bltd

Warm champagne is so, so sad, so you need to make sure that expensive bottle of whatever it is stays cold. How about a Naturally Cooling Ceramic Champagne Cooler to ensure it remains at the optimum temperature? It’s made from ceramic, so it utilizes the natural evaporation process to keep a bottle chilled for 2 to 4 hours. Be sure to soak the terra-cotta cooler in cold water for a couple of minutes beforehand, add in ice, an optional message in chalk on the matte black finish, and then pop the cork and celebrate.

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What’s this pile of curvy, ornate wood planks? They’re cutting boards by Haidee Drew, and each one has an intricate handle that’s sure to dress up every bit of food you prepare and serve. You might recognize a small nod to old silver serving pieces in the design of the handles, and you’d be spot on, as the designer drew her inspiration from the silver collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

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These two round mirrors are especially suited to a more casual atmosphere, as their frames are coated in silicone. Think of the larger 20″ mirror above a bathroom sink or console in a hallway. The smaller 6″ size is best hung somewhere handy so you can make sure your face is presentable before you head out the door. And, if you’re not too fond of the ‘Ferrari Red’ color, don’t you worry, there’s also the go-with-everything standbys black and white.
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A beautiful waste bin? Indeed, it is. The Swing Bin by Shigeichiro Takeuchi is composed of a simple cylinder with a wooden lid precisely balanced across its diagonal opening. The lid swings and tilts, allowing disposal while hiding the contents. Support the project over at Kickstarter to receive one in a few months.
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Most people look better with a warm, rosy glow on their face, and while you may not be able to carry around this table lamp with you everywhere you go, you will be able to sit strategically beside it should you want to impress a guest. Designed by Ceci Thompson, the Rosie Lamp is made of Carrara-style marble and handmade rose-colored painted glass.
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File this under things that you definitely don’t need but want anyways. The Stop Marble Bookend is just what it says it is: a marble bookend. Squared off, the white Carrara or black Marquina marble bookend will solidly hold your books in place with its weight while showcasing the natural beauty of stone. And, if you’re thinking you could source something similar from your local stone supplier, best of luck to you. I bet you’d end up spending just as much, if not more.
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If there’s a handful of small, necessary stuff lying about, you might want to get a couple of these Lacquer Lid Boxes. They’ve got a clean look with an affordable price tag, and they’d go a long way to tidying up whatever surface that is currently covered in that stuff you need at hand. Ash veneer plus a peach or blue lacquered top would fit in wherever you need them: office, entryway, bathroom, or bedroom.
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Yes, you’re right, you have seen some of Bower Studio’s Shape Mirrors featured on BLTD before. However, don’t you worry, I’m going to alert you to new designs just as soon as I know about them, because I know you probably are extremely fond of them, even if you can’t quite afford one (yet).
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If you’ve ever said you can’t draw, then you need this thingamajig. The NeoLucida Drawing Aid is a portable camera lucida and it utilizes a prism to project a desired image onto a piece of paper for tracing. This saves time, of course, as it helps you get the drawing right the first time around. Created by Pablo Garcia and Golan Levin, the NeoLucida is adjustable, compact enough to fit in a bag, and effective in all lighting conditions.
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Few people would say doing laundry is fun, so if there’s any opportunity to make it more visually appealing, then we might as well take advantage of it. This particular Laundry Basket by Lorenzo Petrantoni for Seletti might help you not hate laundry day as much, thanks to its nicely balanced old-world graphic on a natural cotton basket/bag shell. A drawstring top with cord closure and rope handles finish off the functionality.
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This handy Hot/Cold Carafe holds two stacking cups for easy transport from the kitchen to patio. Hand-cast stoneware will insulate beverages appropriately, so use it in the summer for lemonade and iced tea and in the winter for cocoa or coffee. The silicone bands at the help you keep a firm grip while pouring. Available in Clay or Red.

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It pains me to put these handmade Hoop Brushes by Fredericks & Mae into the cleaning category, but I think it would be too pretentious to classify them as strictly art. Now, if I owned one or two or three of these, I would be tempted to clean with them (maybe occasionally for spots with dust) and display them as art somehow, but you’re the master of your own domain. What would you do, use them for function or just for display?
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Pétanque, Bocce, Boule, whatever you decide to call it, any variation is a great lawn game for these last few days of summer. Six chrome boule balls and a target ball are all packaged in a teak box for storing and carrying the game. And what do you do? Throw the small target ball out into the lawn, then take turns trying to get your chrome boule/bocce balls closest to the target. That’s a simplified version, of course, and I’m sure there’s several fanatics that have steam coming out of their ears for my lack of specificity as to the rules, but the point is you’ve got to try it out at your next outdoor gathering, preferably with this nice Akiko Petanque Bocce Game Set.
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Fair warning, this fire pit isn’t cheap. However, for certain fans of geometry and aesthetics, it could fit the bill just fine. Made of a durable composite concrete, the Triangulum Fire Pit elevates the fire off the ground 10″, giving much needed oxygen to the fire without disrupting a conversational area. The vertical slots also allow water drainage, making this fire pit an elegant option for the cooler nights of the year.
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Who wants a big, blue tool box designed smack dab (or close enough) in the middle of the 20th century? I certainly do. Talk about a robust sort of toolbox, the Trusco Deluxe is made from stamped-steel with a bold blue enameled finish. That beats the pants off any plastic toolbox you’re bound to find at any hardware store. Open it in one smooth motion to find several spots for organizing your tools and/or art supplies; the dividers are removable so adjust them to fit your needs.

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