Don’t Fight It
May 4, 2017
Like so many May flowers, sale signs are popping up everywhere now that it’s Spring. Yard sales, garage sales, rummage sales….you name it. My advice? Follow your gut. If you have an inclination to stop…stop. You might just come across a find like this early Florence Knoll table. The base is solid stainless bar stock and the top, walnut. While the surface had a large chunk taken out of the edge, for an initial investment of under $20 it was worth having a new top fabricated. That’s right, under $20. Boom.
photo: gp
Dining Out
April 11, 2017
Outside, out of the house, on the patio, in the yard…any which way but indoors. Two great modern classics from Knoll’s iconic 1966 Group of outdoor furniture by Charles Schultz, ready to be set for dinner. I’m torn between the 60″x 60″ square and the 90″ x 38″ rectangle. Both will easily accomodate 8, the later even up to 10 guests. The original white finish is now joined by a striking black, either being a great place to start, especially when taking advantage of the Knoll Outdoor Furniture Sale which starts on April 13th.
Photos: https://www.knoll.com/product/1966-dining-table-60×60
Pick One…Any One
March 30, 2017
Easter and Passover are just around the corner and nothing makes a simplequietmodern statement than a classic glass cylinder vase filled with flowering branches. From your own yard, a friends garden or a trip to the market, this exercise is simple…pick a single type, fill your vase with water, grab your secateurs and give each branch a fresh clean cut. Done.
Top to bottom:
Pussy Willow,Forsythia,Yellow Twig Dogwood,Lichen Covered Branches,Quince,Tulip Magnolia
all photos: http://www.shopterrain.com/fresh-faux-flowers/?cm_sp=Homepage-_-week032717-_-Branches
Modern Milestone
March 25, 2017
What a fitting tribute. In celebration of Florence Knoll’s 100th Year, Knoll has reissued several classic pieces by one of my favorite icons of mid-century furniture design. The simplicity of her designs had me hooked from the start. I’ve collected so many vintage Florence Knoll pieces that friends would joke that I owned more Florence Knoll than Florence herself. One piece that eluded me was this small table originally released in 1948. A simple round top on steel hairpin legs… a design that set into motion a wave of knockoffs that continues to this day…The Hairpin Stacking Table.
Photos: Knoll
https://www.knoll.com/product/florence-knoll-hairpin-stacking-table
Just a Pinch
February 18, 2017
Sometimes all you need for a recipe is a pinch of a spice or dried herb that you don’t generally keep on hand. With the cost of spices and the quantity usually packaged you might think twice about trying something new. Sure, you’ll have it the next time you need it, but that occasion might be so far off that you’ll need to replace what has gone stale. Until now. The genius of Spice Miser is that minimal increments of a wide array of exotics are available neatly packed in tiny zip-lock bags. A tablespoon of fennel seed?….smoked salt?…Anise stars?….they’ve got you covered from .99 a pack. Someone was thinking.
https://store10292173.ecwid.com/
Photo: gp
Here comes the sun….
February 15, 2017
(do do do do) ….here comes the sun, and I say it’s all right.* While we’re waiting for the sun to show we might take the opportunity to invest in a new pair of shades. The simplequietmodern feel of Warby Parker’s Felton offers polarized lenses with 100% UV protection neatly packaged in a clean rectangular frame. Perfect.
https://www.warbyparker.com/sunglasses/men/felton/jet-black
* George Harrison/ the Beatles
If your Valentine is feeling generous….
February 12, 2017
you might ask to forgo the chocolates…the expensive evening out…the case of Veuve and wait a few more days for the annual Knoll sale. An investment in something from the Knoll Classics collection is sure to make your heart skip a beat or two. If you’re lucky enough to have a vintage piece in need of a recover, you might consider a few yards from their extensive textile collection.
It’s the little things.
February 9, 2017
Simple gestures are those that mean the most and are not quickly forgotten. One Valentines Day, many years ago, a single purple anemone wrapped in a cone of cellophane…tacked to my door. Such an unexpected surprise at the end of a long day, in the midst of a crazy work week. To this day I have no idea who left it but I remember the experience clearly, like it was yesterday. Go ahead. Spread some love.
Photo: gp
Et Voila
February 3, 2017
Too good to toss…too ugly to carry around. Still, it’s hard to resist recycling a shopping bag. There is a simple solution to ugly however…turn it inside out. Et voila! simplequietmodern and chic.
Photos: http://www.improvisedlife.com/2017/01/24/sometimes-turn-stuff-inside/
January has been brought to you…
January 29, 2017
by the color gray. While I couldn’t be more pleased with our relative lack of snow, it would be nice to see some sun. Morning, noon and night have all been so gray…DARK gray…for what seems like the entire month. A little blast of natural vitamin D would be welcome. Until the skies clear it might be a good idea to fill some vases with daffodils or forced forsythia branches, tuck a bright paint chip among your currency for a little pop of bright as you go about your day or hunker down to an afternoon of binge-watching Versailles on Netflix and seeing what the Sun King is up to. I’m going for all three.
Top to bottom:
image: gp
image: Pantone.com
image: Netflix
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