Mulling over the bathroom

I'm not sure why more companies don't make towels that are bold, fun prints. Solid color towels are so blah. I'm looking for towels to make that big pop of color in my tiny tiny bathroom. Think back to vintage towels - those things were amazing! Great patterns, great colors. I have a YSL set (from my parents), that are the most gorgeous deep navy and deep green geometric print. My goal is to have a 90% neutral bathroom, with the towels being the colorful/patterned pop.

Some ideas:

Nora Print
Pottery Barn
I have to admit, I do love this print - the coloring and everything.

Castle Grounds Print
Anthropologie
Nice towels... but I'm not sure if they really wow me.

Contemporary Home Towel Set in Red Jacquard
Target
Not bad.

Deck inspiration, cont.

Smith & Hawken Lantern Lights

Smith & Hawken Cafe Lights - Multicolored

Outdoorsy

So, with the weather getting gradually warmer, thoughts naturally turn to outdoor entertaining.

Last summer I bought a pair of chairs from Target that have a white metal frame and a sunny yellow fabric seat/back. Lovely!

I have a wood bench on the deck, as well, but I need more table space... and then I got distracted by Ikea and its outdoor/garden stuff.

PS Vallo Watering Can
Malaro Outdoor Table
Evert Stool

New sofa? Maybe.

So I suppose I can be as elitist as I want, in terms of wanting to buy quality furniture, but I can't step away from a good deal that is exactly what I want.

Enter the Ikea Karlstad sofa. It's pretty much exactly the style, size, and color I've been looking for in a sofa, and it's $500. Can't beat that. The only question is if I can transport it from the store on my own (if I can get my sister & her van in on it, maybe).

We'll see! I could very well purchase this very soon. At which point I'll have an extra sofa I won't know what to do with.

Wall Decor

So my walls in my living room are rather blank. I took a panoramic photo, and WOW are the walls BORING.

I'll try to post the panorama, later - it's not exactly the most neat version, but it's not too bad.

First off, I have two matching pieces of wall-art, made out of some plaster- or ceramic-like material, asian and deco inspired, from the 80s. From what I can tell, there was a bit of an Art Deco revival in the 80s, although it was done with all the 80s panache that you would expect. I got these from my Mom, and only recently rediscovered them, rather on accident. The only downside is that these things are SUPER heavy.

Need to post measurements and pictures of these items, later.

Next, I've been looking for prints that coordinate more with the green/deco theme...

"Flock Print" by Heather Amuny-Dey
Velocity Art and Design

"Soleil Toute L'Année" by Roger Broders
AllPosters.com

"Villefranche" by Roger Broders
AllPosters.com

"Cote d'Azur" by Jean-Gabriel Domergue
AllPosters.com

Also, I must say, that I may actual purchase an "As Seen On TV" product - Hercules Hooks. These seem like a great solution for a rental that more-or-less doesn't want one to use molly brackets.

Really Frustrated

Super Edit: OMG, I FOUND IT! Eleanor Grosch/Push Me Pull You Designs. Randomly found it whilst browsing How About Orange - THANK YOU. (3:03pm 28 Feb 08)

So, I had thought I had bookmarked the website of an artist that does her own screenprints. Her style is angular, stylized animals in bright colors. She is eco-conscious.

I can't find it for the life of me.

Argh.

Note: And, no, it is not Sanna Annuka, though her prints are equally nice.

Edit: Also, I recall that her style was inspired by Charley Harper (2:57pm 28 Feb 08)

New on Site

Added a feed to my green-color-related link posts on del.icio.us in the sidebar.

Computer at home has been out of service, so things are a bit slow, lately

Neutral Kitchen Shelving

Although I really like my kitchen, there really isn't all that much storage space. It's a kitchen/dining area, and the dining half has a small alcove in which I have set up a pseudo-quasi storage area. It's very much hobbled together from random stuff, and I'd like it to look a little more organized and streamlined.

I checked Ikea, and looked at a lot of different solutions. I started first with the cabinetry they made specifically for the kitchen... Unfortunately, I think it would be a bit frustrating and expensive to fit the area with those.

Then, I looked at the Billy shelving, but I really think those are a little too shallow for the needs of the kitchen. Finally, I decided to simply check the Ikea storage line page - and I found the Aspvik office line. I think the sliding door unit and the flipper unit would be perfect because (1) they're deep enough for use in the kitchen, and (2) they could hold electronic kitchen items with ease, since they're meant to hold computer stuff. I also found a Lerberg ladder-type shelf to fill the rest of the space.