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Ellen Richardson, a graphic designer and Pleasant Plains resident, recently took her Craigslist hunting skills to the next level with the launch of her blog, Listed District. Listed District offers daily DC Craigslist findings of everything from Mid-Century and Industrial furniture, to bikes and the utterly strange.  Every week Ellen is going to share a roundup of some Phenomenal Finds with PoPville.

“It’s not the having, it’s the getting.”
-Elizabeth Taylor

As you’ve probably been able to tell, I’m drawn mostly to mid century and industrial pieces…my house is pretty much stocked exclusively with teak, walnut, and rust. So, for today’s Listed District finds, we’ll focus on something a little different – Hollywood Regency. As those who love it know, the Regency style is punctuated with over-the-top details and glamorous finishes (think, ‘Joan Crawford-meets-Palm Beach/Vegas’). Current designers are finding inspiration in the vintage (and still very pricey) designs of William Haines and Dorothy Draper. Jonathan Adler shares his thoughts on the style: “I define Hollywood Regency as Neo-classical lines mixed with Hollywood glamour and a top note of mod moxie. Hollywood Regency was a style of architecture and decoration popular in the 60s in LA that was a revival of classical regency style through a modern lens. Hollywood Regency added a layer of pattern and decoration and opulence and glamour to the minimalism of mid-century modernism.” -so wise.

It’s true, new Regency-style pieces are not always for the budget conscious. But, ironically enough, this style lends itself incredibly well to the savvy DIY Craigslist/thrift shopper. Everything that the mid century aficionado may hate about your Grandmother’s overstuffed and tasseled ottoman is what makes the well-trained Regency stylist swoon. Craigslist and local thrift stores are overflowing with unwanted pieces that just need a new luxurious lacquer paint job (DIY with high-gloss spray paint!). So, if you’re tired of all this mid century modern crap (it’s not crap and I love it…), then ‘glam it up’ with a little inspiration from the likes of Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler. Happy hunting!

• Light skinned, Dominican Female
• 12 years old
• Approx. 5’ 6” tall and 130 lbs.
• Long sandy brown hair, possibly in a ponytail
• Wearing blue or green t-shirt, khaki pants, and a blue hoodie
• Last seen being dropped off at school at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Otis Place, NW at 7:07 AM
• Do not think it was a runaway
• Honor roll student and athlete

MPD has escalated the search to a critical missing persons case.

UPDATE: 12:03am “The child has been found and is now safe. Thank you, MPD.”

Thanks to everyone who wrote in and tweeted about Vento Restaurant getting papered over at 2120 P Street, NW. While their website is still active, the phone number listed has been disconnected. Vento replaced Stars Bistro in Aug. 2010. Not sure who is moving into the space but I’ll be sure to update when more info becomes available.

Ellen Richardson, a graphic designer and Pleasant Plains resident, recently took her Craigslist hunting skills to the next level with the launch of her blog, Listed District. Listed District offers daily DC Craigslist findings of everything from Mid-Century and Industrial furniture, to bikes and the utterly strange.  Every week Ellen is going to share a roundup of some Phenomenal Finds with PoPville.

“A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it.”
-William Feather

Let’s face it – we mostly shop on Craigslist ’cause it’s cheap. Sure, I love to drool over the occasional wildly over-priced finds (and I have been known to pay a little too much for a few of mine…), but mostly, we just want to find a great deal! To me, a Craigslist find is considered a “good deal” when it happens to possess a magical combination of interconnected qualities.

First and foremost, the price! Second, location. And, lastly, how badly do I want it? What is it worth to me? I said that these qualities are connected: is the steel tanker desk priced at $400 worth the time and energy that it takes for me to venture out to the far reaches of the galaxy (and by the far reaches of the “galaxy” I DO mean the far reaches of “Virginia”)? Probably not. I once traipsed across the back woods of Maryland for an entire Saturday to purchase and pick up a ridiculously cheap set of eight GoodForm aluminum chairs. Was it worth it? Yes! …if only the guy had returned my call (womp womp). I imagine it works the same way for someone outside the District facing the proposition of spending a weekend creeping through DC alleys to pick up their own finds – it’s just gotta be worth it!

At under $100, today’s Listed District finds gets at least one of my personal criteria right. The other two are up to you – happy hunting!

All the finds after the jump. (more…)

From an email:

What’s a pie CSA subscription? Kinda like what it sounds – sign up on our website to get a pie a week for a month. Like sweet pie? Get a sweet pie every week. Like savory pie? You can get that too. Like them both? Get them both.

Of course, you’ll only make a long term commitment like that for some seriously good pie. So thank goodness we sell some seriously good, one-of-a-kind pies. We only sell two types of pie a week – one sweet and one savory – so we can work with the freshest local ingredients from the farmers’ market. Our pie flavors change from week to week, depending on what’s in season. Like this week – our sweet pie is pear and ginger pie (with pears from Kuhn’s orchards) and our savory is a kale and cheddar quiche (kale is from Garner’s Produce). Our flavors run the gamut from traditional classics (when strawberries come into season we’re doing strawberry rhubarb, because there’s no way to improve on strawberry rhubarb) to completely original (savory apple pie with blue cheese and caramelized onions? We’re totally doing that come fall). Oh, and our carefully crafted crust is full of flaky layers of buttery goodness.

To get the pies, people can order through our website by Tuesday, and pick up that Friday or Saturday at our four pick up locations throughout DC. People can buy the pies we’re offering that week, or they can make a longer-term pie commitment and sign up for the CSA. And we have two sizes of pie – nine inch (six to eight servings), and six inch (two servings).

Ellen Richardson, a graphic designer and Pleasant Plains resident, recently took her Craigslist hunting skills to the next level with the launch of her blog, Listed District. Listed District offers daily DC Craigslist findings of everything from Mid-Century and Industrial furniture, to bikes and the utterly strange.  Every week Ellen is going to share a roundup of some Phenomenal Finds with PoPville.

A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.
-John le Carre

Controlling clutter is one of my biggest downfalls – I hope I’m not the only one. If not kept in control, almost every surface in my house (especially my desk) is quickly covered in everything from sticky notes to unopened mail, to old pen tops. This is why I love drawers – because, when my desk or night stand becomes overwhelmed, I can briskly shove all of that stuff, Mary Poppins-style, into the abyss (I know, it’s a ridiculous way to live and Mary Poppins would not approve).

Organized drawers and a clean workspace can be a pretty priceless thing for many people, and doing it with style is just the icing on the cake. Sitting at my clean teak floating-top desk makes me feel like I can accomplish anything, and it never fails to get compliments from visitors. Today’s Listed District finds offers up some stylish and functional storage and surface options – check out that steal of tanker desk!

Phenomal Finds after the jump. (more…)

Last week we noted the great tree blooms, this week the azaleas are awesome. This is one of my favorites from Harvard St, NW between Adams Morgan and Mt. Pleasant.

Ellen Richardson, a graphic designer and Pleasant Plains resident, recently took her Craigslist hunting skills to the next level with the launch of her blog, Listed District. Listed District offers daily DC Craigslist findings of everything from Mid-Century and Industrial furniture, to bikes and the utterly strange.  Every week Ellen is going to share a roundup of some Phenomenal Finds with PoPville.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
-William Morris

So far, the Phenomenal Finds series has been based on loose themes/groupings of items. Today? Not so much. After a hectic week of posting too few items over at Listed District, I returned to Craigslist to find way too much good stuff – I couldn’t pick just one theme!

Like most people, I initally started combing Craigslist because I was on a super budget – a “I just moved to DC alone with only what would fit in my car and I get paid less than $800 a month” kind of budget. But as time went on, I was drawn to the uniqueness of my CL finds. More often than not, things had a story and I felt good about not buying brand new from a big-box store. Don’t get me wrong – I love brand new stuff! But the   thrill of the CL hunt is rewarding to both my soul and my bank account.

Your home is your sanctuary and your castle and, hopefully, a reflection of your tastes and life story. Fill it with things that matter to you and say something about where you’ve been and where you are (and no, you don’t have to be a hoarder like me to accomplish that…sometimes less is more). So, in the spirit of personal expression, today’s Listed District Phenomenal Finds simply features stuff I like. Hopefully you like them too…!

All the finds after the jump. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user theupper

You can talk about whatever is on your mind – quality of life issues, a beautiful tree you spotted, scuttlebutt, or any random questions/thoughts you may have. But please no personal attacks. I’ll open this thread every morning at 10am.

Ellen Richardson, a graphic designer and Pleasant Plains resident, recently took her Craigslist hunting skills to the next level with the launch of her blog, Listed District. Listed District offers daily DC Craigslist findings of everything from Mid-Century and Industrial furniture, to bikes and the utterly strange.  Every week Ellen is going to share a roundup of some Phenomenal Finds with PoPville.

“A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous.”
-Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Wikipedia (which is always right…right?) tells us that it wasn’t until the Renaissance that “the chair ceased to be a privilege of state, and became a standard item of furniture for anyone who could afford to buy it.” Chairs have evolved to embody and employ endless amounts of form, function, and technology. I myself am fairly chair-obsessed…our framed Vitra Museum poster depicting chairs throughout history immobilizes almost everyone who falls into its clutches (you can get yours at the National Building Museum’s gift shop).

Craigslist and local shops have done their fair share of enabling my obsession – a few years of collecting has rendered more than a few cherished finds (the latest being these stupendous theater seats picked up from Miss Pixies – we use them in our entry way). My most favorite chair in the house happens to be a Craigslist-hunted imitation Barcelona chair and ottoman – it’s situated in the sunny bay of our row house, with a sheepskin thrown over. Where is your favorite chair? What is it’s story?

Today’s Listed District Phenomenal finds rounds up a few options to rest your heart (and your behind) on…

$20 – Eames-Style Shell Chair

$25 – Modern Leather Bouncer

$45 – Industrial Side Chair

$60 – Vintage Foot Stool

$100 – Mid Century Lounger

$100 – Pair MCM Dining Chairs

$125 – GoodForm Desk Chair

$700 – New MCM Brown Tweed Chair and Ottoman