Dirty Bils Interiors/Etsy
The other day we stumbled on some oddly wonderful, sculptural bookshelves made of black pipe. They’re for sale at DirtyBils shop on Etsy for $79, a fine deal, we’d say. But as we looked closely at the pictures (below) we couldn’t help thinking “Why not monkey around with this great idea”, and started searching for resources.
We not only found a source for gorgeous black pipes and fittings... read more…
From a UK home with a Scandinavian feel: a “carpet” of unpainted wood going up the stairs (the reverse of the usual painted steps). It kind of reminds us of the Painted Floor with a Surprise we posted about recently…adding an unexpected twist on the expected.
via French by Design
Wary Meyers
The endlessly clever Wary Meyers, designer and author of Wary Meyers’ Tossed & Found: Unconventional Design from Cast-offs
Why not do-it-ourselves? We’ve been seeing painted upholstery all over the place (see below), and then remembered that we’d written a post about fabric paint some time ago. This takes the idea a step further, using acrylic paint, which comes in a glorious range of colors, including precious metals. Why not paint just about anything made of a textile: bedspreads, shower curtains, upholstered chairs…? Check out these gold-spliced chairs from Anthropologie’s exhibit of New Orleans artists… read more…
The Selby
Right after we tweeted Remodelista’s great round-up of picture frames, they topped themselves with this chic frame idea spotted in The Selby’s photos of the Geneva apartment of Christie’s president François Curiel. It simply sandwiches your picture between two pieces of glass that slide into the wooden frame – no mat needed. (The truth is, the mats that come pre-cut in frames are never the right size, and it’s a pain to cut your own). Umbra’s Document Frame
Tracy Shumate/Covent Garden
We found this good idea in Covet Garden, an appealing online shelter magazine that features spaces of real people (slightly ripping off The Selby‘s questionnaire). Here, Photographer Tracy Shumate’s converted factory space…”Necessity being the mother of invention, Tracy uses large MDF panel covered in chalkboard paint
Here’s another iteration we found in Annaleena’s Hem: read more…
The Selby recently posted its favorite photos of 2010. So we choose our favorites of its favorites: all have an idea that we can put to use (or at least make us think), like stacking books horizontally as well as vertically on our library shelves: the flow and visuals are totally different. The wall of book in the picture looks almost like a patchwork quilt…
We love the idea of making a cloth or paper panel printed with a big view, as a kind of trompe l’oeil, to expand a space, like this (though we’d probably not choose convenience store shelves, as funny as it is).. read more…
Studio St. Paul
If you’ve got a wood-burning fireplace in a city apartment and use it a lot, you have to come to terms with a firewood storage system. Do you store it in the basement and lug batches up flights of stairs (which we once did), or do you find a nook inside to pile it up (below)? We love the possibilities in Studio St. Paul‘s clever firewood storage, made by nestling wooden crates randomly amidst the pile of wood. They use it to display their textile goods. We’d store kindling and paper, little paintings, a lamp, maybe some books. read more…
No need to hide supplies of toilet paper in the closet…
Toilet paper as objet…
Evert Collier
An image we saw on Ancient Industries put us on the trail of Evert Collier, the 17th century Dutch still-life and trompe l’oeil painter. Several of his works show strips of leather tacked onto a board or wall to make a kind of catch-all, into which you could slide or hang all sorts of essential objects. A centuries-old great idea. read more…
Neil Gaiman‘s New Year’s Wishes from LAST year are surely some of the best wishes to bestow on those you love at ANY time of year…
As wonderful to hear, as to read:
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing in which you dream both dangerously and outrageously. I hope you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and you will be liked and you will have people to love and to like in return. And most importantly, because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now – I hope that you will, when you need to be, be wise and that you will always be kind. And I hope that somewhere in the next year you surprise yourself.
via Open Culture
Emmas Design Blog
Since we wrote about hanging classic zig-zag task lights from the ceiling, we’ve been finding images of their very non-office uses. They make a great, flexible wall lights, and are terrific in the kitchen, for directing light where you want, or need it… read more…
It is amazing what a little paint can do to transform a shipping pallet. It even makes the rough grain and embossed printing look good. Add some industrial wheels
One of the most compelling holiday trees we’ve seen in a public space is Yoko Ono‘s Wish Tree, versions of which have been installed around the world. She conceived of the idea in 1996 – though it’s actually an a very old practice – and it continues to reverberate. People are invited to write their wish on a paper tag and tie it to the tree. It can be done with any tree, anywhere, with any group of people. It’s much more powerful than a wishing well, maybe because you can read other people’s wishes…there’s an intimacy and connectedness to it. read more…
Maria Robledo
Maria Robledo sent us this email of a swell gift wrapping idea her family came up with: “Covering over commercial labels on gift boxes w a little paint and saving on wrapping paper!”
Just paint those boxes with a little acrylic paint. Gorgeous!
…great for all sorts of boxes…
Thanks Maria!
Related post: ps: how to transform a cardboard box
give your gift in a fab (recycled) box
