Homies for the Holidays
Fri., Dec. 18, 2009
For the Artful Lodger
IF+D's whimsical, contemporary furniture, art, and accessories are nothing if not totemically reflective of our hometown's love of the absurd and the beautiful; you could almost call owner Kristen Bolling's offerings "curated." Local artists' work covers the walls – including pieces by elusive wheat-paster Failure ($65) and renderings of such notables as Tom DeLay, Charles Nelson Reilly, and the Runaway Bride by Mike Merritt ($250) – and Bolling often seeks out odd secondhand ephemera to fill out her collection of exquisite pieces. IF+D boasts boatloads of affordable eccentricity – a compelling mod butter dish ($28), avian-themed stationery ("My Peeps" address book, $18), napkins embroidered with street-lamp designs ($7), wood-covered desk necessities ($12-24), and a variety of nutty toys ($5 and more) – but even its spendier items are carefully chosen and appallingly reasonable. What special someone wouldn't love a colorful Modernica shell chair ($375), anything by Blu Dot, Merritt's rubberized stoneware ($65-175), or a kickass handcrafted wooden Magno radio ($200) that sounds great and has (shhh) a jack for your iPod?
The women behind Spruce, Lizzie Nguyen and Amanda Brown, bring high design and recycling culture together (at last!), working with beautiful, rare fabrics to recover and restore vintage furniture of all eras, right in their on-site upholstery workshop. Spruce offers gift certificates for upholstery classes or in-store purchases, as well as some amazing, exclusive fabrics by the yard, and its retail floor offers plenty for your holiday pleasure. Indie South African fabricmaker Skinny LaMinx's "I Wish We Had IKEA" dish towel ($15) tops our list, but her other towels and aprons ($15-25), as well as Spruce's handmade Christmas stockings ($65), vintage lamps and bowls (vintage prices), new and vintage design books, delicious Voluspa candles ($9.75-25), polished-wood-encased tape measures ($12), terrariums ($40-125), and Elum bookmarks, note cards, and cloth-covered journals ($2-21) make that a tough call. Add to that some select redone furniture (particularly the Tentacle Swirl patio set, $595) and local art by members of the 12x12 Project, and you have a bounteous holiday selection.
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Iron Thread Design's lovely, one-of-a-kind multiuse ottomans and benches. Fabric, batting, and buttons are Austinite Sheri Bingham's muse, and her pieces are perfectly crafted and magically designed. Though priced in the "investment piece" category ($600-1,200), they boast environmentally responsible (and beautiful) materials, local craftsmanship, and handmade upholstered buttons, making them a shoo-in for the "heirloom" category. In breaking news: Her new line boasts 30 new fabrics as well as sofa and chair options; all can be had at a number of local stores (listed on the website) or by e-mailing Bingham directly. – C.W.
IF+D, 208 Colorado, 469-0870, www.ifdaustin.com. Spruce, 6607 N. Lamar, 454-8181, www.spruceaustin.com. Iron Thread Design, [email protected], www.ironthreaddesign.com.
