marcel wanders’ skygarden lamp

marcel wanders, reflecting on his lovely plaster aluminum alloy and glass skygarden pendant lamp:

“in my former house i had a fabulous antique decorated plaster ceiling. i called it my skygarden, it always looked good and it didn’t need water or sun but would live only on the warm rays of the electrical light under it.”

find it in four colors at hive.

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better living through design: let’s chat!

if you love contemporary design as much as i do, you’ve got a list of places you visit regularly. perhaps you’re familiar with the finds that katie hagar and kris bernard show us on their fabulous website, better living through design. katie, a former product and interior designer (and current editor of the site), and kris, a kitchen and bath design instructor and information technology expert, tirelessly hunt for the most clever, functional and well made products and accessories for our homes. the spare design of their website is a blank canvas for the great breadth of selection featured; it consists of four sections including products, remodeling, books and travel. i appreciate the fact that their personal love affair with design and style grew into a tremendous one-stop resource that we all benefit from. let’s have a chat with katie and kris and find out more!

q: where do you live and where do you work?
a: katie: i live in houston, tx, and i work in my home office/studio.

kris: i live in los angeles, ca (silver lake) and I work in downtown la.

q: how did you meet, and how did bltd come into being?
a: katie: we met in dallas at some art show. i guess we had mutual friends, but it wasn’t until we started talking about architecture did we realize how we both liked the same sort of stuff - that turned into exchanging ideas about floor plans and home design and then kris actually came up with the idea of bltd - she thought it would be a good idea to create a site where we could keep track of all the great products available on the internet.

kris: ditto what katie said, but she left out that we were actually pen pals for a while, which is how we exchanged ideas about our floor plans. i thought that was important to add because it shows how truly nerdy we are about design. as far as how bltd started, i had actually purchased the domain about a year before we started the site. i really liked the feeling that the domain evoked, but i wasn’t sure what i was going to use it for. then somehow the idea struck me to start a website and i asked katie to join me. the funny thing is that we had only really talked in person that one time when i asked her to do it, but now three years and 2500 posts later i probably talk to her everyday.

q: what is your criteria for including pieces on your site?
a: katie: i think it’s fairly intuitive. most of the time the item has to stand out in some way - good design that meets at least one of the following criteria: affordable, useful, or spectacular.

kris: also, it needs to be available for sale online. very rarely do we post anything that’s not available online. we really wanted the site to be a comprehensive resource for anyone who’s looking for the perfect table or wallpaper, etc, so we try to include important design pieces as well as lesser known items that may meet a need for a space.

q: do you have a favorite category? if you do, why is it your favorite?
a: katie: i love home furnishings in general, but i’m quite fond of miscellaneous accessories - i guess because they’re more affordable (usually) and an easy way to make a small change in your surroundings.

kris: my favorite is our new “remodel” section which we launched a few months ago. it’s for people who are looking to make a major change in their space, such as surface treatments like changing flooring or wallpaper, or for remodeling their kitchen or bath. i used to teach kitchen and bath design at the college level, so i’m pretty excited we added that category. i really get giddy over fixtures.

q: can you name a few current design trends that you love?
a: katie: i like the new crop of products that have been designed with sustainability in mind, not just because it’s a trend, but because it’s interesting to see how designers are pushing the boundaries a little, and how manufacturers are more likely to take a chance considering the recent “green” movement.

kris: i’m kind of an urban nomad right now, so i really like the new “flatpack” trend, which is furniture or other items that are easily packable and movable. i also like the modernization of older styles; for example, the digitization of older baroque styles like the pixelated tables by salad industrial in spain.

q: what do you think is the biggest challenge in writing a design website?
a: katie: finding the words to express how i feel about something without reverting to “i love this”, “this is awesome”, “holy”, and “dude, you have to buy this” all the time.

kris: we try to keep it affordable but that’s not always easy. there’s a reason good design is expensive. a great sofa can last 50 years, not only in terms of construction, but also being relevant aesthetically. but not everyone has the budget for that so we try to find the less expensive items too. unfortunately they don’t last as long, and that has an environmental impact. so, i’d say that’s my biggest challenge: trying to meet the needs of all our readers’ budgets but at the same time trying to strike a balance between providing enough interesting content but making sure the pieces are relevant.

q: can you finish this sentence? the future of design…
a: katie: looks promising.

kris: looks exciting! i can’t wait to see what people come up with next.

like-minded design connoisseurs can hop on over to bltd and see lots more substantial picks. i don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

thank you katie and kris!

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umamy design group

let’s have a look here at some witty design work from israeli design group umamy. they create functional products for the home that are stylish and intelligent too.

i am fairly certain you have seen these, the wonderful limited edition kisos 3-d vase and the till we meet again chair, but have you seen some of their other items?

they’re trying to make the world a better place, and i think they’re succeeding - one unconventional design at a time.

see more wonders on their website.

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miraentuinterior wall decals

i enjoy bold graphics, so i really like all the wall decals that are floating around the universe right now, because it gives you a relatively inexpensive and noncommittal way to add drama to your interiors. i am especially infatuated with this knitting hands wall decal from barcelona’s witty miraentuinterior - and i don’t even knit! of course if i put this up in my soon-to-be-converted craft room, maybe that would change…

it’s offered in 24 different colors on their website, and you can see from up above that you also have the option of placing a variety of background colors behind the graphic to help visualize it on your own wall.

truth be told, all their designs are super cool.

via cribcandy

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iced coffee and big head coasters

my friend, a food and wine lover, just passed me a recipe from the new york times for an cold-brewed iced coffee concentrate. after expressly extolling it’s virtues, he’s gotten me all riled up about it. apparently, thoughtful preparation of this not-too-difficult prescription results in some type of ambrosial elixir that is smooth, satisfying and full of sublime coffee flavor. being a bon vivant, i needed little time to prepare myself mentally for the exquisite pleasures of coffeefantasyland, and now i’m ready to taker the, er, plunge.

after the requisite 12 hour steeping time, i can’t think of a better place to put my slippery, filled-to-the-brim glass than these big head coasters.

these clever drink holders are made of thick rubber, and as you can see, you can stack them or stand them. they come in packages of 4, in assorted colorways.

buy them online at wrapables or perpetual kid, and don’t forget to savor each sip!

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jared drew moody illustrations

san francisco can be quite chilly in the summer. if you didn’t know that, you might could figure it out through the pen and ink illustrations of jared drew moody.

drew grew up in north carolina, got his bfa in maryland and lives in new york. i love his washy illustration style, emotional imagery and bold color choices.

these new pieces are so seasonally evocative, and they have just enough interesting detail to make you stop and stare a bit.

find our more about him on his blog, and buy them (and others) at thumbtack press.

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sam johnson’s tree tealights

i just got back from vacation and will be taking you on my californian odyssey later this week.

i am pretty pleased with what i shot. looking at them, even though i’m back into the thick of my bustling urban rut, is pleasing. the trees relax me. something about the dappled sunlight, and the rustling and the pinecones dropping. no other sound.

british designer sam johnson got inspired by those little trees used in architectural models, and has a terrific tealight that’ll inspire you to go on a camping trip. it’s crafted from brass and is chemically etched, then painted black.

once you convert it from a ninja star-looking, james bond gadget, and that candle is lit in the midst of the teeny woodland, you’ll have wonderful shadows to remind you of your last trip to the woods, or your next trip, every night!

buy it at charles & marie.

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lotta jansdotter designs

so i was staring at my feet today at the strange tan lines i got after playing golf. they look like little oval leaves, which made me think of the fabulous scandinavian designer lotta jansdotter.

i love everything she makes. her organic designs are simple and clean, and she uses high quality textiles and other materials to craft her products. it’s the next best thing to being amongst the flora, if you have to stay inside.

she has a pretty broad line which includes some tee shirts and stationery, so you can show the world how hip you are if you don’t want to keep it to yourself.

you can shop on her website, or buy it in chicago at the sweden shop on foster.

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