I'm always interested to see what takes off on Kickstarter, and what doesn't. The Jack planter above seems like something that should be super successful. It's playing to the MCM vibe, filling a market that is relatively untapped (outdoor modern planters) and is reasonably priced. What's more, the campaign seems very transparent in that the majority of the money is going straight to the people actually building the things.  Last and not least, they only need $6,200 to be funded. That's not much for a kickstarter campaign.  Sadly so far it has only received $1,400 of funding and it only has 7 days left. 

Love it? Support it. 

If you don't think it should be funded, let us know why in the comments. 

Jack planter

I'm working on doing some interior design for an upcoming convention, and while looking for a good outdoor table I came across this Firewood Trolley by Radius Design. At first I was just attracted to it's fairly reasonable price ($500) and the fact that it's made of steel and oak so it should hold up well. It looks great loaded up with firewood, but would be equally at home acting as an outdoor bar cart. What really impressed me however was its flexibility and the way you can stand it up vertically and use it for a bar height serving table. Available in stainless, black or white.

Firewood Trolley Storage cart $499

Over the weekend I got the first real taste of summer, spending some quality time on the back porch of one of my favoritelocal watering holes.  Unfortunately I found myself lacking a quality pair of sunglass, something I intend to change soon. While the exact pair I get is still up in the air, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that they don't come in a case anywhere as attractive as this one by Tanner Goods. Made of Horween Chromexcel leather, they are burnished, dyed, waxed and stamped with their signature mark. Perfection

Tanner Goods sunglass case $62

Via

It may be entirely too early to start thinking about outdoor furniture, but a boy can dream of warm or warm summer days spent on backyard patios right? Despite it's slightly awkward shape, there is some sort of irresistible charm to the MAYA chair. The brightly painted expanded metal is the perfect material to hold up to the summertime elements, and stay looking new.

Have a favorite outdoor piece? Share it in the comments!

MAYA chair $300

So, right, I don't know how to surf (if we're being honest, I barely know how to doggie paddle--WHAT?), but I love these surf boards so, SO much.  I mean, it's kind of absurd how much I love them... considering I don't surf.  Or swim.  Or live anywhere near a body of water that would warrant the use of a surf board.  But anyway, surf boards by Chandelier Creative in collaboration with Saturdays.  They're awesome.

Available from Awesomeville.

Looking for something to do to break yourself out of your Turkey induced stupor?  How about a nice civilized game of  bocce with this limited edition set by New York based Fredericks and Mae. These are pretty much the best looking bocce set I have ever seen, and once they are gone, they are gone.  I think that justifies the $250 AUD price tag.

Fredericks and Mae bocce set. $250 AUD

I'm love a good looking bike and after an unfortunate encounter between my Trek District and a car I have been on the prowl for an inexpensive replacement. I first saw Sole Bicycles on Fab.com a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love. The look is spot on, with several different color combinations to choose from, and the price, AMAZING. Sole was kind enough to send me a bike to review, and while the weather has been a bit nippy lately, I have a good chance to put some miles in.

First, the bikes ship mostly assembled with just a bit of wrenching needed to get it all put together. The components were noticeably lower quality when compared to my District, but at 1/3 the price that is to be expected. The frame certainly looks and feels well made, so you always have the option of upgrading later. The bike comes set up as a fixed gear, but it is a flip flop rear wheel so you can easily turn it around for some single speed free wheeling if you want.  The bike only comes with a front break which seems adequate, especially when riding it fixed.

Overall I'm very happy with the bike, especially for my intended use (bar hopping). If you are looking for a series commuter and budget isn't a concern, it may be worth it to look at some higher end brands. For the casual rider or budget shopper, you can't beat the Sole.

Sole Bicycles $310

This beautiful specimen is handmade from high fired ceramic (using 25% recycled clay--woo!) by the fine folks at Gainey, who have been in the business since 1949.  It's available in four perfectly mod hues: white, aqua, canary, and avocado.

Bird Feeder by Gainey: $85

P.S. Check out their cool pet feeders, too!

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. If you haven't had a chance to have a picnic this year, I suggest you get it done quick. May I suggest this amazing white picnic set by Carina Ahlburg. Made of white melamine this durable and beautiful picnic set has everything you need for 4 people. Just add food and good company.

Picnic Set by Carina Ahlburg $81

Too cool for words: "Working out of a converted schoolhouse, Potting Shed Creations (based in Troy, ID) crafts contemporary garden accessories with sustainable potting materials. The Bottle Garden line creates indoor or outdoor self-contained herb gardens out of discarded glass beverage bottles."

Available from NuBe Green: $37.50

The last couple nights the temperatures have started to cool off finally. Of course with the hint of fall in the air the first thing that my mind turns to is sitting around a fire pit on a cool night. This Cast Iron Fire pit from Design Within Reach caught my eye. It's Danish roots show through immediately. It's shape isn't all looks though, there are some clever things going on in there that make the fire burn even more efficiently. And did I mention there is a grill top option for it? Yep. Perfection.

Cast Iron Fire Bowl from DWR $465

or here for $400

Modestwork is a dublin based design agency that is making some beautiful furniture. The Loft chair shown above (top) was featured at designboom stockholm earlier this year, and it's easy to see why. It is minimal, and beautiful. The jury is out as to just how comfortable it would be, but new concept (bottom) seems to address that better. Either way, I'm keeping my eye on Modestwork and expecting good things from them.

Modestwork

Summer is here and if you are lucky, that means one thing. The beach. I may be land locked in Utah, but that's not about to stop me from getting in some quality time laying on the beach this summer. Fab.com has an ingenious little beach chair called the Beach Thingy. It is essentially just the back of a chair that you can jab into the sand to make the perfect sandy lounge. It's lightweight, colorful, and best of all inexpensive.

Beach Thingy $14

Summertime is here and it's time to break out the grill. Unfortunately for me my big grill I had isn't exactly conducive to loft living so my good friends are currently grill-sitting it for me. I still want to get in on the action though, so I've been looking for an ultra portable, inexpensive and attractive charcoal grill. While that sounds like a tough order to fill, I think that I may have struck gold with the Fire Sense HotSpot Notebook Charcoal grill. Despite having one of the longest, most awkward names, it actually looks pretty amazing. When not in use it folds down to 18 x 18 x 1. Yes one inch thin as Steve Jobs would say. All this for just $37. Not too shabby.

Hotspot Notebook grill $37 from csgrills.com

When it comes to modern garden accessories (well, everything MINUS planters), it seems the pickings are pretty slim.  So, I was pretty pleased to spot Terra Trellis, an offshoot of California-based TerraSculpture Studio.  Their collection offers re-imagined, modern versions of classic garden structures, including trellises, arbors, and tuteurs.  The hand-welded steel pieces are also available in 7 contemporary colors and finishes, from aubergine to oxide, white to kumquat orange.  With such beautiful craftsmanship, I'd consider these less accessories and more pieces of functional art!

Check out all the styles and options through the link below and let me know what you think!

LINK: www.terratrellis.com

With a reclaimed redwood face and a birch plywood body, these modern bird houses from Nathan Daniels are nothing short of, well, adorable!  They're available in a whole slew of styles and color combos, so be sure to check out his Etsy shop for more!

Modern Bird Houses by Nathan Daniels: $50 - $90

[via FormFire Glassworks]

We've written about a lot of bird houses and bird feeders on GRM but never a modern hummingbird feeder, that is until today. These stoneware feeders by J Schatz are handcrafted in a New York studio and come in six bright colors. I absolutely love the contrasting colors and the simple design. I'll take one in baby blue please.

J Schatz modern hummingbird feeder.

Summer seems to finally be here, and whether it's heading to the beach, or a little Saturday shopping at the farmers market it's nice to have a good bag to carry around.  These cheerfully colored Carry totes by Habit seem to fit the bill just right. Available in three sizes and four colors.

Habit Carry $34 - $46

I cannot tell you just how much I love this hanging planter from Potted!  It's perfectly mod, perfectly hip, and, well, just plain perfect!  This curvy little ceramic number is available in White, Aqua, Orange, or Avocado and comes with an 18" steel cord for hanging.  At 12" in diameter, it would look pretty swell on a tabletop, too (the hanging cord is removable).

The Circle Pot by Potted: $89

Call me crazy, but I am totally in love with these quirky little wall ornaments from Flora Grubb!  They're available in gold, red, orange, and lime.  Though they're sold as outdoor items, I can't help but think you could create a really cool installation inside with a few dozen of these.  (You might put quite a few holes in your wall, though...)  Where and how would you use these?

Wall Ornaments from Flora Grubb: $8.95 ea.

[via poppytalk]