Better Living Through Design

Studio Mama Pallet Furniture Plans

Simon — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:22:32 +0000

Design studio Studio Mama provides a creative and fun solution to the endless supply of discarded shipping pallets: make em’ into furniture. The Pallet Furniture Plans are building instructions to create your own furniture. Bring your own pallets and carpentry know-how. A real good sanding or perhaps a clear finish is my recommendation if you’re not into the industrial look. Or you can always paint it.

Bonus! This reminded me of this pallet coffee table project that I saw on Flickr a while back. Enjoy.

Heima Candle Holder

katie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:17:02 +0000

Pure and simple, this candle holder designed by Francis Cayouette is both elegant and functional. It’s a timeless piece of design, no doublt about it.

Designer: Francis Cayouette
Manufacturer: Normann Copenhagen
Materials: Cast iron
Dimensions: 8” H x 5 1/4” W x 5 1/2” D

Also, if you’re in the mood, there’s a product video with the designer (and a couple of more pics):

Bergkamp Double Tote

katie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:51:04 +0000

Two are better than one… at least in this case. There’s a ton of totes available these days, but this is the first I’ve seen doubled up so that you can organize your items. The canvas ‘bridge’ that conects the two totes can be used to hold jackets or yoga mats or whatever other larger items you have. I’d say it might be an easy DIY project as well, if you’ve got two of the same sized totes and an aversion to buying more. If you’d rather just plonk down the cash for this one, it’s available in natural, black, and orange.

Designer: Dominic Neitz
13″w x 15″h x 10″
Handmade in NYC.

Inspiration: Orange Office area

katie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:00:04 +0000

This isn’t the best quality picture, but it does serve to remind us that orange can be good… sometimes. Also, it’s worth noting that this under-the-stairs desk manages to pack a lot of work surface into an otherwise underused area.

Bokja Vintage Bucket Chair

katie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:58:49 +0000

While the price of this chair might scare you more than the fabric does, it’s an excellent example of how a rather normal chair can become completely crazy with the right (or wrong) choice of fabric. Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hubri of Bokja Design use all sorts of fabrics to revitalize vintage finds, and if you’re not familiar with their work, it’s worth a glance just to see the variety of textiles. All pieces are handmade by traditional craftsmen, and the vintage textiles used are from Uzbekistan, central Asia, and other countries along the Silk Road. Take a look at Bokja’s products and believe me, you’ll certainly find inspiration (and courage?) for reupholstering any of your current threadbare furniture.

dimensions: 31″w x 26″d x 28″h x 16″sh.
Designers: Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hubri of Bokja Design

San Francisco Neighborhood Plate Set

katie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:55:34 +0000

If San Francisco is near and dear to your heart, maybe you’ll like this plate set. Or, maybe you just like the geometry and web-like look of city maps. Interestingly enough, Cherry Chaicharn, the designer, is a former Bay Area city planner, so you know her heart (or her work) is behind the design of these subtle grey-on-white patterns. The set features maps of South of Market, North Beach, Glen Park/Noe Valley and Castro/Mission. And, get this, apparently there’s other cities (Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc..) to follow.

Set of four (one each of four designs).
Designed by Cherry Chaicharn, of August Table (more pics here)
7.5″ diameter each

Ideaco Tubelor Trash Can

katie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:37:13 +0000

It’s a shame to have a trash can spoil the look of a room, and really, there’s no reason why you should have to suffer the sight of an ugly bag hanging over the side. This inner-receptacle-plus-outer-cover trash can tidies up that whole dilemma lickety-split.

12 x 8 x 8 inches.
Made in Japan.

Wilma Bench

katie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:33:54 +0000

Donna Wilson love. Some of her furniture with SCP is pretty exciting, not to mention this little Wilma bench you see before you. First of all, let’s just get ‘rubberized coconut hair’ out of the way. It’s a sustainable material that “gives the seat a crisp and firm feel.” Okay. Next, the Mabel linen fabric is both playful and quaint, yet the color won’t clash with any of your other exuberant pieces. Splayed legs complete the picture. Yep, it’s a great option for a bench-slash-table.

Donna Wilson for SCP
linen upholstery and beech, rubberized coconut hair
w 33.5 x d 18 x h 15 ”

Cucina Food Warmer and Dish by Hans-Wilhelm Seitz

troy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:43:38 +0000

I was thinking maybe this food warmer is a chicer alternative to those tin pans and blue jelly candles, especially because this version by Seitz is porcelain and heated by tealights. I just wish it came in bigger sizes, but it’s dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe so I’ll cut my losses.

Rectangular dish: 8 x 13 x 2.5 inches
Warmer: 8.5 x 13.5 inches
A range of coordinating dishes and platters/lids available at Lekker Home.

Awarded with the Form 2001, the red dot award for good product design 2002, and nominated for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Pill and Cobra Yoga Mats

katie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:52:38 +0000

Yoga. Stretching…breathing…relaxing… and PILLS! And cobras! Aghh! Just the sort of thing to make your yoga practice… um, strange. If you want that. (I can see the cobra working, because there’s a yoga position called the cobra, but not sure how I feel about pills on a bathroom floor, you know?)

Pill Yoga Mat, $95.00
Cobra Yoga Mat, $95.00

I still like the first Plank mats: Wood Plank (with muffin!) and Shag.