Friday Favorites

Here are a few of my favorite recent purchases. My dad & Barbara gave David & I a CB2 (Crate & Barrel's modern home line) gift certificate for Christmas (thanks, guys!), which was a great excuse to buy some new fun things, as well as a much needed new bed frame.

The cora carafe has been such a great find. I got three---one for each side of our bed and one for guests when they come. It's great to always have fresh water in bed every night without having four or five dirty, empty glasses sitting on the nightstands. The glass is surprisingly thick and durable for the inexpensive price.

These open weave storage baskets are so great for organization. I'm not usually a basket person, because they can be very country, which is not the aesthetic we're going for. But these walk that fine line between traditional and modern because of their black color and straight lines. I got six of them---five for our closet shelves that I am storing handbags in and one for on top of the linen cupboard in our bedroom to hold hair styling tools. My mom let me steal some of her vintage-looking tags (that she uses for pricing at her antique booth in Laughlintown---thanks, mommy!), which I labeled and hung from the baskets so I know what's inside without rooting through. They've been such a great purchase.

Another fun find was this tree soap dish and ring holder. Davey's bar of soap was always sliding all over the place in our shower, and this was a great solution. I also love having all of my rings out in the open---plus this ring holder also looks organic and modern. I sort of wish I would have bought a couple of sets of them as gifts.

Ok so this is not a photo of our bedroom. But it's our tatami bamboo bed frame. We LOVE it! It's a platform bed with a bamboo headboard (green design, yay!) with a gunmetal base. The base has these really sharp corners that we keep running into, and man does it hurt. Even our guests run into it (sorry, Pami & RJ!). It's a great bed just the same. It was so easy to put together, too.

Quick review of CB2: What a great company. Their products are very inexpensive and surprisingly high quality (though not heirloom quality or anything) despite the low prices. They don't have a very large or diverse selection, but there is some really fun, unique stuff to choose from. They are kind of like IKEA in that I wouldn't want to furnish my whole apartment (or someday, house) with their products, because it would look too catalogue-y, but they are a great resource for inexpensive, modern furniture and accessories. It's fun to mix these items with vintage/flea market finds. One of my favorite things about CB2 is that they try to be green wherever they can be, using sustainable materials such as bamboo and soy filler for their upholstered goods. Green doesn't usually equal cheap, so it is refreshing to find a company with low-prices that is still trying to be eco-friendly. Their customer service is fantastic. For example, when I ordered our bed frame, they sent me an email of care instructions right away. They ship quickly and pack things well so that they are not damaged. Yay for CB2.

All photos from (where else) CB2.