Orange Glow
Location: Winnetka, CA
Price: $40
This lamp will cast the perfect glow over your work space. Now you have no excuse not to have those reports in on time!
Also see: Yellow Desk Lamp ($10)
Movie Style Office
Location: South Omaha
Price: $125
This classic 50's desk is just like what you see in old movies. Grab a typewriter and you're good to go. Don't forget the buzzer for the secretary.
Swivel
Location: SW Portland
Price: $119
If you're going to grab the "movie desk" don't forget to grab a matching chair. You'll love swiveling around your work area in this chair.
Also see: Orange Steelcase Chair ($75)
Fun with Fiberglass
Location: Golden Valley, MN
Price: $75
There's something inspiring about a fiberglass shell chair and wire-framed desk. The light appears to be built in to the desk...SCORE! Also the perfect size for a small apartment or working with a laptop.
Also see: 70's Desk and Chair Set ($20); Folding Multi-level Desk ($35)
Mid-Century Awesome Desk
Location: Hampden, MD
Price: $75
This desk exudes mid-century charm. I don't even know if I could consentrate on my work if I had this, I'd be so busy admiring the desk! There's a deep drawer that looks good for files and three shallower drawers that would be great for holding color coordinated paperclips, pencils, and staples.
Also see: Dovetailed desk ($175)
Laminate Glory
Location: Post Falls, WA
Price: $30
I love this desk. It looks like the white top is made of laminate and once again there are tons of drawers for accessories.
Also see: Paul McCobb Desk ($300); Retro silver desk ($325); "Manly" vintage desk ($650)
Apartment 528
Inspiring design, affordable furnishings, and doable DIY. Because even renters deserve good design...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thrifty Thursday: Get to Work!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Q+A: Thomas Paul
One of the perks of writing for Domestic Modern is that I got to interview Thomas Paul, one of my favorite designers. Aside from his rugs which are sold at Domestic Modern, Thomas Paul also has pillows, stationary, lighting, and melamine plates, all of which are adorned with his ingenious prints. Check out the Thomas Paul interview below.
Many designers are going the mass market route and creating designs for stores such as Kohls and Target. How do you feel about the concept of "Design for All?"
I think that it is great, my only concern is that sometimes the actual products don't always live up to the great marketing that goes into these programs. I mean this in terms of quality.
Right now, your pieces are sold online and at various boutiques...are there any plans for a Thomas Paul Boutique in the future and if so, where? Boston perhaps!?
There is definitely talk of opening our own retail store, we have a full range of products at the moment, so it would be great to have a physical space to showcase everything together. We are also launching a fabric line with Duralee fabrics, so now there is even the possibility of showing upholstered furniture in a boutique. But the first store would have to be in New York, as it is my hometown.
Your bold pillows and vintage modern melamine collection are great accents for the home. Will you go bigger and take a stab at a furniture line?
Well, finally having a fabrics collection that can be used for furniture is a first step. All of our pillow fabrics are hand screened exactly to the size of the pillow, and the fabrics tend to be a bit delicate, so none of my textiles were ever really appropriate to upholster furniture in. It would be great to think about other pieces beyond upholstered items, or to find a way to apply patterns and color to case goods and tables.
What's your favorite thing in your house?
Probably my stereo-I can not live without music on constantly.
What can we expect from your upcoming collections?
The aforementioned insects in pillows [mentioned on the
You can read the rest of the Thomas Paul interview at the Domestic Modern Blog. Stay tuned to Domestic for his future designs as well.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
IKEA goes Hollywood
Ever wondered what it would be like if celebrities took over our jobs for a day? Well, you're about to find out! IKEA and SXM are debuting a new webseries titled Easy to Assemble, created by actress Illeana Douglas.
(all images via SXM)
In the show, Illeana and other celebrity guest stars will don the yellow and blue as employees at IKEA's Burbank, CA location. According to a release by SXM, the production company behind the web-series, you'll see things such as "Jeff Goldblum doing a 10 minute improv monologue to a growing crowd of shoppers or Robert Patrick doing a scene with a real-time family chosen from within the store..."

For many celebrities, pulling hard to pronounce Swedish furniture from isles and bins might not be a walk in the park (welcome to normal life!) but Illeana's no stranger to retail work. In 2004 she played herself as an actress who quits acting to work at a supermarket. The appropriatly titled show, Supermaket, became an internet hit. Now she's back to repeat the success with IKEA.

The 10-episode, scripted series will air late September on several video sites including YouTube and Daily Motion. Aside from Illeana, look for guest-stars Jeff Goldblum, Justine Bateman, Tom Arnold, Robert Patrick, Ed Begley Jr. And Greg Proops.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Store Review: Streamline and the Darkhorse
I've been super busy lately apartment hunting, planning my mom's visit to Boston in a couple weeks, and trying to keep up with all our summer activities. It's been crazy! But, I always have time to go thrifting.


617-298-DECO (3326)
(617) 298-1031
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Apartment Wanted: Phoenix
As I said in the last Apartment Wanted, Jerome and I are planning to move in a year or two. The two places at the top of the list, Chicago and Arizona.
I chose Chicago for it's thriving cultural scene and historic lofts. It's also closer to my family (I'm a midwest girl!) I chose Arizona because of it's mid-century heritage. The west coast is where the atomic boom started back in the 50's, with acres and acres of atomic ranches waiting for eager homebuyers. More than 60 years later, people are still searching for these retro homes. People like me. Here are a few of my picks:
Scottsdale Retro
3 bed, 2 bath
Rent: $1490
This house is FULL of wood panelling. My advice, keep a few walls of panelling up and paint the rest. The kitchen is nice and large with a backyard perfect for parties.
Phoenix Townhouse
2 bed, 2.5 bath
Rent: $995
Phoenix Campus Living3 bed, 2 bath
Rent: $1425
Even college students get to live the retro life in Arizona. I knew I should have gone to school there! I like the wall of windows.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
West Elm Goes Retro
I got my daily email from West Elm today, this time announcing their new retro-style dining set. I don't usually shop West Elm but this table and chairs combo is a good find. The table comes in two colors (acorn and chocolate wood) and retails for $399 while the chairs go for $579/set of 4 and can match the table or come in white.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Apt528 Reads: Retro Style
Retro Style: The 50's Look for Today's Home
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Going Green
I tend to be a little weary when it comes to "green" products. A lot of the time they cost more, aren't that attractive, and require a lot of research. In the time it takes to find info for eco-friendly products, I could have purchased a shopping cart full of conventional items.

Monday, June 30, 2008
To the Market!
No I haven't been slacking, the internet's been down. I guess that's what I get for stealing wireless from the neighbors!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
More Murphy
It's been five months since I wrote about the Moddi Murphy Bed and yet it still continues to be my most popular and most searched blog post. It's easy to see why. The Moddi is affordable (made from Ikea parts) and looks great.




