thomas o'brien: vintage modern
everyone and there brother has been buzzing about thomas o'brien's new collection for target and well, with good reason. the collection is full of affordable (yes, affordable!) classic pieces that would mix and match well into any home decor. classic bureaus and coffee tables mix well with o'brien's soft, neutral palette that extends not only to furniture and tableware, but linens as well. most pieces are simple and classic enough to really work well with most anyone's decor and at these prices (for the most part) they'll work with most anyone's budget. you can view the entire collection online right here. enjoy!
Labels: accessories, furniture
posted by design*sponge @ 10.11.05
20 Comments:
i'm a big fan of target and affordable design, but i'd suggest checking these items out in person before buying, as the things i've seen on display are really chintzy
A second on the chitz factor of the Thomas O'Brien Collection at Target. I had all of these torn-out pages from Elle Decor of pieces I was dying to get, hauled myself out to Target and didn't get a thing once I saw them in person. Things just looked, well, cheap.
am I the only one who thinks all of it's BORING?!
the furniture chips rather easily :(
as pretty as the o'brien stuff is, i'm just sticking with the decor and accessories, but i don't think i'm going to buy furniture from there anymore.
he makes nice stationery too though!
Yup. That's the problem with the Targetification of design. Pretty but boring and totally crap. Why waste your money on something destined for the landfill. Just because it's got a "famous designer name" attached doesn't make it good. I feel the same way about Nate Berkus' stuff for Linens and Things. Cheap is cheap and looks cheap. Lets get some quality and uniqueness in affordable design.
I live in Japan {and I read design Sponge!} so my exposure to Target's designer series is limited to a few sightings, but the consensus seems to be...bravo for the effort, but why bother if it's crap. It seems to me they should be making it all for a little more cost, and putting more into the quality. I want to buy design reasonably, but I want to buy it to keep... not throw away every year.
A 3rd for the chintz factor. They weren't completely awful, but they make ikea stuff seem rock solid. The little round coffee table is kinda neat though...
Some of it is nice (the nesting tables and the oversized desk, for example), and I love and bought the task lamp and some of the bedding, but on the whole, I agree that most of the furniture isn't of very good quality and definitely looks cheap. My other complaint is that the pictures you see in Domino/Elle Decor/the ads make the furniture look MUCH larger than it actually is (like that little white and black table, it's TINY, when I saw a pic of it, I thought it would be at least side table or coffee table sized, it's like children's sized). Oh well.
I bought the plates and bowls and couldn't go wrong with the $2.99 leather pot holder.
I love the look of the side table with the big silver knob, but in person, the quality is awful. Worse yet, much of it seems to get damaged in shipping.
I vote for the accessories and skip the rest of it.
Anyone else like Target's new line of Mizrahi stuff? I really like the red paisely bedspread, but for $90, I'm holding off until I can hear about the quality.
I agree with nearly everyone. I think the accesories (and the table lamps... love those!) are great for the price. The furniture's much chintzier than IKEA. I played with one of the side tables a bit (the one that looks like a Jonathan Adler rip-off) and the wood felt more like styrofoam.
Nice collection, shame about the quality. Just wanted to say I hope he pays his royalties to Mathieu Mategot for his "TV dinner" ripped off table.
I bought a NO NAME pen last year in New York for $20 and I just saw the EXACT same pen in the Target collection for $5.99. If he didn't really design it, then why is he putting his name on it?
Not only are the items cheaply made,they don't hold a candle to Ikea - I have purchased numerous items from Ikea years ago and they have held up and still look good. As far as quality with O'Brien, Pottery Barn's furniture is great style but also poor quality and chips immmediately upon arrival. None of these items at PB are real wood just chip board. I purchased othe furniture items at Cost Plus and love them for their durability after years of use.
While I agree that the quality of many of the pieces in the line are quite shoddy the overall look of the collection is quite nice if you can get past the nonexistent merchandising of the collection within Target stores. Though there are definite standouts in the collection. The nesting tables are tre chic for the price as are the small enamelled Mategot-inspired side tables. The lighting collection on the whole I believe was a success. Where else but IKEA can you purchase stylish lighting for under 50 dollars? Come on? As for the quality.....keep in mind you are purchasing furniture from TARGET, not Baker. Although Baker isn't what it used to be there are cost limitations in any mass market discount chain such as TARGET. If you like Thos. designs for TARGET and want a little more quality save up a few bucks and splurge on his line for Hickory chair, or even better find the original that inspired him in your local antique store or mall!
I purchased the checkerboard wool runner in tan/black squares. It is just the perfect rug in front of the kitchen sink. It pulled my whole room together and is what I've been looking for at least for 10 years!
What about the bedding? Has anyone had it for an extended amount of time? If so, how's it holding up? LIke you said, the Vintage Modern is on like half off at Target, but I don't want to have to replace it in a year, since that is what I am doing with what we bought only two years ago.
I ordered some online and I like it pretty well. I haven't had it quite a year yet, but so far so good.
His pillows are outstanding, they match almost everything in my natural colored condo. the bedding is also very amazing, I bought a huge blanket for 20 bucks at Target! It's the best blanket for movie watching. As for his furniture, I've never seen it..Only online.
Ta
Has anyone tried the bathrugs? I'm afraid the hook-style rugs will just look flat and nasty in awhile...esp. if they aren't good quality.
love the table lamps- they're pretty sturdy and look comparable to crate and barrel lamps i was drooling over; however, AVOID the bathrugs! your suspicion was right- they look flat and nasty after awhile.
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