The Great Ceiling Fan Debate

My husband and I have been discussing the issue of whether to install a hanging light or ceiling fan with a light in our master bedroom, which has extremely high ceilings. I was against a ceiling fan for purely aesthetic reasons. Granted, there are many sleek, modern fan designs on the market these days, but we have a mid-century modern interior design sensibility, and I was having trouble seeing the new, ultra modern fans in that type of interior. Well, I think we've solved the problem. These fans fit my criteria of working well in a mid-century modern interior while providing my husband with the utility of a ceiling fan. Now we just need to find a very tall ladder to install one of these.

One Smart Car

As you may have seen in a previous post here, I'm a Smart Car fan. If your thinking about getting one you better get moving because the waiting lists in the US are growing. The Smart Car web site now has a car delivery date estimator which is accurate within 90 days. That just goes to show you how hard it is to get a good thing nowadays.

Smart Car

The German made Smart Car has come to the US, and it is worth noting its design and features. While quite small it is roomy for two with a high profile and has storage in the back. Safety does not seem to be an issue due to the roll cage surrounding the passenger area that is comparable to that of a professional race car. And best of all, the powerful and efficient engine gets over 40 mpg while the sticker price starts at under $12,000. Worth a test drive.

Xoo Bookends

Vessel USA Inc. has recently introduced Malcolm Leland’s X00 (zoo) industrial design bookends. This new design was inspired by Los Angeles’ famous historical American Cement Building on Wilshire Blvd. In 1961 Malcolm was commissioned by the architect to produce a sculptural façade made of reinforced concrete which had never been done before at that time. The 10 foot Xs’ were then cast one at a time and place in position creating a sculptural structure for the upper 13 story lofts and the lower half which is the parking garage. His sculptural design has been a part Los Angeles’ skyline since 1964.

MacBook Air, Thinnovation

It's not the latest breaking news but I'm just getting to the MacBook Air since I spent some quality time with it today. I'm a Mac lover so keep that in mind. I found the MacBook air to be fabulous. Thin, and yes, light. A true travelers laptop. It has a full size keyboard with all the keyboard features and an amazing mouse pad with multi-touch, allowing you to zoom, scroll, or rotate by the movement of two fingers on the pad. It also has a built in iSight camera. The small battery still gives you 5 hours of use and the 13.3" screen is more than ample. The only drawback, no disc drive included so you will have to use an external but I don't think it's a big deal. The pros far outweigh the cons. Find a Mac store near you and check it out.

LightAir Ionflow 50 Series

LightAir IonFlow 50 Style is perfect for the home environment as it takes little space, is silent, has low energy cost, is easy to maintain, and of course efficient against all polluting and harmful particles. The decorative LED light at the base enhances the feeling of clean, healthy air, and the color of the LED can be easily changed to suit any mood or décor. LightAir has successfully bridged a gap in the air purifier market by offering consumers a device that not only enhances their health but their environment as well.

The Many Moods Of Modern

Modern is not just one thing. When it comes to interior design there are many moods of modern. These living room interiors from Living Etc. are an inspiring example of the ways in which people make modern their own.

Minimal Sleek Is Chic

Minimalism is alive and chic in interior design. Whether your designing for a small space or large, keeping is sleek, uncluttered and crisp creates a calm, livable aesthetic. Note the neutral color palette, low profile furniture and squared off lines that contribute to this look. Images from Small Spaces.

Great Green Technology

Wattson is great green technology. It's the new home energy monitor that looks space age, helps save money on bills and allows users the chance to really live a life of less is more. Wattson enables you to learn about your own personal energy use through interactive play. The display shows the power being used across the home, and reacts instantly to any changes. How cool is that!

Radiator

Europeans have had a very different take on the radiator for many years compared to Americans. This cubist design is another example of this form and function thinking. From Marco Dessi.

How Cool Is This

Metro is a ligthing fixture made with one foil of 3M film OLF and two foils of polycarbonate, that structures when the packaging is unrolled with a simple gesture. Metro is not only a lamp but a system, a way to structure bidimensional elements creating a strong an efficient self-structured object. That's very cool.

Apple TV

I've been watching TV on my 17" Macbook Pro for several years now. I download shows I miss or just have to see without commercial interruption, such as Lost. It's not a bad system but It makes my high definition LCD Sony flat screen TV sad. But with Apple TV, my big TV won't be lonely anymore and I can still watch TV the way I want to. With Apple TV, I can enjoy movies, my shows, music, and podcasts in my iTunes library, plus photos and movie trailers — wirelessly, from my Mac. Apple TV is now available with either a 40GB or 160GB hard drive.

IT'S HERE!

This weekend I was out of town and had to decline an invite to the Design Within Reach launch party of their DWR Airstream Bambi Trailer. The Bambi is the smallest of the Airstream line but DWR packed a lot of style into that space. Included are Heller dinnerware for four, two Tripolina chairs, Matteo linens and a Maharam Pillow, a Nelson Ball Clock and more. Road trips never looked so good.

Ericofon

These classic modern Ericofons can still be purchased. They are refurbished to mint condition and this is a small sample of the amazing color palette they come in. A must for any modern interior. Wouldn't these make great prints?

Room To Go

The Cloud. Big, billowy, white....portable room. Humm. Designed By Monica Foster, this portable room is easy to transport in a bag, has a silent fan that inflates it in three minutes and keeps it that way and has a self closing door. Great design for extra space, meditation retreat or backyard oddity. Available at UrbanPeel.

Sorapot

It's the sublime Sorapot teapot by Joey Roth, an industrial designer who just received his degree in 2006. Already he is creating pieces like this which not only look fabulous but have amazing practical elements that make them better products. In this case the stainless steel arch acts as a large heatsink that quickly dissipates the water’s heat as the tea steeps, preventing the bitterness that comes from oversteeping in too-hot water. The tea is poured at a comfortably warm drinking temperature after a few minutes of steeping. That's the beauty of industrial design.