I recently moved into my own place.  Since then, I’ve been pouring through design blogs, pinning things on my Pinterest and drawing in my sketch book.  With my background in woodworking I do know that there will be a substantial amount of dark hardwood and metal.

Lately, I’ve also been interested in building my own light fixture.  There was something out a chandelier that I really liked and it wasn’t because of the hideous amount of faux diamonds, but what intrigued me the most was that I could see it hanging and it made itself a presence in the room.  I’ve been looking at pulleys for a solution to rigging up a light fixture or pennant in my living room since it’s not wired for it.

I also find the milk-white fixtures best for diffusing light.  Similar in video-production where they use China Balls to illuminate a big space with a simple diffused light.  I find gallery lighting or harsh lighting to be very stressful when I’m trying to relax.  Nonetheless, I will be definitely experimenting with lighting more.

Shelving has always been something that I’ve never been happy with until I saw the shelving unit made of steel tubing and wood on the Brick House Blog.

The rawness of industrial steel tubing and straight dark wood speaks to my aesthetic.  I think I will experiment with it a bit and see what kind of other pieces of furniture I can come up with, maybe a side table or a wall mounted shelf, who knows…

All my friends know I have a growing collection of tools.  A few of them have been fortunate enough to see my tool bag full of random tools that I’ve acquired over the years.  Many of them have been gifts from my father- he believes all men should have a set of their own tools.  Of course, I too believe this philosophy.

Latest finds and acquisitions:

Harbor Freight Tools - Sliding Compound Miter Saw.  This is perfect tool for someone like me.  Working on small projects around the home.  In general, Harbor Freight Tools is a great place to find all sorts of cheap tools for the average Joe-l, hah.  If you’re looking for long lasting… go elsewhere.

I hope to track the changes in my new place as they finish.  Any suggestions or questions are welcome!