under $500

Beauty for Monday: Chambers Ranges

by Alexis L. on August 16, 2010

As with most of life’s advantages, I grew up entirely unaware of how lucky I was to learn how to cook on the ’40′s era Chambers stove in my Granny’s house in the 1980′s and 1990′s. It was a vision of white porcelain and chromed dials with all of the mass and class of a mid-cent Cadillac. Certainly it had certain inconveniences (like the manual-light oven) but cooked so much more evenly than modern models. Now, as we are preparing for our home inspection and I get way ahead of myself in thinking about homebuying, I have begun to look at these beautiful works of art again:

via His House, Her Help

I should add that these ranges are relatively affordable, especially in the world of Wolf and Viking. Unrestored, you can find a well-priced Chambers range for anywhere from free – $500. I’d probably pay no more than $300. Restored versions are available for $3K and up but you absolutely don’t need a full restoration on a Chambers to cook on it and admire it. These stoves have tons of features, including the ability to COOK WITH THE HEAT OFF(tm) using retained heat. You can learn more about them at ChambersStoves.net, VintageChambers.com and AntiqueStoves.com.

Are there appliances you think are beautiful? And what images are getting you through the start of this week?

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"Persian Rug and Its New Owners Seek 1 BR in Bklyn"

by Alexis L. on April 20, 2009

Well, I may not yet have an apartment, but thanks to an early birthday present from my husband, I do have a Persian rug.

Fortunoff is going out of business.
It’s a sad mark of the times but they have some incredible deals, including a liquidation sale on all of their Oriental and Persian rugs. With apologies for the poor quality of my cell phone photos, here are some I considered bringing home, all for $600 or less:

But the ultimate winner, at an 80% markdown, was this 100% wool, handknotted and Iranian rug with a sort of graphic punch that I think works well with more modern pieces of furniture.

rug2Ohhh yes.

Yes, this was an impulse buy and I’m probably going to have to work rather hard to weave it into the decorating scheme of our next apartment, wherever that may be, because it is a challenging 4′x11′. But for me a Persian rug is a rather important signature piece, something that makes a real statement in a room (or even just in a hallway). If you should happen to find yourself within driving distance of a Fortunoff, get yourself in those doors and take a look around before they unfortunately close for good.

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Tagged as: deep discount, i bought it, rugs, under $500

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