Things I’m Loving Now

Something geometric to gaze at something classic to adorn my tootsies a European design that marries form and function = happy girl.

Isn’t this wall fab? I love triangles and the distressed metallic color but I can’t paint, much less stencil, to save my life. No problem says Mur of Salt Lake City. These removable wall designs are easy to put on and take off. This means I can arrange triangles to my heart’s content until I achieve perfection. Image via merchant site.

For those of you who know me well, you had to know this was coming. A girl can’t sell all her heels without finding a few replacements. I’m feeling a bit retro lately and have started to obsess about the “in” shoes from my years right out of college (by in, I mean with the office lady crowd). The Salvatore Ferragamo Vara shoe style was born in 1978 and is still going strong 35 years later. In the years since I began to see the Vara as an older woman shoe (of course that older woman was carrying Chanel and driving a Mercedes to Ala Moana Shopping Center). Now that I’m revisiting the more practical dress shoe, I’ve fallen in love with the Vara all over again. The Vara isn’t cheap so it’s more of a wish list item right now. Eventually I’d love to have two pairs, one black and a taupe. The Vara also looks chic with the clothes of today. I love the basic black with leggings or a dark skinny jean. The taupe would be great with a dress with an architectural hem or modern draping. If you don’t believe how current the Vara can look, just watch this beautiful video, 21 Girls 21 Days, starring the Vara. Image via one of my favorite online shoe destinations, Zappos.

I’ve been researching kneeling chairs for a long time and finally took the plunge (or you could say I was pushed in head first by my recent nerve issues). I didn’t feel quite comfortable with most kneelers as those appeared to put the user in a kneeling position all day. As I read more about the Variable Balans chair by Varier, I was convinced. This chair is referred to as an active chair as it is intended to help the user vary their position throughout the day. There is also a back (not pictured and an add-on), which is a slim and curved piece of wood. The Balans was designed in Switzerland and many reviewers spoke about having, using and loving their chairs for 20 years. The Balans was two to three times as much as cheaper versions but I went for it and have no regrets. I’ve had the chair for a week now and have seen such an improvement. My legs no longer feel numb or get crampy for an extended period of time while sitting and my lower back doesn’t bother me as much either. I’m only 5’1″ with shorter legs so most office chairs have seats that are much too large for me to properly support my back and legs. With this chair, I sometimes kneel on two legs but I can also put both legs up on the front pads, put one leg up/one leg down or kneel on one leg/the other leg down. The chair rocks so as you kneel on it, you rock forward and your back stays aligned in the proper neutral position. The idea is when my legs need a break from one position I can easily switch to another and I’m less fatigued by the end of the day. That said, you do still need to be very aware of your posture but with the Balans I find it much easier to recognize my poor posture, adjust accordingly and maintain the proper alignment than I could with any traditional office chair. Another caveat is it is difficult to sit in this chair in a soft drapey jersey or silk material as I felt like I was sliding with my beloved maxi skirts on. I’ve been fine wearing jeans. The traditional Balans comes with a birch frame and different color options for the upholstery. Mine is birch with black but I think this all black is rather nice too and both options have a timeless style that works well with modern or traditional furnishings. I bought my chair on Amazon and the back from ErgoDepot but I loved the way one of my favorite sites, AllModern showed how lovely this piece can look in an home office space. Image via AllModern.

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