Home & Garden Blog

NYTimes.com article on the Home & Garden section today talked about revolutionary architect Roald Gundersen, who builds structures, furniture, and whole houses with entire branches and trunks of trees. He bends and manipulates the trees to make beautiful organic structures that liven up any home and give it an earthy and fresh quality. Gundersen likes to build with trees because they represent the outdoors and nature, where he would spend all of his time if he could. Instead of living outdoors though, why not bring the trees indoors? And not in a potted planter or desktop tree simulation. Here are some beautiful pieces for you to add to your collection that are built with wood and make your home fresh and lively:

Canopy Swing Stand: On sale from $800 to $590, this beautifully built and organically curved structure will make you feel alive!

3400 Series Wood Chair: $114.99 Brings you back to memories of the old school house with this lovely, basic wood chair.

Shop for discount wooden furniture at Smarter.com.

Manhattan designers Russell Groves and Neal Beckstedt have outdone themselves again–their collaborative designs for an industrialist East Hampton, NY house grace the cover of the NYTimes Home and Garden website page today, and for good reason. What makes a house low-maintenance?

The designs, for the exterior, are clean, compact, and a little bit austere. With metal paneling, the house looks well-insulated, but also a bit too modernist and edgy to fit in the standard suburban landscape. It works for the Hamptons, of course, because anything works in the Hamptons if you have the money for it.

For the interior, you want hardwood floors, tall ceilings and white walls for the canvas. The designs should be sleek and un-ornamented. Think basic wood and metal designs with straight lines, all-white sofas and maybe a leather back chair with wood legs, some sparks of color here and there but mostly in the range of white, dark brown and black with metal accents in the shape of lamps and table tops.

The perfect accents for a modernist house: Modernist paintings and photographs, and tall white candles on glass candlesticks. Both bring a different light and energy to the house, which washes over the more basic and plain sofas, walls and colors described above.

How do you transform your home into a Modernist goddess? Here are some thoughts and suggestions:

Candice Olson “Delray” Floor Lamp - 7461FL: $358.00

Bubble Couch Chair by Kartell: $700.40


Clear/Silver Pillar Glass Candleholder: $25.08

I am absolutely in love with rocking chairs. When I was little, we used to go to this beach house and I had a specific rocking chair that didn’t squeak, didn’t wiggle, and I could tell it apart from all the other rocking chairs by a black scratch running along the headboard.  It was simple, and elegant, and perfect for right after a day at the beach because there were no cushions to get all sticky and smelly from sea salt.  I have another favorite rocking chair back at home, too, which does have cushions and is much hardier, darker, more stable—my point is, rocking chairs are divine, and there are so many different types there’s no reason to not invest in several during the summer!

Tips for Picking Rocking Chairs:

1. Think about the surface you are going to be putting your rocking chair on.  Concrete?  Wood?  Make sure the surfaces are not going to harm one another—concrete or brick is unforgiving on wooden or wicker rocking chairs, but plastic ones can hold up, and are still very stylish.

2. Think about what type of atmosphere the rocking chairs are going to be in.  Covered porch?  You can go for that nice unfinished wood look.  Outdoors, next to the pool?  No cushions, or you will be regretting it by the end of the summer

3. Consider who will be using the furniture so you can gauge quantity and quality.  Family, friends, relatives, boyfriends, children—all have different rocking chair needs!  While the little rocking chairs may be darling for young children, investing in some nice well-sized rocking chairs is so much more important, and children love them (and don’t grow out of them!) just the same.

Some top flight choices:

Check out this Pair of Dixie Outdoor White Slat Rocking Chairs at the reduced sale price of $179.99, saving 50% off market price!  This durable pair is strong enough to withstand the outdoors, yet comfortable and elegant enough to be in your favorite garden.  There is a seat pad available for extra comfort, if you desire.

Target.com’s Bolongo Swivel Chair is sumptuous style to die for!  This chair would be perfect for your elderly relatives or just for a peaceful day reading a book: the wicker supports and cushioned, high-back make this chair lightweight, seasonal and comfortable.   On clearance for $274.98, this chair should be protected against the elements so it can stay a family charm for a long time!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more rocking chairs.
Discounts on patio furniture.

Patio chairs are definitely pricey. Even something simple can run you hundreds of your hard-earned dollars, which I’m sure you’d rather not spend on outside furniture. That’s why this folding bamboo table and chair set caught my eye.

This combo is very stylish and would be a nice place to park yourself on a Sunday evening. The chairs have a Mission style charm about them, and that little tray table will come in handy. You can put a glass of wine and a cheese plate in between you and a loved one if you take my advice about Sunday.

Folding Bamboo Table and 2 Chairs, $144.99 (list price: $169)

So, that spacey Specter Arm Chair got me thinking, and now I’m on a stylish chair kick. I like the use of chairs as room accents, so I generally prefer them to be adventurous in terms of color and pattern. Use a bold chair as a chic decorative piece in the corner of a bedroom, your living room or even your bathroom if you have one of those really grand ones with a giant walk-in closet. Choose a chair with style and hues that standout–it’s just one piece of furniture, so don’t be scared to go wild.

Here are my favorites:

Anthropologie Astrid Chair, $1, 498

Scoop Chair, $376

Adesso Tuck Chair, $308.99

Ikea Stockholm Chair, $399.00