Inspiraton Folder: Hanging Bedside Lamps

I’ve been toying with the idea of hanging vintage swag lamps in the bedroom to give the space a feel that’s a little less Danish Modern, a little more “Eastern harum.”  So I thought I might present to you a recent collage I made of bedside lamps that don’t require bedside tables.  Some are vintage, some are a little more modern.  What do you think?  (Click on the photo to arrive at the original Flickr photo.)

My New Place: Photos

We’re still unpacking, but it’s starting to come together.

I’m going to get another Expedit to use as a room divider in our living room, so I’m using the one I currently have in my office. But right now I love having all the books I sell on Amazon and the stuff I sell on Etsy easily on display.

And speaking of having stuff handy, this metal cabinet (a Milwaukee yard sale purchase — $25) is possibly my new favorite piece of furniture, because it looks lovely in our guest bedroom and hides all my shipping supplies. The counter top also serves as a workspace for photographing Etsy stuff and packaging mechandise. The painting is by my mom.

These two photos are from the guest room (the third – !!! – bedroom). Our plan is to maybe put an Ikea Solsta sofa bed here. The pair of Breuer-esque chairs (a $60 estate sale find) will stay, most likely. Jem discovered this area rug at this estate sale on Saturday — $10. He’s convinced me that area rugs don’t have to be shag — or modern, even. I’m starting to think he’s totally right.

You can see more photos of my new apartment here.

Flickr Find: Guest Bedroom

Guest Room, originally uploaded by feelingismutual.

What is it about this bed that’s so inviting? Is it because I’m sleepy? No, it’s something more than that.

The thing is, I’m not very good at putting beds together. My beds look a lot less Martha Stewart and a lot more, you know, 20-something in the 1990s trying to throw together a sleeping situation. So let me ask you: what is it that makes a good bed? Duvet or quilt? Sham? Decorative pillows? And what the heck is a coverlet? And where can we get it all cheap, but not used?

Advice!

At Home With: Allison’s Ravenswood Bedroom

Allison’s chief interest is food, but she does a pretty good job of furnishing her huge one-bedroom apartment in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood with hand-me-downs, thrift store, garage sale and flea market finds.

Since I shot Allison’s apartment for BackGarage, I’ve had a little bout with the cold virus and there’s nothing like being slightly ill that makes you want to spend a lot of time in bed (well, besides a new relationship). And while languishing under my duvet reaching for the ice water, I couldn’t help but wish I lived in the cozy vertical paradise Allison does, and all on her own budget-friendly design.

Allison’s entire apartment is très BackGarage, but her bedroom is the most inspiring. So my first post about her urban dwelling place will be from behind the boudoir door.

Allison’s white iron bed frame and the chest at the end of the bed were both family hand-me-downs. The frame was stored in her aunt’s attic and Allison traded favors for it. She’s not even sure where the trunk originated. Her small desk was a $30 flea market find.

The lamp was pieced together from various parts of other lamps by Allison’s stepdad.  Allison says, “I needed a desk lamp, and he just pieced this one together out of lamps we had in the attic.”  The chair — she swears — came that way, and was a family hand-me-down. (”The chair was given to my mom by my grandma wh got it free when some neighbor lady died.”) Wherever it came from, doesn’t it just inspire you to recover a similar antique office chair with a softer, paisley-esque fabric, rather than vinyl?

The chair is also one of the most ergonomic seats I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting in.  It supports your back, allowing you to sit up straight but not rigidly so, and is soft enough to not injure you during marathon blogging.  Score one for being decorative and comfortable all for the very BackGarage price of $0.

Allison hates the traditional frilly-ness of most bed skirts, so she simply covers her box spring in a fitted sheet. She told me she’s recently been on a buying spree, finding vintage sheet sets on Etsy. (Watch for my forthcoming Etsy Roundup, inspired by Allison.)

The cowboy boots were from a thrift store: 15 dollars, marked down from $45. (It helps to be a size 5.)

My favorite part of Allison’s bedroom is this reversible green king-size coverlet. I have been searching the world over for this same blanket and cannot find it. She got it at Walmart on sale for $20.

The dresser is another hand-me-down from a deceased step-grandfather. (He actually died in the room with this dresser!) “I love that all my furniture is from dead people,” Allison tells me.

To add to that delicious karma, the mirror was — ahem — “removed” from the apartment where Allison used to live.

Tray: hand-me-down from Allison’s grandma.

Another fantastic ReadyMade-inspired idea — hanging pictures with a hanger. And remember pocket dolls? Allison keeps childhood treasures stowed away in the top drawer of her dresser where her boyfriend can’t find them.

I had a pocket doll, too! (I wore it in my jumper the first day of kindergarten.)

Thanks for letting us invade your room, Allison. The rest of Allison’s apartment is still to come…