Etsy has a great vintage selection, with quite a few mid-century finds. I'm especially fond of this little avian bottle opener from seller Ella Cinders. Check out her shop for more items - not everything is MCM, but this clock and desk lamp are pretty cool.
About: This cute would-be feathered friend is truly a "form meets functional" classic. It is the perfect shape for opening a bottle with ease and yet has an almost sculptural quality to it. Likely made of rosewood, this lovely is made in Denmark and signed.
I'm known for my incredible pancake making skills. One of my secrets is that I pre-butter each pancake while it's still on the griddle. That usually means fighting with a cold stick of butter to slice a chunk off. With that in mind I have been casually looking for a butter dish that isn't shaped like a cow. This Terence Conran butter dish from Overstock.com is actually pretty decent looking. I like the $12 price as well. There is also a whale butter dish by Jonathan Adler that I am strangely attracted to. Unfortunately the $68 price tag and uncomfortable feeling I get thinking about scooping butter out of a whale probably rule that one out.
Does anyone else know of a decent looking butter dish?
These planters are freaking rad! Love the bright colors, the refreshing shapes, and the fact that they're made from spun aluminum! A little on the pricey side at $160 a pop (extra $$ if you want a stand), but they might be worth it for their wow factor. From Pad Outdoor.
About:
Each planter is hand spun from aluminum and powder coated--making them durable for outdoors. The steel stands are fitted with rubber, shock-absorbing pads at both ends to protect the planter and floor surface--making them ideal for indoors. Two planter styles, two stand heights and six color options yield countless configurations to customize a single planter or grouping according to your site.
Muji is one of my favorite brands out there. This table is a good example of why I love them so much. It's a very simple design, and made out of one of the most inexpensive woods there is, pine. It's a handsome little pine folding table but looking at it you wouldn't expect it to cost very much. Of course that is the case with so many pieces of modern furniture which normally turn out to be very expensive. In this case it actually does cost about as much as you would expect it to. $64 to be exact. Not bad for a 14h x 32.5w x 20"d table from one of my favorite brands.
So charming! A great gift for the IKEA-phile in your life. "I Wish we had IKEA" pattern by Heather Moore of Skinny Laminx. Available as a tea towel or pillow cover.
About the design:
We don't have IKEA stores in South Africa (poor us!), so all that great design at good prices is frustratingly inaccessible. Last year, someone kindly sent a 2009 IKEA catalogue for me to drool over, and I've made some sketches of the things I liked best.
I thought it would be fun to share my IKEA wishlist on a tea towel, and I've called it "I Wish we had IKEA". So as you dry the dishes, you can think about your own IKEA shopping list, the next time you're lucky enough to visit!
If you weren't a fan of the wonderful Braun alarm clock I posted last week, maybe this will be more your style. The Click Clock may be the perfect alarm clock for the obsessive compulsive. I know when I set my alarm I end up checking it several times "just to make sure". When you set an alarm on the Click Clock it displays the alarm time prominently below the current time. That way it just takes a quick glance to make sure everything is set up the way it should be. Functional, good looking, and at only $35 relatively affordable.
I am really intrigued by this geometric/faceted floor lamp from Swiss designer Olivier Sottas. The Plié light was unveiled at this year's DMY Festival in Berlin. Made from artfully folded paper with a thin plywood base, the Plié is extremely lightweight and can be shipped flat packed. Overall, an impressive design in terms of aesthetics and sustainability. For purchasing queries, contact Olivier directly.
While the awesome hair of interviewer Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel put this clip in the 80's the work of Philip Johnson goes much further back. His most notable "modern" project was the glass house built in 1949. The interview is a little dry but if you are interested it is quite fascinating.
Please share you thoughts on architecture, 80's hair and funky glasses in the comments.
I saw these ridiculously awesome fire extinguishers on Plastolux (have I mentioned how much I love that blog?) and I felt compelled by the uncontrollable forces of badass design to share them with you. This is such a brilliant idea, I can't believe no one thought of it sooner. I wish there were more things like this - mundane items given the royal-design treatment. It would certainly make life a little more happy.
Tons of images after the jump!
Fire extinguishers by Fire Design.
(The site is in French. Since I don't speak French, I was unable to gather any purchasing info. If any of you speak the language, let us know what you find out!)
I think I've casually mentioned the blog Atomic Indy in the past. Baz is a GRM reader that recently purchased a wonderful MCM home in (you guessed it) Indianapolis. His blog is a great resource for any MCM lover, especially for those local to the fair city of Indianapolis. They've been in their house for 8 months now and the folks at Allmodern.com have decided to give them a $200 house warming gift. Being the good guys that they are, Atomic Indy is passing that gift forward to their readers. To win, all you have to do is find something you would want from Allmodern.com for under $200 and tell Atomic Indy about it. Your name will be thrown in the proverbial hat, and victory could be yours.
Today I'm taking my dog, Wrigley, into the vet for some 'issues' he's been having. Since I don't like going anymore than he does, (what with the cramped waiting room and crappy parking situation), it got me to thinking about modern veterinary offices and the fact that I've never heard of one. After some serious digging, I found this lovely example in the portfolio of Tuke Manton Architects, a UK-based firm.
The project involved overhauling an old industrial building which was linked to an adjacent office building. By opening up the space and incorporating tons of natural light, a calming and healing environment was created. The timber-clad building, with its barn-like appearance, makes use of openable aluminum windows in order to provide natural ventilation. Overall, I think this project is immensely successful - I especially love the warmth the timber adds to an otherwise industrial-looking building. It's all very modern and I love it. I suppose there is hope for the world afterall!
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!
A few days ago our faithful Ikea alarm clock that we have been using for the last 6 years finally died on us. I have casually been looking for a replacement for it for years, and I have never really found anything I thought I would want more, until now. A recent cache of the brilliant Braun AB1 alarm clocks have surfaced and are available for sale. Originally produced in the 70's and designed by Braun ID legend Dieter Rams this could be your last chance to get a NIB original AB1. Sure you are paying a greatly inflated price for a plastic clock designed in the 70's but you are also buying a icon for $40.
I am in love with these quirky wooden toys from TARU Design! Choose from 3 designs available in bocotte, cocobolo, wenge, zebrawood, or wild cherry.
About: TARU is a small Montreal workshop that designs, conceives and builds wooden art toys. Each toy is unique and hand-made from different wood essences. I am especially attentive to the materials and fabrication of my toys, in order to offer refined and quality objects. The sensual aspect of my figurines is evoked by rounded angles and silky texture. Their aesthetic simplicity and kind faces charm children and adults alike. After fifteen years of work in the field of illustration and cartooning/graphic novels, I only recently started to create small sculptures/art toys. My love for wood – a living, tactile material - as well as the birth of my first child motivated me to go from drawing to the making of tri-dimensional wooden figurines. Toys have always inspired me; they are precious tools that help us build our imagination.
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.
The Madrid-based company Nine to Nine offers a wonderful collection of modern furniture and design for babies and kids. Among the standout items is the Zebra crib, a more playful version of the standard crib with its slightly off-set bars (or stripes). I also love the Caterpillar stool, which is incredibly versatile. Alone it's a stool, linked together it forms a bench - a great example of form and function! Check out the rest of their collection here. For purchasing information, contact Nine to Nine directly.
Here is an amazing documentary done by the BBC several years ago that covers the lifes work of Mies van der Rohe and the lasting influences that he has had on architecture.
Target has done it again! Somehow they manage to team up with some of the best designers out there to bring affordable design to the masses. Beginning this June (as in right now!) Target will offer an exclusive, limited-edition collection from designer Dror Benshetrit. Amongst the wares are these awesome nesting shelves for only $89. There are also loads of pillows, bedding, stationery, and a few other furniture items and decorative accessories. Check out the full collection here.
Heath makes some of the most beautiful tile I have ever seen. I have been drooling over their tiles for years now but the prices have always kept me from seriously considering them for any project. The seconds and overstocks section on their website has always been a temptation to me, although they state that they are for pick up only and they won't ship. I wonder if anyone has ever been able to convince them to ship seconds? If not, it looks like I may have to take a road trip to Sausalito one of these days.
What do you get when you have a name like Bernadette Sipkes, you live in Aukland New Zealand and you get your hands on a Gocco? The answer is an amazing portfolio of mid-century inspired prints. Bernadette says she draws her inspiration from "mid-century kitchenware, furniture and textile prints; vintage wallpaper; Scandinavian design; Florence Broadhurst; Lotta Jansdotter; Marimekko and; Lefor-Openo" It shows in her work too. She has a lovely collection of prints available on her Etsy shop, with extremely affordable prices starting at $15 a print. Shipping isn't even too big of a deal with most prints costing just over $4 to ship to the continental US.
These planters are freaking rad! Love the bright colors, the refreshing shapes, and the fact that they're made from spun aluminum! A little on the pricey side at $160 a pop (extra $$ if you want a stand), but they might be worth it for their wow factor. From 
I can understand how you might think I'm developing an obsession (healthy, of course) with wooden toys. I mean, the evidence is there (
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 
