House Style

I've recently added a few new sites and blogs to mashupNYC. And they're not clothing-related, which is somewhat of a revelation to myself. Back in November of 09, I moved into a new home. I left the 400sf, 5th floor walk-up, studio apartment on Horatio Street in the city, that had been affectionately known as "The Nest" for six years, and moved into a 1000sf, 4th floor walk-up, 2 bedroom in Bronxville, NY. This is Nest Part II. I suppose I should change my "About Me" page to reflect that I'm no longer a 'city girl' but since I still have two feet on the pavement in Manhattan for a majority of the days of the week for work, I consider myself a NYC Alumn, and will leave as-is.

As with most NYC apartments both space and money limit one from buying furniture. You have the essentials of the bed, a couch, and a chair for guests, and furniture to store things in like treasured jeans, dresses, and shoes, but little else. Looking back on my 6 years, and in light of finding two new blogs devoted to the pursuit of vintage furniture, I can honestly say I have a regret about my tenure as a NYC tenant. And that is, I did not take advantage of the massive flea market that the city essentially is to collect and trade items that would have made The Nest a slightly more cultured environment.

This is something that I'll reflect upon time-to-time here in these blog pages. But without further ado, here are the new blogs and sites I've added to the list of essentials to visit. Two are major players in the realm of the buying and selling of vintage, antique, or just plain old used items of furniture (and whatever else you can think of): craigslist, and eBay. The craigslist antiques section is quickly becoming a daily addiction if only to look at. eBay is the giant and cannot be beat in terms of finding aggregated lots of antique items for your house: gorgeous round oak claw foot dining tables, Eames era chairs, wrought iron beds, and hand-knotted kilims. And two blogs - which are connected in the pair who run them - Severely Vintage and Sit and Read Furniture, offer their reflections on many mid-century pieces that are either in perfect condition or have been refinished and restored (and all items are for sale).

While no big revelation, I thought I'd state that the home is as much a reflection of yourself as the clothing you wear each day. Furniture is an extension of our wardrobe and should not be relegated to strictly a functional aspect of daily life. The mixing and blending of colors, the elegant (or jocular) lines of a chair, the solid grace of a mahogany chest of drawers, and the endless possibilities of combinations to delight in...I need to go contemplate all of this on my new pair of Paul McCobb chairs I found on craigslist.