I'm not going to lie. I just really like the word "foundry". Borough is also a nice word too now that I think of it. Borough Furnace is a up and coming foundry based in upstate New York, and they are looking to make some beautiful cast iron cookware. I've actually been wanting a good cast iron skillet for a while, so this is one that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. Here are the bullet points for why you should drop $300 for a 9" skillet.

- The thing is a looker. Classic cast iron with a contemporary twist.

- This will be the last skillet you ever buy. Ever.

- You not only get an amazing skillet, you also support a passionate artist.

In my short adult life I know I have bought at least two or three non stick skillets, all of which eventually get sketchy and worn out. Cast Iron is like the OG non stick, only better. Plus it's pretty ideal for a conduction cooktop, which I am also a huge fan of. Plus as I mentioned above, you don't just get a skillet, you also help borough furnace to build a micro-foundry and prototyping studio that gives them the ability to explore new cast iron products and objects.

Borough Furnace on Kickstarter.

I've had my eye on the Kapu Coffee Scoop and Bag Closer ever since I first spied it on svpply, and I figured it was about time to share. Made of birch plywood this little guy is like the MacGyver or mornings, conquering coffee baddies and keeping them in their place. OK That may be going a little far. But it looks amazing right?

Kapu Coffee Scoop $26

'Noted' is a clever, if not completely playful, twist on the standard memo/chalk board.  Made from aluminum, it features a peeled corner to hold chalk (and add a pop of color).  Designed by Joe Wentworth.

Noted available from Spunique: $34

What's that you say?  You haven't gotten your fill of brilliant table leg designs for the day? No problem, I got this one. Here is another stunningly simple and effective table leg that will work with almost any table top. The Tick Clip is like a giant paper clip for  a table. A little tension opens it up so you can slide the top surface in, and presto, instant table. The more weigh you stack on, the harder it holds. It's not just brilliant either, the classic hairpin leg shape looks great too.

Available soon on Tickclip.de for 60€.

Continuing with my deep appreciation (obsession) with powder coated steel and wood comes the Klemmbrett Desk designed by Manuel Welsky. This ingenious design requires no fasteners at all and uses simple leverage to hold the legs in place with the top. The contrast between the metal and wood is beautiful as always. Best of all this simple effective design translates to a very reasonable price tag of $379. I'll take one please.

Klemmbrett Desk

One of my friends recently introduced me to Younger Furniture. While much of their line is fairly unimpressive, there are a few gems hidden in there like the Apartment Sofa (top) and the LIly Sofa (bottom) shown above. Made in North Carolina, they use hardwood for the frame, and have a variety of fabric and cushion choices. A mid range fabric and the higher end Y Lux cushion price the Apartment Sofa at $1172 and the Lily at $1388 from my local retailer Forsey furniture. Unfortunately Forsey doesn't have in stock any of the more attractive Younger Furniture models, so the real question is this.

Does anybody have any feedback on comfort and durability for Younger Furniture sofa's?

Younger Furniture

A craft book for burgeoning modernists and pint-sized DIYers, Todd Oldham's book Kid Made Modern offers up loads of project and craft ideas inspired by mid-century designers and artists such as Charles and Ray Eames, Marimekko, and Alexander Girard.  Get it for your kids, get it for your nieces and nephews, or get it for yourself!

Kid Made Modern by Todd Oldham: $15

P.S. Be sure to check out Oldham's other Mid-Century Modern-inspired DIY book, Handmade Modern.

Located in downtown Toronto, Offcutstudio is the workshop of craftsman, Cameron MacLean. He uses local and exotic offcut woods, sourced from a local woodshop to create one of a kind creations like the solid maple clock, cherry wood lint remover, and wood and enamel vases. Everything is hand made, and reasonably priced.

Offcutstudio

How these colorful wooden robots managed to evade Capree's radar is absolutely beyond me. Sure, they were designed by a fairly obscure design group in Poland called Prodiz, but that's no excuse. Each robot is made up of wooden pieces with magnets that can be rearranged to your imaginations extent.

Robole by Prodiz

via

I love, love, love these porcelain wall hooks from Anne Black!  Available in a wide range of colors and two sizes, these little sputnik knobs can be used as drawer pulls as well.  A perfect atomic accessory for any mod abode!

Flower hooks by Anne Black available from Stilleben: $14 - $16

This absolutely brilliant iPhone charger/alarm hub is, well, absolutely brilliant. With obvious inspiration taken from the toaster the Day Maker "..lets you know it’s time to rise and shine with a little added spring from your phone alarm. And if you’re not quite ready to face the day, snooze on effortlessly by pushing your little slice of digital heaven back into its tray." Yes please, I'll take one.  No word on pricing or production yet, but rumor is that it may be heading to Kickstarter.

Day Maker

Via Inspire Me Now

Ok, first, I have absolutely no idea what a "Paper Boat Lighthouse Schnapps set" is. Paper boat? Really? Second, I really really wish that I hadn't read the whole lighthouse part. I liked it a lot better when I just thought of it as a white scandinavian looking carafe with a bold stripe of red. Faults aside, it really does look nice, especially if you pretend I never mentioned anything nautical, and for $29 you really can't go wrong.

Schnapps Set $29

A spot of beech, a pop of color, and everything is right with the world.  At least, everything is right in the world of modern wall clocks, which I guess you can't really complain about.  Right?  Right.

This Clock by Barnaby Tuke for Studio Special: £48

Dear Mr. McGowan,

I like your style, man.  Don't ever change.  Well, no, change is probably a good thing.  I mean it's a part of growth and you can't get better unless you change, I suppose.  And we all want to grow in our abilities, right?    But you're already so dang good, I love what you're doing with those colors and the paper texture bit... What I'm trying to say is: I think you're awesome.

Awkwardly,

Capree

LINK: edwardmcgowan.com

I'm an avid "iPhone as an alarm clock" kind of guy, so it's nice to see that there are some options out there besides the standard issue. One of the newest on the block is the Hip Clock.  It does all the things a good alarm app should do, plus it looks pretty. There is a classic analogue interface (shown above) or a flip clock or digital clock version. My favorite feature? Shake it to turn on the flashlight. Brilliant. All it is missing is a nice wooden stand to go on. I'm thinking something like this one I saw at ICFF.

Hip Clock.

In case you didn't already hear, Bludot absolutely killed it at ICFF this year, taking home the editors award for best body of work. They had a lot of new stuff that was all good, but my two personal favorites were the Dang Media Cabinet, and the Branch table shown above. They both touch on two different trends that I continue to see emerging in the modern world, a throwback to the mid century days, and a move towards more raw or "rustic" modern forms. Which do you like the best?

Bludot

Big, colorful, felt appliqué pillows??  Don't mind if I do!  My fave is the colored bars pillow followed closely by the mustard and cream asperand.  The Catherine Holm-inspired version is pretty swell, too.  Check 'em all out and let me know which one is your favorite!

Felt Pillows available from ekofabrik

[found via April Taylor on Pinterest <-- Are you using Pinterest yet?  Get on that!]

I saw this picture circulating around recently from an article Martha Stewart did last year on kitchens. She called this the "bird's beak" style supports and said it was and old carpentry method. I have to admit, I'm quite smitten by it, although I do worry that it would be a huge dust collector. A quick search online only brings up references to the Martha Stewart article.  Has anyone else seen this detail used elseware? Does it have another name? Love it or hate it?

Via Martha Stewart

The whole concept of a mattress made specifically for a platform bed is something new to me, but it seems like there are several on the market claiming to be the best. A few months ago I was contacted by De Courcy and Company about their Hevea Grove and Invigo mattresses that were designed specifically for platform beds. The Hevea is a latex and foam mattress made in the USA that comes in 8", 10", and 12" sizes and wrapped in ecru cotton. They are sent me a vacuum packed Invigo to test out. So far I've been very impressed.

Today I received an email from Modernica touting the worlds best platfrom mattress. Made by Lief this one differs in that it is a coil spring mattress. It features 10 layers of foam, latex, wire coils all put together to make a complete package. I haven't had a chance to test one out yet.

So which is best? Ultimately I don't think you could know unless you had them side by side, but to me it seems like it comes down to spring coil or foam. Personally I'm a huge fan of latex/foam mattresses. Besides being more comfortable for me, they also pack down much smaller making transport more economical. Also, there is price to consider. A full/double Lief is $1,175, and includes free shipping. I'm not sure on pricing for the Hevea, but a full/double Invigo like I have is $565 plus free shipping on Amazon.

De Courcy and Company Hevea and Invigo Mattresses

Lief Mattress

I think I ran across the build blog a few years ago, but I forgot all about it until this weekend. I was researching some details for an upcoming project I am starting on, and Build LLC's blog was a virtual goldmine of useful information. Build LLC is a Seattle based company that has been building wonderful modern environments for decades.  My favorite thing about them is that they are more than happy to share all of their secrets, right down to the architectural details for different construction solutions. I bookmarked their baseboard detail and door jamb details to look at later.  While I don't know that they are the ultimate solution, they are a good jump off point.

Build LLC

Build Blog