TABLETOP

I knew I liked quirky DC store TableTop when I first stumbled across their subterranean walk-down in Dupont Circle several years ago. The size of your average basement apartment, the space was chock full of wares, but felt rather spare and uncluttered, mostly due to the selection of sleekly designed pieces for sale.

The Dupont area has plenty of shopping, but little of it is for the home, so I popped into Tabletop for various little "needs" over the years - coasters, glasses, books on interesting subjects about which I hadn't  time to read...  The store founders decided to create the store over a bowl of onion soup and the realization that the area desperately needed some home wares that didn't hail from the dusty aisles of the local Safeway. 

The table top designs in stock include Dwell Studio, Josh Jakus, Jonathan Adler, Joseph Joseph, Perch!, Sukie, and Modern Twist - creators of the quirky and fun pieces below.

Salt and Pepper - how may I count the ways? Building blocks and chicken legs...

Plenty of fun:  from yellow submarine shower curtains to lights.

Store images, Apartment Therapy. All product images, Tabletop.com.

NEWS FLASH: JONATHAN ADLER DOES ANOTHER CHIC THING

Patterns, how do I love thee? Let me count the colorways....  An Adler-designed office mixes and matches.

Will Rogers once said he never met a man he didn't like, and I suspect the same is true of patterns for Jonathan Adler. This time, he's bringing his signature "happy chic" design into home offices, with a new line of paper products. The collaboration, with box store giant Books-A-Million (or "Books-A-Missing" if you've ever tried to find a particular volume there) is a color saturated, pattern-powered set of stationary and home office goods, including the notecards and pen below. The entire line is priced from $4.95 to $14.95 and is available through B.A.M. or Adler's website.

Rendered in four main patterns, Multi Chevron, Acapulco, Greek Key, and Diamond, the set includes pencils, pens, note cubes, and my favorite, reporter notebooks.

I particularly love the files - filing is such an onorous chore ("what comes after "J" again?"  "Did I accidentally put that in the round file?"). But if nothing else, you'll be entertained while trying to dig up last year's tax records.

Post-its with panache:  these are going on my desk ASAP. Imagine using them at work. Error-riddled report someone dumped on your desk? "Hate" post-it, definitely. 

Gift-wrapping is an office time activity too - although I'm much more tempted to use these papers as decoupage inspiration. Blog Bromeliad, always ready with DIY ideas, has a great tutorial on how covering bins in paper - perfect for creating charming storage for your spring cleaning. Organize with Adler!

And of course, if you don't have an office area, Adler can help with that too! (Chippendale Armchair and Channing Desk, both Jonathan Adler.)

All images, Jonathan Adler.

Made Me Laugh: Humor in Home Decor

No, this wasn't what I had in mind.

This was... Peekaboo Giraffes?

Or Jonathan Adler's "cruelty free" zebra rug?

What about a phonograph on your ipod cover?

Or a rotary phone on your iphone? The fact that they're needlepoint instead of neoprene just drives the joke home.

All designs, Jonathan Adler.