Bitossi Comes to America at imoderni

Get the accessories and see the rest of the imoderni collection at imoderni.com.

Stained Glass Tables

ByGabriella makes stained glass tables with stainless frames. In squares or circles, byGabriella tables make the functional side table a focal point and fun accessory in itself. Choose your height, size and shape for each design. Order at byGabriella.

Technorati Tags: byGabriella, Modern Side Tables, Stained Glass, Art furniture

Avalisa Wall Art

Modern art for adults and tots, Avalisa stretched canvas art dresses bare walls with whimsical patterns, colors and abstract designs.

The Animal collection features graphic pandas, horses, fish, penguins and more but I think my favorite is the cows. Just choose the picture you want, and don't worry about the color--you can have any image in a variety of colors all shown on the site.

The Color Blocks and Names collections are customizable. With Color Blocks you choose your color, image, font and wording to create one of a kind art for the ones you love. Names is a collection of abstract art inspired by names--choose from the already set creations or let them come up with a custom design just for your name.

These make buying art easy. You can group pictures by color, Avalisa suggests buying the same print in different colors, or different prints in the same colors. Some, like the Series collection work as a single pattern broken down to several canvasses. If you buy more than one and line them up, you'll see how the lines connect from one piece to the next.

Technorati Tags: Avalisa , Custom Art, Modern Art, Abstract Art

New outdoor lighting

Momantai Design is back after unveiling their new outdoor lamps at Cologne -- and I think I love them!

Designed by Ulrike Jurklies, the stainless steel splash and dust-proof lamps were made specially for the furniture fair.

You can order them at Momantai.

Thanks for the tip Truc Design!
 

The Geometric C in Entertainment Centers

Technology continues to drive home furnishing trends with entertainment centers and home theater units offering sliding doors to hide flat screen televisions or collapsing altogether into a simple streamlined buffet. In another twist, look for the Geometric "C" -- which dramatically and asymmetrically frames the flatscreen.

Swiss company MAB juxtaposes the über-modern materials of glass and glistening metal with planks of solid and knotty wood to remind us that no matter how futuristic the technology, the home needs to be warm.

Italian manufacturer Pianca takes a similar approach with its clean lines, low silhouette, and generous use of wood such as this rich African walnut which is similar in shade to teak,  steel accents and high gloss lacquered fronts.

Technorati Tags: Contemporary Home Theater Units, Pianca, MAB, Modern Design

Technolgoy

Get a Kick out of Kiki

We wrote about Italy's NOVO last November and its fascinating Cubetto collection. Now the Tuscan design house is introducing Kiki, a whimsical chair from Simona Cappellini. The open, barrel-shaped frame with the subtantial base is solid beech -- and comes in a variety of finishes and fabrics. It's not yet available in the States, but the price in Europe is about €1100 ($1500 +shipping) depending on fabric.

Technorati Tags: Kiki Chair , Simona Cappellini, NOVO Tuscan Design, Modern Furniture

Ego Sun Stroking

Denial is a wonderful thing, isn't it? So while it is 11ºF (that's -10º for my Celsius-adhering friends), I (and my colleagues, apparently) am dreaming of Outdoor Furniture. And it is not to imagine glistening aluminum sticking out of snowbanks -- no it is the entire setting -- the lounger, an incredible book, a beautiful cabana man serving me a pina colada and a heat wave to send all the scientists scurrying for notebooks. Yes, that is the fantasy of this woman in the Northeast.

So I might be a few months or several hundred miles from realizing my dream, but if it were possible today -- I may just conjure up the Tandem Collection from EGO Paris. The aluminum and teak frame with batyline cover is available in custom colors. You choose whether to lounge solo or pas de deux. Made in France and designed by Thomas Sauvage.

Technorati Tags: Modern Outdoor Furniture, Thomas Sauvage, Aluminum and Teak Patio Furniture, EGO Paris Outdoor Furniture

No gray area

Outdoor furniture manufacturer Kettal has added the Toobo collection to their line... just in time for patio season.

The units feature an aluminum tube frame that houses waterproof protex vinyl pads --- and your configurations can be changed as often as the seasons (or it you're like me, as many times as your imagination can handle). Consumers can choose from corner and central units, club armchairs, bar stools, tables, deck chars with a folding hood, armchairs, and a dining table.

My pick? The slim, sleek, and understated two-color sectional.

Reaching Nirvana

Does this chair speak for iteslf or do I have to say it? Sculptural and comfortable (that's with the optional fitted sheepskin upholstery), this chair has the aesthetic wit of the Eames duo and the material understanding of Bertoia. Not only that, the manufacturers gives us all the info--including detailed prices--right on the website. Tons of great pictures and straight-forward web marketing, I'm reaching Nirvana myself. See the rest at NirvanaChairs.com

More Fun with Food

In the modern world it's ok to play with your food, just look to food-forward design stars like Miam Miam's Nicholas Denhez and the German firm Sternform Produktgestaltung for evidence.

As more and more of us look indoors for theaters and dining experiences, we've taken the fussiness out of elegant entertainment.

Sternform Produktgestaltung's Organic S.I.D.E. dishes fit together to create shapes M.C. Escher would envy and bring life to what would otherwise be staid sides. Miam Miam designs invite interaction with hors d'oeuvres. The Playa 421 is a tray/gambling game where players/party guests win their appies by rolling the dice and gaining entry to the tray's secret snack compartment. The Discovery tapas tray recalls all the anxiety I had as a kid at the zoo. I put my hand in a dark box, touched a series slippery, flaky, and furry items and tried to guess what each was. Though an old circle of Buffalo pelt or molted rattlesnake skin is light-years from appetizing, Discovery should offer tiny tasty treats like stuffed mushrooms or sushi. And for a snack display that wont fall flat, spear food along the side of the Cactus Tapas.

Check out more on fun with food in our Interview with Nicholas Denhez.