The cool kids at Lushpad are celebrating Valentine's Day and their love of great design by offering free MCM desktop wallpapers! They're available in red or black and the following formats: desktop, iPad, iPhone, and mobile. To download one for yourself or your design-loving Valentine, head on over to Lushpad.
Valentines Day is here, and love is in the air. Or you are feeling a little extra lonely today and acutely aware of your single status. No worries. Either way we can still be valentines. I even got you a few things. Check out the delightful miniature moveable valentines dolls from Hollands Worth's shop on Etsy. (shown above)
In case you are wondering what to get me, head on over to Curbly for some ideas. They have a huge roundup of goodies in their handmade says I love you section, including several printable cards and other last minute ideas you procrastinators can still pull off.
Don't have anyone to give a gift to? Send yourself some chocolates and coffee from the Full Circle Exchange and enjoy the sweet taste of knowing they matched your purchase dollar for dollar with a donation to CARE.
Most of all, know that GRM loves you!
Next Saturday Modernism Week starts in Palm Springs and with it the 3rd Annual Architecture + Design Film Series. This year they will have an astounding 12 films showing over the 5 day event (many of which we have already featured here). Makes me very jealous I don't live a couple hundred miles closer. Trailers for the films can be seen at Designscreen.org and more information about Modernism Week is available at modernismweek.com.
Now this is something I haven't seen before: an Etsy shop selling PDFs for vintage furniture plans. For $3, they'll email you all the instructions for making your very own MCM side chairor folding lawn chair. Sounds like a good deal to me. The shop is mostly made up of crocheting and knitting plans, but it might be worth it to keep an eye on them for more MCM furniture goodness.
MCM Furniture Plans available from Cemetarian La Dolce Vintage: $3
I'm a big fan of pivot doors, but for some reason it seems like it's really hard to find an affordable pre hung pivot door. At least in the US. If I lived in Australia, I could pick the one shown above for $2,200. It's made by a company called The Door Keeper, and they have all sorts of options in standard and pivot doors. Something tells me the shipping wouldn't be cheap.
Anyone know where to buy a prehung pivot door stateside?
I know that's a mouthful, but it is what it is: a 2011 letterpress calendar coaster set. Each coaster is hand printed on a vintage letterpress and features a monthly calendar on one side and a rad design on the other. The set includes 13 coasters (one for each month, plus the "2011 cover" coaster). A pretty sweet idea, if you ask me!
2011 Letterpress Calendar Coasters by Meadowlark Creative: $18.95
I think I just found heaven, and it turns out it's in Phuket Thailand. Designed by Hong Kong based Original Vision the home home is a combination of an amazing site and a thoughtful and thoroughly modern home. It's hard not to draw references to Falling Water when looking at the home.
Originally built in 2009 as a vacation home for a Hong Kong couple, the home is now rented out between their stays. $2,000 - $4,500 a night will get you an amazing home with 6 bedrooms (sleeps 12) and your own chef. While that price isn't cheap, for me heaven is just 11 friends and $166 a night away.
Who's in?
LOTS more photo's after the jump.
I'm in the process of creating a guest room right now, which includes a sweet Danish dresser that I'm pretty fond of. Once all the big tasks for the room are complete (painting and wallpapering, mostly), I'm excited to get down to business with more fine-tuned decorating. One source of inspiration for me right now are these Vintage Vignettes from Dabito of the (fabulous) blog Old Brand New. Check 'em out and see if they don't make you feel all warm and fuzzy!
LINK: Old Brand New
I went to a great slow food event last night called SLC Bites. Now today for some reason I'm feeling a little food obsessed. So I figured I'd share some links for my favorite food group. Chocolate. Besides, Valentines day is just around the corner, and what better way to show your affection for that special someone than some chocolate. Of course if that special someone is a designophile, not just any box of chocolates will do. May I suggest a box of chocolates from Valerie Confections in LA. The Commune Chocolates were a collaboration between Valerie Confections and Commune Design the brainchild behind the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs and The Standard in New York. A box of 49 pieces will only set you back $49, and I guarantee it will be much more enjoyable than some cliched roses.
Commune Chocolates from Valerie Confections
More chocolate coated ideas after the jump.
Continuing in the chocolate theme is Richart chocolates which promise to be equally beautiful and delicious. They are almost so beautiful I wouldn't want to eat them. Almost.
Richart Chocolate (photo via)
Speaking of eating good chocolate, I've got to give some much deserved attention to the best chocolate I've ever eaten. Amano. They have won multiple international awards for their chocolate bars, and I was absolutely floored to learn that they are made right here in Utah. Do yourself a favor and pick up a bar or two to taste.
Last and certainly not least is another plug for a local business. Here in Salt Lake City we have a great market and deli called Tony Caputo's. Rumor on the block is that they will be having a special Valentines Day tasting of Artisan du Chocolat a London based chocolate maker. Umm. Yes please.
Artisan du Chocolat chocolates
"Over-sized" and "minimalist" aren't words that usually go together, but in the case of this floating wall clock from Crate&Barrel, they certainly do. The clear acrylic face helps keep things clean and simple for those not wanting to clutter up their walls. And, at two feet in diameter, you're definitely getting a big bang for your buck.
Floating Wall Clock from Crate&Barrel: $69.95
I had the opportunity to watch this great documentary film over the weekend and thought: "Oh, goodness. If there was ever a film made for GrassrootsModern readers, this is it!" And you know what? I mean it. The Cool School is a fantastic (and endlessly interesting) look into the birth of the modern art movement in Los Angeles during the mid-50s to late-60s. If you're interested in art, modernism, or the history of LA, your homework assignment is to watch it this week!
Trailer below.
Wallpaper and metallic gold are two things that generally don't pop into my mind when I think about modern interiors, and yet I love this leaf metallic wallpaper from UK based Jocelyn Warner. I have no idea on pricing, and it looks like it is only imported by a handful of shops in California and New York. Check out Jocelyn Warner's website to see if you are lucky enough to have a stockist near you.
This is an excerpt from what looks like a great film on Alvar Aalto. The whole film can be downloaded from Roland Collection for $2.
Kristiana Spaulding is an interior designer with one heck of a niche: she designs airstream interiors! Her obsession with the silver campers started when she first spotted one during a cross-country road trip at the age of seven. Since then, her passion has led her to acquire and re-design a number of Airstreams, which she now does professionally for other Airstream owners. Her collection of vintage campers is even available for rent and has been used in a number of photo shoots, movies, commercials, and weddings (!!) . And, when she's not decorating interiors, she's designing camper-inspired jewelry and accessories! So, if you're an Airstream fan, you'll definitely want to check out Kristiana's site, Silver Trailer, for more info and photos!
LINK: www.silvertrailer.com
I've been big fan of H & M for a while. Unfortunately they don't have any stores in Utah, so I make a point of stocking up on clothes every time I visit a real city that does have one. What I didn't know until just this week was that H & M has a home section as well. At least they do if you live in the UK. If only they offered international shipping too.
I've been following Luke's work for a while now, but when I saw this recent test illustration he completed, I just had to share! Luke's intent was to "capture how alarmingly different the Guggenheim Museum looked when it landed in the boxy landscape of late 50's New York." I'd say he succeeded! Be sure to check out the rest of his portfolio right here.
LINK: www.lukepearson.com
I've been following Owen Mortensen's work for years now. He's from my same small town in northern Utah and has been showing his work locally for years. I was recently pleasantly surprised to see Design Public started carrying his pieces. Owen started out with the same pressed leaf arrangements that you see everywhere, but his artists eye quickly took him beyond that. Through varying color, pattern, and even shape Owen turns beautiful glimpses of nature into brilliant modern art.
Wall art available at Design Public
Matthew's portfolio is chalk full of beautiful interior shots, but what's really capturing my attention is this curious series of still life images he shot for Case da Abitare. I'm hoping noRipple Chairs were harmed in the making of these images! In all seriousness though, Matthew's work is absolutely stellar and worth a deeper look, so be sure to check out his site!
LINK: http://matthewwilliamsphotographer.com
More pics from his still life collection (including some sweet modern diorama action) after the jump!
We are big fans of Kickstarter here at GRM. It helps put great ideas together with the monetary support they need to come to fruition. One project that is in need of some funding is One Less Drop. No it's not a water conservation project, but a cable management idea from Dean Heckler, designer of the One Less Desk series. Dean makes elegant aluminum products that compliment any Apple geeks home. In this case, One Less Drop keeps your power cords for macbooks and idevices from sliding off your desk. If this is a problem that plagues you, pledge $25.
There's nothing I love more than a good collage and Vivienne Strauss knows how to pull one (or nearly 100 of them) off. Don't believe me? Stop by her shop where she sells originals for as little as $15 (yes, $15) and see for yourself.
Original Collages by Vivienne Strauss: $15 - $60