Need to find a bench

Something to place at the foot of the bed, so I have somewhere to sit and put on my shoes. We don't have room for a chair in there.

I actually want one WITHOUT storage, so it doesn't fill up so much visual space, helps keep the room from feeling closed in at all.

And, I definitely want an upholstered bench. The bed is wood, and I'd like something soft to sit on.

I like this Lola bench from Z Gallerie ($350), but it's four inches too long. Otherwise, wow, button tufting, tapered legs. Definitely MidCentury, though on the Hollywood end. However, I need a smaller bench: equal or slightly shorter than the 64" width of my queen bed.



Z Gallerie is in that niche of selling things less expensive than Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel or Restoration Hardware ($800-$1100), but still having a certain pretention to style. I wish I could think of more places like that. In the Midwest ten years ago, something in that niche would have been Bombay Company.


Cost Plus World Market is in that price range.


==

Crate and Barrel alternative. Not as delicious, but nice and clean and sparse, $300 Parsons-style leather upholstered bench.

Swimming

Paddled around for an hour.

Meet Bill

two thumbs up. If you watch R rated movies.

But then, I love a good redemption movie. this one's even a redemption comedy. And a make-over movie, except the life-changing makeover happens to a guy, played by Aaron Eckhart.

imdb: Meet Bill
Stars Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, and Elizabeth Banks. I love Elizabeth Banks, you might remember her from The Baxter.

The right way to remodel an Eichler.

Here's the first page of a house tour. I don't have the basis in my life for the more Japanese details in the bedrooms and office (beautiful, but on me it would only be cultural tourism) love, love, love the kitchen and living room sharing the backwall, with a less-than-full-height wall between.

http://totheweb.com/eichler/e_house/1_front.html


and for reference, more Eichler remodels:

And, here's a kitchen that must be in my neighborhood, because it has the same bones as mine.
http://www.eichlerrealtor.com/OurHouse/kitchen/kitchen.html
They did a lot of reno work themselves--I can't claim we're that clever.


Klopf. I've seen these on houzz. My problem is including the 20 foot square living room my husband wants, but I think may be oversized for our site, and what I see as the inherent modesty of an Eichler.
http://www.klopfarchitecture.com/portfolio/index.htm


Someone digging a basement under their Eichler as part of a remodel. And doing it all green (understatement).
http://eichlervision.com/


http://www.fitchfamily.org/LeslieAndTod/Eichler/Kitchen/


http://www.dguyayers.com/
in the portfolio, "quince" may be the most pertinent.
Though I wonder how so clean can marry the family-busy-happy jumble I have going on.
I did notice they fit in the grand piano.

Not for me: I see a lot of these Eichler kitchen photos, which show a kitchen along an exterior wall, without exterior windows. I don't get it. Obviously starting with a different floorplan than I have, not the way I want to solve my where-to-place-the-kitchen problem.
http://www.aparch.com/pr_eichler.html
won an award in 2009, this kitchen did.
ah, better link:
http://www.customhomeonline.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=206&articleID=978724
has link to slideshow, shows floorplans. So it's not an exterior wall; and I've been in houses with this floorplan, so now I get it.


Also probably inapplicable to my situation, but if it's on apartment therapy, it must be good.
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/072109kungtour/item/42037

what I don't want to do. I'm only commenting on the designs, not the contracting.
http://www.keycon-inc.com/projectgallery.html

http://eichlerforum.com/forum/

My fav David Bromstad rooms

Expect me to add to this list as I work through my DVR.

Dining Room. "Dramatic Dining Room" HCLRS-403 I was kind of horrified when he showed how he would paint the room (coral walls, I'm with you; but black ceiling?? You want to paint your mahogany sideboard turquoise blue??!!! Glass mantelpiece on a brick fireplace??!!) and I didn't like pieces before he put in the room. But all together it was amazing, and proves there is a legitimate use for clear chairs, and those chandeliers that look like a line of lightbulbs and broken glass hanging from them. The picture on the episode page doesn't do it justice. And I LOVED that flowered carpet once in place, who would have guessed? My favorite room ever.

Living Room/Dining Room. Contemporary Combo Room, Episode HCLRS-603He took inspiration from the homeowner's cylinder chandelier. He added a large oval black dining table and painted the t.v. equipment box black to match and put it up on legs. This show has another woven coffee table--which might be a good idea for us since I don't want glass and I don't like having a visual block in the middle of the room. I especially love the big bronze tiles on the fireplace. But once again, it's just how the whole thing is so much more than the sum of the parts.

Bedroom. Season 6 "Traditional, Eclectic, Master Bedroom" HCLRS-605 Not my color (I hate blue), not my materials (no ironwork headboards for me, thank you) but look how it all goes together. I've got a modern house with a big sleigh bed, I think I want that nonmodern chandelier from Z Gallerie.

Blogging my diet

It's got to be the most tedious reading, but it's for you not for me. I've totally fallen off my diet for at least six weeks. I've gained five pounds instead of losing, and I can't keep track of my diet materials. So I'm going to start documenting what I eat here.

For breakfast, 12 total.
2 cups homemade vegetable soup
roll with 1 ounce goat cheese 10
a taste of pomegranate soda, 1. hit the spot, but not my fav in general.
nectarine 1

modern architecture

impressive portfolio online.
http://www.montalbaarchitects.com/

Also, note existence of Richard Neutra