Take these broken wings...

This new German start-up called New Swedish Design wanted to feature one of my old Ikea hacks on their site and of course I told them "go for it!" I also reminded them that I did another easy graphic hack for the same client.

The attention reminded me that I had been contemplating another easy Ikea hack to replace this sad bathroom cabinet we've had since we originally moved into our place 10 years ago:

     

As you can see, it wasn't much to begin with. And it got water damaged from a leaky pipe recently. It was waterlogged, falling apart, and ready to be replaced.

What better way to replace it than with the easiest Ikea hack ever, the Valje wall cabinet with four contrasting Stubbarp legs in a dark stain?

I was actually impressed by the Valje--it had a really sophisticated white oak veneer and mitered corners (!) so it could look good from any angle. Yes, it's meant to be a wall cabinet, but I needed something to go under our sink.

First I measured and traced out the position of the legs on the underside of the cabinet.

"X" marks the spot (where I was going to drill!)

Next, I marked out the depth of the screw-in legs on my drill--I didn't want to go too far into the cabinet and have the bolts sticking out.

After drilling, I screwed in the legs, making sure to leave a little wiggle room (and again, making sure I didn't force them through the veneer inside.) Using a couple of washers helped me get the right spacing.

Et voila! A new undersink cabinet for all our bathroom stuff! Finally--it only took me 10 years (and about 30 minutes for the assembly and hack ;-)

Eye Know

Wow, it's been a while! But those of you who know what's going on with my personal life will give me a pass on not doing so much on social media for my business. Life gets in the way sometimes, right?

Anyhow, we all have mixed feelings about Ikea (or "The Big Evil I" as I often refer to it). "All roads lead to Ikea" is a quote I read from another designer a while ago and it's stuck with me because it's true. I was wandering around a couple of weekends ago (I know, I know--Ikea on the weekend! What was I thinking?!) just to browse and see what was new. Here's what I found:

A conference table section that could work really well as an against-the-wall dining table or a generous entry console.

An amazingly slim laptop table that could also be used as a slim console or accent table.

Bright, slim desk made of bamboo (which has a nice, tight grain and honey finish!)

Great pops of color in these wall-mounted storage cubbies.

At first I was drawn to these TV stands by their glossy finish and rounded corners, but then I saw the pink/magenta one on top and nearly lost my cool.

Ikea is NOT afraid of color. I would want these yellow display cabinets in my home. With the magenta TV stand!

A great midcentury-inspired coffee table with a woven shelf under the top. Not too shabby.

An amazing re-issued piece from Ikea's original 1940s catalog. This midcentury-inspired side table is going in my next place for sure.

Bentwood task chairs--perfect for a stylish startup's conference room or office.

Ikea's PS line often showcases more cutting-edge design for the masses. I like this drop-leaf bamboo dining table.

An awesome white wall-mountable clock. That touch of blue along the face is great.

For what it is, this inexpensive LED-illuminated mirror was surprisingly stylish. And you can't see any hot spots from the rope lighting. Just don't try to look behind the mirror...

Ikea is nailing it with the textiles. It's like a fun, whimsical color explosion in that department.

Real frosted glass shades on these lamps. Who knew!?

Perhaps the most stylish watering can you can get for 10 bucks. Dang.

Sprinkle some of these fun, colorful pieces in your home and let the sun shine in ;-) Just use your good judgment--you don't want everyone to know where you scored that fearless Malibu Barbie magenta TV stand, right?

The Year of the Cat

For those who may not know, my partner and I are crazy cat people. At first we kept our cat stuff confined to a bulletin board in the kitchen. But then one bulletin board became two (a matching pair!) and then we added more wall storage in the form of these wire letters (matching J's!)

And then we started branching out into cat pins, cat t-shirts, cat sweaters...it became clear we were turning into Cat People.

Well, on a recent trip to Palm Springs, we decided to drive down in case we found any treasures to bring back. Besides a case of Tab cola (which we can only seem to find in Southern California--it's not sold up here in NorCal!) we also found this treasure at Misty's Consignment in Rancho Mirage.

And of course our little guy Phillip Lorenzo approves!

Misty's was a crazy, cavernous treasure trove of stuff. As I walked through all the rooms in the warehouse-like space, I could see myself almost completely furnishing a house in Palm Springs with some of the amazing pieces...

Palm Springs..?? Uh oh, watch out!!

You are GOLD!

Boy, it's been a while since I've posted to the old blog. Still putting up little updates via Facebook/Twitter, though (because that's just easier ;-)

Just got back from Palm Springs about a week ago and there were treasures there (saving them for my next post!) But this past Saturday I took advantage of some museum entry discounts and went to the DeYoung Museum to check out the exhibit on JMW Turner.

Not only were the paintings simply amazing (I never knew he did so many watercolors--both as quick studies and as finished pieces) but I loved the way the curators displayed his work: lavish gilt frames (or even simple natural wooden frames) popped against dark navy or gray walls. It made the artwork look amazing! So those afraid of dark walls should take note--it can be done successfully!

She works hard for the money...

It's been a while since I posted anything, and with good reason--I was wrapping up some big projects when some serious medical news hit home. It's forced us to prioritize and scale back on work. But it's nice to know that some of the hard work I went through around the holidays has paid off.

Check out the loft I designed (in about six weeks!) for an SF tech guru and start-up specialist. More photos through the article that was just published in Business Insider.

No one knows what it's like to be the bad man...

Some of you may or may not know that I'm also an actor.  It's been a while since I was last on stage, but I'm back and that's how I've been spending my nights and weekends (when I'm not finishing up some rush design projects, that is!)

It's been a pretty grueling schedule--design work and installations during the day, rehearsing and performing at night--but things have finally settled down. Now I'm down to just five shows a week (!!)

In a new production of Greek tragedy Antigone, I play the big bad king, Kreon. I've played some smarmy characters before, but I don't think I've ever played a villain. Not that I see him in that way, of course. I've learned to see some other sides of the king.

So far one of my favorite reviews has said the following about my performance:
"Jason W. Wong (who also designed the costumes) is both a fantastic Kreon and a disastrous one. He is fantastic in that he's charming when he wants to be, smarmy when the scene demands he be and just human enough for his priggishness to seem genuine rather than affected. He's very good, but in a way that actually hurts the show in the long run, because we end up siding with Antigone not because she's right and he's wrong but because he's so good at being unlikable"

Yes--I'll take that as a compliment!

One of my former co-stars (in Shotgun Player's production of Quills many years ago) used to quote The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" to me in the dressing room before our shows:
"No one knows what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man..."

How true...now I understand ;-)

Photos by Chase Ramsey (top) and JC Myers (bottom).

Take the long way home...

Here's a little preview of a project I've been wrapping up through Homepolish in the East Bay community of Piedmont. It's taken nearly a year since we first began, but it's been worth it--I helped the owners during the gutting and remodeling of this Tudor-style house, selecting floor finishes, tiles, fixtures, and more. And then after they moved in, helping arrange art, reupholstering some antique furniture, and getting new pieces to suit their lifestyle and the new house.

It's been a labor of love and I'm going to miss these clients--amazingly nice and always encouraging me to move to the East Bay ;-)