Thinglink.com announced yesterday what they are calling “a new social media for design lovers”. As far as I can tell it’s a design catalogue with all the usual big hitters like Martela, Eero Aarnio, Artek, Iittala, and Marimekko. What sets it apart from all the other design catalogues out there is the “social” part. According to the thinglink blog;

Designers and brands who upload their catalogs to thinglink.com can build a community of fans around their products. Design enthusiasts who join the conversation on thinglink.com can post messages about their latest discoveries, ask and answer questions about new and vintage products, and share photos of their favorite design objects in real life settings.

Unfortunately everything is currently in private beta, so unless you have an invite there’s not a whole lot social about it. If anyone wants to send an invite with me, hit me up on twitter @creede.

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I saw this little DIY project recently on one of my favorite blogs, Plastolux. Get a couple of old Bose speaker stands, some fiber board, and paint and you’ve got yourself a Saarinen side table! Very, very cool. Great job, Tyler! See more and read about the process here.

Made your own version of a classic? Share your projects (and any relevant links)!

Love this eco-friendly bedding from Unison. Curl up in one of their organic blankets and celebrate Earth Day all year long! Be sure to check out their pillows and table linens as well.

Happy Earth Day!

More about Unison:
Unison was formed by Robert Segal + Alicia Rosauer with the vision that modern design can be a livable, breathable, everyday part of life. After four years of designingliving in Finland, they decided to bring their design sensibilities back to America. Robert and Alicia combine their extensive background of textile design and photography to creaand te products that offer a minimalist style with emphasis on color and innovative print design.


Bedding and Linens from Unison available from Design Public: $24 - $220

The reason I started Grassrootsmodern was because I was discouraged by the lack of affordability in modern architecture and interior design. My own personal quest lead me to buy a 700 square foot home and add 600 modern square feet off the back. (That story started here) Acting as general contractor we were able to pull it off for around $100 a square foot. The secret, sweat equity.

The folks over at Simplemodernhomes.com have taken it one step further. The owner Caleb had the advantage of being an architect fresh out of school. He and his wife designed and built the gorgeous 1400 square foot home shown above for only $70,000. The $50 a square foot price didn’t come without a lot of work, but it does prove that if you want something bad enough you can achieve it. When I asked Caleb the secret to affordable modern design, he said;

First, to be grassroots and affordable, you have to be willing to sweat a lot, and bleed some. Doing things ourselves is what makes us grassroots. People always used to build their own homes, and in the last century we’ve come to the mindset that “I can’t do that myself”, and “bigger is definitely better.” I believe that when thinking about affordable housing, design to your families needs, whether that’s 800 sf or 2000 sf. Use materials that are common and durable. Design with common dimensions in mind. Use materials that are easy to install, and always build for a hurricane. Andy Byrnes of The Construction Zone, LTD. in Phoenix said, “There is only one acceptable craft on any project, that is, the best you can possibly do.” I firmly believe that should hold true in affordable homes as well. Craft should not be more expensive than a half-job. Low budget projects should have the same level of detail and craft as a high-priced home.

Here are some more interior shots of their home.

Simple Modern Homes is now sharing the lessons they’ve learned and helping other folks built affordable modern homes. The renderings below are some of the other projects they’ve designed. If you’re interested make sure you head over to their site and contact caleb.

  
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I’ve been scouring the web for a wall-mount sink for a certain tiny little bathroom that resides in my home. I’ve seen some cool ones from Kohler, but I don’t really want to spend a thousand dollars. There were a couple that caught my eye on Overstock as well, but I’m still not quite satisfied. Has anyone seen any modern-looking, wall-mount sinks that won’t break the bank? Share your finds, and links, please!

Images:
Escale Wall-Mount Lavatory by Kohler: $500 - $650
Tableau Wall-Mount Lavatroy by Kohler: $1000 - $1500

At our house we are counting down the days until our second child is born. While we have a lot of great gear from our first, there are still some things we would like to pick up. One of the things we never got around to getting on round one was a good mobile. Elsewares has some great wooden mobiles like the two from Petit Collage shown above. They are laser-cut from sustainably harvested bamboo plywood and are priced at around $68. My wife is very fond of the Birds of a Feather mobile by IGE shown below. They are also laser cut, but this time out of walnut. While the price of the IGE mobiles is about the same ($65) the bonus is that you get to pop out the pieces yourself and save the sheet for stencils or whatever else you can think up. In the end I suspect that we will probably go the DIY route, although it will be hard to make something as cute as these two.

Last week I touched on the subject of stock modern house plans. I wanted to throw one more hat into the ring. Dialect Design is an up an coming architectural duo based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Both founders John Nourbakhsh and Toby Witte have an international background and an obvious love for modern design. On their website they have 3 modern stock plans available with one more (a 60k house) on the way. Full floorplans can be reviewed before purchasing as well as the estimated price per square foot to build. All the plans claim a $105 sq/ft construction cost but I’m sure that price would balloon depending on where you live. Prices for stock plans start at $1,400 and include 6 printed sets of drawings with all the usual goodies.

Modern stock house plans from Dialect Design.

During a recent Sunday dinner, I was looking through my sister-in-law’s copy of Martha Stewart Living. It was an issue all about color and various painting techniques, so I was kind of intrigued. I passed on the faux bois dressers and gingham walls, but stopped dead in my tracks when I came across their herringbone LCW chair. At first I thought it was really cool looking, but then the fact that someone actually painted faux effects onto an LCW Eames chair was too overwhelming. I quickly went through all five stages of mourning: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The whole process took about 30 minutes. So now I bring this issue to you, dear readers. I’ve come to accept this near-blasphemous creation and I want to know how you feel about it. Would you personally ever apply faux effects to a piece of classic, MCM furniture? Are you a purist or a believer in personalization? Do you like this herringbone rendition? I admit that if I saw it in someone else’s home, I’d be OK with it, but it’s not for me (at least not on an LCW). I’m pretty much a believer in not meddling with the classics. Share your thoughts!

For those interested in actually trying this technique, whether on an LCW chair or, preferably, a thrift store find, an instructional video and article can be found here.

This is one of my favorite films done by Charles and Ray Eames, not because it features amazing furniture or architectural design but because of Charles’ short dissertation in the beginning about what a toy should be. I honestly think about it every time I buy a toy for my son. I always wonder what Charles would think of all the plastic toys these days? Can a toy be plastic and be a “real toy”?

Second half after the jump.
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I ran across this Etsy shop a while ago but just rediscovered it in my bookmarks.  Urban Soule sells really awesome urban-themed ceramics (as well as paintings, photography, and vintage items). I really love the wood grain plates and the graffiti stencil pieces are pretty rad too. You can order anything from a single plate to an entire 18-piece set. Soule even offers customized pitchers and teapots, just choose the style and color you want!  

More about Soule:
Soule,(pronounced like soul) was born in Warshin’ton state. Growing up in the sticks, I, me and my only friends were tree dwelling creatures. One day me,myself and I became incredibly lost and stumbled upon the “city” and discovered a wheat pasted poster. Not only visually appealing, it was delicious,me loved it. I and myself had to learn more about this new discovery, so after befriending some city folk, I, myself and me branched out on our own armed with spray paint, stencils and ink. At the ripe ol’ age of 16 I had my first art show which was a success, this got the ball rolling so Me, myself and I ran with it bringing myself to Seattle, WA. Keep an eye out for Urban Soule clothing, paintings, toys, and whatever else me, myself and I feels like making!


Ceramics with attitude from Urban Soule: $10 - $250.