Hot Modern Grill Tools

This BBQ set from Teams Design heats up backyard grill sets with modern lines and smart elements. Made from 18/10 satin-finished stainless steel, this three-piece set features a grill brush with replaceable silicone bristles, a grill fork, and grill tongs that all nest together as a single unit. Dishwasher safe and equipped with hooks for space-saving storage. $60 through  MoMA.

Looking for a grill worthy of such tools? Check out PC's Dream Grills.

Sherwin Williams Brushes Up with Greener Paints

JUPITER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioQuest Technologies, Inc., (Pink Sheets:BQTG - News), a leading developer of innovative, environmentally safe antimicrobial products, today announced it has been contracted by the Lynd Company, one of the top 50 largest apartment management companies in the U.S., to work with the Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW - News) on a private label paint. The new private label antimicrobial paint will be a blend of BioQuest's ProShield 5000 and Sherwin-Williams paint. The Lynd Company will use the new private label paint in its apartment communities which are location throughout the U.S.

We don't yet know if this paint will be available to the masses, but an antimicrobial covering could definitely be a boon to allergy sufferers, people living in damp climates and to anyone with with leaky pipes, sub-par roofs, or who forgets to close the windows during rain storms.  Here's hoping the mix works out  - and if it does, that it gets marketed outside the Lynd Co's apartments.

Cooler in 2008?

GE's looking forward to a cooler 2008.  This January, the company will debut a double-drawer, bottom-freezer refrigerator featuring two freezer drawers to make organizing the contents easier and offering deep storage space for larger items. The maximum capacity freezer/fridge combo looks like a professional unit but is sized for residential installations. Available in a 25–cu. ft. or 21–cu. ft. capacity with stainless steel finish, the estimated retail is between $2249 and $2999.

Freestyle

Traveling down under during the next month? Make sure to stop by the QUT Art Museum in Brisbane, Australia and check out Freestyle: New Australian Design for Living.

Featuring the works of 40 Aussie designers (furniture, lighting, home decor, fashion, jewelry, and accessories), the exhibit showcases the effervescence and maturity of Australian contemporary design now through July 22.

Can't handle the flight? Visit Freestyle's official site and click on Designers to view collections of work.

Pictured: Solitaire workstation, Alexander Lotersztain

-- allison

Tags: Australian design, design exhibits, contemporary desk, modern furniture

Stylish? Yes. Necessary? You Decide.

I love my dog -- in fact, I love all dogs. I have spent countless dollars pampering my pooch, buying the best dog food and treats, the most interactive and safe toys, and the plushest dog beds and furnishings for my four-legged friend.

As it turns out, my dog prefers ice cubes to fine doggy cuisine, Rubbermaid bowls to expensive toys, and the comfort of the hardwood floor and raggedy blanket to his customized hypoallergenic bed.

For those of you whose pooches like the finer things in life, check out Dog Bar's Bauhaus and Le Corbusier-inspired Cowhide Dog Sofa (starting at $540).

-- allison

Tags: dog beds, Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, modern dog furniture

Cork

Blowing up the bottle stopper, Portugal's Bleach Design reinvents the old mainstay of cork design into an environmentally friendly stool. It's equally at home indoors and outdoors and it's minimal lines and textured surface add a modern dose of naturalism to either venue.  These sell at the A plus R store for $390.

Side Table

Matt Carr's Torsia Side Table from Umbra is built of layered, twistable solid wood. Turn any section to customize the look. $440.00.

Modern delivery

This time last year I was searching for the perfect mailbox -- and happily chose the mounted Envelope Mailbox from Chiasso.

For those of you still in need, here are a few of my faves.

The Blomus 65123 Signo Stainless Letter Box from Bizrate. $260.91

Post-modern mailbox from Chiasso. $328

Urban Letterbox from letterbox.co.nz. $199.95. Can be customized by color and adding house number.  

Retractable & Motorized "Walls" for Exteriors

If you have spectacular views, then glass is the new window treatment. That said, there are times you might want shade from the heat and conventional blinds just won't do. The Mirage Motorized Screen system lets you to hide a roller assembly along eaves or under gutters, but when you need shade or protection from flying things, a touch of the button dispenses fiberglass screens.

According to the manufacturer Alco Ventures, the screens are strong enough to act as retractable walls to screen in lanais, patios and gazebos, and can reduce infrared emissions into home interiors by 90%. Available from 3' x 3' to 25' x 16' panels, the screens are available in 3 standard colors, (white, ivory or bronze) and virtually any custom color. In addition to the motorized screens, Alco produces retractable screens -- which roll back discretely into the roller assembly.

--diane

Tags: Retractable Screens, Motorized Screens, Architectural+Screens, Modern Design

THG & Hermes Dress Up Bathtubs in Leather

Couture and home decor team up once again to bring us a luxury tub for hip hop moguls. Take your tub, cover it in Hermes leather and voila, you're a star. Brought to us by THG...

"The  exclusive importer of luxury bath products from the House of  Tetard-Haudiquez-Grisoni (THG) in Normandy, France  – understands the importance of beautiful items that are customized to their client’s most wild desires. Their new offering - the Art Deco  Bathtub swaddled in elegant Hermes leather – demonstrates THG’s  ability to create pieces that woo affluent consumers and double as works of art. This new upscale trend of leather applied to luxury bath products is  also illustrated in the Nymphea Quartet Bathtub with Red Leather  Trim and the Yoko Vessel, which is outfitted in rich white leather."