Creating Space

Let's talk about space. Whether you live in a studio apartment or a well segmented home, personally defining space showcases a creative touch that will not go unnoticed. There are many ways one can go about adding their unique decorum, highlighting the features of any room as well as it's intended use. Today we will focus on one of the easiest and most obvious ways to go about it, the screen. The screen not only stands as a partition that can hold place as a temporary wall, but it just as well can stand to add depth, texture and character to any room.

Beginning with a classic screen, the one above from thebellacottage.com gives an antique feel with its subtle and muted colors and raw textures. Fairly reasonable, the Darling Screen goes for $1095. 

For a more extravagant feel, the screen below from laylagrayce.com catches the light and opens the space with its beautifully buttoned antiqued mirrors and its gold (or silver) leaf finish. It's beauty, however, does not come cheaply. The three panel mirrored screen is listed for $3900.

Just because we are working our way up the totem pole, I have to continue with an Oly creation. Found at shopcandelabra.com, the four panel screen below is constructed of a metal frame with again your choice of gold or silver detailing. What makes this screen so inspirational is the lace-like qualities of the capiz shells, that allow light to pass through in a soft and delicate manner, illuminating the piece. Price is given upon request. I dare not request.

For a slight switch in focus, a more economic and creative solution to separating space can be done in the Mio fashion. Found at allmodern.com, the Mio Culture Nomad Architectural System is made of recycled double-walled cardboard pieces (nine colors available) that can be fitted together in an open or closed fashion, giving the buyer control of size, shape and pattern. Pricing begins at $56 for 24 modules , which creates a 4.5' square open screen or a 3' by 4.5' closed screen.

A Lighter Note

Lets end this week with some fun and unexpected finds for a VERY non-traditional wall trophy!

Small deer head trophy made of Legos! By David Cole for $28, comes unassembled with instructions and a diagram.

Some super cute mustached felt animals found on etsy by Alcreatures. The rabbit goes for $70, the moose for $179. Others are available as well!

Another plush, but more exotic creature, the unicorn by Cherrybox Studios, available for $80 at shanalogic.com.

Last but not least, the octopus, or tentacle at least. Handmade by ArtAkimbo, the one below is listed for a whopping $3500, but smaller ones are offered in the $300-$400 range. Can be customized.

Have a great weekend everyone!

DIY Faux Stag Mount

It was about three and a half years ago when I moved from my tiny one-bedroom apartment to a large loft with soaring ceilings. This is the time when faux mounts started to grab my attention. Gorgeous hand carved deer heads, stark white porcelain trophies, intricate wire constructed mounts all drew me in, and I so badly wanted one to hang in the thirty-foot entryway of my new apartment. Unfortunately, I didn't have the money to put down on a fake deer head, so I got creative.
1. I found an ebay maker and seller of a resin mount

 This mount is sold for $45.99, with $15.95 shipping. It comes in three pieces, the antlers detach.

2. Now, get creative. I kept it simple, with a glossy white spray paint: Homedepot.com, $3.87. However, the possibilities are endless. Not only can you do any color you want, you could mix and match colors, you could hand paint, you could decoupage, you could mosaic, you wrap it in yarn, in twin, in wire. ANYTHING!!!

                                                                   

3. If you choose to spray paint, make sure to do this outside, or somewhere with excellent ventilation. Place down paper, or as I did, spray within a large box, to prevent the paint from damaging the floor or other items nearby. For some spray painting tips, click here.

4. And there you have it, an awesome faux trophy for $65! Not too shabby. I recently moved out of my massive loft into a smaller one, yet the mount works perfectly on the brick.

***Several things to mention:

1. While the mount on ebay is a great price for a good item, the antlers of mine do not attach snugly. I have had to repair several breaks from the unstable attachment while moving the piece, however, when on the wall, it is solid. I have added glue to the place of attachment for extra stability.

2. While finding awesome trophies online, of which I listed yesterday, I came across mounts that were made in this fashion being sold for over $100. I am not trying to ruin anyones entrepreneurial attempts with this post, and for anyone who just doesn't feel like being creative, that is still a reasonable price for a wall trophy.

Wall Trophies

Now, I am fully aware that this is nothing new, in fact, it is quite stale. I don't know if it's my Montanan roots, but I find faux animal trophies to be extremely attractive, and a constant curiosity for myself. There is a plethora of shapes and materials creating a humane connection to mans hunting, gathering and bragging traditions that can work with any room.

They can be as simple and elegant as a hand carved wooden head, returning a natural feel to the faux approach. The intricacies of the carvings show true talent and craft of the artist, and therefore tend to be on the more expensive side. The mount above is a large show-stopper from natalienorcross.com, going for $649. Two similar yet smaller mounts are available for $429 from Natalie as well. Another hand carved mount (below) can be found at honeyshine.com for $485.

To help modernize the idea of a faux mount even more, alternative materials and finishes can be applied, allowing the mount to fit into a diverse array of settings. The head below, from aandgmerch.com, is made of an eye catching aluminum for $199.

For a clean, Parisian approach, porcelain creates a modest and cooler application. The  rhino from michelevarian.com for $298 is a piece I love. A unique and quirky, yet surprisingly subtle addition to a space.

A softer approach can be done with cloth. Rachel Denny from Portland does an incredible job of introducing cute knits in a variety of colors, making the mount feel less trophy, and more pet-like. A perfect way to introduce a different texture and color to a room. (There are no direct prices on the site, yet I've read elsewhere they tend to go around $650.)

For a different approach to color and texture, the heads below create a very unique expression and construction of the traditional trophy. Made in Germany, and sold by utilitydesign.co.uk, the MDF shapes come un-assembled, but claim to be simple to put together with no use of glue. There are currently seven different models, each going for £27.50, roughly $35.00.

The mounts below are not only great constructed pieces for the wall, but double as hangers. Found at yliving.com the papa buffalo, $195, and the cub, $99, are available in white, black and orange. Other animals are available as well!

For something simple and economically reasonable, the trophy wall decal presented below is a great way to add to a plain wall, and is perfect for a smaller space. Not only is it trendy, but it is also a great way to avoid damaging the wall with holes! It is available in MANY colors for a low $22 at etsy.com.

While there seems to be a trophy out there for every taste, there is always the option of making your own. Be sure to check out tomorrows post, where I present a DIY wall mount trophy for  under $70!

Where the Madness Began

As an undeclared Architectural Studies student in college, I spent many hours looking over homemade flash cards with palaces, skyrises, gardens and parks, memorizing people, places and techniques all within a historic culture and story. As my mind melted through the hours of studying, I would eventually call for a break. While my mind declared a rest, my interests pulsed for more shape, color and experience, therefore I would look at the micro environment online. By micro, I mean the built environment within our dwellings; the furniture, the art, our overall personal habitat that is created through small pieces that come together as a whole.
The issue with the internet, as all know good and well, is that there is an immense amount of crap. The trick to finding what you want without knowing exactly what you want, is to tap into a vein of gold. From there you can continue to find new and better sites with new and better products without having to wade through the excrement of the world wide web. That is what led to my exciting, and way too time consuming interest of finding incredible pieces, and finding some of them for a reasonable price.
It was my gold piece, betterlivingthroughdesign.com, that opened the web for me, and introduced me to some key pieces that grabbed my attention and expanded my interest.
This is a "Thank You" to all those involved in BLTD, and a preparatory, "Here's to the future!" for you and I,  to help create a new nugget of gold for the built micro environmental socity, and to college procrastinators alike!