Saturday, October 30, 2004

campus.


Over the weekend I got a note from Aliona over at House of European Design inviting me to check out their Campus sofa. It's pretty cool, but I'll let HED explain it in their own words:

what. they. say.
"Campus is both an aesthetically and functionally designed sofa and recliner. It invites you to relax. The head and feet areas of the sofa recliner are infinitely variable. Via a very

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

kick. table.


Sometimes I like things that I see but I'm not sure why. Take the Kick Table by Toshiyuki Kita. It's basically just an oddly shaped end table on wheels that comes in some pretty bright colors and adjusts up and down. That's about all I have to say about it, other than: I want one. But not for the $500 they seem to go for. Ouch!

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

s.w.b.


The S.W.B. bed is yet another excellent design from Philippe Starck, but not for the usual Starck reasons. I'll be honest, at first glance the S.W.B. doesn't look much different from about a million other minimalist modern beds I've seen. So what is Starck giving us that's so unusual? One word: Accessories!

made. to. be. different.
One of my big complaints about beds -- and bedrooms in

Monday, October 25, 2004

nimbus.


Somebody over at Mosleymeetswilcox has a way with arts and crafts. They put some polystyrene balls together with some PETG plastic (nope, no idea what that is) and made "a seductive, lightweight material" that they then turned into the Nimbus.

shining. sunlight.
The Nimbus is a ceiling light that looks like a gentle, puffy cloud. Mosleymeetswilcox describesitthisway: "As light passes through

Sunday, October 24, 2004

xes.


The XES is a small table. How small? Only 5 inches in diameter. Just enough to hold one drink. And that's exactly the way creator Edward Geluk wanted it.

put. on. your. glass.
The not quite grammatical text for the XES describes it this way: "When you need a place to put on your glass, you take the XES. Until that moment, it can be waiting for you in a corner."

decadent.
I love the XES

Thursday, October 21, 2004

boalum.


If you're looking for a light to go with the Buldang couch/chair/thing, you won't go far wrong if you buy a Boalum. I'm sorry, I didn't mean light, I meant "luminaire," which is what this piece is called. (Luminaire means, among other things, "light fixture," so this is a somewhat fine distinction in my book.)

totally. tubular.
The Boalum has a flexible, tubular body of opal white plastic

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

buldang.


It's not often you find a piece of furniture that sounds like a swear word and looks like the plush version of someone's intestines. So let me just say upfront, the Buldang is certainly unique.

30. feet.
The Buldang is a "de-structured, padded, and segmented tube" that's 30 feet long and billed as a modular armchair-sofa, because those are two of the things you can arrange it to make. But

Monday, October 18, 2004

netsurfer.


The Netsurfer is one of those weird chairs that have been combined with a PC to make a surfing station. Although the practicality of these is questionable, I find myself oddly drawn to them in a slavering, geeky sort of way. Especially the Netsurfer, because it's built on the foundation of a funky rocking chair I happen like called the Chip.

chip. shot.
First let's deal with Chip, described

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

globlow.


Globlow is another one of those "living lamps," sort of like the Gravity but less aggressive. In the Globlow's case, the shade is made of rip-stop nylon that inflates when the light is on and deflates when it's off.

deflated.
I think the idea is interesting, but the execution isn't quite working for me. I don't think I want to wait for my light to inflate, and even if I did the deflated

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

satala.


How's this for a description: "It drips from the wall to the floor in one sinuous swoop balancing itself on a single foot." Ever think those words would apply to a hammock? Me neither.

one-tree.
The Satala is a one-tree hammock "inspired by a mother rocking her baby to sleep." Rock may not be the best word, as it really moves side to side. More of a "sway" in my book. But either way, it

Monday, October 11, 2004

gondola.


Here's an ultra-simple but ultra-modern-looking way to store those old fashioned things called "compact discs" that some people might still have lying around. It's called the Gondola and can be found at Bart Design.

mastro. work.
The Gondola (designed by Mastro Design) is made from two sheets of clear Plexiglas around a soft foam insert. It holds about 30 CDs (you know, those shiny discs they

Monday, October 4, 2004

lightwedge.


Somebody had a bright idea when they came up with the Lightwedge. It's a reading light for books made out of a sheet of optical-grade (whatever that means) acrylic and illuminated by LEDs. The LEDs light the acrylic which in turn evenly lights the entire page you're reading. This seems like a better idea than traditional book lights, which tend to brightly light one spot of the page only.