As you know, I took a vacation from work last week. I spent Sunday and Monday in Omaha with my Mom, celebrated my anniversary with Kyle on Tuesday (our actual anniversary) and Friday-Sunday (in St. Louis and Carbondale), and organized my bathroom and kitchen in between. For the next couple weeks, I’m sure I’ll be sharing all of my fun finds vintage shopping over vacation and all of my progress on the organization.

My trip to Omaha was before I had a little more room to spend some money on anything so I did more window shopping — and being treated — than anything else. On Sunday, we went to dinner in the Old Market are with my mom and my friend David. We wandered around for a while and did some vintage shopping at the stores that we walked by that were open despite it being a Sunday evening.

My favorite true window shopping finds, from a store that was not open on Sunday, were these kitschy canisters. In addition to the downers bottle the window also had a Prozac bottle and several others.

The first store we actually made it into was ReServe, an Omaha Goodwill location in Old Market. I really liked ReServe and I’m sure that if I lived in Omaha I’d be there a lot more often. It basically curated Goodwill donations into a store that had a lot of clothing and decor that would appeal to the clientele of the Old Market. It fit in really well with the other stores, was a little higher priced than most Goodwill locations I’ve been to, and had a great selection.

This ship/lamp isn’t really my style, but it seemed like something my friend James would love, and I could see someone really managing to class it up.

Next, we popped in to Fairmont Antiques & Mercantile. They’re combined with Hollywood Candy that has old candy and novelties and my mom really loved shopping around there and reminiscing about the candy she used to eat. I really liked this priest’s chair which was one of a set. Though these aren’t the most comfortable chairs, I really like the lines of them and, to me, they’re so recognizable and familiar that it would be fun to play with them in the design of a home.

Also at Fairmont, I was really delighted by this faux-Sowei mask. I wrote a paper about the actual masks in undergrad and have studied African art as the topic of my thesis and a few classes in graduate school, so I know a thing or two about African art. But, I also am most interested in the way that Americans incorporate Africa into popular culture. The mask this is clearly based on is actually a female mask despite the tag that tells you that it’s of a king. Also, the real deal is worn on your head. You can’t tell in this picture but this is so heavy!

After the shopping we finally decided on dinner at Nicola. I’d downloaded the Design*Sponge City Guide before our trip and the author of the guide had noted that this was a good Italian place and it really was. My ravioli were amazing and I had a good (but inexpensive) glass of wine with dinner. I was really in love with their wine list. I think the burnt letter on cork would be a good DIY for a homemade journal or photo album — or wine list?

After our Sunday adventures, we went to the zoo Monday. I had a really great time at the Henry Doorly Zoo. We used to go every few years when I was younger and it was great to visit as an adult. Since school is back in session in this part of the country, the only children who were at the zoo were all younger than school age. I’m convinced this is the only way to go to the zoo. No crowds. Better weather than most of this summer has been giving us, and still just enough kids to remind you of the magic of going to the zoo.

And there were so many babies! The one I’m most excited about is this baby dama gazelle who was only 15 days old. The sign said that baby gazelles usually just lay/hide in the tall grass until their mother comes around to feed them but the spot this one picked to hide was right next to the fence so we could see it so well.

I don’t think that I’ve mentioned before why I do these “Home Inspired” posts, but it’s because each photo that I post here makes me think of something in a new way. A lot of the elements in the rooms/photos that I write about you might think to yourself, “I’ve been seeing that in the design world for months” and you’ll probably be right. But when I post an inspiring photo of decor here, it’s because something in the photo or article makes me think about an element of design in a different way than I have before. It can be a piece of furniture, a basket, a tree, or a hammock.

So, this post and photo are no different. I’m so inspired by the warmth and comfort of this room. It just feels like somewhere you can go and relax. No rules, stuffiness or discomfort allowed; which, I hope my house always feels that way. The hammock is just awesome with all its colorfulness. Love it.

Any design or something random inspire your home recently?

Jess’s Picks

• The Kim Jong Il Looking at Things tumblog featured a photo of him looking at cookie jars this week (above). This tumblog makes me delightfully happy because I read the new posts and then I think “Ha! Kim Jong Il is always looking at things!” and then I realize that this thought is really very true and I laugh more. I probably don’t even need to point it out: I’m a strange woman. I’ve been enjoying Kim Jong Il Looking at Things for a while and I have to say that these little kitchen wares seem to have him happier than anything else I’ve seen him look at.

• Yesterday, on my way back from lunch, I passed an old man enjoying a cool post-rain afternoon on his front porch. Combined with this Design Candy: Swing’n From the Rafters feature at DiggersList and the tree in my backyard that is begging for some kind of swing, I might be investigating outdoor chairs in the next few days.

• Finally, I want to point your attention toward Joana Vasconcelos’s Contamination in the recent post of Photos from the 54th Venice Biennale, Part 1 on HyperAllergic. The textures and colors are beautiful!

Mary’s Picks

• Remember how awesome friendship bracelets were to make? Well, over at Honestly…WTF they are bringing them back with a tutorial and everything. These are so colorful and pretty, and I love the idea of grouping them together. Also, how awesome would these be as headbands? I think I’m gonna play around with that idea.

• I don’t know when it was that I realized I loved airport art, but on my trip to Japan two years ago I took so many pictures of the art in Houston Hobby on our layover which slowly turned from 2 hours to 5. So you can imagine that I loved this post about the San Francisco International Airport’s new terminal design over on Apartment Therapy. The egg chairs would definitely help deal with a several hour layover a bit better.

• Alright, I admit it. I’m in a relationship with a total nerd, a nerd who loves the idea of planning for what he’d do during a zombie apocolypse. So, when I saw KWK Promes’ safe house featured on Home DSGN, it made me smile. At first it looks like just a stone warehouse, but when the walls are retracted and the large concrete shutters are opened it’s quite stunning on the inside. Also, the lush grounds with the stark contrast of the man made concrete structure is beautiful. (via Apartment Therapy)

Just a recap: Jess and I both wrote about why we purchase secondhand here and here.  And last week started the beginning of our “Choosing Secondhand Furniture” series. Read Jess’s thoughts from last week about Reality vs. Vision. Right now, I’m passing along everything that I know about determining quality while thrifting furniture.

All that I know, I learned from my momma and through experience. My mom has fantastic taste in good quality furniture. Her bedroom suite she bought back in the 70s has survived four children, a dozen or more moves, and did I mention four children? Also, she only purchased one nightstand at the time and so when she married my dad she’s always needed another one. That was 30+ years ago. When in Lubbock, Texas recently, I found her a second nightstand at an estate sale! It was an awesome and the price reflected the quality.

So here are thoughts to consider:

1.) When considering purchasing anything that has drawers check to see if they’re dovetailed. (i.e. dressers, nightstands, cabinets, crates, etc.) Dovetailing consists of “pins” and “tails” that fit nicely together. Example:

(Hello, pile of laundry in my desk chair!)

Dovetails indicate quality. Yes, there is still quality furniture out there that is nailed, glued, or screwed drawers, but in my experience the drawers don’t last as long. Dovetailed drawers hold together because the two pieces of wood are made in such a way that they fit together. That’s important when it’s going to be a piece of furniture that you use often. Keep in mind that dovetail joints can pull apart over time if not taken care of properly. So make sure it looks solid and the fit is snug. The face of the drawer should not be able to easily pull away from the body.

2.) Does the bottom of the drawer look like it can handle the weight of the items you’ll be placing in it? This is really something to investigate. The bottom of the drawer should be snug and not gaping on any of the edges. It should also be able to handle some pressure. Also, is there water damage? If so, this might be a piece you should pass on.

3.) What’s the finish like? Is it veneer, paint, stain, or something else? And what condition is the finish in? For veneer: Check to see if it’s chipped. If veneer is chipped badly, it will more than likely be really difficult to make it look good again. Most of the time, even if you take the piece to get it refinished, you’ll spend more money redoing the veneer than the piece is actually worth. So, the condition of the veneer is definitely something to consider. For paint: if it’s an older piece make sure to ask the dealer/seller if it’s been tested for lead paint. This is really important especially if you’re thinking about stripping or sanding the piece. Here’s an example of chipped veneer from a piece I bought recently (details in a post this week!):

4.) Look for a name brand which is sometimes called a mark stamp. With furniture, they can be hiding anywhere. Check the inside, side, underneath, and back of drawers or the back of the piece itself. Just remember that it’s usually tucked away but not too hard to find. Don’t be worried about pulling the piece out and investigating it. I used to be really shy with this and never wanted to disrupt, but honestly if you’re going to buy the piece you of course need to know what you’re getting! Here on my Drexel desk, the mark stamp is hiding in the top drawer on the right:

5.) I’ll cover this in greater detail in a later post about researching, but the easy way to recognize a brand is just to bring along something with the ability to Google (i.e. iPad or smart phone).

Do these guidelines work ALL the time? NOPE. No way. They are just that, guidelines. Things to consider. Hell, it’s entirely possible that I will find the most awesome piece of vintage furniture without dovetailed drawers. And guess what, if I love it, it’ll probably go home with me.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for quality. Anything you think I’m leaving out or you’d like to add?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Happy Thrifting!