Designlabshop

designlabshop.com

Whether you're mad for Mikasa or flip for Fire King, we suspect you'll fall head over heels for designlabshop, a new home for retro housewares online.

Sure, you could spend hours thrifting similar finds, but sometimes the hunt isn't worth the pennies saved. Instead, this e-retailer (there's a brick-and-mortar version in Seattle) is filled with "unique vintage and retro items selected for their great colors, beautiful lines, fun graphics and genuine character."

Owner Cara Piscitello, who operates an architecture and design studio, does have an eye for fun finds -- from mod black and white footed floral mugs to a set of simple teak napkin rings. Fans of faux bois will also love the portafile and metal box, guaranteed to add a woodsy touch to a workspace.

Prices generally hover around $30, though some single items come in closer to $14. The real question is... just how much is your time worth?

Visit the store page

Designlabshop

Website:	designlabshop.com

Categories:	vintage, decorative accessories, tabletop & servingware, tabletop & servingware

Comments (8)

haha I just bought one of those old school Port-a-File boxes for hiding magazines.

posted by Kimber on September 17th 2008 at 4:00pm
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Wow, and I'm glad I only spent $1.25 on mine. Design Lab has them for $32!

posted by Kimber on September 17th 2008 at 4:02pm
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I'm amused by this: while I'm happy to buy Midwinter or Mikasa Duplex sets online, I can find metal serving trays at the local Value Village.

The fun part is the hunt.

posted by jrochest on September 17th 2008 at 5:58pm
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They have a lot of really cute clocks but many of them aren't working. :-(

posted by Monica on September 18th 2008 at 6:48am
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Those prices are rather hilarious actually - I have the exact milk glass vase that they are selling for $32.00. Mine was 99 cents and they are very common. I guess there are a lot of people out there that don't actually like the search at goodwill or value village.

posted by twenty twenty-one on September 18th 2008 at 7:42am
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I don't know what kind of Goodwill stores you guys have by you, or what kind of time you have to look through all the junk, but my Goodwill stores certainly don't have anything like what is on the Design Lab site. I like their stuff and would be willing to pay a little extra for someone else to do the hunting.

posted by bostonite on September 18th 2008 at 9:20am
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I happen to be incredibly lucky to have four Goodwills (and twelve other thrift stores) within 10 miles of me that I consistently find amazing things at. I guess I also happen to be lucky that I'm a photographer and only need to work six days a month to pay the bills, so I have plenty of time to scavenge. And honestly, all it takes is 30 minutes out of your week to browse a thrift store opposed to the 30 minutes you'd spend on your derriere browsing websites.

I'm just sayin.

Pay $32 for something that you can get for $1. Why? If Florida and MA thrift stores really differ that much in merchandise, I can understand just buying it online somewhere. I think the hunt is the best part. Then again, perhaps I should take advantage of those who don't want to hunt themselves and open up a shop. Hmmm...

posted by Kimber on September 18th 2008 at 10:16am
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kimber - well put and my exact thoughts!

posted by twenty twenty-one on September 18th 2008 at 2:02pm
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