The Modern Materialist : design

Best Seat in the House

Steph Auteri — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:02:00 GMT

[Photo via]

Want to be ensured the best seat in the house, no matter where you go?

[$1,347, Weltevree]

Yeah. You still need to be rich as hell.

Introducing the Wheelbench.

[Via Better Living Through Design]

CMYK is the New Black

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:02:00 GMT

[Via Sustainable Style Foundation]

Every season we always hear that _____ "is the new black."

Truth of the matter is that every color will eventually be "the new black", so you might as well pick something that can work no matter what the trend is:

CMYisthenewBlack shirt. For those not in the know, printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink and mix to form all the other colors.

[$20, GigPosters]

[Via OMG Posters!]

Related: Pubes Are The New Black

Most Fashionable Axe Murderer Ever

Steph Auteri — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:01:00 GMT

Before Christian Bale's eye-opening tirade on the set of Terminator Salvation, we were all a little more willing to excuse his flights of freaky, even when he went on that murdering spree in American Psycho.

Perhaps it was because he continued to look so good while committing acts of homicide.

Want to be the most fashionable axe murderer ever?

[$235-$550, Best Made Company]

These designer axes are forged and tempered in Maine, with the handles made of hardwood and hand-painted and -polished in good 'ol New Jersey. They come with names like Jim Dandy, Fawn's Feather, and Handsome Dan.

[Via I Love Bad Things]

Related: Trinkets for Naughty Girls

Print of the Day: Everything is OK

Steph Auteri — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:09:00 GMT

[$35, everything is ok]

You're living paycheck to paycheck. The work you do is taking longer than it should, and your rates are lower than they should be. And every three hours, you hit a wall.

Deep breaths, dude. Everything is ok. And if you need a daily, visual reminder, here it is.

The Everything is OK project began in a design studio, whose members were determined to gather together resources that would point people toward positive action.

So to get into the spirit of things, you should really try making other people's lives okay, too. In the process, you may find that yours has become sorta awesome.

[Via Design Milk]

Home Decor Under Wraps

Steph Auteri — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:15:00 GMT

[Photo via]

You know the satisfaction you can get from unwrapping a new piece of chocolate, unveiling its silky brownness, getting that first whiff of cocoa?

Designers are looking to bring that same aspect of excitement inherent in the big reveal to the home design market:

[coming soon, Front Projects]

The Changing Vase is a chocolate brown glass vase covered in five layers of foil. Every time you tear off a layer, a new vase appears.

[Via Modern Urban Living]

Related: New Life Blooming

Books in Every Nook and Cranny

Steph Auteri — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:07:00 GMT

For all of us desperately seeking out exra book storage space in our tiny apartments, the bibliochaise captured our imaginations.

The Home Key has taken things even further with all sorts of furniture designed to hold your books while it simultaneously holds your booty...your meals...your...

Here's their cut table.

Their cut chair.

Their cut armchair.

An an actual cut bookcase.

For all sales info and orders, e-mail the company here.

[Via Design Milk]

I Fell Hard for This Coffee Table

Steph Auteri — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:08:00 GMT

[$485, Nobel Rugs & Home]

No, not this one. While this one has a lot of heart, it doesn't have the playfulness that this other one does:

[$1,400, SIDD Fine Woodworking]

This Domino coffee table was built over a period of six weeks by a single craftsman, which is why it is completely out of my price range. Such a nice, elegant play on your typical coffee table, though.

[Via Design Milk]

Boxed Water: It Does The Earth Good

Shaun Seneviratne — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:24:00 GMT

If you're not down with the stainless steel bottle and Nalgene bottles and still prefer drinking your plastic bottles, there may be a more eco-friendly option coming your way thanks to Boxed Water Is Better.

Boxed Water Is Better ships these boxes flat to the filler and and they are only filled based on the demand. They also give 20% of their profits back to tree restoration and world water relief foundations. I also think it's funny that, from afar, people will think you are guzzling milk on a hot summer day.

Currently it's only available at a few locations in Michigan, but you can sign up for the mailing list to see when it's available at an area near you!

[Boxed Water Is Better]

[Via Cool Hunting]

Taking Steve Jobs Literally

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:28:00 GMT

I am not much of a couch potato. It's not that I don't love television; the fact is that I don't have cable, which helps a lot with 1) getting work done instead of ironically watching Lifetime movies, and 2) sticking to a budget that truly attempts to cut out unnecessary items (and yes, those velour pajama pants I bought last week were a necessity).

But if any one product was going to turn around my non-TV-watching ways, it would be this:

[Hannspree]

I bet this TV would make Steve Jobs a couch potato, too.

[via Firefly Express]

Adult Treehouses

Shaun Seneviratne — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:01:00 GMT

I wonder what the percentage is for kids who wanted a treehouse but never got one. I grew up in a townhouse so I wasn't able to ever have a treehouse, skateboard ramp, pool, etc. Even though I am a young adult, I still long for a treehouse. And if I had $150,000, I could own one of these orb-like homes. Take that, Bart Simpson!

These Free Spirit Spheres may not look too big, but they are quite spacious. Inside there is a living room, kitchen, nook, and a sleeping area for three.

Now, if you want your own but don't want to shell out $150,000 for a wooden one, you can buy a fiberglass one for $45,000. Or an even more practical option: just take a vacation to British Columbia and stay overnight for $125 - $175 a night.

(UPDATE: I forget to mention that there is no toilet. Be prepared to brave the wild or a nearby bathhouse.)

[Free Spirit Spheres]

[Via Unclutterer]

This Chair is a Dream Come True

Steph Auteri — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:19:00 GMT

[Photo via]

I dream about going paragliding. Dreaming in the WAVE chair by Royal Botania seems to take me a little bit closer:

[$19,512, Encompass Designer Furniture]

[Via Design Milk]

My Disgusting Bathtub

Steph Auteri — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:01:00 GMT

[Photo via]

My bathtub is too disgusting to sit down in (though it's probably better since we gave it that thorough scrubbing a few weeks ago).

I swear. If you let me have one of these bathtubs, I'll scrub it every day:

These and other in-floor Kasch bathtubs worth cleaning for can be viewed here.

[Via Gizmodo]

Revenge of the Pencil Pushers

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:40:00 GMT

I love everything about pencils: the sound of graphite on paper, the feel of polished wood, the way their smell reminds me of Mrs. Viale, my first grade teacher. So when I came across the designs at Pen Pencil Stencil, I was understandably excited. That lead-legged mariner above is the PPS Pencil Pirate, and there are many more arty goodies after the jump:

Wallpaper that makes me wish I had an extra room in my apartment, just for showcasing wallpaper.

Hand screened prints of all things pencil-aneous.

If wearable pencil art were a deity, I'd be in heaven right now.

Also on the PPS site is a photo of what I can only assume is designer Mark Giglio's work space, and while anyone with an office this sweet makes me ragingly jealous, I also kind of want to be their new best friend:

[Pen Pencil Stencil]

Write, erase, and go forth, MMers!

The Eva Solo Towel: Just Hang It Up

Steph Auteri — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:03:00 GMT

You could string a line outside your windows, but I think it would be far easier if you...

[$44, Bobby Berk Home]

...purchased one of these Eva Solo towels, with the built-in slit for easy hanging on hooks and doorknobs throughout your house. Nice thinking!

Quick Tip of the Day: Design Yourself a Clever Business Card

Steph Auteri — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:34:00 GMT

Check out this clever business card design by Ji Lee. It invites the recipient to simply google your name.

A bit presumptuous, but I like it. Especially since my top Google search results are way more professional nowadays, bringing up links to my professional site, my presence on Nerve, my Freelancedom blog, my profiles on Vimeo, LinkedIn, Brazen Careerist, and Lemondrop, and my personal blog. Nothing too crazy. (My Google search results pre-marriage were a bit more shady, with "masturbation poetry" taking the top spot.)

Get yourself over to one of these way-affordable business card sites and design something equally clever. It'll make you stand out like nobody's business:

[Via Gizmodo]

Stay Warm In Style

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:01:00 GMT

Can you guess what this is? I'll give you hint: the photo above is not a miniature playset. . .

[590 - 1190 Euros (Approx. $755 - $1523), Scirocco]

It's a warming towel rack! Can this be any cooler, er, hotter?

And this? Oh, it's just a radiator. So sleek. . . so minimal. . . so pressed-up-against-the-wall. I don't have a price on this but I'm sure it's over $2,000.

[Via Crib Candy]

The Type of Wallpaper You Only Dream About

Steph Auteri — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:02:00 GMT

Things I Am Perpetually Dreaming About:

almost-flying
that one ex-boyfriend
the monster in my grandparents' garage
that scary dude in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
losing my cats

I almost never dream about wallpaper, but this bespoke paper by Catherine Hammerton is the stuff dreams are made of...a window into a dream world:

[$850, Catherine Hammerton]

[Via Ponoko]

Equation: Mess + Imagination

Steph Auteri — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:25:00 GMT

[Photo via]

[3,960 JPY, Kyouei Design]

Make all your messes a work of art with this frame napkin.

[Via Lovely Room]

Red Bull Gives You Shoes

Alex Zalben — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:07:00 GMT

Yup, those are Red Bull shoes up above, from the travelling art exhibit, Red Bull: The Art of the Can. A few more designs:

[Via Style Frizz]

Concept: Radiator Heats Feet w/o Burning Them Off

Steph Auteri — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:01:00 GMT

Check out this idyllic little scene German designers Eric Falaise and Christine Berkhoven envisioned in conceiving of their Fedora radiator concept.

But that's not all. If you place the green felt basket in this picture into the depression in the radiator...

You have a sweet spot for your cat to curl up in, or a place to rest your corpse-cold feet. Cozy, no?

[Via moderncat]

Inventory I Lust After: Karin Eriksson at Horne

Steph Auteri — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:55:00 GMT

[$110, Horne]

Karin Eriksson's pieces at online home goods shop Horne are lovely, delicate bursts of color in a sea of white porcelain.As I found myself falling in love with them, I knew I had to share them:

[$45, Horne]

[$78, Horne]

[$68, Horne]

[$38, Horne]

[Via Modish]

Label Whore: Tord Boontje for Cheapskates

Steph Auteri — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:28:00 GMT

I've been obsessed with Tord Boontje for quite some time now, and even own the Garland light above (though it's being stored for the moment, in anticipation of a home upgrade).

Unfortunately, most of Boontje's designs are out of my price range (let's face it: I shouldn't even have bought the Garland light).

But...but...people! Tord Boontje jewelry! Tord Boontje jewelry has arrived!

The Charming line by Tord Boontje Studio is being sold through Artecnica (prices available upon request). I can only imagine that these small baubles are a bit more affordable than Boontje's larger, more dramatic pieces.

UPDATE: Pieces will retail for $20-$40 depending upon finish and package choice. Not bad!

[Via NotCot]

Brilliant or Blasphemous: A Multitasking Mona Lisa Chair

Steph Auteri — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:54:00 GMT

An extension of art? Or a cheap commodification?

No, not the Mona Lisa with her bazooka. I'm talking about this chair by Korean designer Kwang Hoo Lee, which basically invites you to sit on Mona's face:

When the chair is not in use, it can be folded up and hung as any other painting!

What say you, oh discerning readers?

[Via Gizmodo]

Snatch Up This 2009 Calendar Write Away

Steph Auteri — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:29:00 GMT

[$17, Mytton Williams Design Consultancy]

Is there anyone left who still uses non-mechanical pencils? Or any writing implements, for that matter?

I have my doubts, but I'd like to highlight this particular product for earning cool+clever points.

These calendar pencils are meant to be whittled or sharpened away every day, so that the correct date is at the top. Perhaps not the most practical design in the world...but me likey.

Better get writin'.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Watch Where You Headbang

Steph Auteri — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:07:00 GMT

[Photo via]

Watch where you headbang. That shit can get dangerous...

[price upon request, Castor]

...especially if you're wearing antler headphones.

[Via Apartment Therapy]

Rocking Out, Across the Universe

Steph Auteri — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:53:00 GMT

No. I'm not referring to that awful movie (which, nevertheless, had a pretty awesome version of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand").

Check out the real Universal Rocker, another design from OOOMS:

It's a universal attachment to turn almost any four-legged chair into a real rocking chair! Nifty or just plain weird?

[Via Apartment Therapy]

A Beverage With (Even More) Bite

Steph Auteri — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:25:00 GMT

When I posted about this shark fin ice tray last week, it was impossible to be afraid. After all, the tray itself was a cool, crisp blue, and the product photo showed the ice "cubes" themselves floating in drinks of undeniably cheery hues.

This tea infuser is something else...

Perhaps it's in the way that the slowly spreading tea looks like blood. Clever that. Unfortunately, it's just a concept at this point.

[Via Gizmodo]

Related: Equation: A Beverage With Bite

Polar Bear Now Poster Child for Global Warming

Steph Auteri — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:52:00 GMT

Just last week. Alex posted about this funky-yet-disturbing rug, designed to make a statement on global warming.

Chaiyut Plypetch of Propaganda has done something similar, creating what Apartment Therapy aptly describes as "the saddest tub drain stopper ever":

Let yout tears mingle freely with the tub water as you contemplate this single polar bear, on a single sheet of ice, floating across the wide expanse of bathwater.

The only thing sadder are those commercials with Noah Wylie, asking us to please save the polar bears. I always tear up when the momma bear leave the baby bear behind to search for food.

[Via Apartment Therapy]

Scarlett Johansson Inspires Your Next Sofa

Steph Auteri — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:25:00 GMT

What does Scarlett Johansson inspire in you? (Aside from that tingly feeling...down there...)

For furniture designers Pal + Smith, the curve of Scarlett's waist inspired the Muse Sofa:

Eh...it's okay, but there seems to be a lot more to be inspired by in the Pal + Smith collection:

[Via Apartment Therapy]

Pet Product(s): Cat Furniture Goes Contemporary

Steph Auteri — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:04:00 GMT

[$167-$258, Ree-Yong]

I've never been into the contemporary look, but some cats — and even dogs! — are far more discerning than I am. Which is why designer Ree-Yong has launched her Copenhagen collection.

Or maybe it's because pet products would be better if they didn't look quite so much like pet products...

[$90-$116, Ree-Yong]

[$39-$90, Ree-Yong]

[$39, Ree-Yong]

There is matching pet/human jewelry as well, but it frightens me.

[Via moderncat]