Planter House: Repurposed west elm

Sorry about the long stretch of time between posts! My non-mini life has been so incredibly hectic. It doesn't matter if it is summer...I have not had much down time at all, and any down time has been spent catching up on many different things for home, family, and work!

Please don't let the silence fool you, though. I have not closed my mini eyes to some new small acquisitions and finds. I'm definitely due for a clean up and organization of my collection and accessories, but until that happens, I decided to create a new structure out of a west elm product: an herb planter!

Photo courtesy of west elm

I was completely smitten upon seeing it at the new west elm store at MarketFair Mall, and it was also on clearance for less than $6! I bought two and started considering how I might use them. The whole process of putting this structure together reminded me of my repurposing experiments with tissue box covers from Crate & Barrel, where I created a mod house and a more traditional house. The latter actually ended up in an exhibit at Grounds for Sculpture, which was a lot of fun.

The first iteration for my west elm pieces is the Planter House. I laid the pieces on their side and then joined them together to form doors, keeping the back open. The porthole windows didn't scare me off...I have always admired the Maritime Hotel building in New York City, which was originally constructed in the 1960s for the National Maritime Union.

It's pretty cool, right? The hotel interior is gorgeous...check out this guest suite.

Courtesy of the Maritime Hotel

I decided to decorate my little abode as a media room, and used a range of repurposed materials: the window coverings on one side are cut up placemats by Chilewich, and the other windows have paper coasters; the wood TV wall is a clearance item from IKEA that I covered in washi tape for an accent wall; the green outdoor lights are drawer pulls from IKEA; the "sconces" by the front door are magnets; the silver box accents by the TV are place card holders; and the green carpet is a coaster.

Did you notice those great moss planters and square dividers? Those are from the new Constructures set from brinca dada. It is awesome. I first saw this new product at the Toy Fair back in February and I was eager to get my hands on a set. Designed by founder Doug Rollins, the blocks are addictive fun: you can nest and balance them, building new worlds. And of course, they are incredibly adaptable for mini use. Doug and crew are currently offering 25% off the $39 retail price, but this deal expires on August 2, so hustle! Enter code FB25CONSTRUCTURES at checkout.

By the way, I did stop at IKEA and picked up some great odds and ends for this post, and also bought two sets of the Huset doll house furniture.

Courtesy of Design Taxi

There have been some very helpful blogger reviews--check out Snowfern's and Dragondee's--and I was curious to check out the set first hand. I share disappointment over the 1:8 scale, but the pieces are generally well-made. I love the rug in particular and the Expedit shelving will come in handy. I hope to use them soon. Let me know if you have bought the set!

Credits: Chairs are vintage German; globe light is minimodernistas; Noguchi table is PRD; front door table is by Pepper (one of her first pieces!); Eames elephant is Reac; outdoor table and chairs are vintage Lundby; bench is a eBay find; rug is a doll house show find; planters are Constructures by brinca dada; outdoor "tile" is scrapbook paper and door inserts are cut-up origami paper. Accessories are Re-ment, Manor House Miniatures, The Shopping Sherpa, Barbie, Nancy Tobin, AG Minis, and My Mini Mod Pod.

The time it took me: I labored over the layout and design over a period of a few weeks--I lost track!

Room Box

I did a quick run through IKEA yesterday for a few storage things and came away with a vegetable box...a room box, that is! I would not have known that the Rationell Variera was for veggies if you asked me. I saw it for its mini potential and built-in backdrop and windows!

Here's a few quick shots...

Credits: Room box is IKEA; White couch and doll are Bozart; orange stool and hanging lamp are vintage Lundby; kitten is Playmobil City; egg tables and coffee cup are Re-ment; plant is an aquarium plant; pot is from a craft store.

There's an "I" in IKEA for a reason

Went to IKEA today. Haven't been in at least 4 years. While intrigued by the minimalist aesthetic and mostly cheap prices, I cannot quite deal with the endless, circuitous pathways and smell of Swedish cinnabuns with small folk, i.e, my three kids. I have discovered this: next time I shall go ALONE. As much as I love my family, the majority are under the age of nine and not quite cool with the whole shopping thing with endless choices, nor the (abandoned) 1/2 hour wait time to get into the playroom.


In addition of a short list of items to buy -- sconces for the new sitting area we devised in our family room (with existing furniture! no need for impulse buys!), a kitchen pendant fixture and window treatments -- I had a *secret* agenda: some small storage units for my minis. If I had more clear-headed time, I probably would have spent more time looking for an actual unit, so I decided to start small and buy quickly. I purchased two different FIRA storage boxes -- one with three long drawers and the other with tiny compartments. Now I just have to put them together...


By the way, our new sitting area in the family room is showcasing two "Pratfall" chairs by Philippe Starck we got at Housing Works in NYC back in 2001 or so (the Deco table was my grandmother's):






Would LOVE to find these chairs as minis!!!