The-Lefthander

Reflectivity seems to be in the air this week. And I don’t mean reflectivity in the sense of “Yes, the Hurt Locker sure was thought-provoking,” but rather in the more literal sense, as in, “David Rockwell’s Oscar stage set was highly reflective.” For those who weren’t aware, the venue was studded with hundreds of mirrors, projecting imagistic clones of A-listers and paparazzi alike throughout the Kodak Theater. A spiritual compatriot of sorts to this arrangement (albeit, on a much more intimate scale), the Roca Bathroom Suite is highly invested in the idea of a mirror image.

The Roca Bathroom Suite. Designed by Carlos Ferrater

This smart, slim, no-frills design by Barcelona’s Carlos Ferrater is fashioned as a bathroom “Suite” because it synthesizes the typically separate functions of vanity and washbasin into one easy-to-install, dual-use bathroom centerpiece. The Suite’s notable coup is that the basin is not a separate component but rather a sculptural choice—space for the sink is hollowed out from the solid vanity top, just as if Rodin or Michaelangelo were at work removing the “superfluous material” to get at the essential form within.

But back to that mirror image business… Not only is the Suite reflective in the sense that its clear, light palette complements glass and chrome, but also in the eminently practical sense of double basins, since the piece comes standard with symmetrical (or non-symmetrical, if you prefer) places of ablution. While this “twinning” might prove unsettling to some, facilitating, as it does, the prospect of your “better half” washing up immediately adjacent yourself, anyone who’s had to jockey for a single bathroom’s single sink would willingly make the concession. In other words, the substantial convenience of Roca’s Suite trumps any fears of being stuck in close quarters with your would-be Doppelganger (married couples will certainly know whereof I speak). And anyway, if you’re going to be trapped with your double, where better than among the clean, contemporary glass and ceramic of the alluring Roca Suite?

Via Trendir.

My house has an extension, but it’s nothing like this box extension designed by Arhitektid Muru & Pere. The box is covered with crisscrossed sticks, making it look like a highly-structured rectangular, modern and stylish bird’s nest that even glows in the dark.

[via MoCo Loco and ArchDaily]

Way back in the early days (two years ago, to be precise), fellow 3ringer Joseph Starr profiled a haphazard tower of drawers with the unlikely name of Schubladenstapel. The Swiss-designed piece had a spontaneous aspect that gave new meaning to the idea of “shabby chic,” in that it appeared it could topple into a formless heap at any moment. I like to think of Vincent Van Duysen’s Pastoe Totem as the staid Belgian response to Schubladenstapel’s sense of whimsy. Like the former, Van Duysen’s free-standing cabinetry has a genial modular aspect, implying ease of assembly and transport; unlike its dark-toned, rougher-hewn counterpart, however, Pastoe Totem is all straight lines and neat verticality.

Pastoe Totem. Designed by Vincent Van Duysen.

Van Duysen built his reputation as an architect with “modest buildings with clear forms and subtle contrasts… solid concrete wall are given large windows, which make the structure appear fragile. Soft materials like timber and textile are mixed with robust natural stone.” A similar aesthetic is certainly on display with Pastoe Totem. In fact, the linear aspect of the piece references commercial architecture, while the high, wide openings and slender sidewalls recall Van Duysen’s penchant for opening up the solid walls of his structures with oversized windows. Of Course, all that negative space is purely utilitarian with Pastoe Totem, since the niches beg to be filled with the personal items that make a good design one’s own.

Pastoe Totem’s broad choice of colors and finishes enables further personalization in this regard. The modular, stackable aspect of the piece contributes here as well. As Van Duysen remarks, layouts can be conceived, assembled, and taken down, all within a matter of minutes. The free-standing nature of the cabinet is also noteworthy. Designed to take “an autonomous place in the interior,” Pastoe Totem is—like its namesake—a potent and highly-visible structure in the domestic landscape: “Just like a building in a city, you can look at it from all sides and walk around it.” And keep your clothes in it to boot!

Via Stylepark.

Mid-century pottery brand Heath Ceramics is back with a new summer 2010 collection sure to bring a pop of color to your table. Following Heath’s long tradition of hand-dipped experimental and unique glazes, this collection consists of four new pieces and items from the company’s classic line. The whole collection includes a pitcher, deep serving bowl, two platters, and a set of vases.

Since this year is supposed to be the year of turquoise, Heath’s brought together the colors of the beach: aqua, yellow, and “ocean pacific,” perfect for summer. The collection will be available April 1st.

The OO is a wireless projector by David Riesenberg capable of displaying high definition (1080p) data. Utilizing either a WIFI connection or internal SSD storage, the projector can operate independently from any wire for up to 3 hours based on an internal Li-Ion battery or using a single wire connected to a power source. With the combination of WIFI and internal storage, the OO can act as both an extender/duplicator of an external display or as a wireless media projector/streamer with built in decoding capabilities. The three independently articulated legs allow the OO to be tilted for optimal positioning. Full interaction with the projector is done via the touch screen remote but the projector can be operated without it in extender/duplicator mode after pre-configuration.

Part of the GEO series, the OO’s form is inspired by the simple and elegant form of the circle – from which it also gets him name denoting the shape of the projector and the shape of the lens. The semi monocoque carbon fiber structure allows for a lightweight construction and combined with its dimensions (11in / 28cm diameter) allow the OO to be portable but without compromising image quality.

Check out the video:

Some people are born cat people. I wasn’t. It’s been a slow process but I’ve finally come around to loving cats, especially since I inherited two in an awkward post-breakup situation. Even though my kitties are the ultimate scaredy cats, they love toys. Ever the doting mom, I like to use up my extra fabric scraps by making catnip mice. Warning- whenever I stepped away from my crafting table, the cats would jump up and hide my mouse before I had even finished. Brats with a capital B. -amy m.

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

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This residence designed by Andrés Jaque Arquitectos in Ibiza, Spain is an environmental project aimed at preserving the beauty of its natural surroundings while the use of an aquamarine color keeps the continuity between the inside and the outside. The house consists of three parts: a main house and two huts. These three elements have distant views of the sea and their separation allows an easy division of the garden.

Photography by Miguel de Guzmán.

[via Designerblog]

Topography is a term often confined to the earth alone, and bathrooms are potentially the last place you’d expect to see this type of surface. But considering that water inevitably needs a drainage system that incorporates slopes and slanting, the existence of topography in the bathroom isn’t such a crazy concept. Obviously enchanted with this surface typology, at various scales, (check out their website) Graft Lab designed the 1D Washbasin for Kanera GmbH: a double washbasin that’s part of a larger series designed for the company.

1D. Designed by Graft Lab for Kanera.

I’m reminded of seemingly infinite layers of laser-cut chipboard, laminated and stacked to one another to produce a complex topography. Can’t say they’re my finest memories of architecture school, and I feel like it’s already falling into the category of “that’s what kids used to do,” before milling at least. But regardless, the results were generally beautiful in their own right, before being attacked by a hacksaw (I mean x-acto) for use as a concept/sketch model. Kanera 1D is forevermore refined than said models. The beginning of this year, 1D was announced as a recipient of a prestigious 2009 Good Design Award. Smooth, sinuous (and obviously rather sexy), the added bonus is that it’d be entirely easy to clean.

Think you’ve seen sink topography before? Gore Design’s Erosion Sink, shown on 3Rings this past fall, is a massive concrete block with the topographical layers seemingly carved out. Different approach - and much more difficult to clean, but likewise very cool.

If you’ve got a boring old ottoman hanging around, or if, like me, if you happen to find one of those plain cubes on sale, it’s easy to recover with a custom slip cover.  This is another fantastic way to bring some fun textiles into a room with a project that you can sew in an afternoon or less. (I swear!)

This slip cover uses only basic straight seams, and I’ll show you the trick for getting nice, sharp 3-D corners. So let’s get started! –Brett Bara

*click here for more of brett’s sewing 101 columns!

CLICK HERE for the full ottoman slip cover how-to after the jump!

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I love the wood-appears-like-paper kind of look in furniture. Designer Kino Guérin shows exactly that in some of his limited edition furnishings and objects. He utilizes a vacuum press laminated process that leads him to new discoveries in the forms of his pieces, paving a way for more innovative uses of wood.

I may have mentioned in the past that at my house my husband does the cooking. This means that in addition to being the lucky party privy to all sorts of intriguing and delicious delectables, I also sometimes inherit a catastrophic mess. It seems that no matter how expansive the counter space, he manages to fill every inch of it with spices, utensils, plates, and assorted spatter. Small wonder, then, that I’m a bit dreamy at the prospect of Franke’s Rail System. The concept is so simple, so brimming with the kind of pragmatism that characterizes good design, it’s surprising we haven’t seen it sooner.

The Franke Rail System. Designed by La Cucina.

You’ve gotta admire the straightforward name, as well. The Rail System is just that—a sort of modular assemblage of stainless steel crosspieces with a central slot to accommodate kitchen accessories. This gives cooks the boon of efficient storage for a variety of handle-mounted accessories: bowls, baskets, colanders, shelves, grids, utensil hooks, cheese graters, potato peelers, salad spinners, and beyond. The rails come in 24 and 39 inch lengths with single and double slots. They simply mount to the wall above the stove or sink (or wherever else might work for your particular set-up); individual lengths can be joined with a seamless connector, and each piece can hold up to 33 lbs.

The advantages of the system are several fold: not only does the ability to suspend accessories above the workspace give cooks the boon of clean and clear counters, it facilitates a sort of “specialization of labor” in the kitchen. In the case of my own domestic situation, I envision on one side an orderly line-up of prepped items ready for their contribution to the eve’s repast, and on the other a steady approach to the dishwasher (often yours truly) for dirty bowls, spatulas, and such. Indeed, in the best scenario, Franke’s Rail System will make good cooks better, clean kitchens cleaner. As Franke’s VP of Product Development puts it, “the new Rail System represents the first time that an expert in kitchen systems has taken the concept beyond space saving and related it directly to the practical kitchen processes themselves. “It’s a system for people who actually cook and clean up, designed by people who know all the steps that takes and how to connect them efficiently and attractively.”

Via KBB Online.

The Moebius endless armchair, inspired by the Möbius strip and made of rattan and water hyacinth, is an eco-friendly, relationship forming seating statement. Created by Belgian designer Gaëtan Van de Wyer and manufactured in Thailand by Onyx, this unique piece of furniture is designed to “encourage users to sit facing each other, prompting conversation or a romantic liaison.” iconeye

Moebius endless armchair. Designed by Onyx.

The Onyx project was launched in 2007 with Gaëtan Van de Wyer and his team V2W Architects as the head designers. A specialist in green projects, Gaëtan Van de Wyer gives priority to renewable wood and environmentally friendly buildings. Biologist Olivier Laurent manages the manufacturing in Chiang Mai along with a team of selected craftsmen. Chiang Mai is known for its long tradition of quality furniture. The main goal of Onyx is to create furniture designs that promote the use of renewable materials and eco-friendly techniques by rethinking traditional manufacturing process and being highly critical of the raw materials chosen.

The Moebius Armchair is made of rattan and water hyacinth. Rattan is a vine-like palm native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. Due to its economic value, rapid growth, ease of harvest, transportation and use, rattan can be a tool for sustainable forest management and an alternative to other varieties of tropical wood. Onyx is currently in discussions with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature to participate in a sustainable rattan management program in Vietnam, Lao PDR and Cambodia. Water hyacinth is a naturally invasive aquatic plant, often considered a nuisance in tropical regions. In Burma, Thailand and Vietnam this plant is widely harvested, which is advantageous as it slows down the plant’s invasion and noticeably revitalizes local economic activity. Onyx is looking at the combining human and environmental ideas to create truly sustainable furniture.

ikea really does have some amazing finds! while i do love some of their more unique, signature products, my favorites are the very plain, simple accessories; they allow you to customize them in so many ways to fit your own style. they beg for hacking! i’ve had my eye on the skala tray ($14.99) for a while. i love its clean form, and at first the simple beech wood was appealing to me, but when i brought it home i found it disappeared among the more eclectic objects in the bedroom. with a cork roll and some spray paint, i have made a totally transformed tray that is perfect for my bed activities: reading, snacking, drinking tea, using my computer – i admit that i have a tendency to set up camp in bed sometimes. if serving yourself tea in bed isn’t your thing, you could also hang this tray from a ribbon and have a message board! this project takes only an hour or so, and is great for a rainy, snowy day. have fun!! – kate

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

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We recently posted about Kawamura-Ganjavian’s Scenter, but their newest product is the Earshell.

We use earrings as symbols of distinction since time immemorial, however they are not particularly useful items. The Earshell is a simple, efficient and elegant sound enhancing device. It can be used to improve our listening of music or opera. Its refined and sleek profile gives it a jewellery feel.

Nightshop is a new designlabel from Rotterdam founded by photographer Adriaan van der Ploeg, artist Jordan van der Ven, and designer Ward van Gemert. Nightshop exists in conjunction with their daily work, thus the name Their goal is to make fresh, well-made products.

Their Lightweight lamp is inspired by the ubiquitous Chinese paper lanterns and is shaped as a dumbbell. It is made entirely out of PVC materials. The Lightweight is 90 cm long and 35 cm high and contains two light bulbs.

we’ve got a whole slew of diy posts coming up today so i wanted to kick things off with this fun and affordable idea from artist eleanor grosch. eleanor picked up some cheap blue and white ikea dishtowels and turned them into a “south of france-inspired” tablecloth. total cost? $5. such a clever idea and a pretty look for spring. click here for eleanor’s full steps on her blog. thanks, eleanor!

*click here for a sneak peek into eleanor’s home!

You will have noticed the extravagant sophistication that has taken over the good old barbecue. Well, that is kind of old hat now. If you want to be on the edge of the social entertaining trend, your outdoor space needs a “refreshment station,” which is another way of saying offering food is cool but hosting drink parties is the new must.

I was therefore not surprised to learn about Alain Gilles’ newest design for Qui est Paul? His new “Garden Party” is such a great centerpiece to encourage informal occasional drinks to spruce up long summer evenings at home and give them a little extra oomph and a bit of a bar attitude.

Available in a variety of colors, this high table has a center piece that works as a drinks/champagne bucket or a flower pot. Ladies, note the clever little hook under the stools for your bag 

If you are already set up furniture-wise, then a true refreshment center is your next buy.

I love this creation from Metalco Home — the mobile air-conditioned outdoor wine cart. Kefren is a trolley bar that comes with an integrated dual-zone wine cooler. Its upper compartment temperature is set for white wines and the lower zone is ideal for reds.

And for beer lovers, this beer cart by Alpina is a serious commitment to backyard beverages. You can fit a whole keg underneath and more! Alpina also makes a mobile wine bar.

These are just a few examples of the new “refreshment station” — so what are you waiting for? Go get your drink on!

when i look at photographs, i want to travel. whether it’s to an actual destination, or to a make-believe world that the image creates or inspires, i’ve always really loved the way pictures can make you go somewhere else in your mind. so when i saw silvana’s photographs from paris on etsy, i was instantly smelling strong (strong!) coffee, hearing the sound of street music and imagining all of the beautiful buildings in the city of lights. silvana has a really beautiful set of parisian images in her ‘leefee’ etsy shop, but she also has some lovely nature and nautical-inspired photos as all, all priced at either $17 or $32, depending on size. click here to check out her full collection and shop online.

Unless you’re a vampire, chances are you have a bed in your tiny-ass apartment. (Come to think of it, interior design for vampires and their coffins seems like a pretty lucrative area these days.) A bed is arguably the most important piece of furniture in your home. You can go without a couch or coffee table, but you’ve gotta find someplace to spend those 8 hours a night.

Unfortunately, your bed will also likely take up the most space of any of your other pieces of furniture, and in a small home you can’t sacrifice that much room without getting a little something back. Today we’ll explore three ways to reclaim some of your bedspace, with hideaway, loft, and storage beds.

Hideaway beds either hide completely, allowing you to reclaim space when you’re not using them, or just hide in plain sight and perform a second function. The granddaddy of all the “now you see it, now you don’t” beds is the Murphy Bed. Amy Azzarito did an great article on them here at Design*Sponge for her “Past and Present” column. You’ll also want to check out this article on Houzz for some more unique Murphy beds.

A current model from the original Murphy Bed Company

A wall bed from The Closet Factory, ’cause you just know if you have a cabin in the woods, you’re going to need space for all your freeloading friends, too.

The DOC bed from Resource Furniture. Do you think it leads the Autobots against the Decepticons in its spare time?

As cool as these hideaway beds look, there’s some question as to how comfortable they might be. We all remember crashing on friends’ futons in college, right? Not so great for the ol’ lumbar support. Let’s look at some beds that stay beds. Mmm, a real mattress!

Without a doubt, one of my favorite methods for reclaiming space in a tiny-ass apartment is to move UP. Loft beds do exactly that; they move your sleeping area up above eye level, allowing you to use the space underneath. Loft beds can be built into the architecture of your place, or be standalone pieces of furniture. You can chose a variety of ways to get up to the bed area (ladders, stairs, or something more unique like a tansu step chest). And what you do with your new-found floorspace is up to you! Two of the most common uses are as home offices or closets, but if you want your own “bat-cave,” well, that’s up to you.

Here’s a standalone piece with a ladder going up to the top and a home office underneath, from Charlie Brown’s Apartment Therapy house tour

Dornob featured this modern-but-cozy built-in

This one, also from Dornob and made by TumideiSpa, has everything: a closet underneath, stairs to the top, and desk space to boot.

If you’re looking for a bed that won’t cause grievous bodily harm if you fall out of it, consider a bed with built-in storage. Many come with drawers or cubbies for you to tuck away anything from clothes and shoes to those “special magazines” you don’t want your mom to find.

I love this HEMNES daybed from IKEA: small, storage space underneath, and can double as a couch during the day.

The baskets on this Stratton bed from Pottery Barn are cute, and can also be modified or swapped out for different ones for a new look.

You can also convert a regular bed into one with more storage using bed risers (like these below from Target), plus sliding baskets and bins (like the DILLING and DEGERNES below from IKEA).

A few storage bed roundups:

Apartment Therapy: Chicago – Built-In Storage Beds

CasaSugar – 10 Beds With Built-In Storage

Tomorrow we’ll get out from under the comfy, cozy covers and get to work! We’ll discuss mini home offices that’ll keep you productive in your TAA.

when it comes to bedding, i tend to swing to both extremes: i really love crisp, preppy, tailored bedding, and i also love really undone, natural-feeling bedding. so i was happy to hear from tricia rose about her collection called “rough linen“. tricia based the collection on old linen from her grandmother’s house in scotland and her own home in france, focusing on creating a rough look, with a texture that’s still soft on the skin. each piece is made the old way with french seams (no serging), cut to the thread, and pre-washed for shrinkage and to release the texture. i really love this look and thought some of you might enjoy the natural, raw look to these pieces, too. click here to check out tricia’s collection and shop online (prices range from $35-$400 for pillows and duvets).

ps: speaking of beds- simone has a great post on storage beds over at the d*s guest blog. click here to check out all of her small space living ideas!