How brilliant is this idea? Keeping your life organized and your home looking good has never been so easy thanks to DIY blog, Life at Our House, discovered by way of Pinterest. Simply find an unused window with glass panes and hang it somewhere in your home. Use dry erase markers to write in your appointments, notes or daily reminders. The choice is yours and the freedom, well, you may find yourself getting a little carried away with all the possibilities.

Last month Avery Lane, North Scottsdale’s newest destination for fine furniture consignment, antique and specialty gifts, celebrated their grand opening in style while supporting local charities. Proprietor Darlene Richert hosted over 250 guests for the event which benefited Childhelp and Crisis Nursery. Guests were ushered through sweeping black and white drapes and greeted by a French accordion player and entertaining mime, complimenting the divine Jean Claude Boisset Champagne and Herb Box fare. In addition, the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce graced the evening with a ribbon cutting which included a warm welcome from Scottsdale City Councilman Bob Littlefield.

Avery Lane showcases treasures from famous lines such as Kreiss, Drexel Heritage, Clive Christiansen, Robb & Stucky and Ethan Allen – from some of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Arcadia’s most fabulous homes as well as local interior designer’s warehouses. In addition to fabulous furniture finds, browse gorgeous French, Italian and English antiques from the 17th and 18th century or find a charming gift in the shops gift mart. Avery Lane also features divine toffee from local bakery Sweet-Stops and is one of the few locations in the Valley where shoppers can pick up a box of the sweet treats. For more information, click here.

Avery Lane|15613 North Greenway-Hayden Loop, Scottsdale, AZ |85260

Architectural enthusiasts are gearing up for the Modern Phoenix Expo tomorrow from 11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Over 20 exhibitors will gather to share their goods and services related to modernism, including interior design, home renovation, services and even jewelry. Tickets to the home tour on Sunday are sold out. The free schedule of the days expo lectures include:

11:00 a.m.: Researching your Midcentury Modern home.
12:30 p.m.: Sustainable choices for your Midcentury remodel.
1:30 p.m.: Becoming Beadle: How Al Beadle became one of Arizona’s greatest Modernist architects.
2:30 p.m.: The architecture of Reginald Sydnor.
4:00 p.m.: Building the Pauson house: Frank Lloyd Wright and Rose Pauson.

For more information, click here to ModernPhoenix.net.

Image via ModernPhoenix.net

As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories of ALL TIME aka last week, just in case you missed them.

We’ve waxed poetic about modern furniture purveyorsModern Manor before, but since then, we have discovered that Arizona is actually quite a hot destination for one-of-a-kind modern furniture finds. From state-of-the-art custom pieces to contemporary vintage one-offs, below is DLT’s list of the top ten modern and mid-century furniture shops in Phoenix. Whether you’re revamping the living room or just love the thrill of the hunt, take note after the jump:

1. Modern Manor, Phoenix: Owners Ryan and Kylie Durkin travel all over for the most avant-garde furniture, décor, storage and lighting pieces around.

2. Design Within Reach, Scottsdale: Our favorite modern chain is currently having their famous semi-annual sale, so you better get there before we do!

3. 2b Mod in Scottsdale is an eco-friendly, family owned and operated Phoenix treasure with hard-to-find items from designers like Nursery Works and Magis.

4. Loft a GoGo: A funky Tempe retailer with hip new furniture, art and accessories both for you andyour home.

5. WestHill Designs in Scottsdale not only sells original, handcrafted furniture but will help style your home and will provide delivery and installation, as well.

Red Modern Furniture

6. Red Modern Furniture in Phoenix: Their current featured item is a pair of leather lion ottomans ca. 1940’s. Doesn’t get any more awesome than that.

7. Copenhagen Furniture, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe: With other locations in Tucson and Texas, Phoenix was the first home of the chic-yet-comfortable design of this high-quality furniture source.

8. Phoenix Metro Retro focuses on Scandinavian designs from the 1950’s-70’s but also sells a considerable selection of one-offs from designers all over the world – at prices to beat.

9. Now and Then, Phoenix: The Valley’s newest hidden treasure is not so secret anymore. Opened last month, Now and Then brings Central Phoenix a stylish, expertly-curated selection of vintage modern furnishings.

10. Retro Ranch, Phoenix: Boasting more than furniture, Retro Ranch is a favorite stop for groovy, once-in-a-lifetime rarities.

We’ve waxed poetic about modern furniture purveyors Modern Manor before, but since then, we have discovered that Arizona is actually quite a hot destination for one-of-a-kind modern furniture finds. From state-of-the-art custom pieces to contemporary vintage one-offs, below is DLT’s list of the top ten modern and mid-century furniture shops in Phoenix. Whether you’re revamping the living room or just love the thrill of the hunt, take note after the jump:

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Perhaps “craft table” is too specific of a term, but this do it yourself table from the Thrifty Decor Chick would be pretty handy for all your crafting tools…if that’s your thing. We also think it would be handy for shot glasses and bottles of alcoholic beverages so you could create a nice little bar storage for whatever room in your house could use a little sprucing, but it’s really up to you. By using cube shelves and a slab of whatever wood or laminate you happen to have lying around, you could have a shmancy table in hours. Just follow the directions from Thrifty Decor Chic here and DIY-away.

As chosen by you, here are the top stories of ALL TIME aka last week, just in case you missed them.

What do you get when you mix an accessories designer, an architect and an Al Beadle condo remodel project? You get a “fashterior” aka a unique and quirky modern space inspired by fashion (btw – we just coined that word). Equally intriguing as the space itself is the owner Jennifer Paige Boonlorn, the accessories designer behind Soul Carrier, a unique brand that takes interesting materials, like recycled seat belts, and turns them into fashion accessories.

Jennifer’s remodeled Beadle Box, on the southside of Camelback, is a product of her passion for fashion, modern design and her friendship with architect Bob Wilkinson “I worked with Bob Wilkinson to completely renovate my Beadle Box. Bob and I were college friends, and I was his first client after he left Construction Zone last year to form his own company Worksite,” says Jennifer. »READ MORE

Local award-winning interior design company Est Est, offers their simple tips on how to update your home for the holidays.

Stick to one theme and keep it congruent with the overall design scheme of your home. Try different, simple color combinations like white and silver or red and gold, and avoid mixing them all together which can create too busy of a space.

Some decorations never go out of style and often bring back warm, holiday memories. Adding the family stockings, sparkling white lights, and plenty of candles help to fill the room of holiday cheer. Think twice before discarding an heirloom wreath and try adding a decorative bow, or sprigs of holly berries to add a refreshing look to an old decoration.

Think outside the box and completely change the look of your room by rearranging the furniture to create more intimate spaces around the fire place or tree. Creating these spaces make for wonderful memories when opening up presents or enjoying a cup of hot cocoa with family and loved ones.

We’ve assembled a view modernist ideas from around the web to update your home for the holidays. Check out our picks after the jump:

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The holidays are a special time of year for giving, holiday cheer and togetherness. But of course, with all the “togetherness” of family and out of town guests at your house, a new home for the holidays may be on your Christmas list.

The new showroom of WestHill Designs, a Tui Lifestyle Authorized Dealer, can make your new home for the holidays simple with their turn-key furniture and design packages delivered to your door before Santa slides down the chimney this year. In just 2-3 weeks, a 22 piece set from their pre-designed room collections will arrive to outfit an entire room, down to the mattress in bedroom ensembles. WestHill offers 12 furniture collections starting at $13,775 with packages that include Frette Sheets, artwork, porcelain accessories, china and additional accessories and design services to further personalize your rooms. Clients of the Tui Lifestyle furniture have included Francis Ford Coppola and Jennifer Lopez, and if it’s good enough to outfit Jenny’s block, we think it’s worth checking out.

WestHill Design Showroom | 15330 N. Hayden Rd. Suite 105 | Scottsdale, AZ 85260 | 480.339.5944

Don’t break your back moving grandma’s hand-me-down sofa from place to place in your living room, visualize your room full of furniture from the palm of your hand with the SnapShop app for iPhone and iPad.  You can shop from your favorite brands, use your fingers to literally place that new couch or sofa in a photo from your album and share room ideas with friends. Check the video below of the ingenious way to pose as an interior designer.

We love simple DIY projects. They make us feel accomplished and crafty and boost our fragile egos rather than shatter them with the cold, hard realization that we aren’t the next Martha Stewart clones (pre-jail). That’s why this “Hexy Table” from Young House Love is one to try. Painting a table? Sounds easy enough. Just need the right tools and the right, old table scooped up off a neighbor’s sidewalk. Check out the details here and you can Mod up your living room like it’s 1965.

Breakfast in bed seems so passe next to the boudoir tricks this sleeper can exhibit. Take a peek at the Hi Fidelity Canopy by HiCan. The automated modern canopy boasts a retractable high-def projector television, LED reading lights perfectly placed at eye level and an XBOX 360. And dare you need to leave the heavenly bed, activate the privacy curtains, tv and more before you even set foot through your front door from your iPhone or iPad.

See more images after the jump.

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Melding nostalgia with contemporary artistry, the husband and wife team of Vintage Industrial Furniture in downtown Phoenix, creates hand-made, industrial-inspired furniture built to last.

Starting the furniture business in their garage in 2009 after designing and building a table for his wife, lead designer and owner Greg Hankerson is now creating custom pieces to ship across the country from a 6,000 square foot historic Phoenix building, saved from demolition by our favorite local real estate renegade, Michael Levine of Levine Machine. The Wright Chair, named for Frank Lloyd Wright and based off the famous Toledo design, is currently belly-up at The Arrogant Butcher in Phoenix and at Smith Commons in Washington DC. »READ MORE

The Pink Swan Project launched this month by SUITE New York is raising awareness and funds for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation with the online auction of nineteen customized Fritz Hansen Swan Chairs. Leading interior designers, architects and fashion icons have donated their time for each one-of-a-kind chair. Bids start at $1,000 and raise your virtual paddle for chair-ity by October 31st here. See more of the chairs up for auction after the jump.

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We love when design and functionality come together so perfectly as in the Flux Chairs, foldable chairs from the European design team of Tom Schouten and Douwe Jacobs. The chair folds flat for easy storage, yet holds sturdy with a sizable 150 pounds weighing upon it.

So how many Flux Chairs can fit into one Mini Countryman? Check this video to find out.

When we got a chance to ask HGTV “Design Star” Finalist Cathy Hobbs any question, we jumped at the chance to get some celebrity interior design picks for all you modern aficionados out there.

Cathy, a celebrity interior designer and creator of the specialized design firm Cathy Hobbs Design Recipes, held nothing back when sharing her top 5 modern design picks with us.

1. Wood and Black Walnut Table at John Houshmand. “This beautifully crafted all wood table is made of black walnut. I love the simplicity of the glass top resting on a pedestal that features a bronze piton detail.”

2. Hand Blown Glass Pendant by John Pomp. “Not only are these glass blown pieces beautiful they are made from recycled materials.”

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Parnian Furniture is now open at Scottsdale Fashion Square as “Phoenix Contemporary Furniture” in the Nordstrom wing. The modern design furniture showroom includes pieces from the upscale Scottsdale-based designer, with more affordable furnishings as “Phoenix Contemporary Furniture.”

Parnian Showroom / Phoenix Contemporary Furniture at Scottsdale Fashion Square, 7814 E. Camelback Road, Suite 1208,
Scottsdale, AZ 85251, 480.946.5166

Remember when you were a kid with a new toy from Grandma or Santa and you spent hours entertaining yourself with just the box it came in, rather than the actual cheap plastic Lego set or new kiddie kitchenette found inside? Well the creator of Chairigami turned his childhood-inspired “long love affair with cardboard,” refrigerator boxes to be exact, into “cardboard furniture for the urban nomad.” The perfect furniture for a student, recent divorcee or those averting the commitment solid wood furniture insists.

The Triple Wall corrugated cardboard is tough, yet chic, making for some “rad furniture,” says the designer. The current collection, starting at just $70, features a sofa, tables of various sizes and the namesake chair. Coming soon to the online retailer, a shelving system and surprisingly, a wet bar.

Take a peek at the Chairigami table in urban action below.

Who said cradles are just for babies?  If you’re jealous of all the babies rocked to sleep night after night, go get one for yourself. An adult size version that is. With this gigantic round “cradle seat” rock yourself to sleep comfortably on plush padding knowing that you will be getting some shut eye on 100% environmentally friendly materials, right down to the glue. The seven person design team behind this genius seating designed the comfortable rocker to provide a sense of security and comfort for all ages. Now that’s one chair you wouldn’t dare get up from, that is if you could even imagine ever leaving it.

Ever wanted to  furnish your home with iconic chairs from Frank Gehry, Robert Venturi, George Nelson, and other greats? Well the possibility of that will put a heavy strain on your bank account, but their iconic sculptures serve as precious pedestals for our rumps. Who wouldn’t want these beauties in their home? You can’t exactly rest your hiney on these, but equipped with 80 different iconic designer chairs, these chandeliers are exactly what your home needed. The “Nico Ball” lights by Italian designer Paola Pivi provide a 22″ in diameter light, that projects onto the walls. Although these chairs-on-a-light are far from the real thing, it’s a perfect and more affordable solution for those furniture lovers who can’t decide what chair they want to break the bank on. 

Look familiar? First Umbra came out with that super cool Fish Hotel and now birds can feed fashionable in the Bird Cafe Feeder ($25). It’s just perfect for your rooftop terrace or summer garden.

No, this isn’t a bench for perfecting those beefy biceps with countless curls, but rather a new sleek design by Cliff Young LTD. Offering the best of both worlds with two different stylized ends, this piece of furniture is a chocolate covered cherry with its dark wood and shiny red underside. The Curly Bench is the perfect contrast between an inviting character and bold modern intentions.

Spoil your goldfish with luxury living when you purchase The Modular Fish Hotel ($45) from Urban Outfitters. This contempo tank can be used as a bookend or centerpiece. It’s like the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas…for fish.

Don’t have much to spend but want to update your dull living room with contemporary pieces? We’ve found the perfect coffee table and matching end table to do the trick without breaking the bank. These slick The Danish Modern Coffee Table ($229) and Danish Modern Side Table ($149) can be found online at Urban Outfitters. Your home will thank us later.

This here unit is by far the most extravagant BBQ station that we’ve seen. Alpina has taken portable, outdoor, day drinking – and grilling – to a whole new level with their mobile beer bar. We are not sure who has 11k these days but if you do, this is for you.  Happy Father’s Day.

[Alpina]