Manolo for the HomeApril, 2009 | Manolo for the Home - Part 2



Archive for April, 2009


Bamboo For Your Butt

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
By Christa Terry

In an e-mail that I ought to have answered ages ago, class-factotum asked me how I was maintaining my posting schedule now that I have a new baby in my life. The answer should be something like “very carefully,” but is more like “by the skin of my teeth on some days.” To give myself a bit of a break since things are pretty stressful right now I’m going to do a few posts featuring products — furniture, home accessories, etc. — I like.

Today, I’m lusting after these colorful spun bamboo stools from Acacia:

Bamboo stools

Made in Vietnam from renewable bamboo and lacquered by artists skilled in this traditional craft, these stools are fairly durable, which they really ought to be at $99 each.


Give Me Moor

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
By Christa Terry

The strong Moorish influences in this interior designed for Veronica Webb and her husband, George Robb, by Bender & Associates Architects is busy but beautiful.

Patterned interior

The project architect described the room as kaleidoscopic, and I’m inclined to agree. What might otherwise be overwhelming isn’t because all of the disparate elements in the space — colors, patterns, etc. — mesh so well thematically.


A Place for Everything and Everything In its Place

Monday, April 6th, 2009
By Christa Terry

Small spaces can be a pain to furnish, as so much furniture is made for the average house and not the average city dweller’s apartment. I can remember trying to cram a full size bed, a closet, a dresser, and a desk into the one-room apartment I occupied just out of college. There were no built in storage fixtures, so the closet and the dresser were non-negotiable. As I was working part-time from home, the desk was also necessary. Everything that didn’t fit into those pieces of furniture either lived on top (as was the case with the television) or under something else. It worked, but wasn’t at all nice to look at.

Tumidei in Italy could have saved me some organizational headaches — though not money — with their unique space-saving solutions for tiny bedrooms and apartments.

space saving bedroom furniture

small bedrooms

small apartments

The company creates clean and modern furniture set ups that incorporate most or all of the furnishings one needs into a single unified whole, and the pieces can be fitted together in numerous ways, meaning you can customize your order to fit precisely into the space you have available. All in all, it’s an elegant solution to a problem many people face… if not a solution that’s exactly easy to implement.


Braille As Art

Friday, April 3rd, 2009
By Christa Terry

Elizabeth Symington uses found objects to create striking works of art whose meaning isn’t immediately apparent. Though she’s a sighted artist, she developed a fascination with Braille, and has since developed various art projects that use Braille paired with objects to describe color.

Braille Sculpture

Braille Sculpture Braille Sculpture

As she describes it, “This white plywood flashcard describes color by pairing a material with a color. The Braille says the color that the object represents. Under the object, such as the ballet shoes, it reads white. This means the texture of the smooth leather represents white.” I don’t know how effective her ‘descriptions’ would be to a vision impaired individual, but I do think the idea itself is very, very cool.

Check out Symington’s Etsy shop at NomadicSculptor. Her web site and blog are also worth a look.


Warping Wallpaper

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
By Christa Terry

German company Surrealien creates custom wallpaper that warps around the “influencing elements” on your walls. Anything from picture frames to outlet covers affect the pattern created using computers and a grid system that generates exact warping functions.

wallpaper

The end result is a playful wallcovering that celebrates continuity in a new way.

Warping Wallpaper

Whereas the patterns in traditional wallpapers are broken by anything interrupting the natural flatness of the wall itself, Warping wallpaper functions as a “sensitive gobetween,” according to the company’s web site. Of course, while it is rather clever, installing it in your home does mean that you’re stuck with your current orientation of wall art, windows, and electrical outlets until you’re ready to change up your wallpaper.


Functional (and Almost Edible) Art

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
By Christa Terry

Sculptor Margaret Dorfman is definitely a fan of playing with one’s food, if her gorgeous veggie and fruit bowls are any indication. She takes edibles and turns them into art.

Margaret Dorfman

Her medium includes beets, cantaloupe, bok choy, papayas, carrots, watermelons, and peppers, among other natural foodstuffs, all of which are preserved in a 10-day process involving no harsh chemicals.

veggie bowl

The paper thin bowls are finished with a coating that ensures freshness (and beauty) will be maintained. The fun part, as I see it, is that the finished product looks almost artificial, so those who feel inclined to pay $34 for a bit of fancifully prepared produce end up with a truly unique conversation piece.









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