IT’S JUST SCREAMING FOR A HOTWHEEL, but loope is intended mainly for oh-so-practical adult sensibilities. Made from red oak, a single loope offers seating for two that is not quite intimate yet not quite exposed; high density foam padding keeps tushes comfy. Conceptually several variations have been explored with modularity in mind; we personally would have killed for an endlessly looping tunnel if we were still in grade school.
Via: Yanko Design
NO NEED TO CHECK THE LEGS, your table isn’t lopsided: CB2’s Planet Dinnerware has a definite slant that will drive compulsive tabletop arrangers nuts. Dipped in white glaze and featuring a low-cut profile, these oval plates aren’t quite minimalist but definitely have a chic appeal. Viewed from above, their slightly skewed and stretched shape instantly conjures up memories of mod patterns, making these ideal for retro dinner parties.
$3.95-$5.95, cb2.com
Blogged with Flock
AS BATHTUBS GO Kali’-Art appears a bit on the slim side, but its dimensions are fairly standard at 30 inches in width. Its svelte form is owed to its minimal curves and clean lines; wrapped in wood and leather with an acrylic interior, the modernist bathtub comes optionally with two marine plywood headrests that are more ideal as back supports. The wood is available in oak or wenge; the leather in black or brown; standalone, peninsula and corner variants are available.
wsbathcollections.com
Via Trendir
TUFTS GENERALLY ACT as an innocuous backdrop for more grandiose design elements, but not so with Tufty Time. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, this seating collection of traditional sofas, corner sofas and islands is consumed by tufting to the point that they seem to be composed of discrete cubes. Even the seatbacks and arms are an exercise in geometric blocks, stacked and arranged according to rows and columns. This deference to straight-laced coordinate axes ironically serves as a catalyst for modular creativity, as pieces can be freely joined to each other like building blocks.
bebitalia.it
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GLOW: Cj O’Neill’s Solas Lighting seems to hover in mid-air with special acrylic brackets that offset them slightly from the wall. Graphics such as flying birds, swirling dots and arrows are all applied to give a sense of movement, while simultaneously adding further contrast to the light emanating within. Although carried internationally, Solas Lighting is available in the US at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.
cjoneill.co.uk
WITH A FEW NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS office chairs tend to follow fairly tried and true formulas for design, since ergonomics necessarily rank first in importance. Ergonomics and design aren’t completely incompatible however, as evidenced by HAG’s Conventio Wing chairs. While the bifold crease is largely for looks, the ventilated polypropylene shell definitely helps to keep things cool and comfy. Available in stacking as well as more traditional wheeled versions, these chairs are also 100% recyclable.
izzydesign.com
I was recently in Los Angeles for the Southern California Home & Garden show. On my way to Anaheim, I spent the night in Beverly Hills at the Avalon Hotel. It's a former retirement home-turned-boutique hotel that's been around for a few years.
As an editor with Country Home magazine, my aesthetic is normally drawn to a more comfortable and Americana style...not a modernist one. But still, I can appreciate good design when I see it.
These chaise lounge chairs are simple aluminum frames with super-durable string just wrapped around and around the frame. Quite comfortable, actually.
But the flea market junkie inside of me wonders if I could make this. Could I go find some old outdoor furniture, remove the plastic straps, strip the paint off to reveal the galvanized finish, and then wrap rope around and around to re-create this?
When I move to a new home with a big backyard, I'm going to give that idea a try. It's either going to be spectacular or the biggest DIY disaster of my life.
For as long as I can remember, one of the earliest eco-friendly, recycled pieces of furniture I've seen was recycled milk jug outdoor furniture. LL Bean manufactures a line of side tables and Adirondack chairs made from the stuff. It's eco-friendly because it takes milk jugs (and margarine tubs) and recycles it into durable "lumber." That lumber is then cut and fabricated into furniture. But since then, not much has been done to create updated and fresher designs with the material. Well, that is until now...
When I was at the Southern CA Home & Garden show, I quickly fell in love with pieces from a Minneapolis based company called LOLL Designs. They took the recycled milk jug lumber and made fresh, simple and colorful outdoor furniture. When I spoke with the owner, he said the color never fades (A+!), doesn't chip and you could leave it outside in the winter--uncovered---and it'll be good as new in the Spring.
Aren't these chairs great? And the white color is perfect for summertime use because it'll reflect the hot ray's of the sun instead of absorbing them. And the clean, simple aesthetic can work in almost any decor. I can easily see these on a front porch or a grouping of them around a big copper firepit outside.
This picnic set is what we showed on CBS The Early Show. Here, it's pictured in black. But I think the whole set would look better in their other color palettes: a chocolate brown base with a deep red table top with matching deep red or brown stools.
Check out more at www.lolldesigns.com
Going through my digital files today and I came across some scoutings shots of Matteo Home exhibiting at the NY International Gift Fair.
If you live in New York City, you can see an extensive collection of their bedding at ABC Carpet and Home. The line (and ABC Carpet & Home) are really must-see visits if you're ever in the Big Apple.
Anyway, what I love about Matteo is their simplistic and honest approach to bedding: good high-count textiles, simple and muted colors, understated by luxurious design. You'll never see sequins or or loud stripes or trendy patterns. It's all timeless in approach.
This year, Matteo is launching an organic line of bedding, towels and accessories (like bath robes). But until then, here are some shots of their collection..
Some throws and blankets. Has a vintage, historical feel to it...
And a muted floral pattern pillow that feels Shabby Chic, but a bit more masculine in it's approach. I could see these used in a guest room or loaded up on the front porch in the summer.
I'm on location this week working on a Country Home magazine photo shoot, so these posts are coming late. In other words, I'm going through my archives and seeing what neat-o things I've missed I can share as I drink my well-deserved glass of wine after a very very long day.
Okay, how about this? TerraSkin "paper." It's a tree-free paper that's made entirely out of reclaimed mineral powder and resin; no water is used to make the paper and it feels like a smooth, luxurious paper perfect for booklets, labels and shopping bags. The best part? It breaks down back into natural mineral powder if you ever throw it out.
A bit from the company on TerraSkin:
Terraskin® fits the bill as an environmentally friendly production material. Comprised of 75 percent recycled mineral powder and 25 percent resin, unlike standard paper production, no water is required in the production of this paper. The paper can be safely incinerated and recycled using exactly the same methods as matt laminated packaging. Meanwhile, waste paper breaks down under natural light over a period of approximately 9months, returning to its original powder state.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City was one of the first end users to put Terraskin® into use. Since 2006, MoMA has used Terraskin® for gift boxing and packaging in its stores.
You may have thoughts tennis balls were just for tennis - but creative Dutch designer Tejo Remy has found a another use for the bright yellow bouncy felt-and-rubber balls. The same material qualities that make tennis balls bright, bouncy and easy-to-spot make for seating that is comfortable, sturdy, and extremely eye-catching. While many museum goers observe works of art perched upon the usual wooden bench, visitors at Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen are able to sit and stare in style on these colorful and clever tennis ball benches designed by Tejo Remy and Rene VeenHuizen.
Preparing for its big debut in Los Angeles this fall, the WIRED Living Home is making quite a splash. We’ve written about Steve Glenn’s Living Homes prefab company before, and touted the houses’ green design innovations by renown architect Ray Kappe, but this recent collaboration with WIRED Magazine is taking prefab to a new and “high tech, low impact” level. The WIRED Living Home will combine all the green elements we love, from the reuse of building materials and a LEED® Gold rating to passive heating and cooling and solar power. Combine all that with some cutting-edge technologies, like automated theatre, temperature, and lighting, and you’ve got yourself a 4,000 square foot masterpiece of green design.
Using everyday objects as design inspiration is nothing new, but rarely do we see it executed in such a poetic and gorgeous way as Steven Haulenbeek’s Cumulus Light Canopy made from simple white photographers’ translucent “shoot-through” umbrellas. The umbrellas, which can be arranged in various configurations and numbers, making the system fully scalable, creates a cloudlike form (hence the name ‘Cumulus’) while making the umbrella a playful light fixture rather than a shield from the dreary rain.
We fight them in our gardens and in the cracks of our sidewalks, but there's something delicate and beautiful about these cultivated weeds.
No word on whether the Interior Weeds planter will be available for sale.
Via Josh Spear.
We don't grow a lot of cherries in Texas. To my knowledge, we don't grow any. It's just too hot. Luckily, they still find their way to our tables via the local grocery store. And this year they are spectacular.
Every time I eat cherries, I can't help but think of the scene from The Witches of Eastwick. I won't get into the details. It's just too early. But those pits can be avoided all together if you use this cherry pitter from Oxo. It takes out those stones in one swift swoop.
Via The Kitchen.
Matthias Pliessnig’s most recent chairs are the Delapitated Flow of steam bent oak and the Point Network of steam bent ash and oak. Both seats, which curve beautifully, can be used as loungers to stretch out and relax in or as benches. Pliessnig’s work as a sculptor comes through in the execution of the fluidity of the forms of these graceful seats, as well as his work in boat building.
