Eugene Modern Monkey

Modern Fences IV

2009-11-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

The quest for the perfect modern fence continues on . . . Mr. Monkey and I have been on a search to be good neighbors and to have happy neighbors. In our case this involves hiding their houses (for privacy) and keeping our late-night laughs and bunches of bon fires contained to our yard and not echoing off their walls. We often walk around the neighborhood in search of ideas for fences. These first pictures are of the winner of the fence that we liked best in the neighborhood, that is a little different and meets our needs. It's modern but not too modern like a wall of corrugated metal. I like the horizontal lines and the big carriage bolts. I also like their color scheme and their overall landscape. We'll be skipping the raised bed boxes and our fence may not be 3 thick pieces. We're thinking four slightly narrower pieces that would also have a slightly smaller gap in between each horizontal strip. Of course we'll keep you posted on the existing fence coming down and the new fence going up! Next up -scroll down for a wacky totally unique Eugene fence!

Recently this fence went up in our neighborhood. At first we walked by and wondered what was going on over there. Was it a parade float? Was it a booth for a festival? Was is a gazebo? Finally it took its final form as a fence! I'm not the hugest fan of the aesthetics of this fence (aka I don't like the way it looks). But I admire the way they just went for it big! It's new and different and it seems like it uses twigs and not processed wood so it's environmental impact is small. It is creative and offers the house a nice privacy screen without feeling unfriendly. Yay for fences. Even though we've ended our search for our fence I'll keep my eyes for y'all. You can click here for my other 3 posts on modern fences.

Fall in the Friendly St. Neighborhood

2009-11-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Life in the PNW is pretty good these days. Our Oregon Ducks are kicking booty in football and our weather is gorgeous! It's my favorite time of year and I have to say that this year has been specatcular. I'm not sure if it's global warming or what but the rain seems to mostly come at night, leaving us with crisp and sunny days. I'm feeling very fortunate to be here in Eugene during this time of year. Here are some pics that demonstrate the fall colors. A tree in front of our neighbor's house and dahlias still blooming in our front yard!

This is a little neighborhood park on 27th and Monroe. It's a sweet little park in our Friendly St. Neighborhood. Within the last year or so they added the community bulletin board and updated the playground equipment. we've headed over a few times with our niece and nephew and they've really enjoyed it. Below we have fall crocuses that popped up in our park strip in the front of the house. We forgot we planted these last fall until one day I came home form work and there they were.

Mr. Monkey's fountain all dried up. Jefferson St. Above.

Our street one morning with quite the cloud coverage.

Making Wine Tasting Modern

2009-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

This summer we went on a tour of a few vineyards in southern Oregon in the Applegate Valley. They say to not judge wine by it's bottle but I did in fact judge a Vineyard by its building. Case in point Fiasco Vineyards also known as Jacksonville Vineyards (2 smaller pix above are from their website). We visited this vineyard in particular because I really liked their use of corrugated metal. This building is very modern looking. Many of the tasting rooms in our lovely state try to mimic an Italian or European retreat. While this is lovely it's not really authentic to the region, community, or our times. Fiasco was nice because while they did grow some "Old world" grapes while their building design sense is very modern. I didn't take pictures of the inside but it was very informal with concrete floors with a mix of rough river rock in the center of the floor where they had wine barrel tables for more wine sipping. The wine was not my favorite but I admired their use of passive solar, big glass doors on the south side, and materials. Wine tasting doesn't have to be stuffy - it should be comfortable. Another vineyard that is drop dead gorgeous and has amazing wine and views is Wooldridge Creek Winery. I can't say enough good things about their wine and the people that run the winery and make the wine. I haven't tried a wine I didn't like! Their building is also a great use of space. They have an amazing large outdoor patio with huge ceilings but furniture and tables to make it feel as though you're sitting in an outdoor living room. This picture is from their website. Man I love this place. I know vineyards are popping up all over the country. I've even visited a vineyard in Missouri! They are a great place to check out different design features that you might want to bring into your own home on a smaller scale. I know for sure our Thanksgiving weekend will take us back to Wooldridge Creek Winery. I seriously cannot stay away. I'll take some more pics of my fave features from their tasting area. Goodness all this vineyard talk is making me thirsty! Cheers!

End of Summer Updates: Part II

2009-09-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well it truly is the end of summer here. We had a gorgeous weekend - warm, sunny, clear skies - days that you want to go on forever. Two of our friends were married at the Wayfarer Resort, a rustic little vacation spot on the gorgeous McKenize river. And now the gorgeous gloom has set in. There was thunder heard on my run today along the river and the rain came down in the wee hours of the morning. The wind picked up and blew off the newly orange hued leaves off the trees. It's my favorite time of year here in the PNW. We get just enough sun light, the foliage fills me awe, the air is crisp and clean, and football season leads to many potlucks and good PNW beer. So here I'll share a final few pictures from the summer. While I'm sad to see it go I'm ready to nestle in for the fall and winter.

The first picture is the new bedspread for the guest room and pillow. You might recognize them from the DWELL line at Target. We had quite a few house guests this summer and I just wanted to snazz it up a bit. This room still leaves quite a bit to be desired (it's very small). I'm thinking of pulling out that robin's egg blue from the pillow and painting the wall with the window. Now below I'm sharing 2 new Tiny Showcase prints we picked up. There is now definitely a water them in the living room. This was not intentional. I just bought what I liked and there it is. I wanted to hang the new pictures like they were hanging in the trees on the wall but Mr. Monkey did not approve so they are just floating below the branches now. Somehow I think it works allow I could be on the lookout for a third or a more few prints to hang out with the water collection. Hmm. The picture is of course the whole kit and kaboodle. I'm getting the itch to switch around the furniture. That might have to wait for the full blown winter. For now it's working and I'm still working way too much to do the shuffle. To round off the summer I'll add some pictures from our weekend vacations this summer up to Washington and Vancouver, B.C. and then finally the fence discussion will be back! Thanks for reading all! I hope the sun lingers in your part of the world a bit longer. Cheers!

End of Summer Updates: Part 1

2009-09-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Friends! Life has been busy with a capital "B". I think that for the rest of the fall I will be lucky to be posting once a month. For those friends and family members who check our blog on a regular basis you might find it best to click that little subscribe button to the right so you know exactly when I've gotten around to posting.

Now for some updates I did purchase the FLOR rug and it has worked out quite nice as a runner in the hallway. I probably purchased a few too many squares because I was encouraged at the store (Modern) to buy an extra tile or two for mistakes or stains down the line. We'll see how it goes. The squares do vacuum easily which is nice with our cat loafing around on them leaving bits of himself - only the hair variety of bits.

Our dahlias are still going strong. I love the white ones the best but the maroon dahlias are more spiky and their color is so rich. The dahlia bushes have grown over my head and could even be confused for a small tree. Truly they recently fooled a young deer - possibly a buck that has been seen munching from backyard gardens. This young buck rubbed himself all over the dahlia bush and our fig tree in the back and demolished both! Deer and raccoons these days are becoming quite pesky. There was a gang of 5 raccoons traveling through our backyard recently who left a large pile of scat (aka shit) in the backyard! I guess that's the price we pay for living in a town of only about 150,000 when the country life is really just a short drive away.

Bring Recycling Home Tour: Part 2

2009-08-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the 3rd home from the home tour that I visited and it also happens to be the most interesting architecturally-speaking. The back story is that it was built in part by students from the University of Oregon's School of Architecture. For the initial builders, the students, it was an experiment in passive solar. I guess since then the current owners have continued to developed the homes natural inclination. The water from the roof enters into a dry stream-bed that helps to keep plants watered in the ground and on the roof (see round mirror by second story window lets you see status of living roof). Much of the garden art is recycled. These pictures simply don't do the place justice. All in all the Bring Recycling House Tour seemed to be a big success. Is was a scorching, sweat-running-down-your-back kind-of-day and all the houses had a steady stream of visitors. It's great to see a homes tour that's not all about ladies in big hats and gloves, and lunch in the garden. Yay for Bring Recycling! Read more about my visits there here and here.

Bring Recycling Home Tour: Part 1

2009-07-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Bring Recycling Home Tour was last weekend and it was the best home tour I've ever been on. I've mentioned Bring Recycling here before. They are a great non-profit where you can get slightly used items for your home construction and garden needs. We made our patio set out of items from Bring for a total of $50 bucks. WE love it still - almost 2 years later and use it every day. Anyway this home tour highlighted homes and home owners who have gone to great lengths to reuse items creatively and with the idea of reducing their impact on the planet. All these pictures come from one home that curbside looks totally normal! But from the inside it is amazing - I mean just check out this b-u-tiful wood stove hearth. So much of the walls were earthen made. The counter tops and sinks were poured in place concrete. Even the house was painted with recycled paint! Who knew! This day happened to be about 100 degrees outside but in this home with no recycling the house was cool even though there were nice sun lights throughout. Enjoy the pictures! There's one more house coming up that had more to show off architecturally and artistically.

Russel Wright Exhibit SFO

2009-07-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

I guess Apartment Therapy already beat me to it but just in case you didn't know . . . there is a great Russel Wright exhibit in the SFO United terminal(SFO website with exhibit pictures). Here are some pictures that I took while passing through several weeks ago. I gotta say thanks to the SFO art in the airport curator. They are doing a great job. In the past I blogged about another mid-century toy installment they did - all were on the subject of space, space travel, nuclear science - it was all very atomic. Click here for that post. Back to the Wright exhibit - I'm not sure I need a guide to easier living but I think I'd love to come across this book some day. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes the exhibit has on display. "The new hostess is one is one who can stay within the limits of her home budget, hours, and energy and still give her guests a good time." Cheers.

Little Pleasures: 1960's Flatware Ecko Eterna

2009-07-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Oh Happy Day! Mr. Monkey and I had been noticing that none of our spoons and forks and knives matched. We would have guests over and do our best to find the "nicest" spoons without rough edges and oddly bent handles. After years of living together in college and then through grad school with a variety of roommates it's safe to say we had a mismatched set. Now sometimes mismatched sets can be quite nice. In our case the effect was not a positive quirky one - it was just kinda dumpy.

After subscribing to Sunset for a short while I had glimpses of what I wanted. In a few food pictures flatware with wooden handles and silver tops were off to the side and never ever was there a photo caption to say where this flatware came from. These two pictures are from Sunset and offer examples of what I would see and covet. I went around to several stores in town everything from Target to Modern but I had yet to venture over the my favorite Oak Street Vintage. We were having a potluck on Saturday and I just thought I can't keep having people eat with our crappy silverware. I didn't have a bunch of time so I thought I'll just give it a try and head over to Oak St. I did my first loop of the store heading straight back to the kitchen room and found a sweet little serving set - 4 pieces that I picked up right away for $14 bucks I thought these were perfect. They were labeled as "Bamboo Lane" Wooden Handled Hostess Set. But sadly there was no silverware in sight. I did my second loop (there's so much to see - it's like a good book, you always see something new) and was about to check out when I told one of the owners what I was looking for. Cora said, "oh the drawer must have been closed" and she walked me back to the kitchen room again opened a little drawer and sure enough there it was. Imagine the white light shining from the drawer and the angels singing in harmony "AHHHHHH". What was even better was the price! $35.oo dollars for 10 place settings and 2 extra spoons. Perfection! After a bit of internet sleuthing I've learned that the flatware is indeed from the 1960's made by the Ecko company. The pieces are light in your hand and apparently made of teak. The point is that I love eating with these pieces. They bring joy to my every meal. A so sometimes it's life's little things - good design bringing function and beauty together. Mr. Monkey doesn't like not putting them in the dishwasher but I love them so much that I've been stepping up to the plate, or the sink as it were and washing more dishes so Mr. Monkey doesn't feel burdened by my need for pretty things about. Small price to pay.

Modern Fences III

2009-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Mr. Monkey and I have been once again thinking about fences and of course not just any fence but a modern fence. What's that saying about good fences and good neighbors? Mr. Monkey spoke to our neighbor who can't contribute funds but has offered to help out with the construction. This is not so good. But on the other hand she says she really doesn't care what it looks like. This is great news for us. Our neighbor's main concern is the protection of her elderly cat in her yard from other cats (including ours apparently - which is funny because our monkey cat is always getting beat up by a fluffy fur ball named Squeaky!). This means that she wants the fence to reach all the way to the ground, no spaces down below for kitties to sneak through. And although cats can often scale and jump over fences we will make this fence as tall as we can without a permit. My. Monkey thinks this is 6ft. Here are some pictures I've come across in my search and here's a link to a nice slideshow of modern fences. Here's a link to a real estate site in northern california that specializes in Eichlers and they've posted some ideas for Eichler owners. Here's a link to an Apartment Therapy post on Modern Fences in Austin, Texas. As for the pictures above. I found one in Photo Bucket and the other on the Modern Phoenix site. Finally last but not least I've blogged about fences in the past. You can go to Part 1 and Part 2 when you click on each link. If you have any good pictures of modern fences please send the link via comments. Cheers!

Good, Simple, Functional = Modern

2009-06-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was scanning my pictures for things I've been wanting to post but have gotten looked over for no good reason. I found this little picture which exemplifies all that should be considered positive about modern design. It might be hard to tell why this picture is special you have to look in the cup. Go ahead, look at the cup, see what's inside? A straw, right. But not just any straw - it's what the straw is made out of . . . you guessed it, that's right! GLASS! I love these straws at the sweetest little cafe in Eugene. It's called Park St. Cafe and they are the only restaurant that I know of that has glass straws for tasty cold drinks like Hibiscus Cooler - and iced herb tea of sorts. I love these straws because they exemplify all that is good in modern design. They are simple, but they are recyclable and re-useable. Like they say in the wine bizz - they have a good mouth feel and they're nice to look at too. Like I said good design. Now sure I wouldn't hand one over to a child who likes to bite their straws but for most of the population we can use them and reuse them again and again. I hope this is a design tip that spreads fast! Enjoy. Does anyone else know of any glass straws or glass straw makers? I haven't had a chance to research them yet. But I'm thinking we need a set here at the Monkey Pad. Cheers!

Front Yard Update

2009-05-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

This first picture is just the tease. Mr. Monkey worked hard on the flagstone patio out front. It's laid in concrete and is nice and solid and flat and level. I love it. Read and see below for more of a play by play of how the new and improved front yard evolved.

Well it's not completed but you can get a sense of the work that Mr. Monkey, my hubby, has done. Wowza! We are getting lots of positive comments from the neighbors and friends that have stopped by. Click to see what it looked like when we bought the place. Look below for even more pics of the evolution of our front yard. You can see that Mr. Monkey took out that not so modern fencing. When he did - we called it "The Great Liberation". Our yard looked so much better once that yuckerific fence was gone.

And the 3 basalt columns are really a show stopper. One of the 3 is a fountain and quite nice for a little burbling but without the mosquito eggs that tend to gather in slow moving fountains. The water just drains through the rock bed to a container down below and filters back up. Amazing as far as I'm concerned. We have few more more plant and flower additions that are in the ground sine this last picture was taken so stay tuned for more front yard goodness.

When in Tucson: Copper Country

2009-05-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not there is mid-century modern furniture in this building!

There wasn't quite enough sun here in Eugene so I thought I'd pop over to Tucson for some fun in the sun. Mostly I spent my time with dear dear friends who just had twins. You can imagine life with twins was pretty busy but not too busy for a quick visit to one of my friend's favorite antique shop. Even when life is so hectic and you're sleep deprived it's good to squeeze in a few minutes of diversion and inspiration. For my friend and I this would include looking at great design and funky signs. This store - Copper Country has both! Check out this picture. It's hard to see but there is in fact a huge buffalo on the roof with wings AND the winged buffalo is on top of the boat. It's hard to date them but I'm thinking they're not from the 50's. You have to go inside for those goodies.This is a rosewood K. Kristiansen chair that they were charging $150.00. Below the silver tortoise shell is actually a lamp. It was labeled as "Arthur Court" and cost $1200. I loved the tortoise shell lamp but of course it's too big for our wee house and way out of our price range for a lamp. Oh well. If you happen to be in Tucson stop by this fun store. There are lots of other treasures that have nothing to do with being fabulously modern but are equally fun to sort through. Enjoy!

Oak St. Vintage, Eugene, Oregon

2009-05-06T17:59:00.001-07:00

You couldn't find a nicer little vintage shop in a house in a medium sized town than Oak St. Vintage. The owners Cora and Carl are super nice and love to talk about all things mid century mod. If I'm having a grouchy day I just like to stop by and be around the B-U-tiful items they've added to the store. Here's some pics from my most recent fly-by.

I was thinking about this lamp (there's two in the picture) as a bed side reading lamp but it just had too big of a foot print. And I was thinking about this wee table (below) as a nightstand for my side of the bed but I found one on craigslist that was in a bit better condition. This one was super affordable at $40, it was on consignment, but it did have a water stain on the top shelf. The white portion slid back to reveal a secret compartment to store all of your bedside goodies. I had to pass on these items but I'll be back soon and I hope some of you local folks will stop by soon to visit Cora and Carl and all their super stylin' mid-century accoutrements.

Decision Time: Flor Tiles as Runner

2009-04-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Okay peeps - I've had it with our runners - that's right we have 2 to be annoyed with. We've had them for 3 years now. We got them a target when we just had moved back to Oregon after life in Phoenix. We didn't have a bunch of money but Mr. Monkey moved us into this little dump of a place that hard horrendous carpet - complete with stains even after 2 stints of professional carpet "cleaning" - oh yeah they were gross. The best we could do was cover them up. I proceeded to buy a rug and these two runners. They've done their job. It's time to move on.

I've been admiring Flor for awhile now - through the catalog, online, and in Modern, a nice home furnishings store here in Eugene. The cool thing about going to Modern and not online is that I can actually touch and feel the tiles and check them out from the store. So I went on Saturday to check out a few of the tiles and here they are. We narrowed it down to 4 first. Pictured to the right. And then narrowed it down even more.

It's funny though the one I'm leaning towards the most is the very first one I picked in the store - I guess I just knew. At first though when I showed them Mr. Monkey - the one I first thought was right he first thought was wrong. Uh oh. Once he saw them laid down on the floor he was fine with the final two. So that's them at the top of the post - the final two. Feel free to express an opinion. Even if you're opinion is "paint those ugly walls." Here's a link to a picture of the living room and the office to get an idea of the color scheme of the house and how it will all fit together. Cheers!

Seattle Times: Hip Items of Note

2009-04-02T17:52:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few more images we captured from our Seattle weekend that I thought other modern monkeys might enjoy! First up Super sweet vinyl chairs in the Experience Music Project (EMP) cafe. I love the the tan and black together. Next up - a spinning elephant! The sign and the car wash appear to be functioning.
Then we have a sweet store front off of Denny or was it Bellevue in the Capitol Hill Area. Anyway it's called the Pretty Parlor and isn't it, though? I like their vision of retro pink. Check out their website & tag line "Where Audrey Hepburn meets Judy Jetson."

While we were walking around downtown looking for a lunch spot we came across this tape measure! We were in a rush so I didn't stop to notice what the building was and if the oversized tape measure was related in anyway to the function of the building or if it was just there for fun and not function.

And then there was this crazy kinda subversive "fun house" mascot. He was a little freaky looking - you can understand how it caught my eye. We also thought it was cool how prominently they were advertising for their RollerGirls. We have several RollerGirls teams as well that are pretty amazing! But nowhere in Eugene can I think of a big sign like this other than at the RollerGirl Store - Emerald City Skates. I love Eugene because we do contribute a lot of crazy for a little city but it's always refreshing and stimulating to head to the big Emerald City.

Seattle Times: Hip Hyatt Hotel

2009-03-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well Friday evening Mr. Monkey and I headed up to Seattle, WA to visit our good friend Music Monkey. We were there to see Music Monkey sing in the Seattle Men's Chorus with none other than the Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds! She exhibited a spunkiness for a 30 year old let alone her actual age 77! She's quite the inspiration. Once in Seattle I surprised Mr. Monkey and we stayed at a hotel instead of Music Monkey's apartment. We stayed at the Hyatt at Olive 8 (Olive and 8th Ave.). I was first attracted to the Hotel during my Trip Advisor search by their Grand Opening special - stay 2 nights, get the 2nd night half off. My attention was also caught by their clearly modern design and the promise that this may be the first hotel in Seattle that receives LEED certification. I was not disappointed by the rooms. Although a touch small (typical of big cities I guess) they had some space savers that I've never seen in a hotel room.

Next to the bar is a bench that I wish I had taken a picture of. The bench is built in, firm, but covered in a green shiny fabric - it's better than I'm describing. Three other major space savers are 1) sliding doors for the closet and the bathroom, 2) a sliding surface that slide out from under the dry bar, and 3) bed side tables that are attached to the wall, are floating and so can have bags and bed pillows placed under them.

Other great details - check out this electronic board! I was pretty in love with it even though I didn't even get to use it. We had my laptop but not the cords to hook it up - I suspect that we could have played a movie from my laptop on the T.V. Also in regards to electricity the only way to engage the lights in the room was to place the key card in a slot next to the door when you entered the room. This way folks can't leave the lights on unless they leave their key card in the slot in the room. It also helps scatterbrains like me to know always where the key is! Love it! We also checked out the bar Urbane - you'll have to check out Hyatt's webpage to view a pic - super sleek white and silver - and the spa where we went for a swim in the saline pool and jacuzzi. We were disappointed that the steams rooms weren't open. Anyway this was the first time Mr. Monkey has been to a swanky hotel like this and while he's not super impressed by fancy money environments he did like the green edge to everything. Apart from a B & B on the Oregon Coast called Ocean Haven it was the first hotel we've stayed at to have recycling in the rooms. Hopefully good modern and green design will move beyond trendy to common practice. Be modern, live well.

Bathroom Update

2009-03-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Our bathroom leaves much to be desired. It's teeny tiny and there's only one. We really wanted a 2 bedroom house when we were shopping but had a really hard time finding houses with 2 in our price range. So you can say we settled - it's true. Our hope for the future is to add a bathroom to our bedroom - creating the oh so desirable "Master Suite" - that's a bit down the road now with the financial status of the world today. So a few months ago I was looking for a quick and easy way to update our bathroom. What's easier than changing the curtain? The first 3 pictures are the before. These final 3 are the after including this detail shot of my lovely little vintage hamper picked up from the famous Oak St. Vintage for a cool $30!

At one of my favorite Eugene stores - Modern I found the Marimekko print that I have as a mousepad too (see here in earlier post). The two decals above the towel hooks are from Blik. I had purchased this set for my office at work and had a few odd people left. Mr. Monkey doesn't love that his guy is wearing pink tights but I told him that all Bullfighters wear pink tights and it has no reflection on whether they're super hip monkeys or not. And since he was having troubles remembering which towel was his he had little choice about the decals. I also said he could be the girl and I would be the guy as long as he would remember which towel was his. Well we kept the genders appropriately assigned and we haven't had a problem with towel confusion ever again! So while this mini-makeover isn't spectacular it helps to hold me over until we have a redo or addition.

Living Modern in Boston

2009-03-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends. Well I've been on the road like Willie but instead of a bio-diesel bus I've been in boxy hotel rooms. The one I'm in now is spacious but gaudy - it's going for ancient Italy but it's capturing an "Off-the-strip" Vegas version of Italy - yes, it's that bad. Needless to say I won't be highlighting my current crash pad here at Eugene Modern Monkey. Instead I have a highlight for you from my recent trip to Boston. I was left out of the conference hotels - Westin, Sheraton, and the Marriott. I registered too late and was forced to find a room close by. Boy was I ever thrilled! Here are some pictures from my luxurious accommodations at the Copley Square Hotel.

The back story: The hotel has been recently remodeled and just reopened in February after a year long 17 million dollar renovation. Let's just say it was worth it. Some aspects of the hotel are still a work in progress - their restaurant was not yet open but that meant they were offering a complementary breakfast. Another perk - in the evenings from 5 - 6pm the have "wine hour" in the living room like lobby. As for the rooms I had an especially spacious one with this comfy chaise lounge. Overall I loved their use of patterns in the rooms. Even though the room was an array of shades of gray it felt light and airy. The floor to ceiling curtains were a great touch and the layering of patterns gave the room a rich feel and was not overwhelming at all due to the same color palette. I'd like to work on the layering of patterns in our modern monkey cottage. In time . . . once my plane lands back home and rests there awhile I'll share with you all the updates that Mr. Monkey has installed in the front yard. If you're in Boston check out the Copley and even if your house does not embody modernism in every inch you can catch some inspiration by visiting this small hotel with smart and chic design!

Thrift Store Art: Berghoff Print

2009-03-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

Well my friends I know that many times you have heard my praise the attributes of thrift store shopping. And really even I'm getting a little tired of telling people where I got something - the answer is usually a thrift store. This time I took a step up and went to an Antique Store. Mr. Monkey and I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon in a local antique store (on Willamette St. for those local readers). They had lots of fun items. My favorites were an over sized whisk - maybe a fun decorative for the kitchen and a wooden movable artist's figure. Pictures to follow. First up, I came across this print entitled "Gusty Wind". I didn't particularly like it but I did notice that it was strangely similar to a print I dug up at Goodwill (the first one pictured). Can you see it? Can you see it too? Well I didn't even know who made my dug up print. So I took these pics on my phone and came on home and as my niece would say "wowie wowie zowie kaplowie" it was by the same artist. So my question now goes something like this, "Did the antique store over price it or did I make a nice little score at the good Goodwill?" Oh and I think I paid 20 bucks at the good Goodwill. I have yet to do any internet sleuthing so if you know anything do tell. I bought "daises" because I need some cheap art quick for our bedroom. I was tired looking at a blank wall. Anyway it's doing the trick and I'll think I'll hold onto it for the time. So whaddaya think? Over priced or send it Goodwill? That is the question!

New Year: New Door

2009-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yippee! Yesterday our new front door arrived! I took the plunge on a somewhat calculated whim I bought a Crestview Door online. In December I spoke about the possibility of a new front door (here) but I didn't think it would happen so soon. Tiffany, friend and reader commented that Crestview doors was no longer going to be selling to individuals - instead they were going wholesale. This was news to me. So I jumped on it. I went to the Crestview Doors website - signed up for their email newsletter and the minute I received the notice of their final front door sale I knew exactly what I wanted. There were only about a dozen doors total. Many had been floor models and a few had damage. Two doors remain - and one is a crazy good deal! If you need a front door be sure to grab it. We got the Grover - pictured above. There were other less traditional models available but I thought this would be best. It would bring the house closer to what it should like and it wouldn't be too different when we decide to sell - way down the line. Anyway with all the work Mr. Monkey is doing on the front yard you will be in for a big treat when we post pictures of the "after" version of the front of the house. I'll end it like I started it - Yippee!

Modern Life in Puerto Rico

2009-02-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Friends, so I took a longer vacation than normal. Sorry for the month long hiatus. Thanks for coming back to check in for new content. I'm back and super excited to show off some of the changes that Mr. Monkey and I have been working on. Specifically the front of the house has some big changes. Mr. Monkey has liberated our front yard from that gawd awful chain link fence - yucko and yippee! First though I wanted to share a bit of our new years vacation with you all. I'm always looking for good design. And even in Puerto Rico and its island, Vieques, I found some sweet spots. We didn't stay at this hotel but I admired the Kama Hotel from the street. The interesting thing is that I've looked it up on the internet since my return and I could find very little information. Trip Advisor doesn't even have it listed. SO I'm not sure if it's new or not. If any of you out there have more info please share in the comments sections. I loved the idea of having a chandelier OUTSIDE! It looked great at night too with it's red lights creating quite the mood. Below you'll find pictures from the isla de Culebra. A small island with a population of only 2,000. As we were coming in on the ferry I saw these great buildings with an interesting structure. So I took a picture but there was a lot of sea spray on the windows and so the picture is a bit blurry. I read about this great restaurant before we arrived on the island and so we promptly called to make reservations. It turns out that the restaurant - Juanita's Bananas was located in this compound - where you can actually stay in the cabinas. Click on the links and check it out - they're simple but you can't beat that view.

food was delicious and much of it was grown right there on the property. We were told by the staff that the buildings were designed with tornados in mind. There are doors on both sides directly across from each other. Apparently when a tornado comes they just open up the doors and the wind and water blow right through the structures. I was really in love with the buildings and would love to go back and spend more time there. Also you can see the inside of the building was simple and the lights were creatively made from simple materials - wood, paper, and a bit of paint. Each light fixture was unique. We ended up renting private residences when we were on the islands but it turns out there are also some great hotels. Next time - because there will be a next time I hope to either stay at this uber modern hotel - Hix Guest House - or this gorgeous house - Casa de Cristal. There was so much more to explore on Vieques that we could have stayed there another week - easily. I'd love to hear from some others about vacation sites where you can rent great architecture in beautiful surroundings. Modern design makes a lot of sense too on remote islands where every resource is precious and waste is to be avoided at all costs. Enjoy the pictures of paradise!

P.S. My goal is to post new content once a week. But I'm not great about always posting on the same day. So if you want to be sure to get updated click on the link to the right at the top of this page where it reads "Subscribe to This Blog" and click on the "Posts" button. Thanks for reading.

Planning for the Future: Jay Ryan Print

2008-12-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

We had gracious dinner guests who complemented how the office and living room are looking. We're still working on other rooms in the house. This year I should be able to really focus on the bathroom, T.V. room, and finally the master bedroom. When I worked on the office it helped to draw on the color scheme from the Jay Ryan Modest Mouse Concert Poster. So unintentionally I found another Jay Ryan print to serve the same purpose. I bought the print because I liked it and it's been sitting around the house for a few weeks in it's tub (sniff sniff sad little poster). As we have been using the T.V. room as a staging area for vacation packing I thought I'd like a warm color in there. It's a small room with a brown couch and a blue Modernica Eames rocker. I know blue and orange can be a daring couple but I think it will fit our little space - give it personality. Plus the print while quirky is very sweet, "she protects us" is the title. Showing a kitty in a chair while spirits of loved ones hover over head. I don't want to get too woo woo on you but it's a sweet thought and I love the colors which pop even more in person. So if you come back and visit us in the new year that is something to look forward to.

For the time being Mr. Monkey and I are focused on getting packed for our new year's trip to Puerto Rico (via Tucson). I'll be out of commission the first two weeks of January soaking up the rays (and the rum). Don't worry, you'll be so busy getting back to your work schedule you won't even notice an absence over here at modern monkey. I'm not big time enough to have a guest blogger. But I will come back inspired and with lots of great pics to share. In the meantime here's what I'll be reading at the beach. So excited to check out Dwell's issue on pre-fabs! FINALLY! It looks good but I'm trying not to look at it (and others) so I have something left to read on the plane. Cheers to you all. Thanks for reading our wee blog this year. It's been fun and I look forward to continuing next year. Don't forget to subscribe (to the right) so you know when we're back and posting in the New Year. Be well. Live modern. Be modern. Live well.

Modern Holiday Present Idea #3: Calendars on Etsy

2008-12-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

Just do it now - go over to Etsy - you remember - Etsy, right? Many moons ago your crafty friend told you about an online store where you can buy creative art ventures direct from the artist or crafter as the case may be right online. Now it may be too late at this point to get items before Christmas or the end of Hanukah, or Solstice, or the holiday of your choosing but it is still worth it if you can get an order in to start '09 right. Support an artist in your neighborhood or not. I purchased mostly from the west coast. Last year I was very happy with my calendars from Turtle Papers in Seattle so this year I went back for more. Jennifer, the designer at Turtle Papers was sweet to send a note of thanks with my calendar plus a simple yet fancy book plate as a thank you gift for purchasing from her directly! It seems their Etsy store is on vacation 'til February 1st, 2009 so you must sign up to stay tuned for handsome updates to their Etsy store.

I ended buying 3 calendars at Etsy for gifts. And while I'd love to place them all up on this posting I can't because I know at least two Modern Monkey readers may be receiving them as gifts. So . . . the point is don't give your mother one of those horrible "Covered Bridges of Oregon" calendars - get that special someone (or really anyone not-so-special too) a cool calendar from an epically-talented creator over at Etsy! You might get some inspiration there as well - I was diverted in the Azizi jewlery store of an artist here in eclectic Eugene. Cheers! Live modern. Live well.

Modern Holiday Present Idea #2

2008-12-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Well the days for shopping are winding down. So here is one more idea for those of you struggling to find an inexpensive but unique purchase for that lover-of-all-things-mod in your life. I found these little Danish salt and pepper shakers at a thrift store - one my faves - Oak St. Vintage. These little sheik little mod shakers were $15 dollars! Such a deal for that lovely look of metal and wood together. Once again by buying something that has been used previously you are also doing good by our planet! Love it! Cheers and here's to shaking it up like a polaroid picture or cute Danish modern S n' P Shaker.