Comments on: Art and Interior Furnishings for the 100k House

By: Affordable & Modern Interior Design for the 100K House | 100K House Blog

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:33:59 +0000

[...] we are nearing completion of the 100K House, we have started posting a bit on the interior design and furnishing of the home. Since we will be living in the house, we [...]

By: jonathan

jonathan — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:17:32 +0000

call vetrazzo (www.vetrazzo.com). They have been selling countertops made out of recycled beer bottles. They are beautiful and also eligible for LEED credits. I bet they will work with you on a discounted item in exchange for publicity.

By: morgan

morgan — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:14:02 +0000

The construction waste seems to really lend itslef to the creation of furniture more then art (save for the 1960′s era found/repurposed art) or frames for art. If you could create a near zero waste home with furnishings, the material cost would only increase slightly from the actual building materials (as you would need some minor additions to hold items together and prepare them). I like the idea of tables and chairs created 95-99% from building material waste. Do you get any LEED points for that?

By: Nic Darling

Nic Darling — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:39:58 +0000

Thanks for all the comments and offers of help. I have had a number of emails from this post including submissions of artwork which is fantastic. It seems like the “art on loan” thing is something everyone can get behind.

kattabs: A video piece might be cool, but I am concerned about the logistics. If you have more detailed concept send it over.

Russell: We’ll take a look and add you to the submission file if that’s cool.

Anyone who knows an artist that might be interested in making use of our construction waste, let me know. This could be a very cool method of creating interesting artwork in an ongoing way.

By: cyndi

cyndi — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:29:06 +0000

The glass coffee table in the picture looks great, but you will be sorry if you buy one. There is NO WAY to keep it looking good constantly…take it from a professional cleaner! Esp. if you are going to be showing the house a lot. it will be a constant pain..believe me! The same with any glass light fixtures that need cleaning…..

By: Kattabs

Kattabs — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:41:23 +0000

ART: Would you consider video projected artwork? I’m thinking slo-mo playback of new work from Philly’s experimental dance scene. It would draw attention to the scale of the house and raise awareness of its relationship to human bodies. Isn’t that what a house is all about? Relating to human bodies? Ha!

By: Russell Wild

Russell Wild — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:53:45 +0000

I might donate a piece of art for some press.
Whos your favorite Rock Star?
Check out my black and white rock stars on myspace.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:39:53 +0000

I have a couple items from both Ikea and West Elm in my house and I’m pleased with all of them. My kitchen table is from Ikea and is solid wood, expandable to sit 10 comfortably and looks great. My bed and side table are from West Elm. Both are solid wood, sturdy/well built, and look great. Both these manufacturers make stuff that is of good quality and also stuff that isn’t. So make sure you actually view/test the stuff first hand at their stores before you buy anything.

Another good thing about both Ikea and West Elm is they both have clearance items. Ikea has a huge clearance/damaged section where I’ve found plenty of very good buys. West Elm has clearance items less frequently but when they do it’s always a bargain.

I think DWR is not even remotely within 99.9% of peoples reach, even if you work it into a mortgage (which basically means you can’t afford it anyways). A $10k package wouldn’t even cover the very small list Tlynch made.

I think having a little bit from every range is a good road to take. I think most people’s furnishings are made up of low-mid cost items with maybe 1 or 2 more expensive pieces mixed in.

As for art try contacting places like Space 1026 to see if any of the artists who work out of there would be interested in contributing. Contacting schools, as someone else suggested also, is a good idea as well. Though I think my favorite idea was the DIY photography idea presented by Goose. All you need is a decent digital camera (8-10MP) and you can print large format images without a problem. Maybe make some frames out of construction waste. Very DIY and green at the same time. Seems like a good fit.

By: tlynch

tlynch — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:14:53 +0000

Rob,

You may be right, I have never owned anything from West Elm, I have only seen things in peoples homes and the catalog. I think that quality is key to the 100k House brand, so if West Elm has a cheap / low quality stigma attached, I would not choose them.

DWR had the partnership with Airstream:

http://www.airstream.com/products/2009-fleet/travel-trailers/design-reach/

Their furniture is just so darn expensive, but a lot of it is very good quality and lasts forever. I think people would be psyched if they could get a $10k furniture package with a Barcelona Table, Eames Lounge Chair, Tulip Table and Chairs, etc… included in their total loan amount.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:30:16 +0000

I have to disagree with the comment about West Elm. My experience is that their furniture is …well lacking in quality. It felt super cheap when I sat in it. On the other hand I think Ikea is actually of better quality, although not by much, and of course you have to like the college dorm look.

I think it would help if you first set some parameters. For example ” you want all slick cool modern furniture, glass and metal with a flash of color” or ” you want one retro modern ala the Eames or barcelona chair” or “you want all black furniture” or “no metal”. These kind of criteria may help to narrow in your focus, of course it may also come down to who gives you the best deal. But for this instance I would argue that style trumps cost in terms of PR. This is your 1st house after all.