high/low...x-benches

one of these x-benches is $595 from jonathan adler while the other is $179 from ballard designs. can you tell which is which?

well i won't torture you...the top one is adler, bottom is ballard. now i love me some jonathan adler, but in this case, i have to go with ballard...and i might, with a pair of these benches in my next bedroom. though i have to say, they have such an array of patterns and fabrics available, it would be hard to choose. 

the ballard options range from $179 to $369, while jonathan adler's much smaller set of options range from $495 to $695. i don't know, this one seems like a no-brainer.

under some circumstances, i'd say it depends how each feels, but unless money is not a concern, i think this is a decorative item for the most part and not one where the luxury of the fabric entirely matters. and if money is no concern, could you buy me a pair of the coral ikat ones above?

what do you think? could you see a reason to go for the adler ones?

chip(pendale) off the old block

no discussion of cane and rattan style furniture is complete without talking about the chippendale-style chair, which i love with the passion of a thousand suns. (that was a nod to the part-chinese style inspiration behind the chippendale chair.)

though they've been around for many, many years (like hundreds), the their updated grandchildren bring modern, graphic charm to many homes of today.

first to understand the roots, here are some older ones (which i'd love to get my hands on and update).

the green one is trying, but it's a little off, still.

i love the modern reproductions and i love that they're often done in vibrant colors (jonathan adler sells them in black, dove and lime green). this use of them almost always finds them in a glossy finish which just elevates the whole look.

they're also especially lovely in white.

then there are some versions that are more regency style, which is always welcome, to my mind.

so many choices, so much gorgeousness! can't you just see one at a desk or vanity, a few around a table with some other chair styles thrown in, even one in a living room as an occasional chair?
chairs in this style are available through jonathan adler and ballard (armchair version here), even west elm has a supermodern version, but none of these options are cheap and i also sort of feel like i'd rather discover this kind of chair...possibly an older one, updated by me for my home. that seems a respectful nod to a chair with such history, for it to have some provenance.

and look how seamlessly they transition from old to new, as demonstrated on the daily uptown country.

watch out estate sales, here i come...

photos from wikimedia, kohl interiors, decorpad (photos 3 and 11), efi costa rica, number four eleven, more ways to waste time, house beautiful, simplified bee (photos 8 and 10), elle decor (photos 9 and 16), the regency furniture, coco cozy, jonathan adler, the dining room chairs (photos 14 and 17), jayson home and garden, pierce martin, uptown country home

cane buy me love

sorry for that atrocious pun. so sorry.

i've been really loving the look of cane and rattan furniture these days...there are so many differet variations on it, and i'm kind of loving them all - some are more tailored and reserved while others are loose and casual. they all, to me, lend a certain chic, whether regency, plantation or island, that i would love in every single room of my home in one way or another.

what i love is how well they all lend themselves to mixing with other styles, as i think these pictures show. i think the trick would be to not overdo it - maybe one piece, two TOPS, in a room.

here are the more tailored, ladylike version that i totally adore. can't you just imagine them at a really luxe island resort?




and then here is a totally different look, but one i also love. especially the thought of one with a really fun upholstery choice for the cushions. also, love the idea of painting them like some of these photos show.




in another form, i'm reminded of french bistro chairs that share some of the same DNA.

so i'm very pleased that pier 1 has some really reasonably priced options that satisfy the same general purposes. here are my favorites.

the casino armchair:



the nirobi armchair and ottoman:



the roxton wing chair:

the temani collection:

the azteca collection:








and the papasan table base, the brown slice side chair, and the anam armchair.






the possibilities are just endless. ENDLESS i tell you.

photos from http://www.traditionalhome.com/, http://www.decorpad.com/, http://www.houseofturquoise.com/, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/, http://www.smallburst.files.wordpress.com/, http://www.naturallycane.com/, http://www.josephscottage.com/, http://www.absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/, http://www.mattersofstyleblog.com/, http://www.materialgirlsblog.com/, http://www.doseofdesign.blogspot.com/, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/, http://www.habituallychic.blogspot.com/, all others from www.pier 1.com