It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of mid-century modern furniture design – especially seating.  And I’m not the only one.  From skateboard decks to knock-offs, Eames chairs and the like have been inspiring to generations of design lovers.

The newest product to idolize mid-century furniture is by Bruxe Design based in Montreal, Canada.  Tiny Little Chairs, is a series of collectible pendants that represents a vintage chair which revolutionized furniture production and the design process.

Tiny Little Chairs will be available this month at Colette.fr.

“The extent to which you have a design style, is the extent to which you have not solved the design problem.”
-Charles Eames

One of the benefits of moving out to the ‘burbs is that we didn’t blow our whole budget on the house – we actually had some money left over to furnish the house.  If we had bought a house in San Francisco we would have been sitting on boxes – really.

At first we were a bit daunted by the task of furnishing and styling an entire house, but as we did more research it became less scary and more fun.  We knew two things from the start: (1) We were not going to Ikea this time (a first!); and (2) we loved Eames designs.

As we started shopping and budgeting, we realized a lot of our budget was going to seating – mostly because we felt it absolutely necessary to have Eames chairs (that, and apparently, we have golden asses).  Not only did we love the design, but I also loved the story.  Ray and Charles Eames were not brothers – they were husband and wife.  Ray was very petite which is also why so many of the chairs are low to the ground – and I’m actually comfortable in them because I, like Ray, am very petite.

Most of the furniture shopping is done and I’m happy to say that we chose pieces that we will love for a lifetime – truly investment pieces that I hope our family will enjoy for generations to come.  The pieces we selected are below – in the colors that we chose them in.

I also posted 3 videos: The first 2 are from NBC in 1956 where Charles & Ray Eames introduce their Lounge & Ottoman.  The third video is a talk given by their grandson with exclusive photos and video clips – a really good insight into their design process.  Definitely worth watching – I get inspired just sitting in these chairs – they are the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in!

Eames® Lounge and Ottoman

Eames® Molded Plywood Lounge Chair, LCW

Eames® Molded Plastic Armchair & Eames® Molded Plastic Side Chair

Eames® Aluminum Management Chair with Pneumatic Lift and Eames® Molded Plastic Rocker

As a recent first time home owner, I’ve had the chance to decorate my place from scratch – a very exciting, yet daunting process. Ali and I vowed not to go to Ikea as we were going for a more grown up, durable look. After looking at endless stores and catalogs, I was starting to get a little frustrated because it seems like most of the products out there for home decor cater to the lowest common denominator as far as taste level goes.

Coming from a design background (albeit fashion) I was approaching the task of decorating my personal space with the same principles that I was accustomed to. Fortunately, Ali and I have similar taste and we tend to like clean, simple lines and no unnecessary frills. Not ultra-modern sleek, mid-century modern sleek (think Eames – and yes, an in-depth post on my favorite couple will follow – you can be sure of that!).

We finally got the furniture down – mostly with thanks to Design Within Reach and Room & Board (and the Herman Miller Sale!). I thought that was hard but finding cool shades and home accessories can also be really difficult. (Actually, if you want to find cool stuff at affordable prices it can be really difficult. If you have an endless budget then nothing is hard to find.) So I was very excited to discover one of my new favorite brands – Chilewich.

Founded by Sandy Chilewich (who also co-founded Hue, the hosiery company), “Chilewich has reinterpreted underutilized and overlooked manufacturing practices and has gone on to produce designs marked by ingenuity and elegance.” I’m going to get my placemats, table runner, floor mats and window shades from Chilewich. It’s the perfect home decor accessories for the Dwell/DWR set and I think it will complement our furniture really well.

It’s funny, I’ve spent so much of my energy finding the coolest clothes and accessories, it’s been a bit of an adventure finding home decor pieces that will complement our lifestyle. It’s a whole new world for us, and I’m glad to be in it!

**Chilewich doesn’t just make home decor stuff they have really cool tote bags and iPhone cases!