Friday, April 29, 2011

Skirt Into Tent

This cracks me up, especially because we have been considering camping options now that we will have a new baby.  I'm showing this to my husband as a serious option.

Need Space? “Portable Home” is a Skirt That Transforms Into a Tent
by Jasmin Malik Chua, 03/28/11
Photos by Abi Jones

Who says you can’t take it with you? “Portable Home,” a wearable-shelter concept by three Middlesex University students in London, is part wacky ensemble, part escape strategy. Franziska Lusser, Hanna Nielsen, and Luca Romanyi, who hail from Germany, Sweden, and Hungary, respectively, designed Portable Home as a response to their nomadic existence. “As all of us are foreigners, we feel like we are always on the go,” Romanyi tells Ecouterre. “We have access to only a small part of our belongings. A ‘portable home’ can be seen as substitute for the feeling of being home.”

A TENT OF ONE’S OWN
In addition to a skirt that turns into a tent (complete with a window view), the outfit also includes a bag that unfolds into a shelf for displaying books and other mementos. At its crux, Portable Home describes the conflict between the desire to explore and our longing for the familiar.

At its crux, Portable Home describes the conflict between the desire to explore and our longing for the familiar.

“We get the chance to travel all around the world, study in different countries, learn about other cultures, and make new friends with various backgrounds, which is great,” Romanyi explains. “But on the other hand, during our journey, we always leave precious people and places behind.”

An itinerant way of life—one that is as familiar to refugees as it is to international students—translates to temporary accommodations and a limited number of possessions. “This kind of lifestyle is liberating and frustrating at the same time, and Portable Home represents both sides of it,” she adds.

See more pictures here

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bright Recycled Rugs

This reversible indoor-outdoor rug from Mad Mats®, in an exotic Moroccan pattern, is made from recycled plastic bottles and packing materials. Its tubular threads absorb no stains, can easily be cleaned with garden hose or sponge, and won't trap water or mildew. Carefree and 100% earth friendly, too.



Get yours from VivaTerra starting at $42.  I need to find a place in our house to put one of these beauties. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Reclaimed Vintage Lighting

I have an appreciation for these fixtures as I tried to take the "easy" route and order something similar from Pottery Barn.  After it arrived to our house I realized that the hanging dimensions were far from what we needed on our sloped ceiling.  Like everything else in our house I knew we would need to customize to get it right. 

Here are images from a company called Reclaimed Lighting in Atalanta.  I'm hoping we can accomplish the same look in our dining area on a very small budget.  We will see how my husband does with glass cutting and I'll let you know our progress.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Handmade Broom Set

This broom set makes me happy :)  All of a sudden cleaning up is fun again.

100% renewable sorghum is combined with intricately woven, vibrant handles by artisans in Thailand to produce durable brooms colored with nontoxic dyes. Crafted one at a time, this attractive broom and dustpan handle any sweeping assignment with style and efficiency. To clean up small spills, we've included a matching whisk broom. Set includes full-size and whisk brooms and dust pan.


Get yours here.  Starting at $55.  

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Gus Modern School Chair

From Gus this standard school chair style is recreated for modern seating.  The simple design lends itself to a familiar and "classey" look.

Powder coated frame in a walnut finish.
31"H x 17"W x 20"D
Contact White Canvas Designs to go back to school with this chair style :)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Paul Vincent Wiseman

Great article on this Bay Area designer that was often confused with Jeffry Weisman (my mentor). 
Read the article here in Decorati

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Alphabet Nightlight

Finally, a cute night light that doesn't look like you bought it at the hardware store. 

Just what we need for our little one's arrival.  Starting at $39 contact White Canvas Designs to get yours.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Kamibashi Reusable Freak-O-Bags

By now you’ve probably amassed a good number of reusable grocery bags, but here’s one more worth adding to your collection — that will get your kids in on the green action too. Kamibashi Freak-O-Bags start as quirky and colorful Asian art-inspired characters and unfold into sturdy, 16-inch square bags. Each one comes with a carabiner clip so you can hang it on the stroller for your little one to play with or ogle on the way to the store. North Carolina designer Julie Armbruster created these novel Fair Trade bags, some of which she makes herself, and some of which are handmade by a family in Thailand.

by Julie Knapp, get yours here starting at $20. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Transparent Green Wall Sconce

Gorgeous transparent green glass wall sconce from Produzione Privata Acquaparete.  Designed by Michele de Lucchi in Murano glass it's 7.9"H x 4.5"Dia.


Contact White Canvas Designs for pricing and availability.

Friday, April 8, 2011

New Cork Floor

We did this in March but thought it was a worthy post for WCD.
After months of planning, Zach sacrificed most of this past weekend to install our new laundry room cork flooring. He and I tackled the removal of our existing linoleum flooring on Saturday afternoon and then a good friend, Ian, came in on Sunday and installed the new cork with Zach. Thank goodness for Ian's help! We couldn't have done it without him :)
Bye, bye, nasty linoleum
Yuck!  Time to go.

Ian and Zach laying in the first row.

Job well done boys.   We are back in business.

Ceramic Infused Cork plank flooring...aahhh!
We purchased the cork planks through Sustainable Flooring in Boulder, Colorado. The warmth and acoustic value of our new laundry room flooring was immediately apparent. Read below for more specific information on the cork itself.
Sustainability Benefit:

Cork from Portugal is sustainable for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is rapidly renewable, being that the bark of the tree is peeled from the trunk, and then tree is left to regenerate. This provides an almost limitless supply of cork bark, assuming that once the tree is beyond its’ useful life, replacements are planted (which they are). This heavily protected species also carries with it tremendous mechanical and functional properties, most of which are related to the fact that the cork bark is made almost entirely of cellular pockets of air (200 million cells per cubic inch). These cells of trapped air inhibit the passage of sound (making it one of the best acoustic insulators known), and are known as a thermal insulator, separately an often cold floor from the warmth of your foot. In addition, cork is anti-microbial, has tremendous “bounce-back” properties and forgiveness, and offers one of the greatest slip resistances of any natural material. Despite common wine industry myths, cork availability increases every year (despite minor ups and downs related to weather), and is one of the true really sustainable raw materials in its unaltered state.
Sustainable Flooring uses “ceramic” and “atomic” finishes (enabling extremely high-traffic commercial use)

Organic wax coating applied to all sides of the T&G (for added moisture resilience)

Offers tremendous slip resistance (unmatched with any other mosaic)

Sustainable Flooring only sources cork from Portugal (not China, where the cork forests are not mature enough to provide the inherent benefits in the cork material)

Core material in planks is CARB-compliant (E0)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

New Tile Trends at Coverings Show

I didn't make this years show but thought I would share another's experience.
From the Fresh Home Blog:

Last week, I found myself in Vegas. That’s right, Sin City. And while I spent one fine evening losing my money at the roulette table (wait, I played until 3AM, so that should read “one fine morning”), I was actually invited there to take in the Coverings 2011 show. Billed as the ultimate stone and tile experience—1000+ exhibitors from 50+ countries—I can assure you it delivered. Now I understand why people go gaga over this stuff! Here are five trends or innovations that I found fascinating. (More to come later, I promise.)
1) Amazing ink jet technology that produces high-definition porcelain and ceramic tile meant to mimic the look of natural stone or well-worn wood. Companies like Florida Tile have elevated this to an art form. And the glazing technology is amazing, too! With it, they can, quite convincingly, achieve the sophisticated look of polished marble.
high-resolution ceramic tile

porcelain tile with wood-grain texture
2) The resurgence of glass. Now made in almost any thickness, hue, size or shape imaginable, there’s a new standard in glass. It’s stronger and can be used for countertops, partition panels and even benches, much like the one I snapped at the Interstyle Ceramic and Glass booth. And don’t you just love their ripple glass? It’s available in 40+ colors, and you’d swear water flows over its surface. Stunning.

ripple-effect glass
glass-topped bench
3) Twisted tile. And bent…and stretched…and weaved together. Tile is being manipulated any which way, and the results are drool worthy. Cover an entire wall or add a simple strip to up the visual ante. Love the Evolution collection from Apavisa with all its texture and dark, sexy color.
basket weave tile from Apavisa's Evolution collection
tile that looks like it's been stretched and twisted
4) Media mash-ups are hot. Glass + metal + mirror + ceramic = hello, gorgeous. And, believe it or not, so is graffiti! Artfully done via ink jet technology, it’s the epitome of urban chic.
metal and tile

graffiti tile


5) Thin is in. We saw it everywhere! 3.5mm-thick porcelain tiles in large, impressive formats. Use them on walls, on floors, on counters. Easy to handle and cut (so perfect for curvy areas), installation is a breeze. And because it’s low profile, it can go right over an existing floor. Plus, it’s considered eco-friendly because thin tiles are made with less material than traditional tiles and are lighter to transport.
thin tile

Enough said. I’m officially a stone and tile geek. Who’s with me?! How do you achieve style with tile?
Read more from this blogger here.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Support Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami Victims

Limited Edition String Doll to Support Japanese Earthquake Victims

by Jennifer Chait, 03/28/11


In response to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami tragedy that struck on March 11, 2011, Kamibashi, creators of the delightful String Doll Gang, have released a limited edition String Doll Gang Ganbare Bear. Ganbare, pronounced “Gahn-BAH-ray” is Japanese term meaning, “persevere during challenging times.” ALL net profits from String Doll Gang Ganbare Bear sales, via the Kamibashi website, will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross. Ganbare Bear, like the rest of the String Doll Gang, is handmade with Fair Trade values. These are very well-made dolls that stand up to heavy travel – my son carries his AstroNeil doll everywhere. Small parts make the String Doll Gang too dangerous for little ones, but kids age 7 years and older, plus adults, will adore this gang. What better time to start your collection, than now, with the Ganbare Bear.

Get yours here for $10. 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Logan Tote

Sign me up for this adorable bike tote!  The Po Campo Logan Tote attaches to a rear bike rack and keeps your necessities clean while you cruise around in style.

Made in Chicago, it has adjustsable attachment clips, water/fade resistant fabrics with protected zippers, secure outer scrunch pockets, interior pockets, reflective light attachments, and carabineer loops.  Clean it with a damp cloth and mild soap.  I'm guessing it would double as a great diaper bag :)

Get yours here for $135.

Friday, April 1, 2011

A Room for Our Baby

This is baby month!  I am due and will be in and out of the blog world while our baby and I adjust to this one.  Thought I would post a little on how baby and design have collided for now. 

The process of designing our baby's nursery has helped me in two ways: to stay focused throughout the pregnancy ups and downs, and to have a place to direct my excitement for the baby's arrival while we wait. Even though we don't know if we are having a boy or girl, I didn't let that stop me from creating a room for our baby. Nor did I let environmental concerns stop me. I'm happy to say that on a small budget I was able to keep everything in our baby's little room sustainable, re-used, recycled or chemical free. After all, this is where our baby will be spending almost all of their time growing up.


I love blue's and green's and knowing the trend for baby girls is pink and blue for boys, I tried to create a room that could incorporate pink later on if needed (since it's always ok for a girl to be in blue but have yet to see infant boys in pink). I picked bold bright colors that I thought a boy or girl could love. Throwing pink into this room with drapery and pillows should be easy if we do have a girl for an accent color down the road.

We only have two bedrooms in our house so the baby's room has to double as our guest room when we have visitors. The sofa is a pull-out bed from Ikea that my mom will break in when she's visiting after the baby is born.
The crib and bedding are from Dwell Studio and available through my company, White Canvas Designs. The bedding is 100% cotton and soft for baby. The convertible crib is made of beech wood and finished in non-toxic paint. We have an organic mattress that was given to us by my mom to complete the chemical free sleep zone.



Zach and I gathered vintage ski posters while traveling through Switzerland and France a few years ago which I re-framed for artwork. I plan to add pictures of the baby as well after the arrival.
The area rug is from Dash & Albert and 100% cotton for easy washing. All the wall, trim, and closet paint is from Benjamin Moore's "Natura" line, VOC and odor free. For extra precaution while painting I did wear a mask but was happy I wouldn't have to worry about chemical off gassing when baby is sleeping in the room.





The knitted mobile was a gift from girlfriends at my baby shower made by a company called Blabla. The teddy bear was hand knitted by our aunt, Jane, and is absolutely adorable!




I copied a simple pattern of a tree and painted it on the wall after I discovered how expensive wall decals can be.

Instead of a glider (which our little room doesn't have space for) I found a traditional little rocking chair at a garage sale un-upholstered. I used some fabric scraps (100% organic cotton) I had left over from a company called, Mod Green Pod, to upholster a new cushion.



Overall, I'm really happy with how things turned out and plan to incorporate more sentimental items when baby arrives. We have less then a month until we meet the little person that will be living in this room and we couldn't be more excited :)
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