Five things that my house can't live without

Here are five things that make me love my home.

1. Red dining room lamp.

This was a fortuitous ebay find, for under $20 including shipping. Brings everything in the dining room and library together, as a central red accent. Bonus: it has one of those cool old "energy conservation" light pulls.

2. Library chair.

There are two types of people in this world: Those who can't believe how lucky I was to find this chair for only $60 bucks, and those who can't believe I would actually spend $60 bucks on this chair.

3. Mom's Verner Panton "panthella" lamp.

A lucky hand-me-down. This has been with me since my first apartment.

4. Mother-in-law wedding quilt.

An unbelievable wedding gift. My husband's mother made us this, and it has been a primary inspiration for decorating the rest of the house.

5. Giant Paul Laffoley print.

"Dimensionality: The Manifestation of Fate". Laffoley apparently thinks that aliens implanted something in his brain. I don't know about that, but I love his work -- which often resembles a complex scientific diagram that almost makes profound sense.

History: 17th Century Indian Bed Curtains, Textile Exhibit at MFA

Famously mentioned in the diary of Samuel Peyps, the MFA in Boston is currently displaying a beautiful exhibit of rare bed curtains produced in India in the 17th century. These hand-dyed luxury fabrics were very popular in England at the time, and were one of India's most important export to the region. I visited the exhibit this evening, photos below.

On Sept 5, 1663, Peyps writes in his diary:

...bought my wife a chintz, that is, a painted Indian callico, for to line her
new study, which is very pretty...

I have always been a fan of bed curtains and canopies. A reproduction of one of these hangings would be wonderful to have . . .

Shop Update: Religious Iconography

Coming to the Bohemian Scientist etsy shop -- housewares featuring icons symbolic of the world's major religions! [a nice complement to my science iconography items]

New today, religious iconography placemats:

Inspiration: NYC Transit

From the majesty of Grand Central Station to the crumbling mosaics of Brooklyn, this weekend it was NYC transit inspired me. The MTA's subway and train stations are proliferated artwork, sometimes the focus of attention, and other times hidden in dark and musty corners. Some of the modern pieces are beautiful, but it is the history of the original mosaics that I really love.

Below, a panoramic shot of Grand Central's astrological ceiling, original to the station constructed in 1913 [image from New York Panorama]; original mosaic from 25th street in Brooklyn, a run-down stop near my first Brooklyn apartment; the majestic tile work of the abandoned old City Hall station, once the pride of the system; a modern installation at Clinton/Washington station in Brooklyn ['The Dream' by Sameeh Alderazi]:





Owning transit design is easy because the MTA has a brilliant revenue-generating marketing scheme [You should probably visit the MTA's transit museum and store in Brooklyn. Pretty amazing].

Irresistible-to-me items pictured: subway map bubble umbrella, $30; subway sign chairs, $2,200 (a.k.a. too rich for my blood); atlantic avenue reproduction tile, $36; and AMAZINGLY-- original, actual, handhold from retired train, circa late 1950's, $35 (imagine this hanging from your wall or ceiling!).

Hexagon design madness

Far superior to both the octagon and the pentagon, the hexagon is a truly inspiring shape.
And so it certainly deserves its own post.

First, some delicious hex designs from etsy sellers:
monster from oh kurtis, $62; print from Jill Browning, $15; clutch from kailo chic, $32; turquoise earrings from cjsdesigns, only $1!; necklace from brevity, $45; card set from Red Red Orange, $15; stoneware from Just Mare, $65.

And hexagons have been popular for thousands of years!

Below (clockwise from top left): late 19th century hexagonal quilt; early 20th century art deco buttons; my 100-year-old bathroom floor; and an architectural detail from Pompeii; circa 1st century A.D.

Hex coasters

Newly created and placed in my shop: Hex coasters.

The hexagon is one of Nature's favorite shapes -- the basis of the honeycomb, the snowflake, and the structure of many crystals.

Shouldn't there be a little more hexagon in all of our lives?

I wish you were mine: five chairs to die for

I admit it. I have a dangerous chair obsession. Sadly, I can't fit (or afford) many in my home. But I can always dream.

Clockwise from top left: vintage wingback chair from period furniture (periodcollection.com), midcentury vintage chair from etsy (decodons.etsy.com; $1800), 'Mick' chair from Bradley Hughes, replica midcentury chair from urban outfitters (urbanoutfitters.com; $275), Louis XVI armchair from Ballard Designs (ballarddesigns.com; starts at $479).