Surprise, surprise. It's felt! As you know, we can't get enough of this material - we love it with our whole heart(s)! This child-sized chair from Bookhou makes good use of it, too. With a removeable industrial felt cover, this chair is all about good looks and comfort for your wee ones. Also sold without the felt cushion, but why would you want to do that?
Felt Chair by Bookhou: $300 with felt / $250 without
There's nothing better on a Wednesday than beautiful photographs of stunning architecture and interiors, am I right? Browsing through Eric's portfolio certainly made me feel warm and fuzzy. Check it out for yourself and you'll see what I mean.
Link: www.ericstaudenmaier.com
More pics after the jump!
We featured some of Tom's print work last week, but I couldn't help posting about these wedding cars he makes. Each car is handmade and hand-painted by Tom as a special gift to his newly-married friends. I love them! If you like them too, you're in luck - contact Tom about commissioning your own car.
If you've been reading Grassrootsmodern for a while you should know that bent plywood and felt are like design catnip for me. I get all giddy whenever I see them. These Scholar Bookends from nood were obviously designed to keep your books in place, buy my mind is racing trying to think of what else they could be used for. Any ideas?
Scholar Bookends $24 from nood
I don't drink a lot of tea (I like Rockstars and diet sodas and all that other horrible stuff), but I like the idea of this Asian style tea cup. It has a clever infuser/lid combo so you can brew a single cup of tea instead of a whole pot. Also, it's available in four splashy colors, which is always a plus in my book. What do you think? Yay or nay for this unique form and function combo?
Modern tea cup by Curve available from Hipster Home: $22
Extra awesome bonus fun round: Do you drink tea? What is your favorite kind? If you're convincing, I might just buy myself one of these and start brewing!
I have absolutely no idea why, but I have some sort of obsession with attractive humidifiers. I think it is the fact that most of them are so hideous looking. Is it really that hard to make every day objects that are beautiful? The Anton is just a little guy (11.3 H x 7.24 W x 7.24 D) so don't expect it to humidify your whole house. That being said, a bedroom should be no problem. When it comes to looks, designer Matti Walker nailed it. Simple, attractive and functional.
Anton humidifier from Design Public $140
Snap Studio is a UK-based, artist-run co-operative that functions as a gallery, studio, and print workshop for eight resident artists. After perusing all their portfolios, let me tell you: they're a talented lot! One of my favorite artists-in-residence is Tom Frost, whose work is pictured above. Be sure to check out the rest of the Snap Studio crew. If you like what you see, you're in luck! Limited edition prints are for sale online.
Prints by Snap Studio artists: £15 - £120
Those creative kids over at Curbly just released the third and newest addition to their Make It! series: Hardware Store Decor. The 78-page book is organized by department (paint, plumbing, etc.) and takes you through all the steps needed to create amazing interior decor pieces from stuff you can get at any big box hardware store. Looking through the sneak peek got me pretty excited about the Posh Pipe Desk and Slotted Steel-Angle Credenza projects! Check it out and tell which project catches your eye!
Make It! Hardware Store Decor goes to the tune of $9.99 for a PDF download or $22 for a full-color bound book. Nice.
Wednesday is dragging a bit for me, but this tasty little bit of eye candy from Arch Daily was enough to perk me up. The amazing Casa Del Atrio (Atrium House) by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos is everything a minimal modern home should be. Simple, clean, dramatic and breath taking. Could I live in such a stripped down environment? Absolutely!
Visit Arch Daily for lots more photos and details.
Check out this custom rug from Flickr member Red Jet Whistle! Using Flor tiles, some creativity, and one extra-sharp utility knife, she created a playful and graphic area rug that looks downright fabulous. I love it. Have you created a custom rug of your own using modular carpet tiles in a unique way? Or, have you seen any other creative ways of using carpet tiles? Share in the comments!
Semi-related tangent: I got the newest Flor catalog in the mail this week. Best. Ever. All that color was killing me! Did you see that awesome kitchen/dining room or this fantastic living room?? I've got serious color envy. OK, the end. I just had to get that out.
Last year we shared with you some wonderful MCM inspired letterpress prints from Lulu Dee. Her art is heavily influenced by her 1952 MCM house in Portland. Unfortunately a relocation to LA means that the house is gone, but the great MCM vibe of her art lives on.
Recently Laura sent me a link to some pictures of her old home, and I was absolutely blown away. They did a beautiful job restoring the place, and it looks amazing. Make sure you check out the whole photo set, then drop by her Etsy shop and pic up a print.
1737 SW Canby Home, Portland Oregon.
These lights are so cool! Made from fragments of reclaimed wood, driftwood, construction debris, you name it. I love the simplicity and the inherent creativity/cleverness behind the idea. It definitely has me thinking about what else you could turn into a light! Any ideas?
More: www.anzferfarms.com
Fragment Lights by Anzer Farms: $80 - $130
[Also available from Magpie & Rye]
Almost everything that Sagaform makes is a home run in my book. The Retro Kitchen Jar is no exception either. This simple stoneware jar with acaia lid is given a little flair with a retro pattern. The end result is "retro" with out being dated or cheesy.
So, I was browsing around on Flickr, like I do, and came across one of the best individual collections of Mid-Century images yet! Hundreds of amazing ads, homes, living rooms, kitchens... Whatever you're looking for, it's there. Turns out, the lady behind this Flickr collection also has an amazing blog, Mid-Century Living, wherein she chronicles the restoration and re-modeling of a recently-purchased, 1954 atomic ranch house in Napa, CA. I don't know if I've been living under a rock or what, but her blog is fantastic! Definitely subscribe-worthy, so check it out.
Speaking of blogs, what are some of your daily reads? Have you discovered any new blogs that you just love? Share in the comments - I'm always looking for fresh inspiration!
[Images: Peppermint Kiss Kiss]
More pics after the jump!
Ceramic, Felt, Cork, Stainless Steel. All materials that I love, but not the typical materials that you find in a set of speakers. But that is exactly what Joey Roth has used for these beautiful ceramic speakers. The $500 price tag isn't small, but in the audiophile world it certainly isn't outlandish either especially when you consider you are getting speakers and an amplifier. If they sound as good as they look they just might be a great value.
Nope! You were fooled though, weren't you? At least for a second? Darn. Moving on, then. Designer Helen Johannessen crafted these earthenware pieces to mimic those classic Tupperware containers we all grew up with. A bit of nostalgia in an updated material. The "Is That Plastic" collection includes a butter dish, small pot, and an egg saucer. Available in mint green, orange, petrol blue, and yellow.
Is That Plastic by Helen Johannessen available from Theo: £9.50 - £24.50
The Optic Clock was originally designed by Joe Colombo in 1970, just one year before his tragic death. It was originally available in black, white or red. In 1988 Alessi re-released the clock and it was manufactured for almost a decade. It is now available (for the third time) in black or white for $78.
Salad lovers, rejoice! Homemade vinaigrette just got tastier... or at least better looking. The Squeeze Bottle by Royal VKB (the same folks behind that beautiful black + white carafe setwe wrote about before), is as functional as it is stylish. Use it to mix up your favorite dressings, garnish dishes with ease, or set it on the table with the rest of the meal - it looks so good, you won't have to worry about transferring the sauce to another container. Score! Made from stainless steel and polypropylene.
Squeeze Bottle by Royal VKB available from All Modern: $13 - $26
A while ago we featured the $649 Chelsea Sofa, and thanks to some loyal readers we were able to get some good feedback about the quality. I'm hoping we can do the same with this $399 Carson Sofa from Scandinavian Designs. The style isn't quite as good as the Chelsea (ok it's a long ways off) but $399, come on! Sure you get what you pay for, which in this case is synthetic leather, but it looks better quality than some of the low dollar urban outfitter sofa's. Check out the slightly more stylish Carson Chair for $225 too.
Carson Sofa and Chair $225 - $399
"Could this have been Don Draper's PC?" This question was posed by computer designer Jeffrey Stephenson, after he accepted a challenge to build something in the Mid-Century Modern style. From the tapered legs to the floating tabletop, it certainly screams MCM to me! Stephenson wasn't content to just make something that looked good, though. This red oak computer enclosure has integrated twin fans at the bottom as well as an exhaust vent at the top, ensuring proper heat disbursement and functionality. Aside from these great features, I love the playful touch of the geometric panels, which Stephenson painted to look like "nicotine-stained ivory". A nice touch, indeed.
Be sure to check out more images and details about this Mid-Century-inspired computer enclosure here.
[Thanks to blogger/design/twitter buddy Wayne Dahlberg for the tip!]
