Monday, January 31, 2011

love me some laundry!

Since doing laundry pretty much completed my entire agenda yesterday, I thought I'd pay homage to the laundry gods and share some great designs. 

Space Savers
These stackable washer/dryer units are uncharacteristically located, but are cleverly integrated into the overall design to save space!





Light and Airy
Short on natural light?  The first design shows how you can cheat by installing translucent panels to steal natural light from an adjacent room.





Personalized Style
Add your own personal flair!  Bold wallcovering, accent cabinets, and pretty fabrics all add unique characteristics to these laundry room.





Friday, January 28, 2011

friday fun find: snoopy sno-cone machine

Did anyone own the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine when they were a kid?!?!?  I certainly did!  I was reunited with the long-lost classic (or so I thought!) on fredflare.com and just had to share.  And.....it's only $25.00!  I am so very tempted to order one....


Thursday, January 27, 2011

timeless designs + sustainability = uhuru design

I stumbled upon some beautiful, unique pieces of furniture.  And they're unique not in just their beauty, but in the way that they are crafted as well.  These pieces come from a furniture company out of Brooklyn called Uhuru Design, a company that is dedicated in merging avant-garde design with a commitment to environmental sustainability.  They strive for simplicity in their final hand-made product, yet are aware of the materials they use in that they are all reclaimed, recycled, repurposed, reused, or otherwise rejected from their original function.  Below are a few of my favorites...

The fun embellishments are crafted from hand cut recycled aluminum patterns.



This piece from the Sakura line is finished with a high-gloss lacquer and also utilizes the same embellishments as the above coffee table.



An interesting play on positive and negative space is achieved by using scraps of steel bundled together randomly and encased in a ring of longer pieces.  It is a spin on the company's signature piece, the Stoolen (which is made of wood).



I love the whimsical "stitching," where the cracked wood slab is held together by four X-shaped recycled plastic "stitches."  The seafoam-colored base and stitches are a great contrast against the tones of the wood.



I just couldn't pass up the vibrant color of this table, which is hand-finished in a high-gloss lacquer.  But once you get past the color and look closer....the table is constructed out of one solid piece of wood!


Wednesday, January 26, 2011

honeymoon revisited...

As the winter draaaaaags along at a snail's pace, Chuck and I can only dream of that one tropical vacation that we will never forget as long as we live:  our honeymoon!  Please, oh please, can we go back?!?  We ventured (and oh boy, was it a venture!  many great stories...) off to Negril, Jamaica and nestled in at the Couples Swept Away all-inclusive resort.  It was the most beautiful place we've seen to date (hopefully one day we will get to experience something just as lovely again??).  We'll share with you what we laid our eyes on, although of course the pics don't do this amazing paradise any justice...

An aerial view of the resort...this is the view we experienced through the tiny, frightening four-passenger airplane that we took to get to the island (and yes, they seated us according to our weight as well as our luggage's weight...).



Our beautiful casita (so this may not be the exact one we stayed in, but just like it).  Since we were the single brave souls (aka dumbasses) to take the airplane vs. the long bus ride (20 min. plane ride vs. hour and a half bus ride...which would you choose?) to the island, we got our first pick of casitas.  We chose the one with the ocean view of course!!!



The breathtaking views...
...what's missing from the first picture?  Us.  In the hammock.





And the home away from home...open, airy, beachy...ahhhh...





Where we spent a lot of our time...this was The Palms, an open-air dining area where we gorged on many buffets (mmm, the food was out of this world), drank many a rum-and-pineapples, met great people, and watched unbelievable cultural entertainment provided by the local staff...



The Sea Grape cafe was another open-air dining patio, a great spot where we munched seaside, sipped tropical drinks and watched the waves...sigh...



One of Chuck's favorite activities....sailing the hobie cats out into the vast ocean.  I was content just simmering on the beach, admiring the colorful sails against the blue of the sky while sipping on cocktails with those fun little beach umbrellas perched on top.  Um, cabana boy? Another cocktail, please.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

mirror mirror on the wall...

.....which is the fairest of them all???

Mirrors are one of the greatest accessories of all time.  They can set a theme, add character, take the place of artwork, and can even make a room appear larger.























all images via House Beautiful

Friday, January 21, 2011

friday fun find: cufflinks

To add a little humor to that perfectly tailored suit...

Phillips head screw cufflinks...



Scrabble cufflinks...



Hammer and Saw cufflinks...



Eye / Do cufflinks...



Level cufflinks...



And of course, what guy cannot do without the Wallet Tool Emergency cufflinks...


Cufflinks above found on UncommonGoods online....

Thursday, January 20, 2011

2010 grand award....west seattle residence

2010 Grand Award Winner
West Seattle Residence
Seattle, Wa.
Category:  Custom Home, 3,500 to 6,000 square feet

The architectural curves and lines of this home are absolutely stunning!  The raw materials of glass, steel, concrete, and wood are used in a minimalist style that complements the architecture.