Manolo for the Home » Fun stuff

Don’t Let Space Constraints Stop You from Becoming a Master Ping Ponger

Christa Terry — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:30:43 +0000

I know, I know, all that ping pong would probably make your door look like crap after two weeks of gin-fueled ping pong benders. And the hinge would break, and no one would want to come over after a while because you’d feel compelled to get the most out of your ping pong door. Designed by Tobias Fraenzel (of punching bag couch fame), the ping pong door fits standard doorways. Likely those in fairly unstandard houses, but that’s more about atmosphere than design.

No, you can't leave. We're in the middle of a tournament.

The main downside? One side of the ping pong door is white – or whatever color you prefer – while the play side is bright green. Not an easy fit for most people’s home decor. The secondary downside? You’ll have to DIY this door because as far as I can tell it either wasn’t ever for sale or sold out and that was the end of the production run. But you tell me: What game would you like to see as a built in?

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To All My House and Home Lovers In the US, Happy Fourth of July!

Christa Terry — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:53:42 +0000

Someone, somewhere said to me something like “How can you not love decorating with red, white, and blue” in the summertime. Well, I can’t say I understand it, but I respect it. Happy July 4th, Americans! And happy Monday to everyone else!

Completely Coastal

Coastal Living

Coastal Living... surprise, surprise.

Any guesses? (Har har.)

I Have Only One Thing to Say:

Christa Terry — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:02:45 +0000

There’s nothing stopping you!

via http://deepakawesome.tumblr.com/

File This Under ‘Things I Probably Shouldn’t Fall In Love With’

Christa Terry — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:54:56 +0000

I shouldn't want this as badly as I do.

I know I really shouldn't want this. Really.

Gimme gimme gimme!

Smoking rabbit stool. Known as: Black Labbit Stool. Seen in the wild at Kidrobot. Made of fiberglass. And absolutely maddeningly delicious.

Big Into Basics: Toy Boats

Christa Terry — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:41:02 +0000

There’s nothing like having a baby, toddler, or child to make one long for extremely simple and basic. It seems like no matter how dedicated is to the notion of buying plain wooden toys hand carved by old men in the Netherlands out of sustainable, non-toxic wood using patterns hundreds of years old blah blah blah, for the infant or the child, cheap plastic crap with thousands of breakable parts keeps being vomited into one’s house.

Maybe that’s why I’m absolutely in love with these simple cork toy boats designed by the Swiss-French-Belgian designer trio BIG-GAME?

Toy boats for mama?

Two pieces, not much to lose

Supposedly the Portuguese company Materia released these in April, but I have not seen them for sale as of yet. Boooo. Do you have a favorite simple toy that you loved as a child and maybe even still love to this day?

Loving: CLINQS (plus Bonus Feature)

Christa Terry — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:46:20 +0000

I’m not a big fan of wine glass charms, what with their being so clinkety-clinkety when I’m just trying to drinkety-drinkety. But I’m also no great fan of inadvertently sharing stems with either people I do not know or people I’d rather not kiss. Enter Clinqs, reusable drink stickers made of vinyl that are tough enough to get washed or even microwaved without losing their stick. And despite the name, there’s not a clink to be heard.

Clinqs for cold

Clinqs for hot

Also, WANT:

Pencil hedgie!

Slipcovers for the Knit Obsessed Among Us

Christa Terry — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:30:34 +0000

I have five cats and one kid, which means slipcovers are non-negotiable in my household. However, I’ve been led to believe that some people slipcover for the fun of it, perhaps to refresh older furniture or to make decor updates on the cheap. For not exactly cheap, but possibly less than the cost of a new armchair, you can get a hand knit slipcover for your favorite armchair that will make it every bit as cozy as that old favorite sweater of yours that is now only appropriate for use inside the house.

Cozy. But a crumb magnet.

These hand knit slipcovers for armchairs and cushions and ottomans (and lamps) wouldn’t work for me, I’m afraid, since my slipcover use is intended to make my furniture less of a cat hair/stain magnet. But if you can’t get enough of all things knit and want to make your furniture more difficult to keep crumb free, then BiscuitScout‘s hand knit slipcovers may be just what you’re looking for.

While the whole look isn’t my cup of tea, I can certainly see the appeal. What do you think? Too gimmicky? Or who cares, so long as it’s comfy?

The Essence of Nature/Art/Furniture/Etc. from the Heads at Pulpo

Christa Terry — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:24:59 +0000

There’s no winning in the game of blogging home decor and accessories and design because you can’t please all of the people all of the time. That’s cool; it’s all part of the fun. I know that utramod isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – when I’ve gone through my mod phases, I’ve gotten complaints – but I have to show off some of the sweet gear from Germany’s Pulpo. The brand, if that’s what you’d call it, works in cooperation with some absolutely fabulous designers to release furniture, lighting, and accessories that explore the essence of the things we find in our homes.

This table, it is the bomb?

A classic clock, pared down some. Or a lot.

Simply natural tea towel hangers, or nature made better.

Don't toss that box!

The essence of lamp?

A pair of antlers I can actually get behind.

I love them all – even the box table, which I think may be the most controversial product in the lineup. And even though nothing from Pulpo comes cheap. What do you think? Could you find a place for a little ultramod in your own home, even if you’re more of a traditionalist?

For the First Time Ever, Loving the Mess!

Christa Terry — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:46:00 +0000

Hate to see a messy table? You just might like this one. AZE Design‘s “MESSY” project brings back the idea of really spending time at the table as a social event. For many of us, meals are taken on the go, alone or in the car – the Messy tablecloth wants to remind us that a meal is an opportunity to spend time together. For breakfast or for dinner, MESSY is a reminder that meals are best shared, even if that means things get a bit messy in the process.

Finally, a spill I don't have to worry about

Messy breaky, yum

AZE Design is a polish design studio established in 2006 by Anna Kotowicz and Artur Puszkarewicz, with a focus on combining traditional handicraft techniques – hello, embroidery! – with contemporary materials and processes. Kotowicz and Puszkarewicz practice what they call MINDMADE design, which aims to transform everyday situations into usable art. In this case, I’d say they’ve succeeded beautifully!

Choices, Choices, Numbered Staircases or Patterned Risers?

Christa Terry — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:16:43 +0000

Our current plan, now that we actually live upstairs and thus travel up our staircase multiple times each day, is to grab some sticky house numbers and turn our regular stairs into fun numbered stairs. Because not only do the numbers make the stairs a bit more interesting, as someone mentioned back when I posted about numbered stairs, they also give kids a chance to count along. That was the plan. But now I’m not so sure because I just came across this:

Probably more work than it's worth, but still...

You can see my conundrum! Or not – is it too much? Would you ever consider it?