Oh, hey Pittsburgh, I sure do like you. I don’t know anyone from Pittsburgh nor do I have any sort of perception of what its like, but now I simply must go to hoard some furniture because my loins quiver with these magical finds.
1. $75 Mid Century Chair It probably needs to be upholstered, but the lines and the brass feet are pretty darn good, folks, for $75. I feel like this is a chair even your husband would like. Although I don’t know your husband … or do I? …
2. $99 Mid Century Side Table This one goes a little ‘nightstand’ to me, but I also think that the color of the wood and the shape of the front is really pretty. Simple, but with style. Like if Michelle Williams were a man and then that man were a piece of furniture and that piece of furniture was boxy and dark – like a man.
3. $150 Set of Vintage Rolling Chairs Gobble these up. They look like vintage Saarinen chairs to me, but may not. Either way these are not terribly expensive to recover (around $80 – $100 each) and are way chic for an office chair. Get creative with it (maybe like what i did for Joy’s studio).
4. $67 Vintage Dresser It could be wonderful. I just saw one of these at Bonita Interiors that she has lacquered in a beautiful slate gray/blue that I wanted to buy for my little ones room. Clean er up, repaint er and that is a great dresser.
5. $99 Full Sized Headboard I know that you are thinking that this is hideous, but my friend Paul Evans (not my friend, an incredibly famous and weird furniture designer) is inspiring me to embrace the ugly. It will take the right room to make it work, sure. Think bright white walls, simple linen bedding, black antique side tables, a kilem rug and maybe some lucite lamps … indeed.
6. $300 Milo Baughman Cube Table Not a great deal, no. But I can’t say no to Milo anything. Much like this Lorde album i’m listening to, i’m addicted to his amazingness and will always feel like an underachiever in his presence.
7. $105 Vintage Dresser The hardware itself is worth $105. She may not even need refinishing. But if she does PLEASE don’t paint the outside white and leave the inside wood. Its the new ‘shabby-chic- aging’ that every ‘upcyler’ in the world is doing. That only works on very modern pieces like from BBDW. Just stop it.
8. $99 Set of Vintage Lucite Chairs Not the best, most unusual retro set that I’ve seen but for $99 that is pretty cute. Make the fabric a fresh white linen or match the color of the lucite with gray. Don’t spend too much money on the fabric and don’t do a funky pattern – they are already too retro. Keep it simple. Pair it with a mid-century Danish table or a Saarinen tulip table (or Ikeas knock off version).
9. $300 Set of Vintage Chairs YES! Weird. I like. I want for my new dining room – oh if there were 6 of you.
10. $200 Set of Mid Century Modern Wood and Leather Chairs $50 a piece and you don’t have to even do any work to them? You can’t even buy an ikea chair for that cheap. These are so pretty/classic and worth more than that.
11. $60 Vintage Desk I mean, your playroom or nursery is dying for a vintage kids desk, you know it is.
12. $250 Solid Marble and Brass Coffee Table While i don’t appreciate the terrible photograph I do really appreciate the marble top and the brass base. If this is as beautiful as my heart tells me it is then somebody is about to score.
13. $25 Two Vintage Patio Chairs Cute. Could be too ‘cutesy’ so be careful. Pair it with a fresh white parsons or tulip table not a granny iron table. If the color were different or if they were too aged then they could go ‘crazy lady with too many yard ornaments’ but if you style them in a reserved, pull back manner then they just say ‘fun lady with maybe only 1 too many cats’. Is it even possible to have 1 too many cats? I don’t think sooo…..
14. $50 Hans Wegner Style Chair Buy this. It’s awesome for $50. Those cushions should be around $100 – $125 to recover and then you have yourself a handsome little vintage one of a kind chair.
15. $25 Vintage Green Mirror It takes a special house to be able to hold the intensity that is malachite, but if you have said house – go grab that bad boy. It might be really cheap in person, but it is only $50 so what do you expect?
16. $50 Vintage Dresser with Mirror This would be awesome for The Fig House bridal suite. And for $50 that is not bad my friends. It goes granny if paired next to too much granny stuff, but in a cleaner setting its a real beauty.
Pittsburgh was a hit. I want to go to there. Is it time to go back to the West Coast? Or where to, folks?