Sliding style

The Binario coffee table from Damdesign will be on display as part of the Hidden Art 10 Year Retrospective area at 100% Design. By incorporating a modern magazine rack with movable table surface, designer Kal Chottai adds function and style to any space.

The desktop -available in Apple Green, Sunset Orange, Lemon Yellow, Rich Plum and Gloss White Binario - contrasts with the natural wood frame. Custom orders available.

Technorati Tags: modern coffee table, magazine rack, retro design

Back to school - at any age

The joys of another school year comes with perplexities -- what to do with all the stuff! The endless piles of homework, supplies and projects. Not to mention finding a space for the young minds to work.

The spacious desktop of the Prouvé-inspired French Modernism Desk from Kid's Supply fits snuggly against a wall - and won't be an eyesore amongst your grown-up furnishings. The Mondrian hutch and movable cubbies (in multiple colors) provide ample space for storage.

Keeping with the Kid's Supply credo of 'furniture for life', the desk translates with ease into the demands of adult use.

Technorati Tags: kid's furniture, modern kid's furniture, children's desk, modern desk, Piet Mondrian, home office

Seating from Sand & Birch

From the design team responsible for the M'ama non m'ama chair - born from the image of "a lover is plucking the petals off a daisy wondering about his/her love" - comes the Soft Pipe.

The leather covered chaise, available in various colors, is the latest from Sand & Birch founders Samanta Snidaro and Andrea Fino. Supported by iron pipe covered with compact polyurethane, the Soft Pipe is another example of the design-duo's goal of re-interpreting the concept of furnishing.

Technorati Tags: Sand and Birch, Modern seating, Contemporary seating

Lucky find

My living room has a new addition - a vintage Wassily Chair from Marcel Breuer. The leather is in need of some repair, but is welcomed with open steel arms!

Have a great modern find? Need advice from a repair expert? Contact our Design Experts.

Technorati Tags: Marcel Breuer, Modern design, Modern seating, Bauhaus Design, Wassily Kandinsky, steel chairs

Modern Cork Furniture

We've long loved cork for its sustainability, natural insulation, and warm comfy look. Now, we love it as a furniture material. Eco-friendly cork has inspired furniture makers for some time, but we've never seen a cork design executed in such lithe, modern style as it is in the Cork Continental Lounger Chair by UK co. Alexander Rose. It may be made for outside use, but this chair deserves a spot under any roof. It retails for about $470.

For more on cork, check out:
Cork Floors. Do or Don't?
Flooring that Clicks

Tattooed Parlor

Coming up with fresh designs for Carnegie Fabrics is easy for creative director Heather Bush, as she finds inspiration in just observing life around her. Take body art. The ancient art of tattooing has seen a resurgence -- but why limit the symbols and designs to just skin? The pattern above, Flash Art, is Bush's re-interpretation of a sheet of flash, which, like recipes from a grandmother, can be passed down and around by artists to inspire and to encourage imitation.
Here, the pattern Soleil radiates on this poly, rayon, cotton & wool blend. The shapes are simple and playful -- in not quite apparent body art hues. Still for those who are squeamish of tattoo parlors, have the option to tat their own parlors.

Technorati Tags: Carnegie Fabrics , Heather Bush, Contemporary Upholstery, Tattoo Collection

Living Homes

When shopping for a home, we might think about square footage, kitchen appliances, closet space. Good health and the environment? Not so high on the list.

Living Homes, a California-based architectural company, wants to change that. It custom builds homes of good design, health and sustainability in an effort to bring the custom and healthy life to eco-conscious house dwellers.

The home shown grabbed the Platinum rating (that's the highest one possible) from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Evironmental Design, or LEED®, for Homes pilot program, and it's the first residential project in the U.S. to do so.

All Living Homes projects are designed to earn a minimum of a Silver rating from LEED.

Want one? Budget about $250/square foot. It includes finishes (that's your floors, doors, walls, ceilings, windows, exterior cladding), fixtures (lights, handrails, handles, sinks, tubs, toilets, skylights), appliances, a living roof, inside garden, the heating and cooling system, cabinetry for kitchen and bath, and other LEED certified materials like paint and wood. (It excludes design costs––figure 10-15% of your budget––permit fees, engineering, transport, and install or foundation, all of which could add $70-$90 or more per square foot.)

Technorati Tags: Living Homes, Green Homes, Sustainable Materials

Cement your style status

Musings with Fu-Tung Cheng

The father of decorative cements - and one of the foremost kitchen designers - opens up to Pure Contemporary about the art of concrete.

Continue reading

Let there be modern light

I'm still remodeling my first home - and I've reached the outer layer. There's landscaping, doors, door bells, fencing, mailboxes and the ever-important lighting.

Wandering the aisles of local hardware and home improvement stores proved futile - each trip leaving me more disappointed. So what's a consumer to do? Type, click and wait for the link to the product you've envisioned to appear in the search results.

-- the end result. View all modern and contemporary lighting products from Lighting Universe.

Next up - the modern mailbox! Stay tuned...

Technorati Tags: Outdoor lighting, Exterior lighting, Modern lighting, Contemporary lighting

What's the Fairest Wall of All?

Unframed art reproductions are so last year, reports Pam Danziger, author & president of Unity Marketing. According to her, Americans are spending more money to decorate their walls -- but not with tried and true art reproductions and posters. Instead they are looking for new ways to give their walls a lift. Original art work including oils, acrylics and pastels are particularly enjoying a resurgence -- but so too are other one-of-a-kind artistic creations.

We liked this arrangement of glass plates that designer Shari McIver created for this dining room. It provided a fresh, 3D look. We'd love to see other unusual wall attractions, send your jpgs to our news department.

Technorati Tags: Wall Art, Modern Art, Modern Design