Bai Design has a whole collection of cool clocks in a very wallet friendly price range. I love the ones with a little touch of retro, like the clocks pictured. My favorite is probably the kitchen timer combo (top left) - nothing beats form and function! Check out all the styles and color options here; I'm sure you'll find one to suit your fancy.
Clocks by Bai Design: $25 - $60
For all our SLC readers, just a reminder that we have some great events coming up next week. Thursday April 29th at 6:30 will be the Utah Premier of Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman at the Salt Lake Library. It is free to the public. We will also be announcing the winner of the "For the Love of Mod" photo contest and showing some of the top photo's that were submitted.
Friday is the Utah Heritage Foundations annual Preservation Conference. There are a lot of great education sessions including on dedicated to Affordable Mid Century Modern Resources at 10:30.
Saturday is the annual UHF Historic Homes tour. This year it is in the lovely Federal Heights area and includes a fantastic Mid Century Modern home.
Please visit the UHF website for more information and to purchase tickets for Friday and Saturday's events. Also if you haven't already make sure you stop by the SLModern Facebook page and become a fan to get all the latest information about Mid Century Modern events in Salt Lake City.
Oh, hey there. Can you guess what this lamp is made of? FELT. Big surprise, right? I'm totally obsessed with the material! The Icosa Pendant is inspired by Buckminster Fuller's iconic Geodesic Dome. Taking its cues from the crystalline structure, this light deceives with soft, wool felt and a warm glow. What more could you ask for?
Icosa Pendant by Ross Menuez: $150
David Joseph-Goteiner is my kind of guy. When he sent me an email, the opening line immediately caught my attention. “Where are all the affordable, simple, comfortable chairs?” My thoughts exactly. He went on to explain his personal manifesto.
After failing to find an affordable, simple, and comfortable chair, I decided to begin my quest to design and fabricate my own chair. Using my three years of experience in the metal shop, I jumped into this challenging independent “senior project.”
Today, I’m over halfway toward my goal: to create four prototype chairs that are affordable, simple, and “sustainable.” I will pitch these four prototypes to manufacturing companies in an attempt to get one of them mass-produced.
He currently has two of his chair designs complete and is well on his way to completing his third. Make sure you check out his blog "Four Chairs, a Foray into the Design World" and give him plenty of feedback about his designs and mission.
Fourprototypechairs.blogspot.com
Mud Australia is a porcelain manufacturer based in Sydney, Australia. Their line of ceramics consists of handmade vessels for the kitchen and home in gorgeous, modern shapes and colors. I particularly love the MUD Plates, with their slightly wavy edges - a perfect combination of minimalism and handmade imperfection. The MUD Platters are another favorite, available in 7 unique shapes and 14 colors. Check out Mud Australia's full line here.
Ceramics by Mud Australia available in the U.S. from Horne: $14 - $160
Admit it. Anything that is marsupial is cute. A white ceramic marsupial pot is no exception. With mothers day just around the corner, this could be a quirky yet strangely appropriate gift for that special mother in your life.
White Ceramic Marsupial Pot $48 from Sprout Home.
I'm always on the lookout for a decent messenger bag and I think I just found the perfect one! These bags from Pansy Maiden are organic, vegan, and sustainable, not to mention heavy duty and big on pocket space. The design is unisex, though I don't know how many guys would really want to show off the "Pansy Maiden" tag...
About:
Inspired by clean lines, whimsical shapes, and an urban aesthetic, Laura Collins of Pansy Maiden subscribes to a "less is more" philosophy. Her mission is to create simple, durable, Eco-friendly, animal-free bags that are urban, pretty, and practical. And fun. Really, really fun. You will never see a Pansy Maiden bag that contains leather, wool or silk. The twill and denim fabric used for these bags is produced at a mill that dyes their fabric with plant-based, heavy metal-free dyes (no harmful chemical run- off). The mill also abides by Fair-Trade regulations meaning, among other things, employees at the mill are paid a fair wage and they work in safe working conditions. In addition, all fabric used is washed with a plant-based detergent and a plant-based fabric softener.
Messenger Bags by Pansy Maiden: $150
Buying a sofa online is always kind of hard. I often see no name sofa's for crazy cheap prices, but I lack the confidence in the retailer to pull the trigger and actually buy one. The decision is a little easier when it is a more well known store like Chiasso. They currently have a sale on their Clarke Sofa and Hamilton Sofa, both of which are 50% off. While I'm not completely in love with the look, it's not bad at all, especially considering the sub $500 price tag.
If time is money, then it's time for tea! This coin bank from Megawing is a fun (and functional) new take on a classic object. Drop your loose change in the pot and when you need a few extra cents, just pour! Available in white ceramic.
Teapot Coin Bank available from MollaSpace: $32
Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I love metal hurricanes. The flickering light of a candle inside is something that no light bulb can ever match. notNeutral's take on the classic Mexican hurricanes includes an array of bold modern colors.
notNeutral Season Hurricanes available from Design Public for $28 for a set of 2
You know it's Spring when I start posting bird feeders. I can't help it! It just happens. The Pip Pip bird feeder is definitely a great example of bold, modern design in the avian arena. Designed by Stina Sandwall, this lacquered steel feeder is available in four great colors: black, apple green, cardinal red, and white.
Pip Pip Bird Feeder available from Scandinavian Grace: $85
I'm wanting ad a list of the best MCM resources in my blogroll and I'm counting on you to get it done. I'm looking for blogs, magazines, stores, forums, the works. It's Friday, put you feet up and take a second to add your favorites in the comments below.
Thanks!
Dieter Rams is and industrial designer that was the chief of design at Braun from 1961 to 1995. Watch the film (linked below) and revel in the wonderful product design from that came from Braun while he was there.
Dieter Rams :: Less and More interview
In just a few quick steps, these file folders transform into carrying boxes or storage trays - a nice thing to have around these days. You never know when you might have to clear that cubicle!
Transformer Filepack: $10 / set of 3
I saw these on Gilt the other day and fell in love with them. While the idea of a porcelain dinnerware set for baby who is just learning to eat sounds scary, there are some thoughtful design elements that make it a decent idea. The plate and bowl are nice and thick so they look like they are actually pretty sturdy. It also seems to me that the added weight might actually make it so they don't slide around as much. The mug? Yeah it is going to get broken, just don't fall in love with it and it will be ok.
Baby Nambe 3-Piece Dinnerware Set on sale for $25 from Nambe
In case you missed the announcement, or discounted it as April Fools' Day fodder like I originally did, Herman Miller has released five new colors and two new bases for the Eames Molded Plastic Chairs series. The new colors are aqua sky, java, wafer, greystone, and sparrow and they join existing colors black, red, white, light blue, and lime green. Two bases, the stacking/ganging base and the 4-legged base, will join the existing wire base, rocker base and the recently reintroduced dowel leg base.
These new colors/styles are already available online and it looks like the prices are all pretty universal, regardless of which retailer you go through. Though, YLiving is offering free shipping. Take note that there is an 8 week lead time no matter who you purchase the new chairs through. Looks like we'll have to wait a couple months to get our greasy little fingers on one of these after all!
Why does everything have to be less cool in the USA? The Sunbeam USA website is about as exciting as plucking nose hairs, while a quick glance at the Sunbeam AU website shows a whole different side of Sunbeam. Suddenly it is full of thoughtful well design products that I would actually like to have in my house. For example the sleek Designer Series Glass Kettle or the wood and aluminum Otto Fan above. Anyone in Australia want to let me live with them for a couple years?
I am so enamored with these linocut prints from artist Eric Rewitzer of 3 Fish Studios! It's hard to pick a favorite, but the Womb Chair print may have stolen my heart... for now, anyway. (Hey, I'm fickle.) The whole MCM Furniture Series consists of 12 prints, all based on classic designs and sold in limited editions of 100. Each hand pulled linocut print is signed and numbered and printed on a 6 x 8" sheet of white BFK paper. Available individually or as a complete set.
Mid-Century Modern Furniture Series by Eric Rewitzer: $25 each or $250 for the set (12 prints total)
While the $67 price for this may be too high, the concept is a good one. Designer Michiel Cornelissen has designed a laser sintered polyamide (I think that means plastic?) connector that transforms 36 regular pencils into a bowl. I love the concept of using everyday objects in a new way. I'd love to see a GRM reader figure out an inexpensive DIY for this one.
36 Pencil Bowl available from www.michielcornelissen.com for $67.
It's about time to get out and garden! While I love a good container garden, I don't enjoy the many, many trips of refilling the ol' watering can it takes in order to get everything good and soaked. I'm thinking this dual-action wonder from designer Pascal Charmolu may be the magic answer.
The sculptural form is ergonomic and practical: hold the can's neck with one hand and the sizable recess in the base with the other while you pour or shower up to 7.5 liters of water. Made from recyclable polypropylene, this can stands at 22.5 inches tall and features a removable spout and perforated, stainless steel lid. Available in black or green.
Dual-Action Watering Can by Pascal Charmolu: $78