Keepers for Under $500

When you're young and right out of college, purchases in the home fall into one of two categories: one is usability. It's what you need right away to live a functional and organized life. The other, however, is an acquisition of something you love and very possibly don't need.

Below are five deals under $500 that you love now and plan to keep forever.

Jayson Home and Garden marked down this vintage blue chair (above) to $399.

ABC Carpet & Home is discounting this Tibetan leather box (above) to $355.
Wisteria is embracing mid-century furniture with this marble top coffee table (above) with iron legs for $499.

Horchow's mirror-framed mirror runs $489 (pictured in the living-scape above). Click here to see the full length mirror's nailhead trim.

Gracious Home slashed the price on their Paris flea market chandelier constructed from antique brass and seeded glass (above) to $495.

Skull & Bones

You don't have to be a Yalie to have your own secret society. Skulls, evolving from eccentric to a nascent fashion statement, are now ubiquitous. Whether a necklace pendant, a jean emblem, or a home object, skulls infuse a little edge to your customary style.

For your next girls-night-out, book club, or Junior League tea, intermingle a gothic accent to make your time together feel coveted. Put on your all-black get-up and apply your eyeliner a little heavier. And hey, if you are liking your darker side, embrace.Light a black skull candle next to your hors d'oeuvres. This one (above) from Wisteria runs $19. Or ZGallerie has skull and bones candle (below) on sale for $17.


Nest's skull cocktail napkins (above) are made of linen and come in a set of 6 for $40. Pass around as you serve some cranberry and vodkas.
A metallic skull will glisten under your mood lighting. Snatch it up for $24.


Isn't it a relief not to hide your skeletons in a closet anymore? But keep your dog leash with spikes and bondage pieces stowed away. That hasn't gone mainstream -- yet.

Bust a Move

My sister owns an amazing bust, which she bought a couple of years ago at an antique show, that sits on her living room console table. At the perfect size, the male bust neither overwhelms nor underwhelms. And she positions him at an angle, so that the silhouette can be seen from the room's entryway. For sanity and peace of mind, his expression is not stern nor scary.

The bust is not a recreation from Greek mythology or a former U.S. president. The man is anonymously perfect.

But unfortunately, like all perfect men, he's very hard to find. So until he's discovered, here's some cool busts all for under $150:

Perch carries a mossy bust planter (below) for $65 for a sunroom, screened-in porch or high-rise balcony. Who says you can't fit more than one person on your terrace?


Agent Gallery Chicago is selling this pair of copper busts of Shubert (below) for $55. Use as bookends?

On sale for $37, Aspen Country has discounted this horse bust (below) finished with a greenish blue patina.
For a more feminine vibe, try a mademoiselle bust (below) from Touch of Class.

For more ideas, check out Apartment Therapy's gallery on incorporating decorative busts in modern settings.

One more thing: if you can find the anonymously perfect man, then email us at 500squarechic@gmail.com.We won't divulge who he is, just where to get him.

Bust it.

Chic Finds

It's a New Year; a new start for you, your home and your neighbors' homes. A world of superfluous amounts of loot is ready to be discarded. In fact, it's multiplying and waiting for its place in your home.

So, without further ado, this week's chic finds near you.

Chicago

For $35, get your own steamer trunk (below). Owner says it is in good condition and has a flat top, so sweep this one up as your new coffee table.


Los Angeles

When combining the sleekness of a Danish designs with a mod, hipster attitude, the hybrid is this rocker (below). The details are scant, but it's in good condition, spent awhile in storage and now (needs and provides) a new resting place for $175.




New York

You don't have to take this pair of mid-century modern chrome table lamps (below) home with you; let them be delivered to your doorstep in Manhattan for $30. Unlike your dishwasher (or mine), they work. However, they don't come with lamp shades. That's a plus. Personalize, baby.


New Orleans

Hmmm, love those curves? Not really post-holiday binge, but on this dresser (below), it's divine. Furniture can be sexy, too. This dresser is posted for $350, but is worth the hard sell for a price reduction. It look superficially nice, but inquire on sturdiness, including wobbling, loose legs and how much weight can be put on top.




Washington, D.C.

Forget the love handles! Recenter your energy on the sophisticated featherlike detailing on these knobs. This turquoise French-y nightstand (below) is retailing for $65.

New York Gone Vintage

A store alert is flashing on Third Avenue at Vintage Thrift Shop, where vintage fans and brightly colored rotary telephones to antique globes, and 1920s decadents like vanities, chandeliers and silver frames, draw in your girly-side.

One key advantage of shopping in small boutiques, resale and thrift shops is inventory (merchandise turns over much more quickly or displayed merchandise changes), sales (owner discretion allow discounts throughout the year or on a whim), and bargaining (all items are opening to negotiation--always).

Vintage Thrift Shop
286 Third Avenue (btw 22nd and 23rd)
New York
(212) 871-0777

Are you the only girl in town who knows about your favorite home store? Share it with us at 500squarechic@gmail.com.

At 1,000 Square Feet

Feeling bad about your 500 square feet? Don't. Just make it chic like Manhattan-based designer,Juan Carlos Garcia-Lavin. His minimalist Flatiron loft, featured in January's Elle Decor, is a mere 1,000 square feet.

He wants to live in spaces that are "furnished as an art gallery" (Duh, we'd all be much richer if we owned art over renting overpriced space).

So, what are the tricks-of-the-trade?

1. "Stark white walls"

2. "Lean furniture," meaning less depth and a shorter width.

3. "Fool-the-eye furniture placement," that refers to putting nothing against the wall except a bed, Garcia-Lavin says.

4. Pull furniture to the center of the living room, which "gives the illusion of more room."

5. Open windows that are painted the same color as the walls -- white. (Again, this allows the space to look bigger).

6. Increase the height of the doorways to make the ceilings look higher.

7. Garcia-Lavin constructed symmetrical book shelves --carved into his walls--- to not consume any additional space. The result is a modern, cubical storage mechanism for "hundreds of his art books."

See the abbreviated version online at Elle Decor, but if you want to see all the pictures, you might want to pick up the latest issue.

The Industrial Revolution

Stainless steel vintage butcher blocks, work desks and storage cabinets are amassing in antique shops, flea markets, vintage retailers and upscale retailers, alike. Utilitarian is in with with clean, straight lines and flat surfaces that serve a purpose for storing goods and working.

To get the look, you certainly don't have to pay too much. Check out these options to emulate stark, clean style of pricier pieces:

A rolling side-table with a weathered wood top from Urban Outfitters. The damage is $158. Use to stack books or place a lamp on top. Having guests over next weekend? The table can double as a bar cart when you are in a pinch for counter top space.


Another idea for counter space: import your own butcher block. Ikea's stainless steel and pine wood kitchen island (below) services a dual purpose. Fold down the sides and aha, you have dining for two for just $2.99.
Just looking for an industrial-style end table? Wisteria carries the one above for $279.

From Anthropologie to Crate and Barrel to Pottery Barn, retailers across the board are stocking industrial book cases. You don't have to tell your friends that this one (below) is from Staples for $119.

See, sometimes going back in time is revolutionary.

Coast into the New Year

Tomorrow night millions will be clinking glasses and locking lips to bring home the New Year. But before the libations and champagne bottles pop, let's refresh the glass-- I mean, class-- on coasters.

If you are throwing a New Years bash at home, remember -- the more visible and available you make coasters, the more likely your guests will use them, and the result will be an easy-going, prepared and envied hostess. Yes, we are talking about you!

But, if instead, you are jaunting down the street to a neighbor's intimate gathering or pre-party drinks, start on early on New Year's resolution #54: I will try to be more considerate of my friends this year. Do this good deed by bringing coasters as your hostess gift.

For party-throwers and-goers alike, pick your attitude:


1. Look at me (because New Year's is one night out of 365 a year).2. It's getting personal (Send your host or hostess a message with these personalized coasters).

3. I'm a lush. Period.
4. I'm a silver fox. Some things get better with age.


5. It's certainly a night to bring out the gemstones...

6. Frankly, I'm a stud.

7. Who told you that? I'm not a lemon.
8. Yes, I'm a natural.
9. This is getting boring. Let's add a twist of lime.
10. I can't think of a single thing to say to you. Thank God, these party coasters have suggested topics!



By the way, if by the end of the night, you are on your friend's couch seeing the ceiling spin
and wanting to take-back post-champagne shots, forget New Year's resolution #54. Because, cheers, it's the new year and for one night, rules are meant to be broken!

Paint Me

Our cars sometimes scream "wash me" and you pull through the car wash. But what to do when your dingy, wobbly dresser that you inherited from Grandma is screaming "paint me?"

Well, thanks to interior designer, all-around domestic Chicago entrepreneur, Crystal Blackshaw, someone will now pick up your chipping side table and deliver it back with a brand new coat of paint. She does it all: locates, picks-up, repairs, finishes and delivers.

A new lacquer for a dresser starts at $200; side tables begin at $75. And you can expect your piece back as soon as 24-hours later (maybe longer depending on size).

Or you can shop Blackshaw's ready-to-go collection or customize your piece from her selection of unfinished pieces. Click here to browse. Or to contact directly about giving Grandma's dresser a modern update -- crystal@blackshawdesigns.com.

Object(ive) Obsessions

Dogs have gone from "fru, fru" to "foo, foo." The ancient sacred dogs of Asia are everywhere.

These handmade pair of blue foo foo dogs (pictured above) retail at $170 at Pieces.

Even Sam's Club is jumping on the train, this pair of gold and glass foo dogs (above) are $40. (The exact same one is on sale at Target, but for twice the price).

Neiman Marcus has a foo dog salt and pepper set (above) on sale for $28.

Similarly, in red, CB2 has a pair of foo dog bookends (above) selling for $49.



For $295, this 21-inch high wood and plaster golden foo dog makes a statement. You can use as a garden statue or to decorate one on each side of your door. Just as foo dogs guard Buddhist temples, this fierce-faced canine will protect your home, too.

A Trunk Full of Inspiration

Flipping through a stack of magazine, the compulsion is addictive: ripping out little tear sheets of what you like; what you want to do to your apartment or what you will do; what you would do if you had more money, or time, or if your name was Jo Lo.

Maybe it's just about where to go, so let us help you.

Old-fashioned trunks as coffee tables, side tables, nightstands, decorative objects, etc. are the inspiration.



But it doesn't have to be Louis Vuitton to be chic.Target sells a set of wood trunks (below) for $99.

Or Z Gallerie boasts a expedition coffee table made of faux croc (below).

Pottery Barn offers the trunk-style side table (below) that has "timeworn appeal" with top-grain leather and topstitching.

Or forget the to-go cup, make your trunk into a bar (below). Click here to see the genius.Do-it-yourself one, two, threes are below.

1. Draw a line around the face of the trunk 2½ inches from each outside edge with a pencil. Cut this piece out with a jigsaw.

2. Drill holes for casters in the four corners of the trunk to serve as the bottom of your new bookcase. Attach casters.

3. Cut a -inch piece of birch plywood 1 inch wider and 1 inch longer than the opening you’ve cut into the face of the trunk.

4. Cut two pieces of ½-inch birch plywood the depth of the inside of the trunk and the length of your -inch birch panel, and two pieces the depth of the inside of the trunk and 1 inch shorter than the width of the birch panel. Assemble these pieces into a box with the -inch panel as the back, using the 1½-inch brad nails.

5. Drill -inch holes for shelf pins where you’d like shelves.

6. Remove any lining from the trunk. Glue the back of your newly assembled box to the inside back of the trunk so that when you close it, the edge of the box lines up under the opening you’ve cut.

7. Trim the edge of the opening with aluminum corner channel cut at 45-degree angles.

8. Insert the shelf pins.

9. Cut the ½-inch birch plywood into shelves the width and depth of the inside opening of your bookcase. Finish the edges with birch finish strips, cutting with the X-Acto knife.

10. Sand the wood using fine sandpaper, and wipe clean with a piece of cloth.

11. Finish all wood with polyurethane. In between coats, lightly sand the wood again and wipe down with the cloth before applying another coat of polyurethane. Insert the shelves into the trunk.