No cave (man or lady) is complete with out a big TV. You can’t watch The Big Game (or The Biggest Loser) on a small set!  Upgrade your downstairs with a sweet flat screen, preferably 42” or larger. To really hit a home run, make it LED. All the fast plays (or steamy scenes on The Bachelor), will come in crystal clear.

Another cave essential is a fridge. But don’t settle for a mini-fridge filled to the brim with brewskis. Treat yourself to a classy and cool wine fridge. The temperature and humidity controls keep your vino at optimal drinking temp and are available in a variety of sizes. Once the news of your fancy fridge passes through the grape vine, you’ll be hosting the most wanted wine-nights in town!.

Leather and man caves go together like peas and carrots. Get your hands on some cowhide in the form of a squishy, well-worn leather couch. Our Kingston Sofa will give your bum theroyal treatment. Pair it with its matching armchair and the king of the house will have found his throne.

For your floors, keep your guests cozy with a little fluff for their feet. When it comes to comfort, shag rugs, like our Surya Fusion Area Rugs, are always a win. The texture will also add a nice contrast to the smooth leather of the couch.

For a final touch, throw in some games. No room for a pool table? Put up a dart board, or simply stock up on some board games. With these quick tips the man cave can become a lady-friendly den and a haven for all kinds of entertaining.

Clocks have been a necessity since the ancient days of sundials. In 1577, the first minute-hand was invented by Swiss clockmaker, Jost Burgi. Since then, clock making has become much more advanced, accurate, and thankfully, more stylish. So, toss your ugly ‘ol ticker in the trash because it is time for a change.  Here at Plum28 we’ve got some fantastic options that you’ll go coo-coo over.

Rustic and charming with a vintage feel, our 30” Wooden Indoor Clock is the perfect piece for any room. The distressed dark wood is welcoming and the simple numbering is casual, yet sophisticated. Its larger size allows this clock to double as a work of art. Hang it above your couch in the living room, or let it make a grand statement over your kitchen sink.

Had something smaller in mind? The Axis Table Top Clock will provide a stylish flair to any surface. Though it’s small, guests will certainly notice its big style. The Old World design will pair well with a rich ambiance and neutral colors. Accents of leather and hardwood will let this piece shine with time-telling pride.

For a fun and colorful option, our Pencil Wall Clock is the write choice. This funky find is as creative as it is colorful. Place it in your home office to brighten the workday doldrums, or give your child’s room a playful but functional boost. Time-out will be a little easier when you’re keeping an eye on this cutie.

Take some time to view our other trendy timepieces, here. 

No matter who tells you otherwise, size and shape matter. Make sure you’re choosing complimentary shapes when selecting multiple pillows. Varying sizes within the same shape will add dimension and variety, as will varying color tones within the same shade. Different sizes paired with different shapes look haphazard, as do uncomplimentary colors. When adding in patterns, make sure they accentuate the patterns already present in your room. Pairing a bold pattern with a solid also ensures one won’t compete with the other. Textured pillows are also a great way to convey the style of your room in a simple accent piece: silk says sophisticated while ruffles say soft and sweet. For example, we love this ruffled Green Felt Throw Pillow for a little one’s room. The color is fun and youthful, as is the texture and fabric. There’s also a long, rectangular option if the size of this pillow doesn’t fit your little one’s space – remember size and shape matter.

One more thing to think about when looking for some awesome toss ‘ems for your living space is to find pillows with easily-removable covers for cleaning. (Just make sure the zipper or buttons are well covered.) Easy to remove also means easy to interchange. Keep the same pillow base and change slipcovers with the seasons for an always-fresh look. And keep it simple: Too many pillows in any one space distracts instead of complements your already-awesome décor.

For more toss ‘ems we offer, visit our Plum28 pillow page here.

The Love Seat-er

You’re the kind that doesn’t mind cozying up to, well, whoever’s willing to park it next to you on that shoebox-sized sofa. Love Seat-ers are an intimate bunch that like to be close physically – and emotionally. Be prepared for these close-seaters to also be close talkers, and for them to ask you all about your life: your home life, your work life, your love life…

The Chaise Lounge-r

You’re not one share, and you know it. There’s only room for one on a chaise, and only one reason that one person is you: Because you deserve it, dah-ling. Chaise Lounge-rs are a bit aloof and a lot disinterested – unless the conversation is about them. Even then, they’ll recline with all the gracefulness of a Greyhound and pretend not to listen to insults flying their way.

The Sofa King

The Sofa King is the master of his domicile. He sits in only one spot on the family-sized sofa in your home, and never strays. Somehow, his one spot turns into three, leaving the rest of the family squished on the other end of the sofa while he Couch Potato’s his way through a bag of chips and an entire evening of ESPN. The Sofa King’s family would benefit from buying him a recliner.

The Percher

This little bird is never comfortable and it’s evident in the way it perches on any available thing in the room to avoid getting trapped in an awkward situation. Whether it’s an ottoman or a sofa side arm, there’s no getting this gal to sit back and relax. The only upside to having a Percher over: You know they’ll never stay long.

A few of the obvious advantages of adding an area rug to an uncarpeted space are a rug’s ability to warm up a space and cut down on the echoing and external noise often caused by wall-to-wall hardwoods. Adding an area rug is also a great way to offset design vignettes within a room, especially if the space is open concept without clearly defined areas. By adding a floor covering to your den, you give guests a soft spot to rest their feet (or get down with their bad selves on one of the Wii’s many dance games,) and define the living space both by dimension and by color scheme. Color here is still key – you’ll want to pull from your décor and be cautious of overbearing prints if you have a lot of print in your sofa or drapes.

One of our favorite throw downs for an already busy space is the Surya Vivid area rug in white. The texture adds depth to the design, without overwhelming you with pattern. And though white does tend to stain more easily, it shows less dirt overall than its darker counterparts. For a space that has a minimalist feel, we gravitate toward a floor piece with more design intricities like the Surya Frontier area rug. The bold vertical stripe is also great for expanding the feeling of size in a smaller room as the lines draw your down the space naturally.

For more Plum28 faves, cut a rug over this way.

Remembering that less is more in contemporary decorating is key. Contemporary style is characterized by clean lines and minimalism, but still finds a way to be warm and welcoming at the same time. A few other contemporary design must-haves are bold, but basic pieces that have rounded lines (stark, hard edges

classify a more modern design. To read more about the difference between the two, and get a full contemporary definition, head over here.

One of the first steps to giving your cottage a contemporary feel is cleaning out your clutter. Less is more doesn’t just mean fewer pieces of furniture, it also means fewer knick-knacks. For the piecesthat you absolutely can’t part with, find them a home: The Carmine Natural Limed Oak Bookshelf is the perfect combination of contemporary lines and wood-induced warmth. The open design of the bookshelf lends itself to crafting the perfect contemporary space and is a great spot for organizing all those can’t-part-with tchotchkes.

Another great way to achieve a minimalist look is to find storage-friendly furniture. An ottoman with clean lines that offers an inside storage space for throws or coasters, magazines or remotes, is a great way to keep the clutter to a minimum while adding a little style to your space.

Floating shelves are also a great way to house decorative items, while adding interest and order to the walls space. Light-colored wood is always an appropriate contemporary choice, but also look to clear acrylic shelves to add openness and order, and also that sleek and sophisticated look.

http://www.redesignrevolution.com/pantone-2013-color-year-emerald-green-rooms/emerald-green-rooms-4/

According to the world-renowned authority on color, the infamous shade regulator, Pantone, this year’s Color of the Year is Emerald – Emerald 17–5641 to be exact.

They’re calling this color, and I quote, “Lively. Radiant. Lush…A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance, and harmony.”

We’ll we don’t know about hue, but we could use a little balance and well-being in our lives, too.

If you’re a huge pigment nerd, you can purchase Emerald iPhone 5 cases or Color of the Year mugs from Pantone.com, but we’d rather keep the fact that we’re green with envy a little more low-key and add Emerald accents to our home décor: Paint an accent wall to bring color – and balance – back to your bedroom. Add Emerald throw pillows to your sumptuous sofa for a quick pick-me up that’s easy – and cheap – to change out when the year is through. Or, if pillows are even too permanent for you, trade your plush whites for Emerald-toned towels in your bathroom.

Need more convincing? Here’s what else Pantone has to say about this year’s “It Girl,” Emerald:

“Most often associated with brilliant, precious gemstones, the perception of Emerald is sophisticated and luxurious. Since antiquity, this luminous, magnificent hue has been the color of beauty and new life in many cultures and religions. Also the color of growth, renewal and prosperity, no other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity.

‘The most abundant hue in nature, the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,’ said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. ‘As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally-appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.’”

But nevertheless, when I turned 23, there was a chest, painted black by my request and monogrammed by hers, filled with things she had been collecting for me over the years, things that would fill a single girl’s apartment with  not just necessity, but also that thing that’s often most absent in the apartment of a young woman in her early 20s: love.

The cedar chest she found at a garage sale, most likely – my mom has the most amazing ability of seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary – was lovingly restored and stuffed with linens and my grandmother’s lace, cooking utensils and books, treasures of all shapes and sizes smelling of cedar that would carry me through the next nine months in that big, seemingly empty apartment.

She told me it was called a hope chest, and said it was traditionally given to unmarried women in the anticipation of their married life. At the time, neither of us were hoping that a married life would soon follow for me (and it didn’t), but the chest was one of hope to be sure. The items and the act gathering them were my mother’s hope for me: May you always surround yourself with things – and people – that bring you joy. Just as she so joyously found, folded and packed each item into that chest, one, by one, by one.

]]> http://blog.plum28.com/220-treasure-chest/feed/ 0 http://blog.plum28.com/215-w-t-f/ http://blog.plum28.com/215-w-t-f/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:48:40 +0000 Plum28 Insight http://blog.plum28.com/?p=215 Hey, now. Get your mind out of the gutter. In our neck of the woods, W.T.F stands for something a little less lewd: Wildly Tasteful Finds. And we’ve got more than a few wild and tasteful items for sale on our site. Here are a few of our slightly wild, yet extremely tasteful favorites:

This vintage, restoration-style Chalk-Outlined Map of the USA (traced on black canvas) is sweet piece for any space. Use colorful pushpins to mark each state you’ve traveled to, then place the map in the family room and the decorative wall art doubles as a conversation piece for guests. Now, tell me about Alaska…

If you’d rather have a chalkboard you can actually use – not one that’s just a pretty face, tease – the 34 x 48 Schoolhouse Chalkboard is an apropos addition to your household. Hang it in the kitchen to keep track of the laundry or the week’s grocery list, or hang it in the kid’s playroom: a board this size is just asking for drawings and doodles.

If you need a place to rest your feet, check out the Campfire Stump Seat. Made of reclaimed teak, this sustainable seat combines rich colors and the beauty of ancient Teak wood to warm up any indoor – or outdoor – setting. If you find she’s not the most comfortable gal on the block, this sweet seat easily transitions to an end table. Just don’t forget the coasters.

We love a good screen around here, even if it’s more decorative than functional, like this Guilded Wood Open-Work Screen. A touch modern and a tad over-the-top, this screen makes a great room divider for a loft-style living space, providing mental, if not physical separation from whatever’s on the other side. And that’s worth its weight in gold, honey.

We say: Not one thing.

While a gnarly piece of driftwood is always an appropriate accent piece, the best way to bring the beach to you isn’t shell-acking a mirror from last summer’s seaside finds. (You can find enough of those in Goodwill’s aisles; don’t ask us how we know that.) It’s taking those traditional ocean elements – whitewashed furniture, nautical accessories, sea-sonal textures – and seamlessly weaving them into your everyday décor. Tell your naysayer girlfriends it can be done, and we’ll show you how by highlighting a few of our oceanic favorites by Sterling that will undoubtedly hit a home run in your home.

Sterling’s Glass and Mesh Hurricane Lantern: While definitely more of an outside accessory, the best thing about these lanterns is how easily they can transition from deck-side to inside. Outside, hung from a branch or laid to rest on your deck, this little, well-lit accessory adds just enough nautical to your outdoor décor.

Sterling’s Blue Chevron Chest: This distressed chest is perfect for your foyer, or your little boy’s room, and the cool hue makes you feel like you’re gazing off into the wide blue yonder.

Natural Rope Candle Holders: These candleholders couldn’t be more entwined if they wanted to be. Keep them close together by placing them at the center of your farmhouse table, or on one end of your fireplace mantle to add just a tad of seaside texture to your living space.

Through February 28 all coastal living accessories by Sterling are 10% off. Use coupon code COAST2013 at checkout to receive your discount.