All original work © Jason W. Wong. Please ask for permission to reproduce any work.

All original work © Jason W. Wong. Please ask for permission to reproduce any work.

Monday, September 26, 2011

You can stand under my umbrella (ella ella ella)

At Ye Olde Dayjobbe I've been living in a world of outdoor fabrics for the past few months. But guess what? They rock.

Sunbrella is the general term for any ol' solution-dyed acrylic fabric, but it's also a name brand. Used to be, you'd associate Sunbrella with the hard, scratchy "fabric" that covered your pool furniture, but these days Sunbrella makes fabrics for lots of high-end designer lines. Almost every designer showroom I've been to has its own line(s) of Sunbrella fabrics and boy have they come a long way!

Outdoor fabrics don't have to be stiff and scratchy any more. I've come across some baby-soft chenilles and knits that your baby would love--and that could also handle your baby's barf and poop. They can range anywhere from $60 to $150 a yard, depending on where you go.

I've had this handy storage ottoman from Ballard Designs for the past couple of years and I must say I've been pretty happy. I got it upholstered in one of Ballard's outdoor fabrics:
BUT...check it out. Sometimes you get what you pay for. I was kind of disappointed that they didn't bother to line up the pattern.



But you know what else? My cat threw up on this ottoman a little while ago and I cleaned it up with some soap and water. It couldn't have been easier. After that, I felt like I totally got my $495 dollar's worth.

So...you have a baby? You have an army of messy kids or roommates? You have a cat that eats a bit too much and barfs all over the place? Then get yourself some Sunbrella, friend!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Yes I did, yes I did...would someone please tell 'em who the f--- I is

Well, I went without a post last week for a good reason--I had not one, but TWO projects wrap up at Ye Olde Dayjobbe on the same day. This had me working crazy 10- and 11-hour days to get everything sorted out. After logging many miles in my car (and earning miles on my AmEx!) I got through it. Of course, the commercial job entailed some magic products from Cliff's Variety:



And my residential project was saved by a big accessory run at West Elm. They had pillows in the perfect shade of yellow (see last week's post about my obession with yellow this summer). I love how they call it "horseradish":


Both projects kept me busy, but both were also great examples of high-low design and decorating: custom pieces (like sofas and chairs) mixed with fun, off-the-shelf accessories.

(Well, the commercial project was also about getting crafty and industrious with the carpet tape and switching out light bulbs here and there...)

Okay, more next week, I promise!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I wrote a song for you and all the things you do...and it was called "Yellow"

For the last couple of years I've been drawn to orange because I wanted to challenge myself. I thought it was weird and garish and yet I was inexplicably drawn to it--heck, I even started Retrograde and created the logo based on my love-hate-fascination with the color.

But I think I'm moving on--to yellow!

Check it out. I'm more partial to mustard-y yellows, but there are so many shades out there:




Here are some great furniture pieces from When Modern Was in Noe Valley--affordably priced and cheerful yellow pieces!



And I guess it all started last year when I spray-painted my rusty Michael Graves clock (from Target) a warm yellow. It really made my bathroom sunnier.