Contemplating the unthinkable.

Not that I don't like my Ikea Expedit bookshelf, and not that I don't appreciate all the blood, sweat and tears that RW put into assembling it for me but it's just never been the bookshelf of my dreams. In a living room without even a hint of a fireplace (perhaps the most lacking feature of this house) I had envisioned a huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelf as the perfect focal point solution. The poor Expedit was just not up to this Herculean task.

So, because it's winter and all I have to think about is what I want to change inside my house, I've been trying to come up with affordable ways to get my floor-to-ceiling dream. Which leads me to my confession: I'm seriously considering using cinder blocks. I'll pause while you try to regain your ability to breathe.

Shockingly (or perhaps not) there's a real dearth of inspirational images of cinder block bookcases out there. However, I feel quite confident that with the right wood (and hopefully less loss of bodily fluids for RW) I can come up with an inexpensive and yet visually appealing solution to my bookshelf desires.

I'll keep you updated but for now try to imagine the potential in this idea.

Loving the 70s.

Last night I found a stack brilliant books at my local Salvation Army. One of the best is entitled "Furniture You Can Make" published in 1972 by Sunset Magazine.

The book has some really great, simple ideas for making furniture with clean organic lines. I've been wanting to try my hand at this sort of thing for a while now having become increasing depressed by the complete lack of affordable, reasonable quality, non-Ikea furniture.

Image credit: dig modern.

Punk homes.

The New York Times has an interesting article about the punk house aesthetic as captured by photographer Abby Banks in the book “Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy.”





I bought this book a couple of months ago after reading about it on Apartment Therapy. The images are incredible, even someone like me with severe home-related control freak tendencies and a strong aversion to community living can find inspiration in the chaotic beauty of these places.