At our house we are counting down the days until our second child is born. While we have a lot of great gear from our first, there are still some things we would like to pick up. One of the things we never got around to getting on round one was a good mobile. Elsewares has some great wooden mobiles like the two from Petit Collage shown above. They are laser-cut from sustainably harvested bamboo plywood and are priced at around $68. My wife is very fond of the Birds of a Feather mobile by IGE shown below. They are also laser cut, but this time out of walnut. While the price of the IGE mobiles is about the same ($65) the bonus is that you get to pop out the pieces yourself and save the sheet for stencils or whatever else you can think up. In the end I suspect that we will probably go the DIY route, although it will be hard to make something as cute as these two.

During a recent Sunday dinner, I was looking through my sister-in-law's copy of Martha Stewart Living. It was an issue all about color and various painting techniques, so I was kind of intrigued. I passed on the faux bois dressers and gingham walls, but stopped dead in my tracks when I came across their herringbone LCW chair. At first I thought it was really cool looking, but then the fact that someone actually painted faux effects onto an LCW Eames chair was too overwhelming. I quickly went through all five stages of mourning: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The whole process took about 30 minutes. So now I bring this issue to you, dear readers. I've come to accept this near-blasphemous creation and I want to know how you feel about it. Would you personally ever apply faux effects to a piece of classic, MCM furniture? Are you a purist or a believer in personalization? Do you like this herringbone rendition? I admit that if I saw it in someone else's home, I'd be OK with it, but it's not for me (at least not on an LCW). I'm pretty much a believer in not meddling with the classics. Share your thoughts!

For those interested in actually trying this technique, whether on an LCW chair or, preferably, a thrift store find, an instructional video and article can be found here.

I ran across this Etsy shop a while ago but just rediscovered it in my bookmarks.  Urban Soule sells really awesome urban-themed ceramics (as well as paintings, photography, and vintage items). I really love the wood grain plates and the graffiti stencil pieces are pretty rad too. You can order anything from a single plate to an entire 18-piece set. Soule even offers customized pitchers and teapots, just choose the style and color you want!  

More about Soule:
Soule,(pronounced like soul) was born in Warshin'ton state. Growing up in the sticks, I, me and my only friends were tree dwelling creatures. One day me,myself and I became incredibly lost and stumbled upon the "city" and discovered a wheat pasted poster. Not only visually appealing, it was delicious,me loved it. I and myself had to learn more about this new discovery, so after befriending some city folk, I, myself and me branched out on our own armed with spray paint, stencils and ink. At the ripe ol' age of 16 I had my first art show which was a success, this got the ball rolling so Me, myself and I ran with it bringing myself to Seattle, WA. Keep an eye out for Urban Soule clothing, paintings, toys, and whatever else me, myself and I feels like making!

Ceramics with attitude from Urban Soule: $10 - $250.

I'm really enjoying this dark, slightly macabre work by artist Tim Biskup. It's 50s style without the fake optimism, I suppose. The subject of death isn't for everyone, I admit, but I would love to own any of these paintings. They would find a happy spot in my home, I just know it. How do you feel about this work? Share your thoughts!

More about Tim:
Tim Biskup is a Southern California fine artist whose work has been shown worldwide, including galleries and museums in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Kyoto, Barcelona, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Melbourne. Long recognized for his complex color and design theories and a decidedly populist aesthetic, Biskup has amassed a cadre of loyal fans and collectors. Recent years have seen the artist tend towards more complex, personal and conceptual work while maintaining a commitment to visual experimentation.

See more at www.timbiskup.com.

When I think about inhabit living, the only thing that usually comes to mind is their wall flats, but it seems like they have a couple of other tricks up their sleeves. The builtby Lamp is a fully configurable lamp with a mid century feel. With four different types of wood to choose from and 5 colors you can build the lamp just the way you want. If the 1,607,045 possibilities are too overwhelming they do have some good looking one pre configured too. Pricing depends on what configuration you do, but ranges from $150 to over $200.

Available from Inhabit Living from $150 up.

Thanks to Baz at Atomicindy for sharing.

My wife is an amazing cook, and I almost always have good homemade food to take to work for lunch. I have been looking for some decent glass tupperware for a while now for a couple of reasons. First I worry about what sort of plastic grossness is being leached into my food every time I microwave it, and second I am getting tired of tupperware stained by tomato sauce. The big problem is that many of the glass food containers don't have a tight seal, which would lead to a disaster in my bag. These Glasslock food containers from organize.com look like they might just do the trick. They have a silicone seal and snap locks to keep things were they belong, but are mostly made of glass.

Has anyone tried these? What do you put you leftovers in?

Available from Organize.com $6 - $12 each.

Usually I save Friday's for a "Way Back When" video that features some great mid century architecture or product design, but as a couple people pointed out in the Ultimate Modern Architecture Roadtrip discussion there is a lot of great things going on right now. I know when I was back at the IIT campus last year looking at some Mies buildings seeing the Koolhaas designed McCormick center was equally impressive. In fact Koolhaas blew my mind. Looking for some good Koolhaas video's I came across this trailer for Houselife. Has anyone seen it? Where is the best place to order it from?

Koolhaas Houselife website

I know that hearing "Sale at DWR" doesn't usually mean much, since their version of a sale is typically $200 off of a $6000 couch, BUT there are a few little gems hidden away in the clearance section. For example, the Icon Lamp by Ferruccio Laviani is currently going for $196, nearly a hundred dollars off of the original price tag. If you're looking for a sleek outdoor coffee table, check out the Domino Coffee Table by Joan Casas i Ortinez. Normally $1038, it's now on sale for $311. Not bad, not bad. If you've been coveting the 5 in Uno Set by Joe Colombo, now might be the time to finally take the plunge. DWR is currently offering the iconic set for $125, half off of the original pricetag. In addition to these great deals, DWR is offering free shipping on all sales items. Sweet!

Check out all the clearance items here.

Have a great weekend!

I love a good makeover, any kind really. But nothing gets me quite like a great home renovation! I ran across this renovation on Hatch: The Design Public Blog. Karen and Andy, founders of Grassroots Modern fave Olli & Lime, share their experiences - here's a snippet!

First, we stripped everything out, removed all the old carpets, shelves, units etc until we had a blank canvas. Then we took off all the doors, widened and heightened each doorway and knocked down a few walls, improving the flow throughout. We re-plastered, painted everything white and laid walnut flooring.

Our taste is minimal and contemporary but with a retro twist, pretty much like our kids designs, so you’ll notice seventies-esque patterned wallpaper in the lounge, offset by a few designer classics. We’ve used a color scheme that’s very much in the Olli & Lime palette, so you’ll see brown, white and orange and even a lime green kitchen!

Renovating has been really satisfying, particularly because we had a shared vision of what we wanted to achieve. Almost a year on, as we continue to add our own touches, we still look around at what we’ve created and smile.

Can you believe those lime green cabinets?? Gorgeous!

Read more here.

Check out all the Olli & Lime goods at Design Public from $22 - $100.

I'm a big fan of people that find ways of using old materials in a new way, especially when those old materials are very affordable. Chris Rucker is one of those guys. He has a thing for oriented strand board (OSB) and has been building all sorts of furniture out of them. The designs are great, but even though the material is highly practical and affordable, I'm not quite sure I'm in to it.

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What do you think, would you own a chair made of OSB?  

Really awesome graphic design/illustration/letterpress from one-man show Mikey Burton. It was really, really hard to pick what to feature, as everything this guy creates is pure genius. I absolutely love the Carol and John's logo as well as the reinterpretations of classic book covers that Burton created for his thesis project. Check out his website for more eye candy and stop by his Big Cartel shop to pick up your own "Live With Art" letterpress print for only $20!

Letterpress prints from Mikey Burton - $20

Wall graphics are nothing new, and I'm afraid that most of the ones I have seen for the past little while are uninspired. That is until the good people from AtomicIndy sent me over this link for Mira Entu Interior. Based out of Spain Mira has a great selection of graphics for everything from kids rooms to commercial spaces. Prices start at around $100 for a large graphic and go up depending on how big you want to make it. If you're hesitant to order from over sea's, or just don't want to throw down that much cash, the site is still worth checking out to get inspired.

Wall graphics from MiraEntuInterior starting at $100.

These flash cards from Etsy seller BellesLettres are such a fantastic idea! Start out with the Beginner deck for the kids - a little game of "know your Corbusier" will make those long drives more fun for everyone! Hone your skills with the Intermediate deck which includes some less obvious pieces, such as the Paul McCobbPlanner Group Desk or the David Trubridge Koura Pendant. Fancy yourself a guru or a true connousieur? Step up to the plate with the upcoming Advanced deck, to be released soon!

Each deck includes a set of 20 flash cards, complete with the photo and name of designer on one side and an iconic piece of furniture of their design and its name on the other. Flash cards are laminated and measure 3.5 inches by 5.25 inches. Cards come on a metal ring that opens so that they may be removed for testing!

Modern Flash Cards from BellesLettres for $25

I saw this awesome poster on The Mid-Century Modernist and had to share! The Mid-Century Modern Collection poster was created by technical illustrator James Provost. Available in a range of sizes (from 6.7"x10" all the way to 40"x60"), this poster would look great in any home or contemporary office. Fancy yourself a mid-century guru? Head over to The Mid-Century Modernist and identify the names and designers of each piece to win a 16"x24" print! Hurry, the first person to answer correctly wins!

Mid-Century Modern Collection poster by James Provost from $12 -$70.

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Not all of us can have a green thumb, but luckily if you are the type that could even kill a cactus there is still hope. The Delta 20 planter by Lechuza is a self watering planter that is designed to keep your plants happy and green, even when you forget about them. Just fill it up and you are good to go for multiple weeks. To take the guess work out of it, the planter even includes a little reservoir that shows you when you need to refill. A winner of the red dot award, the Delta planters are available in several different sizes and colors, can be used indoors and outdoors and to top it all off, it's affordable with pricing starting at $29.

Available from Emmo Home starting at $29.

Check out these eco-friendly, prefab homes from Michelle Kaufmann Designs! I think my favorite of the bunch are the mkSolaire and the Sunset Breezehouse. Along with these great homes, MKD recently published a 176-page book highlighting these sustainable designs. In Prefab Green, Michelle talks about her design process as well as the importance of sustainability. Prefab is definitely looking more and more tempting every day! More about the Sunset Breezehouse: The Sunset® Breezehouse™ home was thoughtfully designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs and Sunset Magazine for green, healthy living. The key feature of the Sunset Breezehouse is the BreezeSpace at the center, which is situated under a distinctive butterfly-shaped roof. This room, a glass-enclosed breezeway or porch, allows you to “let the green in” to your main living and dining areas, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. Courtyards, terraces and decks are placed at the front and rear of the home to further integrate nature with living. By borrowing space from the outside, the home feels much larger than it is.

Pick up a copy of Prefab Green from Michelle Kaufmann Designs for $30.

For the room that we are remodeling downstairs I want to do a nice flush vertical grain fir door. Unfortunately that is proving more difficult than I thought. No one in town seems to stock them and everyone wants to custom order them in for me with a lead time of 6 weeks. Since we really want to have them here when we do the door jambs before the drywall that doesn't work for us. I have found one place locally, Stock Builiding Supply, that will custom build them for me with just a week turn around time. I should get the pricing for that today. It seems like it shouldn't be that hard of a thing.

Does anyone know a good place to get a flush fir door?

Artemide makes some of the most classic modern lamps like the iconic Tolomeo. Unfortunately all that rich history and brand recognition comes with a price. If you have been drooling over a Tolomeo, Melampo, or Tizio now may be the time to snatch one up. Y Lighting is having a 40% off sale on selected Artemeide lamps. I don't think I've seen this good of a deal in a long time.

Artemide 40% off sale at Y Lighting

Little Nest offers modern classics in kid-sized proportions - little Happy Meals of the design world. Not sure I'd want to spend nearly a grand for a mini eames that my kid will outgrow sooner than later, but if you've got the money and a definite vision for your kid's space, go for it!

About Little Nest:

We are an Australian owned furniture company that focuses on creating stylish, fun and functional furnishings for children which will compliment today's contemporary family home.

Our debut range of child sized replica furniture respectfully pays tribute to 20th century modern classic furniture designs, which are true icons in the contemporary design world. We are inspired by innovative design, technology and fresh ideas.

Kid-Sized Classics from Little Nest - $99 - $949 AUD

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My friend Baz Mcm shared a great link with me on how to restore a eames fiberglass shell chair. I'm a big advocate of restoring old furniture when possible, not only is it often times the most affordable route, but its a good feeling to breathe a fresh breath of air into an old classic. Even though I got a great deal on my set of Emeco's, I still think the best furniture deal I've gotten to date is our set of bentply chairs that set me back around $10 each. I admit that often time the hardest part is just finding a good used chair, although some people are better at it than others.

Once you get the classic piece you want to restore, where can you go for advice/ parts?