Category: home goods

Furniture Shopping

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Since it’s been almost a year since we bought new furniture for our apartment, I thought I’d finally get around to shopping for the miscellaneous pieces we still need — a coffee table and an accent chair or two. This time instead of hitting the huge department stores, I thought I’d start out looking for something made by a real person. I still haven’t decided on anything, but I thought I’d share the shops that are at the top of my list:

Framework Designs coffee table (photo courtesy of Framework Design)
Framework Design's "coffee" table (photo courtesy of Framework Design)

This stunning modern coffee table from Framework Design is as clever as it is beautiful. The indented squares spell out”coffee!” in braille.

Lunar Lounge Design
Lunar Lounge Design

Lunar Lounge Design, while mostly out of my price range, has a fantastic collection of mid-century modern tables and seating that owners Colin and Jonathan make to order. Love their innovative designs and fab color choices.

Michael Arras
Michael Arras
On the other end of the spectrum are these gorgeous natural wood tables from Michael Arras. Each one is completely unique and custom made of organic oval discs finished with your choice of stain.
Revival Home Goods Petite Paisley Chair
Revival Home Goods' Petite Paisley Chair
I’m also loving the fab recovered chairs over at Revival Home Goods. Joan is an avid antique store shopper who finds pieces with great bones and gives them an update. I’m a sucker for all things paisly so this black chair is definately on the short list!
Crook and Cranny cabinet
dust*furniture Crook and Cranny cabinet
Last but absolutely not least: dust*furniture. Their complete disregard for the way furniture “should” be results in gorgeous pieces worthy of Dr. Seuss himself!
dust*furniture Clocks
dust*furniture Clocks

Clear Mountain Craft

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Brown and Blue Noodle Bowls
Brown and Blue Noodle Bowls

Clear Mountain Craft is a beautiful union between Andre, a master glass artist, and Kristin, a phenomenal ceramicist. Creating work that is both functional and beautiful, she creates a variety of ready made and custom pieces. I particularly love her glaze work because it is exactly what I always used to strive for when I was working with clay in college but could never achieve — letting the glaze move and mix and do all the beautiful things melting glass can do while staying where it was put.

Poppy Bowl Nesting Set in Brown and Turquoise
Poppy Bowl Nesting Set in Brown and Turquoise

Beehive Kitchenware

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heart measuring spoons
heart measuring spoons

Sandra and Jim of Beehive Kitchenware both hold a Masters of Fine Art, and yet their work, while beautiful, thoughtful and perfectly executed, consists of pieces anyone can identify with. The one that first attracted me was their signature heart measuring spoons — they are so adorable and so clever! I love the simplicity of their style (probably because it’s so similar to mine) and the fact that they make everyday tools so much fun!

holiday ornaments
holiday ornaments

Iowa City

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I’m sitting in a room at the Sheraton in the middle of downtown Iowa City, and I think I’m falling in love. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all sappy on you, I’ve just spent the last two days exploring this fantastic city!

Surrounding our hotel is block after block of adorable boutiques and restaurants.I particularly love the Capanna coffee and gelato shop which shares its location with The Wedge Pizzeria. Our first night in town, we grabbed a quick slice at The Wedge — which was nothing special — but the next morning, I got a latte from Capanna (not bad!) and some of the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had from The Wedge. In place of a heavy hollandaise, they top off a perfectly poached egg with a lovely lemon herb cream sauce — so good!

I spent the rest of the morning shopping and made sure to stop by RSVP — an amazing stationery and paper shop. The clerk was incredibly friendly and we got to talking about letterpress and all the wonderful pieces they have. I also stopped by Iowa Artisans Gallery, which sells pieces by local and national artists, including one of my favorite Madison ceramicists. On the way back, I swung by the mall which houses a nice variety of stores for being so small — University book store, a cute imports shop where I got some great handmade scarves, Express which has the cutest New Years’ dresses, and a giant Dick Blick that I spent almost an hour in!

Anyway, if you happen to be in the area, take a half a day at the very least to walk around Iowa City’s downtown and enjoy the great things it offers!