Thursday, April 29, 2010

Product 60: IKEA Godmorgen/Bredviken



IKEA, the wonderdog of inexpensive decor, also offers fixtures, appliances, even entire kitchens for the choosing. One such chic and cheap cathroom solution is the Godmorgen/Bredviken sink cabinet. Hard on the ears, but easy on the eyes, this two-drawer easy fix is a neat $564.00, and sports two drawers, a two-basin single sink, and three sixes, and three shades of birch to choose from. The basins are a polyester/crushed marble blend. Drawers are fully extendable--so nice when rooting for something in a hurry--and come with dividers to better organize bathroom life. This particular model of the Godmorgen series can be ordered with four drawers and two separate sinks. More? ikea.com if you please.

Product 59: Arc Com Textiles, Quad print




Crisp lines and rich tones create a versatile design that would look as pretty on the wall as on a scarf, here in Arc Com's Quad Pattern. Black Cherry, Terracotta, and Godiva are featured here, but these beauties are just three of the 7 sisters of Quad. All are a part of Arc Com's Eco-Tex line with 66% recycled content in the weave, and are made with a NanoTex finish. Quad scored 70,000 in the abrasion test, and prices are upon request. Width is 54", repeat is about 3" square.
Order samples or just check out the merch at arc-com.com .

Product 58: Knoll Generation Chair




Sit how you want. It's that simple. Sit how YOU want, not how some factory engineer decided you should sit. Generation Chair, a collaboration project from Knoll and Formway Design, makes everybody happy. Tall, short, wide, narrow, fat, skinny, long-legged but short-waisted or long-torsoed but short-armed, old, young, eco-conscious, design conscious, gadget conscious... Generation is the answer to the age-old design quandary of which office chair to pick, whether it is for 65 cubicles or just one corner office. Generation sports 3 major awards and countless accolades, is made with minimal materials (those few used all contain recycled content), and has little or no off-gassing. After trying one out, this blogger has been smitten with chair envy. Nothing matches the comfort this Rolls Royce offers. It really is that simple. For your own dose of chair envy, see knoll.com or sithowyouwant.com .

Product 57: Armstrong MetalWorks Mesh



Armstrong Ceiling Systems now includes a metal mesh grid system, a neat spin on the average 2' x 2' square acoustical panel. This perforated metal allows for acoustical absorption, air circulation, and an exciting design aesthetic. 10 colors and 18 designs are available, but custom RAL colors can be ordered, too. MetalWorks can be ordered in a mesh or woven design, and the two can be specified to be interchangeable within the same grid, to add visual interest or to fill a structural need. The tiles lay in a 15/16" grid with borders or finished edges. And, other Armstrong decorative ceiling systems are compatible with MetalWorks Mesh as well, like Formations Clouds. For more, see armstrong.com .

Product 56: Shaw Twist Carpeting




Twist style carpeting is silkier, softer, and just plain shaggier than the fluff in a mid-century ranch style house. The nylon Lonely Hearts line comes in 21 colors and starts at $12.50 per square foot, at 12'0 wide. Backing is Softbac Platinum, and personal favorite colors are Pearl Essence, Spicy, and Garden Grove. All Shaw carpets are low emissions and have earned the Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label Plus certification. For more fluff in your life, visit shawfloors.com .

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Product 55: Moen Bathroom Faucets, Eva


Moen Incorporated makes beautiful plumbing fixtures to fit a wide variety of needs and lifestyles. Here, the Eva bathroom faucet is ADA-compliant and WaterSense approved (that means it's more efficient and eco-friendly). High durability, three finishes: Chrome, Brushed Nickel, Oil-Rubbed Bronze, and available at Lowe's Home Depot, and Menard's to name a few. From approximately $225.05, though who knows what that extra nickel is for... See moen.com for more information.

Product 54: Acoustimac, LLC Acousticart Panels




Digital Wall Art is one of the Design industry's latest crazes, but sometimes more practical issues must be dealt with instead. Here, Acoustimac has solved one of them by marrying Wall Art with Acoustical panels to create...Acousticart, of course. Simple 3-step process: upload picture(s), order panels in proper size, install. Reasonably priced, high durability, and just plain good-lookin', Acousticart can be used in studios, restaurants, or retail spaces. Sizes and prices are subject to change because of a sale, but here they are: 2' x 2' is $125, 3' x 2' is $189, and 4' x 2' is $229. Check out these and other neat products, including a DIY section, at acoustimac.com .

Product 53: Valspar Latex Porch and Floor Paint


Some hardwood floors perfectly capture the natural beauty of wood and grain. Some don't. For the latter, Valspar Paints offers an easy and mostly eco-friendly solution: Porch and Floor Paint. Though it only comes in light and dark gray, it's oil-based sister seems to offer more range in that department. The latex formula has an acrylic resin vehicle (which makes for an acrylic coating), and has high durability and life expectancy, provided the space is properly prepared for it. One gallon covers roughly 100 square feet, but should more be required, head to the local Lowe's to buy more. This floor paint is non-glare, low sheen, and has "easy water clean-up." More? Visit valspar.com .

Product 52: Thibaut, Inc.'s Saffron Wallpaper




Thibaut, Inc. of Newark, NJ makes a sweetly organic wallpaper that has a name longer than it's repeat--the Saffron Wallpaper of the Waterlily Collection in Apple (green). Whew! But this vinyl-coated covering is certainly nice enough and comes in fabric and/or 7 other colors. It's washable (a damp rag will probably work), has a straight match, is unpasted, and is strippable. The Vertical repeat is 25 1/4" while the width is 27". This brand seems pretty neat and offers plenty of options. See for yourself at thibaultdesign.com .

Product 51: Assemblage, LTD Coffee Table




Assemblage, LTD specializes in the dealing of vintage, antique and oft-unique item, in this case, a 1940's American coffee table. This sunshine beauty is lacquered in a bright saffron and accented by Grecian swirls, hand-painted details and parcel gilt. According to the site, it would make a "lovely bench with a removable button tufted cushion," though it's just as lovely without. Dimensions: Height 17", Width/Length 39", Depth 19", and the price is $3750. See it for yourself at assemblageltd.com, or e-mail them at info@assemblageltd.com .

Friday, April 16, 2010

Product 50: Solistone Metal Tiles




For the fiftieth blog, something special is in order: Solistone Metal Tiles. This Los Angeles based company manufactures a variety of tile-like items, from pebbles to mosaic tiles, to these fascinating metal ones. Made from Stainless Steel, these organically-shaped hardy little wonders are remarkably durable and easy to clean: they can be used in indoor or outdoor applications for upwards of 20 years or more, and can be wiped with a rag, soap, and water. For fingerprints or other oily grime, use a rag and olive oil. The tiles can also be installed around gently curving surfaces, according to the site, which could create quite the pop. That's it, other than the color selection: solar (gold), radiant (light blue), orbit (copper), astro (pewter-y silver), zenith (silvery black), umbra (inky black), aurora (a true silver), and ultraviolet (purple).

Product 49: Behr Paints: Faux + Decorative Finishes




Behr Paints are durable, well-priced, and high quality. So it follows that their Faux and Decorative finishes would be of the same caliber--and they are. Available at Home Depots and Lowe's stores everywhere, Behr's lead-free paints can be cleaned with gentle soap and water with a soft rag. Here goes the list: Bellagio Faux, Venetian Plaster and Top Coat, and Faux Glazes. Simple enough, until the Faux Glazes are counted: smooth leather, stippling, color and wash, diagonal line finish, patch weaving, soft suede, straight line finish, wavy line finish, color blending, fabric, and (breath) speckling. Fun for every room can be found at behr.com .

Product 48: The Maharaja Tent Company: Lily Pond Cottage Tent







Another childhood pleasure has grown up: tents. The Maharaja Tent Company specializes in just this, and makes tents in all shapes and sizes for both royalty and regular joes. This ancient art has been perfected in beautiful tents that are perfect for events, and of high enough quality to reside in. A personal favorite is the Lily Pond Cottage Tent, and one-room suite with attached veranda. Materials used are canvas, bamboo, iron, and pine. The Lily Pond Cottage Tent can be customized: with 2, 4, or 6 windows; in four colors: cream, dove egg, sand, or celeste; and in six patterns: Shimla 1, 2, or 3, Paisley, Mandore, or, of course, Maharaja. These portable beauties are weather and rot proof, and groundsheets can be bought upon request. The veranda measures 12' x 6', the room 12' x 12', with a 10'6" roof and 6' walls. Accessories needed? The Maharaja Tent Company also supplies customers with these: dhurrie rugs, umbrellas, cushions, bolster pillows, tent furniture, and...turbans. Seriously. To live like a Raja, or just pretend, see maharajatent.com .

Product 47: Knoll's Copeland Light




Knoll, the empire of comfortably efficient design solutions, has a magical lamp. Albeit not one for rubbing and genies, the Copeland Light certainly fulfills more than three office space wishes. The Copeland Light was designed by Canada native Stephan Copeland for Knoll, and comes in large and small, and in black or silver. The bulb fitting allows either incandescent or CFL bulbs. The lamp can be mounted on a base, a table clamp, a panel mount, a slatwall mount, or a grommet mount. Three circular joints rotate in just about every direction to illuminate everything everywhere. And, perhaps best of all, the head of this hydra can be turned completely around and has a ring-shaped hole on the back, so the user can have direct light from the base with partial ambient light from the top, or vice versa. Knoll's website has numerous pictures and videos, as well as designer biographies, so visit knoll.com for more ergonomic enjoyment.

Product 46: Maharam Digital Projects




When children grow up, they become adults. When posters grow up, they become Maharam Digital Projects. Maharam, renowned for their patterned wallcoverings and textiles, recently debuted their next generation in wall decor--Digital Projects. Digital Projects are graphics, photography, and other large-scale art pieces printed on a sort of wallpaper (a blend of cellulose, latex, and nylon), which is then applied by specialists to smooth walls. Consumers can buy a section of the piece or the whole thing, which can be applied in full size or a scaled version. Maintenance is easy once the persnickety adhesion/application process is completed (walls must be COMPLETELY smooth)--just wipe clean with mild soap and water. Though somewhat costly, these images can be customized or chosen out of the Maharam Library, and are far less expensive than same-/similarly-sized art in most settings. For more, check out maharam.com .

Friday, April 2, 2010

45: IceStone Durable Surfaces




After that broken dish, frat boy's beer bottle, or ancient slab of cracked sidewalk get pitched, sometimes they go to landfills. Sometimes they go to IceStone. IceStone is a Durable Surfaces manufacturing company that makes kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, conference tables, patio surfacing and the like with recycled glass and concrete. The slabs of jewel-like substance can be mounted horizontally or vertically, and are green, extremely durable, and 99.5% inorganic, which means, according to the site, that these surfaces make healthy and safe surfaces to deal with. They also will not fade in direct sunlight, so an extra plus there. Two grades of "trash" make for two equally intriguing lines: the classic collection, and the refined collection. The classic collection is chunkier and has more variation in color (see the orange-y Tuscan Sunset above and green Jade Snow), while the refined collection has, well, more refined pieces (see the lavender Purple Haze). To see more, read more, or enter the Installation Competition, visit icestone.biz .

44: Harlequin Wallcoverings





Harlequin is a London-based company that makes patterns for fabric and wallcovering design: wonderfully bright, formally sedate, or funkily mod patterns and prints. Here are several of the Tamika set, based off of the intricate embroidery of a geisha's robes, according to the site. Indicative of the Japanese meaning of the name, Tamika means and exemplifies "many and beautiful." For more, see harlequin.uk.com .