Kristan Cunningham » furniture – Trends and Design Ideas – Kristan Cunningham

Now You See It, Now You Sorta Don’t

Kristan — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:37:17 +0000

Small space living is tough. How does one make a space feel airy and light while squeezing in all the pieces of furniture you need to make the home function? One trick is to incorporate a piece or two of acrylic furniture. Being clear, they allow light to travel through and they take up less visual space. And remember, they don’t just go in ultra-modern rooms, you can truly mix styles and go for the eclectic look. They’re quiet pieces, and really don’t clash with anything

Peekaboo Clear Nesting Tables from CB2, $199

Lou Lou Ghost Chair by Kartell from Lumens, $133

Pure Console Table from Chiasso, $398

Crystal Stacking Chair from Plummers $159

Anouk Acrylic Stool/ End Table – Clear (Medium) from Target, $119

Honeycomb Clear Acrylic Modern Dining Chair (Set of 2) from Overstock.com, $310.99

Furniture Placement Without the PAIN

Kristan — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:22:23 +0000

It’s a fact. No matter how much planning you do on paper, something always seems to change when your actual furniture gets into your space. You over estimated the width of a wall between two doorways, so now, that rad console-the one that was gonna look so good there- has to live somewhere else. Or you guessed incorrectly, and that bay window is made up of 38 degree angles- not 45, because that would make your life too easy.

That’s why I think this product my friend just turned me on to is so genius. It’s called Lay It Out , and they’re life-size furniture templates. Just pieces of paper really, but in the size and shape of sofas, rugs, chairs, tables, beds… you get the gist.

I think this is a great idea if you’re moving into a new home and have limited access or time to properly document measurements and draw the whole shebang out. So, whether it’s on your one walk through, or the morning of your actual move in, you can move furniture around to see where it should live without ACTUALLY moving furniture around. And you can do all of this before the moving truck arrives, so that the movers don’t talk about you behind your back after they move your sofa for the third time…

You can buy different packages like living room, dining room bedroom, or go for the whole kit and caboodle with the Total Home Package. Package rates vary from $19.99 to $99.99. Y’all are gonna thank me for this one : )

Hack it Up… IKEA Hacker

Kristan — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:47:25 +0000

I was browsing one of my favorite blogs this morning, and it occurred to me that not everyone knows about it, but everyone should. It’s IKEA Hackers, an ingenious site all about projects that can be done with IKEA products as the raw materials. We all know by now that you can buy a dining table at IKEA for less than it costs to buy the wood to build it yourself. The only thing less expensive? The products and pieces of products you can find in the As-Is clearance area at your local IKEA. This blog gives how-to instructions on tons of projects using IKEA stuff, both by the writer of the blog and readers who send in ideas. Here are some of my favorite projects of late…

Lack bench/lounger
Materials: Lack coffee tables

How To: Make a Mod Chandelier (for under $10.00!)
Materials: HEMMA Cord Set, Wooden Dowels, Spray Paint

Let them eat cake!
Materials: Lampan Table Lamp, Tin Tray

Paper napkin and wooden beads
Materials: NYSNÖ paper napkin

Trofast Children’s Craft Table
Materials: TROFAST Frame, VIKA AMON table top (L: 40 1/8″), 2 GRUNDTAL rails, 2 MALA paper rolls

Malm bed with loads of underbed storage
Materials: Malm, Alsarp

Wallet-Friendly Kid’s Furniture That Doesn’t Suck

Kristan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:22:59 +0000

I am a BIG proponent of kid’s rooms being in good taste, something that they’ll like when they have outgrown silly kids’ themes. It’s important to remember that you can use “regular furniture” for the dressers, bookcases, armoires. Of course, cribs, tables and chairs have to be the right size for the little ones, but these pieces don’t have to be plastic or primary colored or shaped like race cars. There are some great options out there, but for the most part they are CRAZY expensive. I mean, c’mon y’all. A thousand clams for a crib you’ll use for a couple years!? I’m here to say you don’t have to spend a fortune to make your babies’ rooms beautiful !

From Target: Guidecraft Kid’s Blue Rocker Table and 2 Chair Set $109

From Target: Nordic Table and Chairs Set $159

From Target: DwellStudio® for Target®Silver Lake Convertible Crib in Natural/White $299

From IKEA: Somnat Crib, $99.99 (It comes in this fab green color, as well as turquoise and pink!)

From IKEA: Blames Highchair with Tray $59.99

From IKEA: Rofylld Children’s Rocking Chair $39.99

From Modern Nursery: P’kolino Little Reader Sofa $98 (Folds out to a wittle bitty sleeper!)

From Overstock, Modern Espresso/White Crib, $399

From Overstock, Vinnie Cradle Chair Blue $139 (A bit pricier, but so cute, I had to include it!)

From Land of Nod, Changing Top, $129 (You can attach this Changing Top to any dresser to make it a safe place to do diaper duty! Ingenious.)

Cost Plus’ Morgan Sofa

Kristan — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 05:24:55 +0000

It is a fact of interior decorating that sofas are a big purchase. They’re one of the most used furniture pieces in any home, after all, and worth a bit of an investment. But I think the Morgan Sofa from Cost Plus is a steal at 600 bucks. Roomy, sophisticated, modern. The upholstery is durable, kid-friendly and soft. The seats are deep. A total steal… Can you tell that I love it?!

Get The Look… Megan Mullally’s House

Kristan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:58:43 +0000

Megan Mullally, the snarky Karen Walker from Will & Grace, and her hubby Nick Offerman, who plays moustached Ron Swanson on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, shared their home in a recent issue of Elle Decor. Their sleek and bright style is based on a lot of black and white graphic pieces mixed with fun and funky hits of color. Small touches of ornate shapes against a minimal geometric backdrop makes for a clean livable home. Here’s how you can get the look for less!

Living Room:

West Elm’s Leather Slipper Chair $399

WalMart’s Contemporary Chaise in White, $399

rugsusa.com Black and White Chevron Rug, $85-319

Target’s Chinese Symbol Coffee Table $329.99

Z Gallerie’s Mariposa Table Lamp in Black, $139

Thomas Paul Chinioserie Pillow in Corn, $100

Jonathan Adler Small Kaleidoscope Pillow $68

Bellacor White Coral Sculpture $67

Dining Room:

Target’s 12” x 24” Suzani Panel, $89.99

Restoration Hardware’s Klismos Chair, $249

Bellacor’s Isabella Gilded Chandelier, $187.20

Pier 1’s Splayed Base Dining Table, $299.99

Crate and Barrel’s Stainless Party Bowl, $59.95

Alluring Accordion Side Table

Kristan — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:56:00 +0000

I just love when I find great solutions for small space living. This super-smart side table from Urban Outfitters is a perfect example. This industrial modern accordion-style side table in brown iron, with a tray-style top has a great design that with the removal of the tabletop, the base folds in to save space. And check out those cute feet! All for a mere $60. Awesome.

Welcome To ‘Live A Little Lovelier’, My New Online Home!

Kristan — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:46:51 +0000

To Live A Little Lovelier is a choice. Or, rather, it’s the big beautiful result of lots of simple small choices that we make everyday. From the color toothbrush we pick, to the single souvenir we select on a trip and deem worthy of carrying back on the plane… heck, let’s even throw in matching our undies to our socks. No one designs our lives for us- we get to choose what goes into our homes, what music will create the backdrop to our memories and where to draw the line between perfect and perfectly lived in. We have the option of living a life that’s more… considered. Just plain… nicer. Or lovelier. See? It’s a fancier word. Didn’t cost any more money. Didn’t take any more time. It was a choice, and I feel fancier having said it.

For darn near a decade, I’ve had the privilege of being invited into so many of your homes, through your TVs. I hope now, that you’ll feel welcome in mine. This site is the place where I can share everything from my flea market finds, to new resources that I’m all jazzed about- with the hope that once you shake and sift, a few gems meant just for you will surface. An idea that’s sets you in motion on a home project, or an image that inspires the theme for your next party.

After years of designing a room or two a week- almost always to be installed in one day- I’ve learned a thing or two about using the resources I have available at my fingertips, and turning somethin’ eh into somethin’ kick ass. So, The Resource Library will grow as I tackle new projects and look for new things. I hope to turn you on to some new places, stores, sites, etc. but mostly, I hope you’ll find that, so many of the places you already know and love- have right there in your hood- are full of gorgeous well-priced things that you may have overlooked until now.

Under Do It Lovelier, I aim to give you ideas to do just that. Small projects or transformations- even minor tweaks- to apply to your home that will elevate your living… make your home feel more fancy pants… and these ideas won’t cost you a paycheck or require a pneumatic nailer. We’re talkin’- “put this, in this and you get this!” or “buy this instead of that, and you get awesome”. Doable. Just the way we like it.

My Morning Addictions reads like a roster of some of the heaviest hitters in the blogosphere and each morning, I have my coffee with them and sift through their offerings to find my own gems. I’ve been to places, made things, and given gifts that were all discovered on one of these fantastic blogs. I hope to be able to return the favor ; )

If you’re reading this, you’ve come to my home and knocked on my door. I hope you’ll be a pop-in-often kind of friend, and that every once in awhile you’ll leave a gift. An idea, a pic of something you’ve created, a suggestion about what you’d like to see more of… no need to wrap it!

You deserve to walk into your home each day and adore everything that’s waiting there for you, and I hope to be involved in the process of getting you there…

xo,

Have Couch, Will Travel

Kristan — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:14:16 +0000

If you don’t already know about Muji, you’re going to love me for introducing you. I discovered them way back when while waiting for a flight at JFK in the Jet Blue Terminal where they have a store. They’re a Japanese company that does everything from socks to notebooks to furniture. Everything is beautifully designed, with a simple and clean aesthetic. This fantastic little number is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A truly compact armless sofa for small space living, and it folds up for goodness sake! Priced at just over $300, you can choose from light gray, dark gray or heather brown and the next time you’re couch surfing, you can bring the couch with you!