What happens when you put work from some of my favorite local artists in my favorite local modern furniture and lighting store? A party, that's what. And you are all invited.

This Thursday April 28th at 7PM Mondo Fine Art is celebrating spring with a Spring Group Show at Light Spot. They've asked their artists to bring their freshest new work for this special event. This show will feature works by artists: Aaron Bushnell, Angie Renfro, Carlisle, John Bell, Lane Bennion, Olivia Pendergast, Pilar Pobil, Roland Thompson, Zachary Proctor, as well as featured artist Sunny Belliston Taylor. For those of you new to Mondo, this will give you a nice introduction to their artists and their work. Many artists will be present for the show. Music will be provided by Mr. DJ Jesse Walker and delicious appetizers will be provided by Fleur de Sel Catering.

A percentage of sales will go to the Mondo Art Project for future art exchanges.

Special thanks to Light Spot for hosting in their beautiful modern design space.

Full event details available here.

Another great modern house project in Salt Lake City has just wrapped up. The designer and builder was Geoff Tice, so you might notice a few similarities with the project he completed last year. The house is located at 360 East Herbert Ave, and is joining a few other modern homes as neighbors.

The original house was a 1922 brick bungalow, with two bedrooms and one bath packed into 851 square feet and a shelf basement. The new house is 3,049 square feet, with three bedrooms, two baths, a loft/study area, and a full-height basement. The second story was built on the rear half of the house, so the original bungalow still maintains its curb appeal and neighborhood feel. The photos after the jump show how much work was actually done to the house.

The house has already been handed over to the new owners, who have been busy settling in.

As always, Geoff is more than happy to share information and answer questions here, so post any questions you might have. If you want to contact him personally, you can send him an email at geofftice@gmail.com.

Coolest kitchen timer ever? It's possible... very, very possible. The only way it could get any cooler (and more functional) is if it had a magnet on the back. Just sayin'.

About:
Simply twist the top half of the unit to gradually reveal an easy-to-read analogue dial, stopping when you reach the required number of minutes and seconds (up to 1hr). Release the bezel and the unit begins counting down, leaving you free to concentrate on other tasks. The graphic dial allows you to monitor progress at a glance, even from a distance, and when the time is up, a classic alarm bell sounds to attract your attention.

Pie Timer from Joseph Joseph: $14

*Currently out of stock directly, but you can order it through Amazon or Unica Home as well.

White vase + geometric MCM shapes = Love. These ceramic vases from Ferm Living would look great in any modern home. Equal parts mid century, scandinavian and minimalist modern they are like the chameleon of modern vases.

White Ceramic Vases from Ferm Living $30 - $57 euro.

Do you like free stuff? Do you like mid-century modern? Then it's time to "like" Curbly on Facebook. This month is modern month on Curbly and to celebrate they are giving a away collection of free vector/icons of some MCM classics. It's a full 25-page PDF or AI documents, all royalty-free and available for use. Download them now, and get creative.

Curbly on Facebook

Make sure you check out our very own Capree's post on Curbly as well (or on her blog My Adventure is Your Advantage for that matter)

Marianne Westman is a well-known Swedish designer whose work gained notoriety in the 50s and 60s. With her consent (yes, she's still alive!), Swedish textile company Almedahls has reissued some of her most iconic designs in the form of various textiles and kitchen accessories. I particularly love these birch veneer trays, but be sure to check out all the available products here.

Marianne Westman for Almedahls available from Huset: $16 - $45

Every once in a while Anthropologie has a product that is both amazing looking AND affordable. The Milk Bottle Measuring Cups nail it on both fronts. Made of white new bone china with colorful insides this is a measuring cup set I would feel good about leaving out in the open.

Milk Bottle Measuring Cups $24

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It's been a particularly wet Spring here, a fact that would surely be made more bearable (or at least more colorful) with one of these Marimekko umbrellas! These bold, wet-weather accessories are available through Crate and Barrel in two color schemes: yellow and orange.

Marimekko Umbrellas available from Crate and Barrel: $25

Earlier this month I went to a fantastic textile themed art installation called Press Plush at GARFO Art Center (show runs through June 3rd) and ever since I have been really inspired by all things fabric. Along that same line, NYC based Carrie Strine happens to be doing some fantastic quilts right now, that I absolutely love. They are simple handmade quilts with a modern flair. They are being billed as everything from "Luxury Moving Blanket Throws" to "Linen Crib Quilt". To me they are all works of art.

Handmade Modern Quilts by Carrie Strine $150 - $350.

Culinarium has a great line up of kitchen related products, but the one that caught my eye is this set of stackable concrete bowls. These hand burnished bowls are so flawless that they almost look like aluminum rather than concrete. They come complete with a cork gasket and concrete lid.

Culinarium stackable concrete bowls $69.

I came across Mike Lemanski's work a few weeks ago and boy am I glad I did! He's been working as a freelance illustrator since 2010 and has already amassed a pretty impressive client list: Google, Coca Cola, Urban Outfitters, and Fortune Magazine, among others. Mike approaches is work "within the idea that design is art", and I think that really shows. Any one of his commercial projects could be a limited edition screen print, don't you think? I mean, it might be weird having a print celebrating Google Chrome's 2nd anniversary hanging in your house (unless you work for Google?), but they really are that good. Check out more of his work below to see what I mean.

LINK: mikelemanski.co.uk

More pics after the jump!

According to designer Julia Fellner the "Yes!" lamp "...recalls memories of 'jumping for joy'. Through motion and gesture the user warps the flexible paper cube. Product and human engage in a dialog."

I'm not so sure about that, but I do LOVE the fact that she designed an amazing lamp out of low cost materials that can be easily manipulated to change shape. Yes!

Yes! Lamp

Earlier this month I posted about the clever Bote toy boat made of cork and white plastic. Today I have an even more simple idea that could make a great DIY project. Dutch design team Floris Hovers has this simple concept to turn any shampoo bottle into a bath time boat. I'm sure with a little handiwork, a sewing machine, and some rubber bands, you could whip up the same thing.

If you are fluent in Dutch, read about the Flessenboot here.

Otherwise, just make one and send us a picture.

I'm admittedly horrible at following other design blogs, but one that I have kept tabs on over the years is Shelterrific. A few days ago they posted this fantastic paint chip Easter egg garland idea that they found on Modern Parents Messy Kids. What better way to spend an afternoon than raiding your local paint store and getting crazy with scissors and string.

DIY Paint Chip Easter Garland Tutorial

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Over the years, Perch has been adding to and expanding their beautiful ceramics line and the most recent addition is a collection hand-poured soy candles. I love that they have the same bright colors and playful style that you've come to expect, not to mention the fact that you can reuse them as pots once the candle is used up. Pretty fantastic, I say. Check out all the available colors and styles here.

Soy Candles by Perch: $30

Typically speaking I'm not a big fan of vinyl wall sticker or light switch covers. Typically. Somehow when you throw a cute owl shape into the mix both those go right out the window. I think this would be adorable in a kids room.

Flight Switch £12.50

OK, so I'll be the first to admit that I have absolutely no idea what "spun aluminum" means, but apparently that is what these little guys are made of. What I do know is that they come in 4 lovely colors (orange, white, turquoise and mustard) and that because they are made of metal, they will last a lifetime.

Spun Aluminium Planters $78

While these kami pots/vases from ett la benn look like beautifully sculpted ceramic or concrete, they are really made of paper. 100% biodegradable cellulose to be more correct. From the pictures on their website, it almost looks like they are made through a paper-mache process, using metal as a solid structure. Whatever the process, the end result is nothing less than stunning.

More pictures available at ett la benn

It's been a while since I've posted about my obsession with useless white porcelain objects. Lucky for you I happened to stumble upon these Porcelain Keys from Japan. I can think of absolutely nothing to do with them, and that is exactly the point.

Porcelain Keys, set of 5 for $36

I'm usually not too big of a fan of chrome anything, but I'm going to make an exception for the Krups Silver Art collection. The set includes a coffee machine, espresso machine, tea kettle, toaster and juicer. The classic chrome is offset with small sections of natural wood. If it looks as good in person as it does in this photo, I'm sold.

Krups SIlver Art Collection $80-$300

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(thanks Brian!)