bltd

Christopher Dezille, designer for Honky has a not-to-miss portfolio with some inspiring work. I love the simplicity of this den.

[posted by kris]

If you like the look of this bath from the Woolsey Studio, it can be done economically with discount plumbing.

This above the counter lavatory sink is $294, and this
wall-mounted faucet is only $268.

[posted by kris]

This home by architects Jakub Majewski & Lukasz Pastuszka (aka Moomoo) in Poland is quite stunning. The exterior is an amazing charcoal/black color–It’s worth a look.

[posted by kris]

Admittedly, these look horrible at first glance. But if you have a little imagination, or even better, the February 2008 issue of Domino and turn to page 76, you will see that these can be customized and can actually look quite modern. What’s great about these is that they’re perfect for a tiny apartment and they are priced at $1200 and up. Additionally, they are somewhat customizable because you can specify the color of the base for a small upcharge and you can switch out the knobs with virtually anything.

[posted by kris]

When faced with redoing a bath, you can opt to do it in one fell swoop, with coordinated fixtures, or you can try to do it as your budget allows, piece by piece, hoping to achieve a cohesive look. If you’re in the first category, you may be interested to know that the Spritz Collection from Restoration Hardware includes everything from matching sink and bath faucets, to towel bars and soap holders. I don’t recommend going too overboard with the lighting and accessories though.

Shown: matching wall mounted sink faucet ($565) and bath faucet ($669)

[posted by kris]

If your mailbox is on the street away from your house and it’s either standalone or wall mounted, one sure fire way to prevent identity theft is to protect your mail. For homes with exterior fences, any of these wall mounted mailboxes would work, from the inexpensive vertical mailbox slot (bottom middle) all the way up to the $305 mail drop with optional receptacle (lower left).

Other options include the traditional and modern horizontal mail drops which are essentially just holes which fall to the open ground, so you’d need some sort of receptacle to catch and protect the mail. And, for the mother of all options, the $340 Dvault (right).

I’ve been looking at the possibility of turning a large laundry room into a second bath, which means basically starting from scratch when it comes to all the fixtures. As you know, it can add up really quickly and the next thing you know, you’ve spent $15,000. One way to reduce costs is by searching at discount plumbing supply stores, as long as you have time to search.

Here’s a great shower entry that’s 1/3 the cost of what I’ve seen at other design stores. It was listed at $2,500 and now it’s only $799!

[posted by kris]

When design agency The Apartment was working on a conversion of the old Chelsea YMCA into the apartment of Ad Agency head Cindy Gallop (BBH), she told them “at night, i want to feel like I’m in a Shanghai nightclub…” which they took and ran with, deciding to make the interior feel as if you’re inside a black lacquer box.

It’s worth a look.

It’s refreshing to see a beautiful bath space that doesn’t require tiles everywhere. The nice simple wooden sink (although I think I would worry too much about the upkeep) and the horizontal-mount mirror and the wall-mount faucet brings it all together. It’s perfect how the alignment is slightly askew.

To create this look in your own bath remodel, you can get the faucet for under $300 here. The mirror is pretty much a no-brainer. Start at Ikea and work your way up as your budget allows. The sink is more difficult to locate but since I have a problem with the idea of wood, I would probably use something like the Omvivo washplane or the erosion sink, which can be custom made to any length.

[posted by kris]

I love this tiny prototype summer cottage by Dorte Mandrup Architects. The space, which is roughly 110 square feet, appears to have only enough room for a bed and some books.

[posted by kris]

Oh. My. Goodness.

Is it wrong that I really want this built in anthracite oven? I’m not even working on a kitchen remodel (other than the dream kitchen in my mind). Just as a starting place I can really picture the rest of the kitchen in the subtle tones that aren’t quite jet-black, but just a subdued dark grey color.

Outstanding.

[posted by kris]

Okay, so this isn’t the Vola faucet I’ve been coveting, but it IS almost 90% cheaper.

This is an amazing remodel done by architecture graduate students in Philadelphia. They purchased an old garage and completely renovated it from front to back. The subtle transition from public space to private is inspiring. You can view the entire Flikr set here.

[posted by kris]

The BlobWall is an interesting alternative to traditionaly building materials. Each “blob” is made of lightweight recyclable plastic and can be mass produced.

We originally posted the Omvivo Washplane over three years ago, but I thought it was time for a revisit since they’ve come out with more color and material options.

[posted by kris]