A bed can dominate a room or get lost in it, depending on the bed and on the room. Big, bold beds can be absolutely fabulous, until you put them into a tiny room and there’s no visual room for anything else but posters and headboards and footboards and pillows. And small, unassuming beds can stand out in that same tiny room with the right linens or fade into the background if your bedroom happens to be larger than most. Today I ran across two beds that used clever solutions to overcome problems.

(via Domnio)

The first is perfect for anyone who, like me, has a bedroom with crazy sloped walls. If the joint between the vertical wall and the slanted wall is placed low, the easiest solution is to choose a very short headboard. But in many cases, a very short headboard will be boring and potentially so unnoticeable as to be no better than no headboard at all. This bed gets some oomph with a little extra headboard action – by wrapping it around the wall, it seems bigger than it is.

(via)

If, on the other hand, your problem is a long but very narrow room, you may think that you’re doomed to having no bedside storage or living in a space so cramped that you might as well be in one of those economy hotels in Japan. But what if you used fantastic built-ins to not only give you a beautiful bed, but also plenty shelving for books and anything else you might want in a pinch while in bed? This example has a twin mattress in a day bed frame, but imagine the same bed with a full or queen mattress facing outward. Perfect for the narrow room, no?

Mugs… if you like hot beverages, you probably have at least one, if not more. Mugs can be a lot of things, from functional and green to cutesiepoo to a little bit silly. I’d say there’s no wrong way to mug it, as long as your chosen mug holds enough coffee, tea, or chocolate for your tastes and isn’t cracked. You might think that mugs are pretty perfect – i.e., there’s not a lot of places a designer could take them – but you’d be wrong. Here are two mugs, one that’s trying to solve what may be a common problem and one that may be solving a problem of which I am unaware.

Unusual mugs, the first: Designed by Jonathan Aspinal for Thelermont Hupton, Link Mugs help solve the carrying of numerous mugs without the need of a tray. Each mug can be plugged into each other so they can be lined up, connected together and transported with two hands. They’re sold in sets of three, but I wonder if you could carry more.

Unusual mugs, the second: German Designer Lisa Grahner created modular mugs (along with other dishware) that have interchangeable magnetic handles. Clic ceramics were shown at Strijp-S Exhibition during Dutch Design Week. If they ever go into production, let’s all hope those magnets are strong.

What’s your favorite mug?

Sure, there’s not a huge amount of head space above the tub, but who needs head space when you’re soaking. And soaking and soaking and soaking. Sitting in a gorgeous tub, relaxing my cares away is most definitely not how I’ll be spending my weekend, but I can dream, can’t I? Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

Image via micasa

When I was searching for pictures of rooms painted with a single horizontal stripe for yesterday’s post, I came across this picture of a really standout staircase. Most of the time, when I think of standout staircases, my mind imagines strange staircases or staircases with storage built in. What I usually don’t think of is decorated staircases.

I love how the orange stripe really emphasizes the beautiful curve in the staircase and draws your eyes up and around, making you wonder just what’s going on upstairs. You’ll notice that the wall itself still has a standard angle in it – the stairs are curved, not the wall around it – but the stripe hides the discrepancy between the stairs and the wall. The stripe makes it look like one beautiful curve and I love how that works.

There are lots of things a person can do with paint. There are so many illusions, for example, that can be created on walls and floors and ceilings with a few coats of paint. Paint can give the appearance of depth and texture where there is none. Paint can make a wall feel more complex than it is. And paint can hide features you don’t like, from wood paneling to old floors to ugly brick.

I love paint! Almost all of my room designs have started with an inspirational paint chip because I love to play around with colors. And play around I do! The best part about using paint (as opposed to wallpaper or wainscoting) is that it’s easy to slap on a few coats of paint when you need a change. There are so many different colors and ways to use it. Spray it on, stencil it on, sponge it on… stripe it on? One thing I am not sold on is the whole one horizontal stripe of color in the middle of a wall.

To me, it feels artificial and heavy, like it’s in danger of sliding off the wall. Or I expect there to be an arrow on the end of the stripe if I follow it long enough. I like a lot of things, but I don’ think I’m a fan of the thick single wall stripe. How about you? Love it or hate it?

Chag Urim Sameach!

How beautiful is this light and airy house? I love all the windows and all the white, even if an all white house wouldn’t stay all white for long with my current kid- and cat-infested lifestyle. There’s just something so cheery about it, like I feel like I wouldn’t even stay sad for long in an interior like this one. Also, how about that bare log crosspiece in the last picture? It’s such a fun, natural way to give anyone roaming this house a break from those all-white walls and ceilings!

Images via Stadshem

No worries, there’s really no rush. Thanksgiving is only just over, so no one will be expecting you to bust out the holiday decorations. Or will they? I know some people’s families want to see a tree in the living room as soon as the turkey is in the Tupperware.

If that sounds like yours, maybe you can buy yourself some time this season by hanging up this adorable felted wool wreath from Viva Terra and letting everyone know that the tree will be up by tomorrow at the latest. Even if that’s not exactly truthful.

Gifts for people are easy, but great gifts for people’s home can be a lot more difficult to find. With that in mind, Manolo for the Home has put together a Black Friday list of ten(ish) gifts for the home and for the men and women who live in it in case you’ve found yourself at a loss as to what to buy her or her or him. Have a look and see what inspires, then tell us what are your favorite holiday gifts for the home?

1. A less expensive lookalike:

It’s not always possible to give the best when you can’t afford the best, which is why copycats are so pervasive. I can’t afford the Herman Miller Eames reproduction, but I can afford this Eames-inspired cradle rocker at 24% off with free shipping. Not everyone is cool with designer furniture knockoffs, but if you are, this chair isn’t a bad deal.

2. A little DIY inspiration:

We all know someone who manages to have kids (or dogs), a house, a full-time job, and 15 hobbies, none of which get neglected. Me? I don’t have much time for projects these days *sniff* but I’d still love to get some books like The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor, Real-Life Decor: 100 Easy DIY Projects to Brighten Your Home on a Budget, and DIY Art at Home, which are all on sale at 25% or more off the cover price.

3. Something to cuddle:

Too many throw pillows? Not so great. Just enough throw pillows? Great. I love little pillows because they’re such an easy way t add some fun color to a space without a lot of commitment. What’s on my gift giving list? Some of these, definitely: a Owl Nature pillow (a steal at $18), a Union Jack pillow, and a gold sequin pillow. Don’t they look fun and cuddly?

4. You can’t go wrong with:

… aLe Creuset 5-piece cookware set at 34% off! All right, so it’s kind of a big, probably for someone special on your list.

5. Quickie gifts:

Who hasn’t found themselves scrambling for a last-minute gift for someone friendly but not exactly a good friend? The Martha types will keep a store of small gifts around for just such occasions. Here’s a trio of good keep-around gifts for emergencies: a sure to please Burt’s Bees gift set, a Feng Shui gift set (under $20!), and a cute rainbow utensil gift set.

6. A way to keep your books in check:

As recently discussed, book lovers with lots of books can end up with books falling off of every conceivable surface. To keep books in check, give the gift of fabulous bookends, like James the Bookend, adorable Polar Bear bookends, and these neat Arrow magnetic bookends.

7. Gifts for the wintertime green thumb:

Indoor gardening requires the right tools. That’s why I love my Threesixty indoor gardening tool set, which was just $19.99. And I wouldn’t mind receiving a Smith & Hawken mini greenhouse so the cats would stay out of my herbs. Or a pair of toasty, dry Bogs Classic Hi Fern boots, for that matter, when I do have to go out in the muck.

8. A tasty treat or two:

Sweet treats to eat, drink, and prepare make always appreciated gifts. Who wouldn’t want a Bodum coffee press or a nice big package of King Leo peppermint bark or even a Sierra fondue set for those mid-winter get togethers that aren’t precipitated by any particular holiday?

9. A quick fix for almost anything:

It goes without saying that homeowners and apartment dwellers will need at least some must-have tools. Give the tool deficient recipient on your holiday list a Denali 115-Piece Home Repair Tool Kit and you’ll have the comfort of knowing they can deal with all the little mishaps of modern life.

10. Something to bank on:

And finally, for the little ones on your list who are hopefully saving their pennies, piggy banks are in again. My faves are the clean white Cilio Piggy Bank, the silly McPig Posh Piggy Bank, and the awesome Pink Piggy Pirate!