michaela @ the gardener's eden’s Comments

• Mar 13th, 2010 @ 11:29am

  Made in China or Made at Home

  on Williams Sonoma Nastygrams Blogger Who Helps People Build Their Own Furniture
  Just to add a wrinkle... I flipped over the metal stool at my new home-built kitchen island and guess where it was manufactured? CHINA.
  Think Williams Sonoma is providing fellow Americans with jobs? Sure, minimum wage 'McJobs' at their stores... maybe.
  Buy American or build it yourself. We are in a recession!
• Mar 13th, 2010 @ 5:40am

  Fair Use

  on Williams Sonoma Nastygrams Blogger Who Helps People Build Their Own Furniture
  One of the things that I find amusing about this is the fact that many of the furnishings offered by Pottery Barn, and West Elm, etc. are actually very old designs or, in the case of West Elm, ripped-off from modern masters like Eames, (compare the original items from Design Within Reach to West Elm, and it's obvious). Can they say they actually conceived of the farmhouse table, (Pottery Barn)? The Oval Back Chair, (West Elm), No. Some desperate fella with 12 kids came up with the farmhouse table in maybe 1753. And how about the primitive stools in the West Elm catalogue ? Some old man conceived of that when he wanted to sit down by the fire in Africa. And really, can they say that they disallow use of the photos when sites all over the internet are using them in discussions of how to design a room? It's a weak argument. I tell you what they HAVE accomplished. I occasionally bought items from Pottery Barn and West Elm. No more. They lost my business for good, because I see Ana as a teacher, not someone profiting from stealing designs. THEY are guilty of taking credit for designs, which we all know existed long before they came up with the concept, as I have just shown here. It's pathetic and greedy corporate thinking. I am however happy that this is bringing Ana so much valuable press. :) Go Ana !