The reinvention of the milk crate

Oh the milk crate, the ever-useful, modernly modular, simple and clean little box of wonder. I’ve been using a variation on the milk crate to hold records for years, but their usefulness doesn’t stop there. Quirky has re-imagined this little genius or organization into an up-to-date interchangeable storage solution, the CRATE.

Quirky is an interesting website/service in and of itself. Self-touting as “the easiest way to bring your ideas to life”, they are a social product development company. People submit their great product ideas, they get made. Easy peasy and AWESOME.

 

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Range Hood Style

Range hoods (otherwise known as vent-a-hoods) are a necessity for some cooks. My husband cooks crazy things on high heat and is often tossing smoking hot wok dishes around willy-nilly. A range hood is a necessity for us… especially when you live in a highly inefficient 1957 atomic ranch style home with very old (but awesome) metal windows.

But along with function, comes form. And these days you are not limited to the run-of-the-mill range hoods that don every apartment kitchen built in the last 30 years. Check out our “Range Hood Style” Pinterest board to see the many available styles, however far and wide they may be, of the range hood. A smattering of that comprehensive selection include:

 

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Color dipping

Riding on the coat tails of the ombre trend, color dipping is a way to add a little spring in the step to your favorite pieces of furniture… and more. The “mini trend“, as Apartment Therapy recently put is cropping up everywhere, especially in regards to revamping or altering furniture.

The Brick House has a great tutorial on color dipped jute table legs. It’s a simple how-to that packs a big punch in the color department. Color dipping seems to have emerged as an extension of the practice in pottery. Now people color dip their furniture, home decor, silverware, table linens and even their hair.

Color dipping is a fun way to get creative and add a lot of impact to a space with very little commitment. Get creative! Dive in, dip things in color and saturate your life.

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Modern planters

The sun is shining in Austin, the weather is warm and the ever-singing little birdies are all calling the end of spring and the beginning of our often dreadful Austin summers. But all I can think about is… planting plants in planters! (alliteration anyone?)

Last weekend we traipsed over to the City Wide Garage Sale and I scored not one.. but TWO vintage plant stands. Behold their rusty paint-chipped beauty:

I’ve been pining for some wire stand planters for a while, and these definitely fit the bill. So in the spirit of plant.. PLANT… PLANTING away, here are a few resources for modern planters. Cool and calm, modern yet organic, these planters are bound to spruce up your front stoop, back patio or home interior.

Houzz.com’s roundup of modern indoor pots and planters (lots of chic, creative and fancy examples to peruse)

West Elm’s Iris Speckled Planters

15 Modern Planters roundup on Crooked Brains

Petite Aged Bronze Obleek planter (they have several really interesting modern-shaped planters)

And here are some more to chew on… now go get planting!

• PlantPlanters.com
• SteelPlanters.com
• Retro Bullet Planters by HipHaven
• JamaliGarden.com
• Modern planter roundup at Curbly.com

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Get your grill on!

It’s grilling season y’all! Here in Texas it’s been warm for a while, and once you step foot outside the smell of wood smoke and juicy meat sizzling hits your nose like woah! Whether you’re building your own backyard grilling setup or pulling out that rusty contraption that you haven’t seen since last year, these grillin’ images are bound to get those taste buds watering (click on the images for more info)…

A foldable wall grill? UHHH yes please. What a space saver!

 
A notebook grill? Strange but cool!

The Hot Pot BBQ….. so cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Austin-based architectural welding and furniture

Brian Chilton bends metal to his own will. Literally. He’s an Austin-based architectural welder and furniture maker who works in clean, modern strokes and utilizes organic and reclaimed materials.

He made a custom table and bench for my husband’s and my new house, and he made all the furniture at Contigo, a patio dining restaurant on Austin’s eastside (and on of our go-to restaurant/drinks spots). He specializes in styles as wide-ranging as from rustic to modern to contemporary, the quality of his craftsmanship and the sheer passion he has for what he does shines through like a beacon.

Visit Brian on his Facebook page and website!

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Discontinued retro Formica countertop options

Pan Kueber, resident awesome retro lady at RetroRenovation.com, got wind that some of the old-school retro formica countertop surfaces are being discontinued! This is a huge bummer for boomerang pattern lovers, but no fear! Some companies are releasing new retro-inspired collections that might just do the trick.

Discontinued boomerang Formica

New Arborite options (in other colors as well)

Details of the discontinued laminates can be found on this Retro Renovations post. If you find other sources of this kind please pass it on!

Some other sources of similar retro countertop surfaces are listed below:

• KPetersen.com
• BarsandBooths.com
• NewRetroDining.com
• AmericanRetroFurniture.com

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Inexpensive retro lights from Lowe’s

If you buy a retro home, you don’t want to gussy it up with contemporary fixtures right? Right. ENTER Lowe’s (you weren’t expected that were ya?). They stock some uber-cool retro-inspired lights at some surprisingly low costs.

{ click on the links for more info }

See the full cavalcade or retro awesomeness here. Retro for less? Yes please! (hat tip to RetroRenovation.com)

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Retail Therapy: retro modern home decor treasury

Behold! A collection of retro and mid-century modern home decor items on Etsy.com. A little inspiration for the cooling Texas days… Shop! Buy! Browse and be rejuvenated by these colorful handmade picks.

‘Retro Modern Home Decor’ by shrielenee

A smart collection of retro and mid-century modern decor design for http://blog.homeinstincts.com/.

SAIL: linear geometric wall… PIGandFiSH $59.00	tangerine creamsicle modern … uncommon $36.00	Original Retro Modern Collag… XimisModNest $60.00
Wood Mirror Screen Printed P… EdiesLab $190.00	Booma end Coffee table set … lunarloungedes… $295.00	Tea Cosy/Cosy – Retro Rainb… theredpistachi… $19.50
Retro Inspired Pillow 18&quo… swizwhiz $32.00	Burd-haus Patriot 7.4.11 Mid… nathandanials $59.00	Vintage motel sign teal oran… bomobob $21.00
granny square crocheted pill… farmersdaughte… $30.00	Mid-century Modern Walnut Wo… StudioLiscious $45.00	Cathrineholm Kitchen art Mid… handz $21.00
Retro Mod Pet Bed in Blue Pl… likekittysvill… $79.00	Modplexi Address Plaque for … modplexi $100.00	Kinetic Mobile – Constellati… thewonderlands… $92.00
Vintage 50s/60s Travel Trail… BirdhousesByGl… $54.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

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Bright stripes garden wall redo

I’m all kinds of in love with this garden wall redo. There’s something to be said for simplicity, but there’s also something to be said for doing something really really bold and beautiful.

How would you like to see this everyday? I for one, would LOVE it.

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