Spruce Up Your Digs: Overstock.com To The Rescue

There are lots of reasons I should never watch the design show “Sarah’s House” on HGTV. One reason is the show always makes me want to move to Canada. Because it’s filmed in Canada, and everyone on it -- even the general contractor! -- is so damn nice.  

Also, the show always makes me want to move directly into one of the houses Sarah has redesigned in her nice, Canadian way. The houses are smashing. And since I can’t live in one of them, the gears of my brain start turning to figure out ways I can make my house more like Sarah’s. The only way this can be accomplished is by spending lots of money and time (neither of which I have in plentiful supply after this Bacchanalian holiday season).

So I’ve had to content myself with adopting a few Sarah-esque design elements and call it good. I did this recently by swapping out kitchen stools.

Sarah favors a tasteful, eclectic look that she achieves by curating delightful objects found on forays to charming boutiques. I also favor an eclectic look but mine is achieved by speed shopping the aisles of Pier One, Target and Home Goods.

And none of these spots had kitchen stools that were functional yet funky and under $500. Enter my new favorite store: overstock.com. This online furniture retailer carries all kinds of furniture items for deeply discounted prices and a $1 shipping fee.(Click this link to go to overstock.com and see the fabulous stools -- 2 for $90.)

 Overstock had the exact same funky, metal stools as the Sundance catalogue, but for a far less Sundance-y price. I ordered some up, and they are now one of my favorite parts of the kitchen. And I got them in a fabulous orange color, which provides a pleasing symmetry with the orange color in the painting I have eclectically propped over the stove.

Kitchens should be functional, yes. But they can also be fashionable, with the help of places like overstock.com. And with cooks like guru girl at the helm they can also be exciting, as when I accidentally set fire to the frame of my eclectically propped painting. Perhaps I will do a cooking podcast some day soon. It shall be called “Watch This Mother Burn”.