Bada bing, bada boom! Nothing sets my heart a-flutter like some colorful Scandinavian home accessories. These fanciful mugs were designed by Lotta Kühlhorn and are made from fine bone china. Choose from six sweet color combos in pink, yellow, red, orange, brown or green. My fave is the pink pear / orange leaves mug; what's yours?
Pear Mugs by Lotta Kühlhorn available from Huset: $22
I've been keeping my eye open for a good bar stool for a while now, and not much has caught my eye until now. The "industrial stool" (above) from West Elm may be just the ticket. It's simple, looks to be made of quality materials, and it isn't too expensive at $170. I think the wood top really makes it for me.
The other option that I have been thinking about is a simple metal stool like this Safco one. It does have a recycled leather padded seat which is nice, but I don't love the looks of it quite as much as the West Elm one. That being said, it is half the price. That's right. Half.
Safco Leather Industrial Stool
Which one do you prefer? Any other favorites that I should be pinning over?
The first thing I noticed about these powder-coated steel side tables were the fantastic colors and THEN I saw the price: $40. You read that right. FORTY DOLLARS. That's utter madness, people. Right now I'm trying to justify putting one in every room of the house.
Pedestal Side Table from Crate & Barrel: $40
Remember the House 2 project I was going to be following last year? Yeah, I didn't do too good of a job updating on the progress. Luckily the general contractor and subs did a great job of finishing it up. The owners have been in for a couple months now, and a few weeks ago my friend and amazing photographer Kim Guanzon came over to take a few pictures (above). The exterior cedar rain screen turned out fantastic, and is a great warm contrast to the white stucco. Similarly the interior has a fantastic contrast of stark white walls with lot's of fir woodwork to warm the space up. All the cabinetry, bookcases, window benches etc. were done by Salt Lake City based Modern Union, a new local company that is focusing on modern cabinetry and furniture. Modern Union is filling the gap between the low cost Ikea option and the high priced european cabinetry companies like Bulthaup, Poliform, Boffi etc.
Look for a full house tour coming soon.
I have a thing for bent steel, bent plywood, or any other material that can be bent and molded in such a way. So when I spotted this cookbook holder from The Conran Shop I immediately perked up. It's made from one solid sheet of iron and available in a bright, snazzy red. Definitely a worthy addition to any modern kitchen, don't you think?
Origami Cookbook Holder from The Conran Shop: $24
P.S. There is even a bread bin to match!
Textured wall tile aren't anything new, but it is always nice to see some new options. While Inhabits Wall Flats are made of bamboo pulp, the WallArt tiles are made from sugarcane stalks that are left over after raw sugar is extracted. The end result is the same, a durable, sustainable, and biodegradable wall tile. Pricing is not announced yet for WallArt tiles, but I would expect it to be similar to others on the market. Check out WallArt's website to see all 12 patterns.
GENIUS. That's all I'm going to say.
About:
The CableCup is an innovative solution to the problem of cleanly attaching hanging ceiling lamps. The rubber cup cleverly attaches to the cable and is then reversed to conceal the excess cable. Designers Jonas Forsman and Lars Wettre have received great praise for the CableCup in the form of the Red Dot Design Award as well as the Swedish Design S award.
Available in black or white.
CableCup available from the Finnish Design Shop: $21
I usually reserve Friday's for my "Way Back When" posts, a look at fantastic design from the golden years of modern. Today I'm introducing a new theme I hope to cover more consistently, modern american studio design. There is so much great furniture design going on here in the states and internationally but I have been hesitant to cover it as it is not "affordable". You can see some of my conflicted musings here and here. While lamenting about another great furniture maker today that I would not be covering I remembered a part of GRM's original mission statement. "We hope to be able to connect passionate designers with the masses and become a catalyst for change in the modern contemporary world." I realized that by not covering boutique furniture makers like Standard Made, I was perhaps denying my readers the chance to connect with some of the most innovative, passionate designers out there. So affordability be dammed. Let's support the little guy trying to make it in this big corporate modern world. With that may I introduce you to Adam Rogers of Standard Made.
About Adam...
Adam Rogers is a furniture designer / maker.
Adam is devoted to the pursuit of harmony between modern design and quality craftsmanship. His work showcases a clean aesthetic inspired by classic modern design, with an emphasis on amplifying subtlety through details, executed by a maker trained in the traditions of furniture making.
Prior to committing himself to the design and production of objects and returning to graduate school for a masters degree in furniture design and woodworking, Adam spent years in corporate architecture following his undergraduate studies in architecture and interior architecture, serving as a designer on projects ranging from residential to university buildings. Seeking a more personal relationship to his work, his focus has shifted scale. With an understanding of the impact an object can have on an environment, the context of a piece is never without consideration.
Adam is exactly the kind of guy I want to see succeed in this world. He has a beautiful line of furniture, all of which has clean lines and subtle but beautiful joinery. All of it is designed and hand made by himself. Photo's and pricing are below.
Table A - Walnut and Marble $1,250.
Cabinet A - Walnut and Copper $3,500.
Cabinet B - Walnut $3,750.
Chair A - Walnut and Leather $1,350.
Chair B - Walnut and Leather $1,350.
When it comes to home decor, I love texture and pattern used in unexpected ways, which is probably why I'm so attracted to these new bedroom pieces from West Elm. The Stria Collection is made from reclaimed Saal wood which was previously used as railway ties in India. While it's definitely rustic, I think this bedroom set would look gorgeous in any modern home. What do you think?
Stria Collection from West Elm: $299 - $899
UK based Cushlab is doing some fantastically creative pillows out of felt. The texture and colors that Becca puts together really take things to the next level. All pillows are made out of wool/felt viscose and 100% wool. Sizing is standard so it should be easy to find a nice down insert. Pricing starts around £70.00 for the smaller sizes. Custom orders are accepted.
Our love of tea towels is nearly insatiable, it seems! Fortunately, the supply of cool designs is never low... just take a look at these "Mealtime Miracle" towels from ModCloth. Fantastic and cheap! Now, if only they were available in every color.
Mealtime Miracle Dish Towels from ModCloth: $7.99 Red Utensil | $7.99 Turquoise Teapot
Tom Dixon is a fairly household name in the design world, but I honestly haven't paid much attention to his work. That is until a couple weeks ago when a local Salt Lake modern lighting store Light Spot had an open house to show off their latest Tom Dixon lighting. I was quite impressed, and pleasantly surprised to find most of it was much more affordable than I thought it was. To sweeten the deal, I just noticed that Light Spot is having a 20% off sale on all Tom Dixon lighting. Locals go check it out.
I recently ran across Matthew's collage-styled illustrations on Society6 and I can't get them out of my head. I suppose the only solution is to buy a print or two... Right?
LINK: http://matthewbillington.com
Prints by Matthew Billington: $28 - $48
More pics after the jump!
Hello headphone heaven!
I have a few weaknesses in life, felt, bentwood furniture, and my until now unconfessed obsession with headphones. I currently have a half dozen kicking around the house, and it looks like I'm going to have a couple more. Urbanears get's all the details just right. Available in a rainbow of solid colors, fabric covered cord, microphone with iPhone controls, and even a clever "zound plug" that lets you share with friends. All that for just $60. Swoon.
Fonts yesterday, vector icons today... It's just that kind of week here at GRM! I'm very excited about this modern icon collection from Lushpad, though. You can grab the complete set for $46 or break it down into Danish Modern, Decor & Accessories, or Modern (lots of Eames pieces). They're quite detailed and accurate, so no worries about funky Bertoia's or misshapen Saarinen's.
Modern Furniture Icons from Lushpad: $16 - $46
P.S. Don't forget to snag Lushpad's free desktop wallpaper if you haven't already!
To kick off the week and the official beginning of Spring*, I thought I'd point you all in the direction of a free font download from designer Andy Mangold. He's offering up a set of numerals in his Pompadour font (which reminds me a bit of the Eames set from House Industries, but sexier). Click here to see Pompadour in use.
FREE Download: Pompadour Numeral Set from Andy Mangold
Happy designing!
*I have no idea what Spring and free fonts have to do with each other, but they both make me very, very happy.
I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to tell you how much I love Neutra's work. Above is a short little video that begins with and excerpt of a video titled "Neutra's VDL Research House" and ends with a short documentation about the Los Altos Neutra House.
About the Los Altos Neutra House project.
In 2005, the City of Los Altos, the Los Altos Community Foundation, and a group of citizens interested in preserving architectural history joined together to save a small Los Altos house designed in 1935 by this renowned California architect and completed in 1939.
Between 1930 and 1940 Neutra did about a dozen projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1935, he began designing three houses for two poets, Jacqueline Johnson and Clayton Stafford. Two small houses with identical floor plans were the residences of Stafford and his wife, and of Jacqueline Johnson. The house that was saved was Johnson's home. A third and smaller house was also built for Johnson. These residences defined a small commune in a prune orchard.
The Johnson house was moved to City-owned land and for the past three years has been carefully renovated for reuse as a community center for meetings, off-sites, and other similar activities. The completed facility has a large conference room, kitchen, bathroom, integrated landscape, and an HDTV audio/video system that on whick visitors can see videos on the history of modern architecture in Los Altos and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. This system will also serve the audio/visual needs of those using the conference room for meetings. Combining preservation and reuse has been at the essence of the Los Altos Neutra House Project.
We love a good clock here at GRM and this solid-wood number from Off Cut Studio has us sitting up in our seats! According to designer and craftsman Cameron MacLean, this minimal time piece is based off a vintage design from Russia. Though we have a soft spot for Walnut, it's also available in Cherry, Maple, and White Oak.
Wood Clock by Off Cut Studio: $55
It's no secret that I love bent plywood. There is just something about the graceful organic lines that gets me every time. Throw some felt in the mix, and I get weak in the knees. The Dansk Stole chair by James Killinger is one of the better looking bentwood chairs I have seen for a while. What is even more fascinating is seeing the entire process that went into designing and building it. Jaime over at Design Milk did absolutely fantastic job of sharing the whole process. Check out her "Deconstruction" post for all the juicy details and pictures
Dansk Stole Deconstruction on Design Milk
More Deconstruction post from Design Milk here
The shade and canopy of this sexy little number are handmade from translucent bone china in the town of Stoke-on-Trent (considered to be the home of the pottery industry in England). With those credentials, you'd expect this elegant light to run upwards of $700, but it's surprisingly affordable for such fine craftsmanship. I'm not sure what I'm attracted to most: the warm glow of the porcelain or the mid-century-esque shape. Regardless, it's beyond classy!
Drop Two Pendant Light available from Gretel: $215