Homage to Hans Wegner

Hans Wegner designed many good chairs. Since he was a famous designer they now sell his designs for quite a high price. But with their simple structures, no frills designs, and natural materials, they focus on comfort and functionality without the fluff... so in principle they are very much appropriate for unpolished life.

Above - Image from Qius Design blog.

Above - GE-412 Getama Oak Lounge Chair image from ScandinavianMod.com.

Above - GE-270 Getama Teak Easy Chair image from ScandinavianMod.com.

Green Wood Works

Mark Winner over at Green Wood Works creates some great pieces of furniture using mostly reclaimed wood. I love his work. His creations are practical with solid structures and simple designs. Go Mark!
Below - Mark Winner also tried his hand at designing landscapes and outdoor areas with great success at his Sierra View Retreat.
All images from greenwoodworks.org.

Love your old fridge!

If you have an older fridge, just paint it or update it with some decals. Be bold! If it's working properly there is no reason why it should end up in a landfill. These customized fridges add a lot of character to your kitchen and they also cheer people up!
Above - French designer Fabien Barral's fridge painted and decaled as a pack of bouillon cubes - image from harmonie-interieure.com.

Above left - from the Babs Blog. Above right - user hippyxic's fridge from flickr.

Above - This is our old fridge. The Polynesian pattern on the front is hand-painted.

Director's Chairs

I would avoid poorly-made stuff that won't last but beyond that, whether it's a super bargain or a ridiculously over-priced one, I love a good directors chair. Their character is rugged, rustic, exotic, and adventurous regardless of the design's details. I also love them because they're light, comfortable, and you can move them or put them away at any whim.

Above - Image from Kubu Crafts.

Above left - Cross Creek Directors Chair by James Perse. Above right - Canvas Director's Chair from Williams-Sonoma.

Above - Leather Director's Chair from RuggedLuxury.com.

Wood & Steel

Coffee tables like the one below showcase the beauty of wood and steel and are also very easy to live with.
Image - The Brickmaster coffee table from Ruby Beets.

Wooden Pallet Coffee Table

This coffee table is made from discarded wooden pallets. I love the rustic look, and the finish on this thing looks fantastic.
Images from AcePixure's WebShots uploads.

Reclaimed Bourbon Barrell

The Bilge chair from Uhuru (a design firm from Brooklyn, NY) is made from reclaimed Bourbon barrels and leaf springs of NYC fire trucks. It looks quite modern but also easy-going with the natural texture and varying widths of the slabs - and I bet it smells good, too!Images from the Uhuru website.

Natural Choices for Side Tables

These side tables are simultaneously modern and rustic. It is relaxing in itself to have natural forms around but these tables are also easy-going because they would age well and look better with use - meaning you could enjoy them instead of worrying about scratching them.
Above - Fir Root side table/stool from Pendleton.
Above - Branch side table from West Elm.

Bosworth Hoedemaker

The company Bosworth Hoedemaker creates some great buildings, with beautiful interiors and exteriors. They are modern and traditional, rustic, and urban all at once. They are a bit on the traditional side, and a little too meticulously crafted in some parts for me but what I like the most about their work is that they seem genuine - they are not put together to satisfy the owner's egos, or to impress their guests, just to create a comfortable, livable space.

Images from Bosworth Hoedemaker website.

A Relaxed Set Up

A great sturdy table, and the ease of mismatched chairs add up to a very relaxed dining area.Image from Marie Claire Maison.

Understated

A great coffee table in a room designed by Michael Lee.
Image from Architectural Digest.

Stool Samples

I love industrial stools at home. They last forever, age really well, have a lot of character, and are usually inexpensive. You can place one by a chair to set a drink/plate on, they're light and small enough so you can move them wherever you need them or put them away if you don't... and people can actually sit on them if need be.
Above - the CB2 alchemy stool found on Apartment Therapy.

I prefer the ones with wooden seats/tops since they have some warmth along with an everlasting metal structure.
Above - Vintage painter's stool from Modern50.

The Spanish Chair

This here is the Spanish Chair by the designer Borge Mogensen. I love this chair. It has wide boards for arm-rests, uses natural materials, and has a simple structure. It is very comfortable; your back and bottom do not come in to contact with anything hard - only suspended leather. It is also quite light which makes it easy to move in and out, here and there at any whim - which is another plus in my book. At the Danish Design Store where I found these images, it goes for -hold on to something- a whooping $4,347 which is not quite the "unpolished life" kind of price tag, but you could make a similar version yourself for much less (while respecting copyright laws and the rights of the designer and manufacturer of the original.)
Images from the Danish Design Store.

Sarah Jessica Parker's kitchen

Not that it matters but this below is supposed to be Sarah Jessica Parker's kitchen. I like the simple wood paneling on the walls, the metal stools, and the tool-chest-like cabinets, but what I appreciate most is the flooring. Marmoleum is all natural, generally inexpensive, and very easy to live with - marmoleum tiles last, they don't rot or warp like wood flooring and they don't have grout lines to be sealed like tiles do. Which makes them easier to clean and they also feel warmer than tile or concrete... Oh I forgot, they look quite nice as well. I love the classic black and white diner/garage look. This diagonal chessboard pattern looks quite nice with different color combinations as well. Great choice Sarah!
Image from Remodelista. "...originally featured in Elle Decor (photography by William Waldon)." (Credits quote from Remodelista, as well.)

Pacific Style Palmwood

This company, Pacific Green, recycles out-of-commission coconut palms as great looking and comfy furniture with lots of character. I first saw them being promoted at a Barrett Jackson car show here in Arizona. Galleries of the photographer Peter Lik all have furniture from this company as well so you can visit one of his galleries to see the stuff in person and see how comfortable they are.
I love the combined look of the exposed knots tying the pieces together, the warm and natural texture of palmwood, and the tanned leather... Rustic, nautical, tropical, substantial, and genuine all at once.
Above and below - I love these chairs. I am not too wild about stuff that look neat but are not practical or comfortable but these chairs do both things quite well. I also love armchairs that have wide planks for arm rests - good support when you're getting in and out, and you can set your stuff right on there.
All images from Pacific Style Furnishings website - which is just the Australian outlet for the Pacific Green company.

Erin Martin Design

This living room by Erin Martin Design has some great things going for it; the exposed roof beams, cozy clean-natural colors, and comfortable seating.
Below - The company went wild with the straw bales for seating - not very practical indoors but who wouldn't want to sit on these? They look very inviting!
Below - Straw bales would make a great seating option for outdoors though - kind of like the set up below...
Top two images from Erin Martin Design and the fire-pit image from charlesmannphotography.com.

Tom Scheerer

Interior designer and architect Tom Scheerer has a knack for creating some casual and relaxed environments.
Below - The simple shutters, the aged paint job, and the ground-cover are great. I am not sure what the name of that ground-cover plant is, but it sure creates a more relaxed yard than a manicured lawn.
Below - I am not too wild about those candle holders or the symmetrical mirror set up, but the dining chairs, the table, the exposed roof structure, the no-frills fan, and the French doors and the walls with their lived-in paint job make up for those.
Below - It must be tempting to put a fresh coat of paint on that wall on the right, but kudos to Tom for resisting that urge. Whatever is going on on that wall adds a lot of character to this patio.
Images from interior designer/architect Tom Scheerer's portfolio.

Mismatched Silverware

This is quite a table; sturdy, practical, rustic, and great looking. I love tables like this one. Take a closer look at the setting and you'll see something else I can't get enough of......The table's set using mismatched silverware! Adds a lot of character and joy to the meal. And how easy going it is... Just get any silverware you like, unique ones, modern ones, traditional ones... from garage sales, big box stores, thrift stores, where ever you find them... and don't worry about having a matching set of 10 or 12 or whatever... Perfect! The underlying principle is: Enjoy life, don't make it harder! From ThePioneerWoman.com.

Variety is the spice

No rug under the table, and mismatched chairs... very relaxing, and easy to maintain. One chair goes out of commission, just get another one you like, don't fuss about matching stuff to each other.Image from LightLocations.com

Hammocks everywhere!

I love hammocks! I am amazed at how such a simple and inexpensive structure offers so much comfort! No reason why they can't be used indoors (and indeed have been used indoors in many parts of the globe for many years.) If you are short on space, hammocks are also easy to set up so you can just remove when you don't need it and hook back up when you do. Yeeha!Image from ApartmentTherapy.com - there are many comments from people who have done the same and -guess what- they all love it.

Bathe outside!

The framing structure of the house, the plumbing, and the electrical lines (you can see one on the right) are all exposed, and there is a galvanized tub on the patio! Honest, practical, and even luxurious in an enjoy-the-simple-things-in-life kind of way.From an article in The New York Times - photo by Matthew Millman.