Seven Unique Christmas Trees

I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

I don't know where you guys are but where I am, it is cold!

I thought I could update everyone with some unique Christmas trees. There's really not too much out there but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. I won't be commenting on these trees and will let the images speak for themselves today. :-) If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them if you'd like.

Funky Staircases for Your Home

I am finding it more and more difficult to come up with new ideas but I am still trucking along! As I pondered what I wanted to write about next, I finally thought of it---staircases. I love when I see unique staircases---whether it be the funky ones I am going to discuss here or just original to the home, meticulously done staircases with a gorgeous, unique design. Here are some of the staircases that I have found on my search that I love. And if you love them, stay tuned---my next entry will show you even more!

Staircase One: The staircase below is absolutely gorgeous and well-designed. Any staircase with a curvature is usually a plus in my book and furthermore, anything that adds additional storage is always a plus. It's very sleek and very modern and I love the darkness against a lighter wall color. Beautiful!

Staircase Two: Wait a second! Did my dreams just come true? This is an incredibly awesome staircase. Why does this not exist EVERYWHERE? Imagine you are getting out of work after a really long day and you get to ride this bad boy on your way out. That would be an awesome mood-lifter. I'd like to see this in some other colors but otherwise, this receives a grade of "awesome" in my book.

Staircase Three: Now clearly I don't think this would be great for a house but I think the idea and the fluidity is great for a very large building---perhaps a concert hall. These stairs feel very musical to me and the flow is great.

Unique Kitchenware For Your Home

Many of my posts have been about unique or funky designs specifically related to one thing. I thought today I could change that up with a little bit of funky kitchenware to brighten your day. Most of these pieces are for those who like to have a little fun with their guests and for people who have a sense of humor themselves. I can't see these working for people who have very serious tastes.

Image One: It's so wrong but it's so right! Is there anything wrong with this? Not in my mind. I absolutely love it. Typical pieces that hold knives are so boring. This is so fun, albeit slightly violent. This will definitely add a kick to your kitchen. I have also seen this piece in black.

Image Two: Very cute take on the typical gingerbread man cookie cutters. And now that we're getting into the holiday season, now would be a great time to add them to your collection. Great for a fun party where you have guests who can take a joke. I could definitely see myself having a tray of these when my guests walk in and not saying a word. Then I could see what peoples' reactions would be.

Image Three: Definitely adorable! These kitchen items are not only colorful but they're fun. They're great if you have the space to store them and if you have a sense of humor. And once again, it really touches the soft spot in my heart for appendages or anatomy in general.

Unique Lights for Your Home

I have written about lights before---this is something I know. The fact remains, however, that there seems to be an interest in designing lights. During my searches, I have continued to come across lights of all different shapes and sizes that are unique and have a sense of funk to them. There seems to be a spark, no pun intended, in people that inspires different looks and I hope to present some more that I have found to you.

Lighting One: The lights presented below feel very whimsical to me. These are actually lamp shades that have a very natural feel to them. These gorgeous shades would be great in an outdoor area, as they provide a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere for any backyard.

Lighting Two: Wow! These lights would be great in a big room. Imagine a continuous stream-lined wall of lights like this in a great room. I would like to see these in two different ways---I would like to see them as they are presented here against a white wall and I would like to see all of the lights turned on against a dark wall. I think these would also be great in a game room or a basement, where tons of light is usually needed.

Image Three: I am such a sucker for cute lights like this. This is absolutely adorable. Really. Anything with appendages I am a fan of but this is too cute and would be great on a desk. Of course, you'd have to have a fun, playful sense of style in your office not a serious one.

That's it for now. I didn't really have too much time to update and I know I will be talking about lighting quite a bit, considering there is so much great stuff out there. Take care, all!

christine sakariasen

Work, Work, Work

As I searched my brain on what to cover next, I found it becoming increasingly difficult to determine what I should write about. I wouldn't mind covering my bases at least once before I blog on other things. I thought, as I was sitting at my desk with the best posture possible, that I could write about desks. Imagine my disappointment when I found that there weren't too many desks to even write about. Here are three desks I found to be interesting.

Desk One: This desk actually has drawers on both sides. This creation, by Robert Brou, is known as the "Wave" desk. Notice the intricate detail and curves of the piece. The drawers eliminate the need for hardware, as they smoothly return to their place. What I would like to know is how annoying it must be to clean! I remember my mother's table had one little inlet that circled around the table and that was annoying enough to get things out of---imagine cleaning this!

Desk Two: I would not purchase this desk but I find it very interesting. The banded color pattern on the wood is fairly detailed. Coined the "Rainbow Desk" by designer Allan Luke, this piece is made from a myriad of different trees and invokes a real sense of nature.

Desk Three: Ah, yes. This appears not to be for purchase but I wanted to include this since many of the desks I was viewing didn't have that funk factor. I actually think I like this and see this as a fun piece that can be placed in a variety of places, such as a library, a book store, etc.

 

Looking for more neutral pieces with a flair? Check out Oprah.com's "18 Unique Desks in Every Style and Budget." Here you will find a variety of different desks in all different colors with slightly different styles. To me, many of them have a Southern feel. But they are plain and simple, as many wish for their desks to be.

18 Unique Desks

Written By: Christine Sakariasen

Table That!

I realized that I had intended to do a post on tables. I recalled this only after I began my search, as I thought to myself, "Some of these look familiar." I like tables---although, mine is the cheapest one I could find. Perhaps one day when I can afford that palatial mansion I will indulge myself with one that I really like.

Table One: Okay, so perhaps one could argue that this might not be a table but obviously, without a flame, it is still functional. Hell, even with the flame on you can still put things on it. I'm not sure how I feel about this---do I like this? Would I own this? Wouldn't I rather have a fake fireplace? Would I reenact this scene, with my friend and I sitting in my already lit living room, holding a deep conversation? All things to consider when looking at this design.

Table Two: I actually like this and I think it serves its purpose. It's very simple, although you might not like this if you have trouble doing things like sitting down on the floor and getting back up again. As one whose thirty-four year old body is in an advance state of atrophy, I can vouch that this might not be comfortable for everyone. This table, with an Asian-influence, is definitely a space-saver that does not have comfort in mind, unless, that is, you have the ass of a rock.

Table Three: Now this I love! I would claim this in a heartbeat. Blood. Paint dripping. Who cares what it is? It's fun. It's appears so simple from above. But even though others might be turned off by this look, I find it quite elegant.

Table Four: Ah, functionality. Pieces like this have become oh so commonplace in cities, where rational, young peoples' minds are warped into believing that 400-500 square feet of living space at no less than 500K is completely acceptable! I have seen a table like this in Ikea, which seats four. The nice thing about this table is that it seats at least eight people. Supposedly on a website that I read, this seats twelve, but I'm not sure how practical and comfortable that is. The seats appear a bit low but I don't see this as a place you would be seated for a long-period of time. Hell, you could even use this in a tiny office space. I do like the colors of this piece and the design itself is uncomplicated.

until next time...

christine sakariasen

Promise

I know I have a few readers and for some reason, there is an issue with posting comments. I apologize and hope to fix this soon.


I've been all over the place and hope to update soon. Work as been crazy lately and, as much as I'd rather write about design than do my technical writing, that is my priority. ;-)


I'm trying to decide what I will write about next. Until then, dream. ;-)