Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Why don't you?

Why don't you refashion your chipped or broken china as beautiful desktop accessories? Here I'm using a chipped Wedgwood jasperware creamer to hold paperclips on my desk at work.
Waste not, want not; Definitely cheers up my day!

26 comments:

Terry said...

The chip let is live useful as well as decorative life. Kind of like getting the first few dent in the car, you don't get so fussy about it, you just just drive. In your case, just grab the paperclip. When as our guy how to care for our pretty decorative towels, he says, use them."

Tatiana Dokuchic said...

Looks great! I have a similar one included in a tea set my mother-in-law gave me. She turned it over with the comment "You realize you don't actually use these for tea". Wonder what she would think of paperclips ;)

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Terry, i worry about food use because a chip breeds bacteria! But it's still very decorative! I also used a glued back together teacup in my medicine cabinet to hold small items.
Tatiana, the practical architect in me cringes at not using something for a purpose! haha -why have nice things if you dont' use them? Jasperware is very useable and washable, just not dishwasher safe. Have her over for tea and use the set! HA

ArchitectDesign™ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
the.neo.lifestyle said...

Hello,

you're right, i still use chipped objects for other things like for flowers or pencils :-)

David

Will @ Bright.Bazaar said...

Fun idea! WHere did you get that amazing graphical building front tin that is also on your desk from? It's really stylish.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Thanks, will and Neo.
Will, I got the tin from the morgan library and museum giftshop in NYC.I collect these architectural tins wherever I find them!

gésbi said...

You are so right. Funny how a little thing like a chip brings something down to earth. It's good to have certain things only for special occasions -but sometimes our "good things" need to be more approachable - Whatever it takes!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

style, yes! I actually have a whole set of this Wedgwood cobalt basalt that I don't use often, but it's nice to use this one chipped piece now everyday and enjoy!

The Shiny Pebble said...

Stefan, I love the idea. It is beautiful, functional AND like you said, you get to enjoy it everyday. That would make me happy too.

home before dark said...

I use a collection of well used/loved/chipped crystal things in my bathroom to corral the chaos.

Julio Muao said...

Hey Stefan!

Great idea. I have quite a few plates and crystal stemware that have minor chips that I no longer use. I can now see the stemware as possible mini vases for flowers and maybe display the dishes with the very minor chip on walls in the hallway or staircase.

katiedid said...

Great idea Stephan! I am all about reuse and have many "imperfect" things at my house too.Your Waterford brightened my day as well!

Martha said...

It is always nice to have favorite things around you -- and if it is an "oops" -- what better place to store paperclips! I believe in using what one has -- get pleasure from your things!

La Petite Gallery said...

Just hanging around you get Knocks.
I say anything old has a chip, it makes it better. Hard Knocks ya know...I have lots of scars and
I am still Great,

yvonne

enrique said...

Little nuances make the bigger things in life even more sublime. Having the eye for such detail is the perfect example of a double-edges sword. Your finds remind me it's a gift.

alaine@éclectique said...

An old, loved coffee mug with a broken handle holds pens and pencils. And a beautiful, square, heavy glass container with a silver lid that once was filled with Calvin Klein Eternity 'creme pour le corps' (body cream), now sits on my desk filled with paperclips. The perfume is still there when I open the lid to retrieve a clip.

Love that Wedgwood creamer!

Reggie Darling said...

A clever post of clever repurposing. We use an old sugar pot that lost its lid for flower arrangements.

Laurie from Laurie Jones Home said...

I love using items for things they are not intended for especially on my desk, it makes things look way more personal! I love your teapot!!

CarolAnne - camdesign said...

Well looking at my desk...I use a Starbucks Tall size mug with a crack in the handle for my special blue ink pens, the round box my bathroom defuzer came in to hold my scales, a sweet stainless sugar holder for my paper clips, another sugar holder for business cards, a tea pot stand for a mug coaster, a crystal vase to hold benjamin moore paint chips and a small two person silver teapot that lost its lid for my pencils...
I love using unexpected pieces for great holders...makes my desk more interesting than one with matching set of stuff from Staples...
Regards, Carol Ann

Anonymous said...

Small niggle (seeing as this is a design blog): that is blue Jasperware, not basalt. Basaltware, like the stone, is black.

Ivy Lane said...

clever and beautiful way to be "green"!!!

Susan said...

What a curiously creative idea - lovely!

The Down East Dilettante said...

1st: Totally agree. In the antiques trade, we call these 'shelf pieces'--nice objects in imperfect condition, with total decorative value. One of the wealthiest women I knew had a glam house filled with elegant 18th century accent pieces, all chipped, cracked, and repaired. She was decorating (beautifully), not collecting, and saw no reason to over-invest.

Now, though anonymous beat me to the basics, the teacher in me can't resist: Jasperware, the ware for which Wedgwood is most famous, was originally developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 18th century, trying to make porcelain copies of an ancient vase known as the Portland vase. The Portland Vase was glass rendered opaque by its years in the ground. One also sees Jasperware in other colorways, to say nothing of its cheaper imitations. Basaltware was an attempt to copy ancient classical objects carved from the stone, and has distinctive matte black or low sheen glaze. And I love it all.

Cheers, and thanks for another great post.

Windlost said...

Gorgeous - you have such lovely taste. Would love to see your whole office at work!

xo Terri

Carole Poirot said...

Yay, spotted the gorgeous box in the background, thanks for the link. The Wedgewood is of course absolutely divine too...oh, yes that was the main reason for this post, oops :-) Love from London x