I can understand how you might think I’m developing an obsession (healthy, of course) with wooden toys. I mean, the evidence is there (here and here, to be precise). There is just something sublimely appealing about them - tactilely, aesthetically, and cool-factor-ly. Take these toys by David Weeks, for example. Hardwood limbs, elastic muscles, endless poses - AWESOME. They’re even made from sustainably harvested beech wood so you can feel good about life. Seriously, what’s not to like? I for one am standing strong in my love for wooden toys - join me if you like!

Wooden animals for cool kids and hip adults available from Design Public: $55 - $125.

I don’t have cats, and it’s a good thing. I’m not sure I could handle the whole litter box thing. If I did have a cat, and did need a litter box I would definitely have my eye on this new one from ModKat. Combining both form and function this may be the best looking and useful litter box I have ever seen. It features “rooftop” access to help give you cat privacy and keep kids away from the place of business. Inside is a reusable liner to hold the kitty litter and a handy little scoop with integral brush hangs on the side. It’s available in several colors and goes on sale this summer for $180. If you preorder before June 14 and use code modkat20 you can save yourself $20 off that price.

Available from ModKat for $160.

Come on cat lovers, tell me what you think….

Read more

Because this week is Bike-to-Work Week, and Friday is Bike-to-Work Day I’m following Capree’s example and sharing my favorite bike, the Trek District. Not only is the bike absolutely beautiful but is also has a belt drive instead of a chain drive which makes for a perfectly silent, and grease free ride. The District was originally scheduled to ship in November of last year but these beautiful bikes are just barely getting into the hands of customers now. TrekDistrict.com has some great reviews from some of the first buyers in Holland, Paris and New York. In my opinion everything about this bike is perfect except the hard to swallow $900 price tag.

Check out TrekDistrict.com for reviews and photo’s.

What’s your favorite bike? Are you riding to work this week?

I have a somewhat embarrassing/sad/pathetic confession to make. It has been over 10 years since the last time I rode (or even sat on) a bicycle. I know if I got one, I’d spend all my Summer days riding around town, enjoying the weather and the sights, like I did as a kid. This bicycle from MOOF may just be the thing to get me back to those good old days. From its powder-coated aluminum frame to its solar-powered head and tail lights, this sleek bicycle has just about everything I’d like in a cruiser. Unfortunately, it only comes in one color (though a lovely color it is) - I would die for a yellow-green version!

MOOF Bicycle [designed by Sjoerd Smit] - $600

I love things made out of felt. It’s such a simple material that has a great feel to it and can come in a ton of fun colors. I have to admit though that whenever I see cool felt coasters or place mats I always think to myself, man that would be so easy to make myself if I just had a roll of felt. FilzFelt is a felt lovers paradise. Not only do they have all sorts of goodies like felt pillows, coasters, trivets, etc, but more importantly they sell all their felt direct by the yard. All their felt is imported from Germany, and they offer all sorts of tips on how to work with it yourself.

FilzFelt

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

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.

My wife is an amazing cook, and I almost always have good homemade food to take to work for lunch. I have been looking for some decent glass tupperware for a while now for a couple of reasons. First I worry about what sort of plastic grossness is being leached into my food every time I microwave it, and second I am getting tired of tupperware stained by tomato sauce. The big problem is that many of the glass food containers don’t have a tight seal, which would lead to a disaster in my bag. These Glasslock food containers from organize.com look like they might just do the trick. They have a silicone seal and snap locks to keep things were they belong, but are mostly made of glass.

Has anyone tried these? What do you put you leftovers in?

Available from Organize.com $6 - $12 each.

Not all of us can have a green thumb, but luckily if you are the type that could even kill a cactus there is still hope. The Delta 20 planter by Lechuza is a self watering planter that is designed to keep your plants happy and green, even when you forget about them. Just fill it up and you are good to go for multiple weeks. To take the guess work out of it, the planter even includes a little reservoir that shows you when you need to refill. A winner of the red dot award, the Delta planters are available in several different sizes and colors, can be used indoors and outdoors and to top it all off, it’s affordable with pricing starting at $29.

Available from Emmo Home starting at $29.

Check out these eco-friendly, prefab homes from Michelle Kaufmann Designs! I think my favorite of the bunch are the mkSolaire and the Sunset Breezehouse. Along with these great homes, MKD recently published a 176-page book highlighting these sustainable designs. In Prefab Green, Michelle talks about her design process as well as the importance of sustainability. Prefab is definitely looking more and more tempting every day!

More about the Sunset Breezehouse:
The Sunset® Breezehouse™ home was thoughtfully designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs and Sunset Magazine for green, healthy living. The key feature of the Sunset Breezehouse is the BreezeSpace at the center, which is situated under a distinctive butterfly-shaped roof. This room, a glass-enclosed breezeway or porch, allows you to “let the green in” to your main living and dining areas, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. Courtyards, terraces and decks are placed at the front and rear of the home to further integrate nature with living. By borrowing space from the outside, the home feels much larger than it is.

Pick up a copy of Prefab Green from Michelle Kaufmann Designs for $30.

Read more