The Modern Materialist : home decor

That's One Shady Lampshade

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:34:00 GMT

I am completely smitten with these shady lampshades from designer Nicolette Brunklaus. Not only are they super clever and oh-so elegant, they come in a variety of colors and shapes:

[$585 - $1200, Lekker]

I'm envisioning the perfect room: a pair of these gorgeous lampshades, an armchair made of gnarled old wood, a plush throw rug, a copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a view of the woods. Yep, that's officially my new happy place. (Insert contented sigh here.)

[via Apartment Therapy]

Why Does This Beer Cost $140?

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:05:00 GMT

Why in the world does this beer cost $140? And what's worse, this $140 beer isn't even alcoholic:

[$140, Vivre]

Yep, someone else drank this beer, then used the empty bottle to create a flower vase etched in gold. Okay, okay, so it's etched in gold by hand, but still. It's a beer bottle. Am I missing something here? Is this like the time that I went to the MoMA and nearly threw my kleenex away into a piece of postmodern art?

Incredibly Cool Cuckoo Clocks

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:36:00 GMT

Saying that this isn't your grandmother's cuckoo clock might be a bit of an understatement. Artist Stefan Strumbler creates these clocks by hand, using everything from plastic toys to spray paint. Much more after the jump:

[Price upon request, Stefan Strumbler]

These are fairly awesome on their own, but I extra love them because Strumbler incorporates all sorts of Germanisms, including antlers, tree motifs (for the Black Forest), and the recurring word "heimat," which roughly translates to homeland.

[via NOTCOT]

Suite Dreams

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:01:00 GMT

[$15 each, My Suite Stuff]

If you love the Adobe Creative Suite as much as I do, then you're already drooling over these clever CS pillows. But guess what? The deal gets even sweeter:

[$80, My Suite Stuff]

You can get all six of the CS program pillows for a mere $80. Let's just say that this is 1) a decorative steal, and 2) a hell of a discount on the current going rate for the digital version of CS, which'll put you back about $1,400. Ouch.

[via Fleuron]

OMG: Design Your Own Pillow Studio

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:06:00 GMT

You know how sometimes it seems impossible to find the right pillow? Either the color is off, or the fabric is wrong, or one little design ruins the entire thing. Well, your pillow problems are solved with Inmod's new design-your-own-pillow studio. With extensive designs, colors, and fabrics to choose from, this might just be pillow heaven.

Here's how it works:

1. Select your design from 80 different templates.
2. Choose a fabric (cotton, linen, or silk).
3. Pick your size (18" x 18" or 26" x 26").
4. Choose your colors (dozens available) for background and details.

It's that easy, and you'll be in perfect pillow paradise. Here's my pick:

Though to be honest, I spent about an hour tweaking a multitude of designs, and this one happened to be onscreen when I remembered I needed to drink coffee and eat breakfast.

[$40-$80 each, Inmod]

[via Cool Hunting]

Scrubbing in Style

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:01:00 GMT

[£225, Jason Taylor]

Top five reasons there are cat hair tumbleweeds in my apartment:

1. I am ~~sort of~~ extremely lazy about vacuuming.
2. My neighbor borrowed my Swiffer last month and is holding it hostage until I return her Planet Earth DVDs. I think it's a pretty fair trade.
3. Even if I had the Swiffer, I still hate cleaning.
4. My cat has an excessive shedding problem. I worry it might be genetic.
5. I do not own a scrub-brush stool, nor any of the other pieces in this scrub-brush furniture line:

[Jason Taylor]

[£350, Jason Taylor]

While I'm unclear as to whether this furniture will allow me to literally sit on my ass while cleaning the floor, I still absolutely love it. Maybe next someone will design a chaise lounge that cleans litterboxes.

[via bookofjoe]

I Love LEGO

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:28:00 GMT

My top five favorite products inspired by LEGOs:

1. The LEGO camera
2. This set of LEGO furniture
3. The LEGO chess set
4. The LEGO ice cube tray
5. These stackable LEGO candles

[$48, A+R]

These eight-wick candles are non-scented, made from soy, and measure about 7.5" by 3". Plus, did I mention that they're stackable?

I love that the product world completely understands my need to indulge in LEGOs as an adult.

Your Ass Is (Sitting on) Grass

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Out here in San Francisco, it's been 90 degrees for the past couple of days. And what do we San Franciscans do when it's this hot in April? We bicycle naked, of course! Actually, most of us walk around a bit shell-shocked, like our feet don't quite remember how to wear last year's flipflops.

I personally would like nothing better than to lie around in the grass when it's this hot, but alas... we've got rain forecast for the weekend. It's a good thing I can feed my need for lawn with grass-covered furniture made for my indoor enjoyment:

[€440, comingB]

[€990, comingB]

Okay, okay, so this seating is actually covered in faux grass, but it's still pretty fabulous. Though at 440 euros and up, I'm thinking I could plant a whole lawn in my apartment for less.

[via Cribcandy]

Everybody Lamp Now

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:06:00 GMT

[$104, Lumens]

These interactive lamps from Luceplan have a fantastic DIY feature:

Bend, twist, smoosh, and pinch your heart out, and these malleable lamps will become whatever shape you desire. Absolutely unbreakable (except for the bulb, of course) and available in an array of colors, this might just be the lamp of your squishy and moldable dreams.

I've always wanted a table lamp that could reflect my mood. Which, by the way, is generally pretty similar to that second lamp from the left.

[via Trendoffice]

The House of Mouse

Alex Zalben — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:05:00 GMT

What you see above is the Monsanto House of the Future, which was on display at Disneyland from 1957-1967. Though it may not be there anymore, if it was, I bet I know what kind of TV stand would be on display inside:

[Via Trendir]

Blow in the Dark

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:13:00 GMT

I've always felt like lamps are the markers of innovation in design. If that's the case, then this balloon lamp will (literally!) blow you away:

[$63 set of 2, Japan Trend Shop]

The way this works is pretty amazing: blow it up, hang it anywhere you like (no wires to worry about), and enjoy 100 hours of light from its LED bulb. The lamp runs on two watch batteries, and it can be used indoors or outdoors.

My only question is, when the bulb dies, does the lamp fly around the room deflating and making hilarious farting noises?

[via Random Good Stuff]

Extend Your Sense of Style

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:01:00 GMT

You know what I hate? Those endless knots of extension cords that pile up below my desk and behind my TV. Come to think of it, what I hate most about that is the extension cords themselves; if there's a picture in the dictionary next to the word ugly, it's got to be either Shane MacGowan's teeth or an extension cord.

But now, the time of hideous cords is over. Check out these amazing stylish extension cords from French designer Nathalie Costes:

[250€, Nathalie Costes]

These cords are three meters long, made from hand-carved wooden beads, and available in a variety of colors. In fact, they're more like jewelry for your electronics, and they've got the price to prove it. But I still want one, even if I do have to get an international adaptor for my extension cord adaptor.

[via Les Carnets du Design]

Take Leather to the Next Level

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:34:00 GMT

As Pamela Anderson is so adroitly demonstrating, leather serves a couple of important purposes: 1) it looks sexy, and 2) it's really, really good at holding things. So why not take leather to the next level:

[£200 - £400, Simon Hasan]

These leather vases are the result of designer Simon Hasan's experimentation with boiling leather. Once boiled, the leather becomes near industrial-strength, and that's when Hasan stitches it up to create these unique vases.

[via Design Boom]

A New Way to Screw

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:37:00 GMT

[Price upon request, ML2 Collection]

These screws aren't just plain, old screws. They're much bigger, but still functional. Are they:

a) a complicated, modern sprinkler system for indoor plants.
b) a futuristic television with no screen that works via synapse-type gizmos.
c) a masochistic exercise machine with invisible cords and wires.
d) a bar table that makes you feel like a tiny person in a giant house.
e) the world's most uncomfortable chairs.

And the answer is:

D) bar table!

Did you get it right? No? That's cool, I would have guessed the chairs, too.

[via Ballerhouse]

Related: Drink and Screw, Puzzle Table

Check Out the Plumbing on This Lamp

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:58:00 GMT

This lamp is made from recycled plumbing pipes, which makes it pretty freakin' cool. But you know what makes it amazingly cool? A few more months of my recession-inspired $5 Mission burrito diet, and I might actually be able to afford one:

[$169 - $229, Etsy]

Stylish and (somewhat) affordable... an irresistibe combination!

[via DVICE]

Word Games

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:38:00 GMT

As a kid, my favorite outdoor activity was riding the see-saw at the park around the corner from my house. It was just about the most idyllic thing that I remember from back then. Flash forward twenty or so years, and now I'm basically a gigantic, walking word-nerd (who, incidentally, still loves see-saws). Put those two passions together, and the result is one of the most amazing bookshelves I've ever seen:

[Price upon request, Generate]

My only concern about this see-saw bookshelf is that one day I would defy all semblance of ceremony, toss the books to the floor, and bounce up and down to my heart's content. My downstairs neighbors would not be pleased.

Hoodn't It Be Nice

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:01:00 GMT

This is a rusty old car hood. Seems pretty high up there on the list of useless objects, right? Not for designer Joel Hester, who takes rusty car hoods and turns them into stylish home decor:

[$700 to $1800, Joel Hester]

I suddenly have a very distinct pang for the hood of my first car: a weather-beaten Honda CRX with failing brakes and a grinding gear shift. That car was truly a prince among beaters. Also, I'm pretty sure it would have made a sexy little sideboard.

[via Apartment Therapy]

Quick Tip of the Day: Private Eye

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:43:00 GMT

I love my apartment, but I'll be honest: it is precariously placed between another apartment building and a freeway. This results in a bit of a window covering conundrum. I need the natural light, but I definitely don't want to get too familiar with my across-the-building neighbors (or the occasional broken down motorist). Curtains can work, but sometimes they look a little too cluttered.

The privacy solution? Stylized window films that streamline the light and keep out the rear-windowers. I love the design pictured above, but there's more:

[$34-$40, Rare Device]

Private, stylish, and bright!

A Fantasy Long Overdue

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Being a massive word nerd, I'll admit I have an affinity for the sexy librarian fantasy. That said, I tend to overthink the whole sex in the library part of it. Would it really be all that comfortable? What if someone walked in on the scene? Don't you have to be quiet in libraries?

Fortunately, now I can bring the sexy librarian fantasy to the comforts of my own bedroom...

... with this set of library-scented candles. Scents include:

[$45, Assouline]

old books,

[$45, Assouline]

cigars,

[$45, Assouline]

wooden bookshelves,

[$45, Assouline]

and leather armchairs.

Now I just need a pair of stilettos, reading glasses, and the ever-elusive stern/sexy eyebrow raise. I keep practicing that last one, but I'm stuck somewhere between "I lost a contact lens" and "what's that smell?"

Three Times the Charm

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:44:00 GMT

[Photo via]

Most things are better when they come in threes, don't you think? And if you like triplets, this is right up your alley:

[$295, MoMA Store]

The three-faced clock breaks things down into separate spots for hours, minutes, and seconds. Sure, it's not as sexy as the Brazilian triplets pictured above, but at least it won't track sand into the house.

[via Book of Joe]

Equation: Light and Sticky

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:35:00 GMT

These sticky lights can go wherever you want them, which could equate to something that looks like this:

[€23.50, Connox]

My reasons for loving for these little lights are twofold: 1) they're genius, and 2) dude, nothing on a European design website costs 23 euros! In fact, up until this post, I wasn't even sure that they printed those puppies in denominations of less than 50.

This Kate Was Made for Walking (On)

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:27:00 GMT

[Photo via]

Whether you love or hate Kate Moss, you've got to admit that she's... Kate Moss. And now you can literally walk all over her iconic image:

[$200, Homestead]

The Kate Moss doormat: for Kate stalkers, snubbed fans, and those of us who find it ironic that she's not much thicker than this mat.

[via Cribcandy]

Equation: Time Invades Your Space

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:29:00 GMT

[$40, Idea Frames]

When you think about it, it's really time that's at fault here and not the Space Invader. Those poor little guys get a bad rap. And yes, we are little bit Invader-obsessed at MM this week, but who can complain?

[via Geeksugar]

Make Your Dream (Sort of) a Reality

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:24:00 GMT

I am completely smitten with these illustrated iDream pillows. They're truly the next best thing to actually having cartoon-style thought bubbles above our heads (which I think I might have dreamed about the other night). More dreamy pillow designs after the jump:

[Studio Psyho]

Adorable! Plus, I'm relieved to know that my persistent pina colada fantasies are a universal affliction.

[via Fubiz]

Equation: Erase Against Time

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:01:00 GMT

[$78, Sirtified]

With the completely customizable chalkboard clock, time really is on your side. Plus it's absolutely effing brilliant.

Shift Your Decor Into Overdrive

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Okay, okay. I get it. Expensive sports cars are the shiznit. But come on; this is getting ridiculous. First there was the Maserati sofa, then the Porsche wine cellar, and now this:

[$103,000, Pedini Kitchen Products]

The Lamborghini kitchen island is sleek, expensive, and covered in ostrich skin. Yep, ostrich skin. I don't know about you, but I already have so many things that are covered in ostrich skin.

[via Trendir]

Equation: Bouquets in Space

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:39:00 GMT

[Martin Bu]

The space vase brings the future right to your flowers. Plus it's so nifty looking that it will negate the need for flowers in the first place. How does it feel to be obsolete, flowers?

[via Cribcandy]

Cloud Atlas

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Remember that lovely, lazy feeling when you were little, lying on your back in the grass and naming the clouds as they trundled past? I spent hours doing that.

These cloud lamps by Jordy Fu are what happens when that feeling turns into art:

[£75, Jordy Fu]

[£35, Jordy Fu]

[£48, Jordy Fu]

[£84, Jordy Fu]

They're each cut and assembled by hand, and I'm completely giddy about them.

[via Modish]

Mirror Mirror, On the Wall

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:08:00 GMT

Things that I wish my mirror would say to me, if only it could talk:

1. You look so hot today. Like, Monica Bellucci hot.
3. Yeah, I wouldn't wear that if I were you.
3. Danger! Vampire!
4. It's cool, I confuse my right and left too sometimes.
5. This has been pleasant and professional.

Alas, the talking mirror is the stuff of fairytales. But the SMS-Messaging mirror really does exist:

[Price upon request, Generate]

It will magically display messages sent from a cell phone. If you're me, this equates to texting yourself sexy messages and pretending that they're from someone else. Kind of like sending yourself flowers, only even more lame.

[via 7Gadgets]

Urban Camping for Your Uptown Condo

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:07:00 GMT

[Photo via]

Urban camping: innovative, but often less than glamorous. Come to think of it, I suppose any kind of camping is less than glamorous. Except this kind:

[€500, Rephorm]

The urBonfire brings the really sleek, modern, and expensive campfire right into your living room. All the glamour, none of the pesky outdoors. And though we have posted about indoor firepits before, how could we resist one with such a clever little name? Ah, the Germans and their word play.

[via DVICE]