Looking for a unique coat rack? Check out the Loop Stand by Leif Jørgensen. While a little pricey at $240, you can't beat the "cool" factor. Add some nice looking hangers and you're set. Powder coated steel tube in three colors: yellow, white, and black.
I love it when I stumble across a design that is so simple it's ingenious. Sheet Seat is one of those. Made out of 3/4" plywood the sheet seat fold completely flat when not in use, making storage easy. When you need some extra seating it can simply be opened up. Not only is it a brilliantly efficient design, but producing it would be quite inexpensive. Unfortunately I don't think this wonderful design has ever gone to production.
Coolest. Illustrations. EVER.
Some mid-week inspiration to cheer you up!
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Hi we're Lab Partners, two people that love working together on all sorts of things. Especially illustration and printmaking. In fact, if we had happened to sit next to each other in 8th grade science, we would have spent most of our time doodling in each others notebooks.
We currently reside in beautiful San Francisco with our two enormously entertaining tabby cats. When we are not designing we fill our time with flea markets, thumb wrestling, and exploring the bay area.
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As my little kid starts to get older I have been thinking about how fun it would be for him to have a little modern playhouse play in. While the selection of off the shelf modern playhouses is pretty sparse and costly there are some really nice examples. My favorite outdoor example is done by modern shed and retails for $2,600. I assume you could probably pull of a DIY version for about half that. Speaking of DIY the indoor modern shelter by Studiomama is a great example of what could be done with a little imagination.
Here's one for the graphic design geeks! You've seen the Pantone mugs, but have you seen the Salt & Pepper mills? The storage jars? Or perhaps the brightly hued aprons? Awesome, right? A great gift for that graphic design pal of yours, at least. All sorts of holidays are approaching, so keep this stuff on the radar.
Pantone for the Home by Typhoon: £5 - £15
Mills available on Amazon: $30
Meet the new sleeper sofa from Blu Dot! Flat Out quickly converts from upright lounging to horizontal sprawl. Playful contrast cross-stitching, kicky French seams, and a solid stainless steel base add pizzazz to the straightforward yet inviting form. $1099 Available this fall in Rust or Grey.
Click here for more Blu Dot seating.
Yup, potty. I'm going to go ahead and just say "That's one sexy potty!" as well. The new potty training chairs from European brand Hoppop have it all: looks, user friendliness, and easy cleaning / 'content' disposal. There's an amusing/creepy video that demonstrates that last part on their site. I'm not sure if there are any U.S. distributors yet, but you can order online from several UK sites, including JollyTots and KiddiCare. Price is around £14 or about $23. Once your little one has graduated to the big pot, consider one of Hoppop's colorful stepping stools.
While most things at YLighting aren't exactly what I would consider "affordable", they do have some beautiful stuff. If you've had your eye on a certain little something over there, wishing you could get a better deal on it, you may be in luck. Starting tomorrow YLighting is having their first ever warehouse sale. With savings up to 80% off such brands as Flos, Artemide, Vibia, and Luceplan you may just score some sweet new lighting for a great price. If you do, be sure to let us know what you got in the comments. The sale will run through October 2nd.
I always have my eyes peeled for a modern dog bowl that isn't super expensive and I think the Brambles Dog Dish by Eastvold fits the bil l. Made of walnut with a laminate top, this modular dog bowl can be set on the floor or mounted to the wall. At $58 it's still reasonable, although a DIY-er could easily create a similar dish. Be sure to check out the rest of Eastvold's site - they make beautiful modern furniture (a bit out of my price range, though)! Also, stop by their flickr page and check out their portfolio of custom cabinetry - impressive to say the least!
I've always got my eye out for a simple, clean coffee table that is in the budget, and the Rex Cocktail table from Chiasso seems to fit the bill nicely. Using chrome plated stainless steel and a tempered black glass top the Rex table manages to be dramatic without stealing the spot light.
Soooooo... Did you know that Target was pushing Blu Dot wares?? I had no idea. Just ran across the Real Good Chair on clearance for $90. I have to say, Target keeps surprising/impressing me, what with its George Nelson clocks and Orla Kiely dinnerware, etc. What are some other cool things you've spotted at Target?
Last week my lovely wife and I went out to eat at Tipica, a new local restaurant. The food was of course amazing, but we also found ourselves quite smitten with our salt and pepper grinders. Made by Vic Firth, these attractive and clever little grinders make grinding salt or pepper one handed a synch. The build quality was very high and the design is simple enough I imagine the grinder would last a long time. The overall size is much smaller than a typical salt or pepper grinder, but I actually liked it a lot. The price is a little on the high side at $20 each, but it would be that last grinder you would need to buy for a very long time.
Melissa Gable of OneCreativeGirl is one talented girl if you ask me. Looking through her shop, I couldn't stop smiling! Her vintage-y photo collages are full of wit and humor (and great MCM kitchens!). I suggest an extra-long perusal of this creative lady's work. While you're at it, pick up a print or two!
Collages from OneCreativeGirl: $35
I've been casually looking around for a 2010 calendar when I spotted this one from SeeSaw Designs. I love the modern shapes and playful colors - this letterpress beauty may just have to come home with me! Calendar consists of four 7.25" x 11.5" pages, each with three months, letterpressed on 100% cotton Crane's Lettra paper.
About:
SeeSaw is a full-service graphic design and letterpress studio based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Comprised of three ladies who met in college and share a love of design and letterpress, SeeSaw celebrated it's two year anniversary this May.
2010 Letterpress Wall Calendar from SeeSaw Designs: $28
Here is a wonderful Ted Talk given by Eames Demetrios on what would have been the 100th birthday or Charles Eames.
I know, I know. MORE DISH TOWELS! What can I say? I can't get enough. If you're like me, then you'll love To Dry For, an online shop devoted entirely to tea towels. Say it with me: "It's my turn to dry!"
Everyone knows that Etsy is full of all sorts of wonderful hand made items, but lately I am starting to see more and more quality vintage items for sale. One shop that seems to have a lovely assortment of mid-century treasures is Hindsvik Vintage. Based out of Canada this little Etsy shop has a nice assortment of furniture and other household accessories all at fairly reasonable prices. They also have a great blog that features some of their vintage finds as well as other content.
My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw these felt throws from Modern Fiber Lab. Just look at those textures!! Reading about how they're made is even more mind blowing. These are truly art pieces and worth every penny, in my opinion.
About:
This "felt pelt" is wet felted by hand using traditional ancient techniques. This is made with natural colored cotswold, lincoln longwool, merino wool and mohair. I source the fleece from shepherds which I receive raw right after shearing. I clean, comb, and card the wool and then using hot water and organic soaps, felt by hand the wool fibers into one large piece.
These felt pieces are inspired by actual hides from a trip to Scandinavia where I saw sheep and animal skins everywhere. The technique or "recipes" to make them are drawn from Mongolian felt traditions. Mongolians stomp on the wool and roll the soft felt around tree trunks that they drag from horses to strengthen and finish the felt. I felt outside using my hands and bare feet and then roll the wool around poles to finish the felting process.
This pelt has been further embellished with pom poms that are made from kid mohair and lace weight wool yarn from a co-op in Uruguay. I whip stitched a boiled wool fabric to the back of the pelt to further strengthen and finish it.
This pelt would make a wonderful wall hanging or could be used as a throw or even a rug. A truly sustainable and renewable resourced piece!
Available in several natural colors.
You read that right. MINIATURES. Handmade with patience and passion by Lene Dragon of DragonDee. Lene is a freelance industrial designer who also specializes in package design. In her spare time, she creates these painstakingly detailed (and high quality!) modern miniatures. What doll wouldn't want a Barcelona Couch? Check out her Flickr page to see complete furnished rooms.
Doll-sized modern miniatures from DragonDee: $5 - $72
Affordable modern house plans are nothing new, in fact we have featured several great ones in the past. Hometta is looking to take it one step further though. Besides a small collection of modern house plans for under $3k, Hometta also offers a little help once you decided to embark down the path of actually building a modern home. Through a yearly subscription you will have access to builders in your area that aren't afraid of homes with flat roofs, and other resources that can help you through the process.