Part of the fun of this birch plywood birdhouse is the at-home assembly - no special tools are required, you simply bend the main housing and keep everything in place with wooden pegs. Find the perfect spot, hang it, and admire your handiwork.

The carefully thought-out design of the BIRD HOUSE FINLAND is a home-build kit for creating the ideal bird house for your local feathered friend. Created by Tapio Anttila with cooperation from various ornithologists, the design takes into account the natural needs of birds and is suitable for small birds. The roof is also easily removed for cleaning every season.

Bird House Finland available from Finnish Design Shop: $69

Just a quick heads up for those looking for a modern doll house. The fabulous Brinca Dada doll house that we featured on GRM a while ago is for sale on GILT for $310. Normal price is $548. On your mark, get set, GO!

Gilt is free for members. Sign up here if you haven't already.

I like people that think outside the box and are able to see objects in a different light. That's just one reason I appreciate the attractive, albeit somewhat quirky Coat Check Chair designed by Joey Zeledón. By repurposing a simple and inexpensive coat hanger Joey has made a functional chair that also seconds as a hanger holder for your coat. More pictures after the jump.

Joey Zeledón

Big game studio has recently designed a new series of toy boats called "Bote" for Portuguese based Materia. I have a deep love for simple children's toys, and this cork boat with white plastic mast absolutely nails it. The mast is removable, and there are other boat designs that are interchangeable. Beautifully simple and brilliant. More pictures after the jump.

Photography by Julien Chavaillaz
via

Gus Modern just unveiled their new Spring/Summer 2011 products and among them is this lovely little number, the Carmichael Sofa. Hidden beneath its tweed upholstery and armrests, I couldn't help but notice the bones of the Eames Sofa Compact - anyone else think this? Maybe that's why I love it so much; it has good genes. Look for it from your favorite Gus Modern dealers. Ships late May / early June 2011.

Carmichael Sofa by Gus Modern

I love it when I learn about new people. And let's admit it, there are LOTS that I still don't know about. This weeks discovery is Kem Weber. One of his most well known pieces is the Airline Chair shown above. Designed in 1934 it was a ready to assemble chair with a low cost of $24.75. (Actually that seems low, but considering inflation it's around $400 in modern terms). The idea of ready to assemble was still pretty revolutionary at that time (way before Ikea) and the design was pretty radical still. The end result was a limited production of only 200 chairs. Some people are just ahead of their time.

Work from Kem and others will be on display this fall at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibit is called California Design, 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way.

via Collectorsweekly.com

Oh man. I want one of these in a bad way. Urbio's new Urban Vertical Garden is a current Kickstarter project and consists of modular planter units. The pots and panels are made from "eco-plastic" and attach to each other using insanely strong neodymium magnets. You can also mount individual pots to the wall without the modular panels. Overall, I think it's a pretty rad idea for those with limited outdoor garden space or for people just wanting a unique method of incorporating plants in their homes. Urbio needs to reach its Kickstarter goal by the 10th of May, so if you're interested in helping this product get off the ground check out their page for more info.

LINK: Urban Vertical Garden by Urbio

[via Plastolux]

More pics and a video after the jump!

I love just about everything from Angela Adams, and I have been lusting after one of her fantastic rugs for a long time. Her more recent home collection is equally tempting and it looks like now might be a good time buy. Gilt.com currently has Angela Adams on sale.

If you haven't already signed up with Gilt, it's about time. It's free and you can find some great deals. Sign up here.

Angela Adams on Gilt

Maybe it's the fact it seems like I'm always using the wrong tool for the job, but for some reason I'm really drawn to these cast iron bottle openers. Made in Takaoka Japan, a town that has been known for it's iron and copper work since the 17th century, each tool has a black urushi lacquer to prevent rust. Playful, functional, and at $23 affordable too.

Cast Iron Bottle Openers $23

What! How cool are these wall hangers from French design studio Petites Productions? I love the giant grid hangers so much! They would be perfect for a hip office/reception area, don't you think? Also, since they're available in 10 colors and 7 sizes, you could easily find one to fit your space. I'm diggin' the orange one the most. Which color/size is your favorite?

Wall Hanger by Petites Productions: $40 - $480 (for the giant 45 hangers grid)

West Elm has a whole bunch of interesting new kitchen products, all of which seem to really be hitting the spot. There are several different measuring cups/spoons to choose from, white owls to onion shaped "pop color" cups or even a simple hand glazed flow measuring cup and wooden measuring spoons. Lovers of color and pattern will rejoice at the new scandinavian inspired dish towels, and the japanese print modernist mug. So much goodness in one place, and all reasonably priced.

What's your favorite?

West Elm kitchen accessories

The Pill Box is a little silicone number designed by Harry Allen for Areaware. Available in two sizes and three colors, its function is to compartmentalize and store pills but I think it would make a dandy office supply bin for paper clips and pushpins, etc. Plus, what desk wouldn't appreciate a little pop of color?

Pill Boxes available from Areaware: $12 (small) | $18 (large)

Last week I gave you a little peek of the completed House 2 project, and many of you were asking for more interior shots. I've pulled a couple off of the Modern Union Flickr page, and added a few off of my Flickr page as well. As is typical, the photos really don't do the space justice. The thing I'm most impressed with is how the house feels, not looks. The proportions are just so nice. All the VG fir woodwork by Modern Union really does a lot to warm the space up too. White walls and concrete floors can sometimes come across cold and sterile, but all the woodwork really makes the whole house feel very warm.

Builder Mark Haslam did a fantastic job with the entire project. I need to get over there and get some more photo's of the exterior too. The whole thing just turned out so nice.

See the whole House 2 project.

Modern Union on Facebook

Lots more photo's after the jump.

Photo by Modern Union

Photo by Modern Union

I took the following photo's a while ago, before everything was totally finished.

Hallway with built in storage and desk niche.

Master bedroom. I love how the 12' run of cabinetry has no fillers. Perfect fit.

Master bedroom. Looking the other direction is a full wall of glass with two big sliding glass doors.

Kitchen looking towards the front of the house.

Kitchen with dining table in foreground.

This bookcase is 8' x 8'. That should give you a bit of an idea of the scale of the room. 10' ceilings feel perfect for the space.

I've written about Scholten & Baijings' fabulously colorful textiles before, though not on GRM due to the astronomical prices of most of their wares. Luckily, I spotted some new tea towels from the dynamic duo available from A+R Store for a pretty decent price - $32 for two. Not too shabby, right? Also, is it too early to start formulating a Christmas wish list?

Tea Towels by Scholten & Baijings available from A+R Store: $32 / 2

"In like a lion, out like a lamb" - if you were in Utah over the weekend, you can confirm that we definitely got our lion's share of crazy weather. So, what's more fitting for this Monday than a sweet lion screen print from UK-based creative studio Airside ? Not much. So, enjoy the lion today and let's hope for sunny days the rest of the week!

Lion Print by Chris Rain for Airside: $65

Interesting things happen when you bring different modalities into furniture design. Belgium based Diane Steverlynck studied textile design but obviously has a knack for furniture as well. The Tight Stool shows her textile background as it uses different colors of thread to bind the pieces of the stool together. No nails, glue or screws are used, just thread. The end result is a simple, beautiful ash stool with a pop of color. Make sure you look at the photo's of the detailed joinery after the jump.

Available from bytrico.com for $225
(Site in Japanese but worldwide shipping available)

If you are like me, and you haven't heard of Paul Rudolph, it's time to change that. Watch the movie above, then head on over to the Paul Rudolph Foundation to learn more, or visit the Paul Rudolph flickr group to see some of his work.

These modern wall hooks would definitely add a nice pop of color to your walls! They're made from hot rolled steel plates and available as a single hook or row of six. Choose between six powder-coated colors (yellow, red, orange, blue, black, white) or two finishes (matte stainless steel or clear lacquer). I've got my eye on a single hook in a bright, cheery yellow! What about you?

Wauli Wall Hooks by PM Custom: $15 - $75

Alright readers. Are you ready for another inspirational DIY adventure? It all starts in this humble little 700 sf cabin you see above in the sleepy little town of Midway Utah. Inspired, or just crazy, Calder and Starr were able to turn a lot of hard work into a fantastic modern meets rustic home. But that was just the beginning. Keep reading after the jump. I promise this is one story you are not going to want to miss.

Downstairs is a simple, but modern kitchen/living room with a nice island. I really like the contrast of the clean modern lines of the kitchen with the log walls. You can see from this picture too that the space is not huge. I'm pretty sure this is entire width of the house we are looking at.

Upstairs is the bedroom and bathroom. Again, I love the contrast of the white walls and wood. I also love how minimal and clutter free the room is. It looks like there is good storage built in on the sides too.

Calder didn't mention much about the work that went into the cabin, but from the next part of the story, I think it's safe to assume it was a lot of DIY labor.

So, what do you do when you have a 700 square foot home, and you are looking to expand your little family of two? Get an architect.

This is basically what they had to start with. You can see the cabin in the foreground, and in the back is a barn. It should be noted that the barn wasn't originally on the property. The entire thing was disassembled, moved to the property, and reassembled. Yeah, that's right. This family moves barns for fun in their spare time. Hardcore.

This is the plan that architect Todd Drennan came up with. Todd also has a modern home in Midway. The new modern structure actually connects with the original cabin, keeping a nice separate but together juxtaposition.

Once construction began I have a good feeling that a family that can move barns is willing to pitch in and do a lot of the construction themselves. This DIY spirit and some resourcefulness I think is one of the keys to keeping construction costs down on modern projects. I love the fact that Calder seems like the kind of guy that doesn't know what the word impossible means. Want an example? A two story home needs stairs right? Stairs need stair treads right? So what's the obvious thing to use for stair treads if you are a guy that moves barns. Why reclaimed wood from a bowling alley of course.

Another example you say? Sure. Here is my favorite. What do you clad a beautiful modern home like this with? Some nice stonework would be a great choice, but that would be crazy expensive right? Not if you collect all the stone from a old city building that was torn down and cut it down to the right dimensions yourself. Yeah, that's right. I said splitting your own stone. I didn't even know that was possible.

This is the building the stone came from.

After what must have been an incredible amount of stacking, moving, splitting, the stone was ready for the house. For all the details, and some fantastic pictures of the process, check out this post on their blog.

The end result?

Impressed doesn't seem to do justice to the way I feel.

Looking for a photo framing alternative? I stumbled across Fracture recently and it got me thinking. Instead of doing a traditional print that gets framed in glass, Fracture prints directly on the glass. You get full borderless prints ready to mount to your wall. No frame needed. They print up to 18" diagonal and are priced between $8 - $35. So who's going to be the first to try them?

Fracture

Detailed photo's of Fracture prints after the jump.