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These Aren’t Your Grandma’s Rocking Chairs

By Kelsey Machado Oct 26, 2017 11:00 AM

A rocking chair may not be the first piece that come to mind when you’re looking to furnish your home. While your grandmother may love her Windsor rocker — as cozy as it may be — those chairs don’t exactly scream “stylish”. Finding a rocking chair that is as sleek as it is comfortable is easier than you think. You just have to know where to look. These three companies are leading a rocking chair revolution that will have you itching to add one to your home.

Ikea Gronadal, $249

Ikea Gronadal — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When Ikea released its fall catalog over the summer, the design world did a collective gasp. The company has built an iconic style at affordable prices — which isn’t necessarily a good thing. While nice to look at, the furniture wasn’t always regarded as the best quality. And then came the autumn collection. It’s full of fresh ideas, high-quality materials, and pieces that are making us rethink just what the “Ikea look” means. The Gronadal rocking chair is an ideal example of the new image. Stylish natural materials, a touch of brushed metal, and the Scandinavian simplicity that minimalist homes crave — the Gronadal is quickly going to become this generation’s front porch rocker.

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Mexa Ixtapa, $500

Mexa Ixtapa — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Does a rocking chair have a place in an urban industrial space? It does if it’s the handmade Ixtapa Leather Rocking Chair from Mexa. The powder-coated steel frame is made by certified welders. From there, artisan weavers skillfully form the soft leather seat. The finishing touch is the solid walnut wood rockers. All come together to create a masculine, slightly gritty chair that is sure to be your favorite seat in the house.

Joybird Paley, $719

Joybird Paley — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Joybird has secured itself as the source for contemporary mid-century modern furniture. From seating to storage to decor, they have everything you need to create a stylish, mid-century-inspired home. The Paley rocking chair is no exception. The simple lines of the handmade beech wood frame are reminiscent of the early designs of the 1950s. The cushions are customizable and available in a variety of classic and contemporary colors. It’s the perfect blend of old meets new.

Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for… Read Full Bio

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What Is a Cigar Without the Perfect Pair? What to Drink With Your Favorite Stick

cigar on an old fashioned

Chocolate and peanut butter. Beer and pizza. Buzz and Woody. Ruth and Gherig. There are just some things that work well together. And no matter what you do, you will never beat them and spend all of your time trying to find a more iconic pair than what already exists. I can count on one hand how many times I have smoked a cigar without an old fashioned in the other hand. And, there is a reason there aren’t more times…because, honestly, why would I waste the time smoking without drinking? Why would I waste chocolate without peanut butter? Why would I waste beer without pizza? I wouldn’t. And the Yankees wouldn’t have been the same without Murderer’s Row. And Toy Story would have been nothing without the rivals-to-friends of Buzz and Woody.

But how do you pair a cigar with the right drink? For me, bourbon mixed with sugar, bitters, and a bit of fruit is a good combination with anything. But I reached out to John Gaglio from La Aurora to get a little more guidance on how to deepen my pairing of the two, and here is what I learned.

Do you know the myth of Napoleon (the pig…not the man)

Napoleon

One of the many times I watched The Gentlemen, I laughed at the scene where Matthew (Jeremy Strong) joked that it was illegal in France to name a pig Napoleon. Of course, there are ridiculous laws all over the place. Want a few? In Georgia, it is illegal to eat fried chicken with a fork. In Arkansas, it is against the law to say the name incorrectly. Which means Bill Clinton would have come after me for years of me saying “ARE-Kansas.” It is prohibited to sleep on top of a refrigerator in Pennsylvania. That means my cat is a thug in Penn. And one of my favorites: It is illegal for unmarried women to parachute on Sundays.

The point is that there are crazy laws all over the place that seem completely ridiculous, and there is almost always a story behind them. So, is the Napoleon pig law a real thing? Is it illegal to raise a swine and name it after the legendary French Emperor? Well, let’s dig in. Why? Because I am a nerd and I need company in the weeds.

Who does James Bond work for? And is MI6 real?

James Bond Specter double breasted

We have some news on the movement of the next James Bond. According to reports, we are looking at the final four (we know of three). Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk), Callum Turner (Eternity, One Night Only), and Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Challengers) are all in the final running to portray the next 007. We also, allegedly, have a fourth, unannounced actor in the running. But of course we do. And since we have news and movement on the James Bond front, I started thinking about what the next movie will be about. That took me down a rabbit hole, and I landed on a question. What is MI6? James Bond’s employer is a shadowy government agency, like Jason Bourne’s Treadstone or Ethan Hunt’s Impossible Mission Force (IMF). But there is one major difference between them and the organization that signs 007’s paychecks.

His is real.