has never before been a part of my design vocabulary. I dunno -- perhaps it's the spring fever talking.) So yesterday, I meandered on over to the Dash & Albert website and found a lot to love:

Barbados and Franconia

Tortola Ticking and Kiwi Ticking

Palm Beach

Birmingham Citrus and Aquinnah

Aruba Stripe

Bright Flamestitch

Staffordshire Stripe

The rugs are really reasonably priced, ranging from about $30 for a scatter rug to less than $500 for a 9-by-12. Because they're cotton flatweaves as opposed to tufted wool, though, my main concern is how well they'll hold up and stay in place. Anyone out there with Dash & Alberts who can report back on their longevity and mobility -- especially in a home with rampaging kids and pets? If so, please let me know!

Check out more Dash & Albert rugs right here.

Cool Stuff: Summer at IKEA

I slipped, you guys. Despite my resolution to lay off the IKEA crap once and for all, I bought a whole bunch of stuff there yesterday.

I know it will all fall apart in a few months, and I suspect that it was probably made with toxic, non-sustainable materials by obscenely underpaid workers in Far East sweatshops. But I stopped in to pick up a bunch of Ribba frames so I could finally hang my growing collection of Etsy prints, because those are the only simple white frames I've found that I can afford to buy in mass quantities.

And, well, my resolve to drastically limit the amount of IKEA in my life fell away when I saw all the happy, super-cheap new summer stuff and other recent additions at my local Swedish superstore. (And yes, today I feel hung over with guilt -- but not so much so that I didn't spend most of the morning moving things around to make room for my new scores.)

Sommar Cushions, $8 each

Sommar Paper Tablecloth, $3. (There are so many different ways you could use this large roll of fairly durable laminated paper: wrapping a lampshade, lining dresser drawers, staple-gunning it over a worn table- or dressertop, mod-poging it to cabinet or closet doors ...)

Sommar Food Domes, on sale for $1 each

Sommar Cloth Bags (a little Orla-ish, no?), $8 each

Sommar Gardening Bags, $3 each

Sommar Hanging Planters, $13 each

Sommar Picnic Blanket, $30

Sommar Throws, $13 each

Greno Cushions (I like the yellow), $20 each

More Greno Cushions, $6 each

Hemon Rugs, $15 each

Flyn Ofelia Curtain Panels, $45 for three

Hjordis Fabric, $4 a yard

Knubbig Lamp, $17 or $9, depending on size

Pjatteryd Wall Art, $70

Tripp Storage Tins, $3 a set

Jutanas Decorative Figures, $20 for a set of five

Trollsta Sideboard, $349

Ange Chair, $129, and Hejka Chair, $139

Oh yeah, and they finally have that Egg-like Karlstad Swivel Chair ($329) that I lusted after last summer, when it was only available at overseas IKEAs. Not loving it so much in person.

I didn't actually buy all of this stuff, mind you -- but I bought some of it.

Damn you, IKEA.

(How do you all feel about the Blue Behemoth? Great for deals on fun, disposable decor -- or poor-quality environmental and economic scourge? Post a comment and let me know.)