I've always been a huge fan of kids toys that are made of wood. Add a little color and creativity and you have a winner in my mind. Cubiciti, today's favorite Kickstarter project has all those things. It's getting off to a slow start, and has an ambitious $58,000 goal to be funded, but I'd love to see it happen.
Spread the word.
What do you get when you mix old school Bosnian craftsmanship with Washington DC modernism? Manulution. Such is the name of this amazing little company that was founded in 1927. If you want to get technical, Manulution is really a subsidiary of Rukotvorine, but what really matters is the furniture. It's everything that a piece of modern furniture should be. Well designed, not afraid to show it' origin and craftsmanship, and reasonably priced. I'm particularly fond of the Daisy Collection.
What's your favorite?
Sadly, this picture mostly reminds me of the Burke tulip base sitting in my breakfast nook waiting for restoration. Happily, the Visual Philosophy Etsy shop is full of wonderful mid century modern inspired posters and prints. Right now, I'm strangely drawn to the coffee related ones, but maybe that's just because I haven't had my first cup o joe yet.
Which is your favorite?
My friend is selling his amazing Mid Century Modern home. It's a few block away from my old place in olympus cove, and I remember walking by it many times in complete envy. If you area sucker for a good butterfly roof (which I totally am) this is one of the rare good ones in Salt Lake City. To sweeten the deal even more, the home is amazing original looking inside. It has some of the best built in partitions I have seen ever. Check out the photos below (courtesy of City Home Collective) and check out all the details on the MLS
From the MLS listing...
Amazing Oly Cove Mid-Century Modern with Fantastic Mt., Lake and Valley Views. This 1954 Parade of Homes was purchased from Original Owner. Very clean Unique 50's features like Butterfly Roof Design, Big Open Living Rm & Open Air Dining. Architectural features like Floor to Ceiling Glass, Mahogany Walls, & Exposed Brick make this home very eclectic and desired for original 50's modern design. Some updates done keeping the style intact! Grt Walkout Basemnt w/ Wetbar. Could be easy Mother in Law conversion.
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On my way to Palm Springs last week I stayed in LA for one night in a AirBnB apartment. It was tastefully decorated, bright and cheery. Looking around though, it was obvious that there was a lot of Ikea furniture in there. A lot. Not that I'm anti Ikea. God knows I've bought my fair share over the years. But what does one do if they are on an Ikea budget but are looking to express their individuality. Pretty Pegs is a Swedish company that makes different styles of legs so you can swap out your Ikea ones.
Anyone try these?
Have any other good sources for furniture legs for DIY projects?
I posted a while ago about some great modern wooden spoons that had colorful handles. I've been in love with the idea for a while, and wanting to try a DIY myself. Unfortunately there just aren't enough hours in the day. The good news though, is that someone has done it, and shared all the secrets. The picture above is from Little Bit Funky who made a great combo with unique spoons and bright colors. Check out House Of Earnest too for a more color subdued but equally charming version (picture below).
Thanks to the Wantist for the links. :)
Have any of our readers tried this? How did it go?
Using an actual pig for a piggy bank is so inside the box. Me, I'm getting a Rhino bank.
Kooroo animals may be making the coolest things in Kansas right now. With a small collection of locally made ceramic piggy banks in shapes like camels, buffalos, and lions, Kooroo is looking to add a little fun and quirkiness to your day. Piggy banks not your thing? Make sure you check out their letterpress too.
An old friend of mine sent me this link for a story that our local TV station recently did. It features a passive house designed by local architect and Assistant Professor at the University of Utah Jorg Rugemer. I think it's important for a couple reason. First it's great to see modern architecture featured in local mainstream media. Second it shows the growing movement for passive house designed homes in Utah. Lastly, it's amazing to see that you can get good design and energy efficiency all for only slightly more than current construction costs. What's not to like?
In my dreams I have my own forge so I can cast my own aluminum and bronze creations. Until those dreams come true, I'll just have to enjoy looking at beautiful pieces like this Suple Series. It's a brilliant combination of wood and metal with rough and polished finishes.
More info on the Suple Series here.
I first found out about Four Eyes Furniture by reading some comments by one of our readers. Ever since then I have had the Four Eyes website open in my browser, and I keep on going back and looking at it. It's good design, solid construction, and it is made by one guy who is really passionate about what he does. What more could you ask for.
Check Four Eyes out on Facebook.
I may have mentioned it before, but I just moved into a new place, and I'm still desperately trying to get everything organized. The one thing that the house unfortunately lacks, is a good amount of closet storage. There is a spare room in the basement that isn't really being used, and I have been thinking about using some sort of closet organizers to make if functional for clothes storage. Anyone have experience with California Closets or the like?
Lane by Post is a UK based graphic designer that makes wonderful prints for the home. Prints are very reasonably priced for the size and are available framed, or unframed. Which is your favorite?
When I was in Paris last month, I spent a decent amount of time in book stores browsing and looking for gifts. One thing that I stumbled upon that I probably should have picked up, but didn't is this fantastic Alexander Girard memory game made by Ammo Books. The book has a total of 72 cards featuring textile designs and illustrations by the MCM folk master himself.
I seem to have amazing luck when it comes to Tulip tables. When I first moved to Salt Lake City, I found an old tulip table base behind my apartment next to the dumpster. While that particular one unfortunately met an early moving related demise (long story) I have recently stumbled across a similarly amazing deal. A good friend and owner of local, and absolutely amazing MCM furniture store Green Ant, hooked me up with a base and laminate top for a screaming price. The top is a bit larger than I need, so I'm thinking about cutting it down smaller, and the base needs a good sanding and repaint.
Does anyone have any good restoration resources for Saarinen Tulip tables?
Looking for your own Tulip table? Check out The Green Ant, or these Tulip Tables for sale on Ebay.
We love Kickstarted projects here at Grassrootsmodern. Not only are they a great way to help designers get funding for great projects, they are also a great way to get a cool product for a great price. The Cubby is a great example of that. It's an award winning design that has never made it into production. Now is your chance to help out, and to get a Cubby for you own for only $19. Watch the video below for more details.
Cubby coat hook and storage area
I'm a sucker for a good pendant light, especially one that is a "contemporary lighting system made of noble materials, lovingly made in France". Noble or not the 30 plates of natural oak veneer make for an amazing looking light, especially when turned on.
Summer is just around the corner, and that means it's time to have some quality porch time with your favorite refreshing beverage. I'm sort of obsessed with all sorts of bottle openers, the more interesting the better. The Kebo was designed by RUSH3 product design studio and is a modern take on a vintage design.
Coat rack designed by Anna Lee Nashem. Brilliant idea, and could be an easy DIY project. I've got plenty of black pipe laying around...
Ever since I posted about the vintage cage lights a while ago, I have been interested in making my own modern pendant light. A lot of the parts are pretty standard, but it seemed to me that the cloth lamp cord was the chance to really make it into something amazing. I felt pretty lucky to have found out about Sundial, but a lot of their good cloth lamp cords were either sold out, or I was seeing bigger companies like Best Made use them. After a lot of searching around I was able to find a source for some fresh looking colorful cloth cord. I whipped up a few test pendants and shot some pictures of the results.
What does everyone think?
More available for sale (custom lengths etc) on my Modern Union Etsy shop.
Plus you can see some of the other colors I have on this listing here.
When it comes to furniture, chairs are my first passion, but tables are a close second. I often overlook the coffee table partly because there are so many cheap coffee tables out there, but there are a lot of amazing ones too. I'm currently getting ready to move into a new home, and I'm looking to upgrade from my Ikea table I got in the "as is" section. Besides the fact that I used a sharpie to make all the scratches disappear, it's just too hight for my taste. Below is a quick round up of some that have recently caught my eye. Which one is your favorite?
(above "two leg table")
Muji aluminum coffee table $185
DIY Factory style cart via HGTV
Conrad Coffee Table : Misewell $1,150
Repurposed flat file. I'd love to find an old wood one of these. Image via Treehugger.
Also, there are the classics….
