A Pocket Full of Posies: 10 Cool Vases to Get You Ready for Valentine's Day

Sarah O — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:15:00 -0800

That time of the year has arrived yet again - time to bust out the chocolates and sentiments of undying emotion, along with the bouquets. I do love me some flowers (you can save the maudlin displays, however). They seem particularly special in winter, when they are so incongruent with the snow and bitter weather outside. These vases will help make your posies all the more special, and may inspire you to keep a fresh supply of flowers coming well past Valentine's Day. read more »

Plant-Based Filter Looks Cool and Cleans Air

Sarah O — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:24:06 -0800

French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard professor David Edwards have teamed up to bring us one step closer to cleaner air with their Bel-Air plant-based filter. This so-called "domestic spacecraft " utilizes the natural recycling qualities of the plant kingdom to absorb toxic compounds in the air, emitted by common household items. read more »

The TV Easel: An Artful Way to Display Your Television

Sarah O — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:49:09 -0800

Apparently, the number of TVs in an American home has now surpassed the number of the home's inhabitants, with the average adult spending five hours in front of the TV daily. So it makes sense to have plenty of options when it comes to where to put these fundamental household items. Hanging them on the wall can prove to be a major decorating inconvenience, and housing them in some huge entertainment system isn't always the best option, either. The simple, mobile TV Easel may hold the answer. read more »

Awake With The "Glo" Of This Cool New Pillow

Sarah O — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:55:42 -0800

Rousing myself gently out of slumber simply doesn't happen. It generally takes a sledgehammer, a blast of some sort, or a shot of cold water thrown on my sleeping body... read more »

Top 10 Holiday Gift Picks for Tea and Coffee Lovers

Sarah O — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:30:00 -0800

As an avid coffee and tea drinker, I am well acquainted with the joy of small things. Nothing quite satisfies like that first mug of morning joe, or cozying up with a hot cup of tea on a cold night. Given the enormous growth in the beverage industry, I know I am not alone in my fondness for these infusions. So, here are some of my top picks (in no particular order) for this year's wish list. Perhaps your favorite coffee or tea drinker would enjoy these in their daily imbibing as well. read more »

That’s a Wrap – 7 Funky Gift Wraps That Think Outside the Box

Sarah O — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:00:00 -0800

Gift wrap can be so pedestrian, especially this time of year. Red, green, gold and white are such tired choices in an endless sea of gift wrap options. So why not break out of the box and try something new? And don't fool yourself - presentation matters! So here are a few of my top picks for some of the coolest gift wrap around. If you don't impress them with the gift, you can at least dazzle and distract them with the packaging, right? read more »

The Latest in Christmas Trees: 7 Modern Replacements for the Traditional Christmas Tree

Sarah O — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:30:00 -0800

Tired of the same old same old when it comes to Christmas trees? Is the traditional tree just not cutting it these days? Perhaps you'll have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees with the alternatives I've found (since some of these hardly qualify as "trees" in the first place), but on the eternal quest for variety and newness, here are some of the latest Christmas tree designs coming down the pike. read more »

ETree Floor Lamp is Way Cooler Than Traditional Christmas Trees

Sarah O — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 09:45:45 -0800

‘Tis the season for decorating the home with a tree of one kind or another, so why not ditch the traditional Balsam Fir and go with something a bit more modern? Forget the pine tree and instead surprise your family and friends by bringing home this extraordinary new ETree floor lamp...
read more »

Tricks and Treats for the Home for More Halloween Fun

Sarah O — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:03:25 -0700

Halloween is a great opportunity to let loose our inner mischief makers, terrorizing children and amusing adults with seasonal props. It's also a wonderful time to bedeck your abode with festive embellishments and have fun... read more »

Studio Verissimo Recycles Plastic Spoons into Furniture

Sarah O — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:55:54 -0700

On the quixotic quest towards eco-friendly living, Studio Verissimo have constructed 'Spoon Collection '09', a series of tables and a hanging lampshade from red plastic disposable spoons.

Hu2 Wall Stickers Paint Your Walls Cool

Sarah O — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:16:11 -0700

Ultra hip wall stickers from British Hu2 Smart Vinyl Laboratory are a cheap way to decorate your space in a big way.

Traveling Fire Trunk for those Chill Nights

Sarah O — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:43:20 -0700

Though not quite yet the colder seasons, fireplaces have been making the rounds on the design blogs these days, and one particularly kitschy little number is this portable fire in a trunk from Atria.

Heat up the Night with the Babylon Hanging Fireplace

Sarah O — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:31:13 -0700

This 'hanging fireplace of Babylon' from designer Stephane Perruchon promises to heat up the coolest of interiors.

Spoticam: Security Camera or Innocent Desk Lamp?

Sarah O — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:44:00 -0700

Perhaps made with the exhibitionist in mind, Antrepo design company brings us the Spoticam, a lamp that looks like a security cam.

Ribbon Staircase Offers a Vertical Challenge

Sarah O — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:23:20 -0700

if you're particularly nimble or enjoy a challenge crossing vertical lines, then this staircase by HSH Architects might be right up your alley.

Cheeky iBum Photocopying Chair Captures Your Bum

Sarah O — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:16:41 -0700

"The arse is the window of the soul," says Tomomi Sayuda, the mastermind behind the Ibum Chair, a chair that photocopies your derriere as soon as you sit down.

Lightbrix: Interactive Modular Lighting

Sarah O — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:08:36 -0700

French design house HeHe have constructed Lightbrix, a modular lighting system that allows the user to design their own personal lighting structure to suit any mood or configuration.

Green Your Lighting: PET Water Bottle Lamps

Sarah O — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:27:57 -0700

In an astounding display of creativity, Malaysian designers Su Sim and Lisa Foo have repurposed PET water bottles into amazing lighting.

Cassette's Not Dead! Funky Lighting from Ooomydesign

Sarah O — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:11:16 -0700

A thing of the distant past, the iconic Sony Walkman cassette player used to be the way of toting one's tunes while on the go, short from hoisting a ghetto blaster atop your shoulder. To make use of these fine, albeit bulky pieces of memorabilia, designer Vanesa Moreno has crafted a series of cassette tape lamps for ooomydesign.

Flatshare Fridges: Food Storage Solutions for Roommates

Sarah O — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:40:43 -0700

Are roommates a part of your daily life? Shared living space can get a little hairy at times, but Flatshare Fridges takes the guess work out of determining whose mossy leftovers are stinking things up.

Riding the Wave: Fluxus Light Installation

Sarah O — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:16:43 -0700

Fresh from heavyweight desinger Karim Rashid and his collaborator Michela Vianello, this wild Murano glass and light installation entitled 'Fluxus' might wash over you in a wave.

Past and Present Collide with 'Dear Diary 1.0'

Sarah O — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:16:23 -0700

Design graduate Marlies Romberg merges the past with the tools of today in 'Dear DIary 1.0', an old-fashioned writing desk that has an embedded computer and keyboard within it.

Not Your Granny's Chandelier: Bike Chain Lighting

Sarah O — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:26:32 -0700

Bicycle chains. They don't exactly invoke images of lavish grandeur, but Mexican-Brazilian artist Carolina Fontoura has taken these unsung heroes and elevated them quite literally into lighting pieces worthy of the finest of dining rooms.

Enliven Your Interiors with 'Clouds' Textile Tiles

Sarah O — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:28:00 -0700

From Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec comes a bold new concept in textile design, entitled 'Clouds'.

Fire and Water Meet in the Dramprom Light

Sarah O — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:36:56 -0700

In an alchemical blend of fire and water, Spanish designer Roger Arquer has combined the two elements to create Dramprom, a lamp that uses condensation to softly diffuse its light.

Simple and Effective: The Kazu Light

Sarah O — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:25:11 -0700

From New York design shop Softboiled, the Kazu lamp is a perfect example of simple yet sophisticated use of creativity in lighting design.

Saving Face: The SmartFaucet from iHouse

Sarah O — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:36:12 -0700

Brazilian design firm iHouse presents the SmartFaucet, a faucet that utilizes facial recognition technology to customize your washroom experience.

On Lockdown: The Numlock Door Handle

Sarah O — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:43:12 -0700

In an effort to make life a little more interesting, designer Jae Sook Han has conceived a door handle that incorporates a combination lock into its design.

Space-Saving Storage: The CD Roll

Sarah O — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:11:06 -0700

Tired of painstakingly sorting and alphabetizing your CD collection into meticulous order for it to only take up valuable real estate in your living space? The CD Roll might just be your ticket to musical organizational freedom.

Back to Basics: The Black and White Clock

Sarah O — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:08:38 -0700

The ultimate minimal 'Black and White Clock' has arrived in what might just be the coolest package ever -- its own perfectly naked, light-sensing digits.