Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Cool Stuff: Industrial Chic from CB2

I'm finding myself more and more drawn to items with a rough, industrial vibe these days -- whether they're vintage workshop finds with the wonderfully battered patina that can only come from being well-used, or new furnishings that take their inspiration from the factory floors and shop classes of days gone by.

I love to picture a brick-walled converted loft accented with pieces that allude to its previous life, or a spare, serene, and quietly feminine farmhouse with just a few notes of masculine industriousness injecting a bit of aesthetic tension.

So while I was flipping through the latest CB2 catalog last night, my eyes immediately lit upon these new items from Crate & Barrel's hipster younger sibling. Clockwise from top left: Wire and rattan Contour Baskets, $60 and $80; steel Industry Pendant Lamp, $199; Track Brass Wall Strips, $129 for three; chromed-steel Mantis Floor Lamp, $119; welded-iron Spool Coffee Table, $449; and wood and steel Alchemy Stool, $129.

(Hint: If you crave the real thing, trying running a search for "vintage industrial" on trusty old eBay.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've pictured those Track Brass Wall Strips in my All-Neutrals Fantast cottage. They're super cool!

Anonymous said...

Oops - fantasy cottage, but fantast could be short for FANTASTIC!

Unknown said...

I wish the CB2 catalog would show these pieces in non-awesome-loft style homes. I mean, seeing these pieces all by themselves, I can ALREADY totally picture what they would look like if I were single, childless, wealthy and rocking the too-cool-for-words urban apartment. As it is, I am married, a parent, not-nearly-as-wealthy-as-I'd-like-to-be (but who is?) and living in a 1920 Colonial. So I can't quite picture this stuff in my house, despite the fact that I think some of it is awesome. That floor lamp at the right of Leah's collage picture is sweet.

Sometimes regular C&B tells you, right in the catalog, that things are good for storing toys or for seating families or things like that, and you know it's a real hardworking, functional piece. CB2, though, doesn't ever tell you about toys or stain-resistance or accommodating lots of people. Which is a little bit of a drag.

Also, I wish I had a better imagination when it comes to this kind of mix-and-match...

Leah said...

I hear you, Carrie. Much as I like it, most of this stuff won't work in my 1930s Country English, either -- or stand up to my rampaging kids.

But I think it's safe to say that we're probably not CB2's target demographic. That would definitely be childless twentysomethings living in modern urban apartments (or those of us fantasizing about doing so).

And I'm still working on the whole "art of the mix" thing myself -- which is probably why I'm picturing these pieces in a loft or a spare farmhouse rather than in my *own* house.

;-)

Leah

 

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