A while ago I featured the awesome Underful Tablecloth, which offered an inventive way of dealing with stains. This next product fights a much bigger dinner time nuisance – cell phone addiction. Dublin based designer Paula O’Connor created Zip It tablecloth. It celebrates the ritual of dining by providing a zipper pocket on the side of each guest for the phones and other distracting technology. Here is what Paula says about the project: “Dining is an important ritual. For many, the act of dining and eating together has been lost. For several individuals, dining has been reduced to a rushed affair. We “eat” but do not engage in a dining experience. Zip It, is one piece from the collection; Dining Together Matters, which aims to encourage a different way. My intention is to celebrate the joy of eating and dining. Establishing the importance of eating with others is the core message of this project.” The tablecloth is handmade from 100% Irish linen, using screenprinting techniques.
Wooden Carpet by German design studio Böwer is an interesting invention. Comprised from wooden segments, attached in various patterns to a sheet of durable textile, it can be arranged as a three-dimensional piece or placed flat on the floor. The beauty of this concept is in its versatility. You can really let your artistic flag fly and create different 3-D forms that can work as seating, lounging or sculptural objects. And if you are not blessed with a beautiful parquet floor in your apartment – this carpet can give you that missing wooden fix. Lovely. The carpet comes in four patterns and fabric choices.
Ready Made Curtain by French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kvadrat is a big relief for those of us who enjoy the look of quality window drapery and hate to fuss installing it. The system is reduced to the simplest idea – a hanging cord (instead of a traditional curtain pole), winding mechanism that allows this cord to fit any window, hanging pegs and several choices of fabric. The result – an elegant window treatment that is extremely easy to DIY. “We wanted to escape a hi-tech situation but we didn’t want to make something rustic or heavy either, – designers say. – The ambition was to create a new system that allows anyone to install a quality curtain in record time. Little skill and few tools are needed, margin for error has been considered and perfection isn’t an absolute requirement. In fact, the charm of the imperfect in opposition to the overly sanitised interior, is something we believe in.”
It has never been so rewarding to be a klutz! Underful Tablecloth by young Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal turns your spills into beautiful textile patterns, so instead of embarrassment at the dinner table – you will be filled with delight and ease. At first glance this innovative tablecloth appears to be a traditional white floral damask. But as another oopsy happens, a hidden design gets activated by moisture, and the pattern emerges. The idea is not only visually pleasing and fun, it allows to reuse the cloth even if the stains persist after washing (because they don’t look like stains, you see). I really like this concept and hope it catches up with other industries. Would be nice to have a few shirts made from this fabric too…
Some of you might remember the Bedpack by Eveline Borgermans I featured a few months back. Well, the similar product is now available in a store near you. The ubiquitous nature of IKEA strikes again. The bedside sleeve, called FLÖRT, allows storing books, iPads, remotes, glasses and all other nightstand paraphernalia. The item is made from durable polyester.
(via Lifehacker)
These attractive room partition screens, called Modulari, were created by Brooklyn based studio Razortooth Design. Comprised of 12 in. sq. modules, these dividers are called to define, divide and decorate your space at the same time. The assembly is simple and requires very little tool-waving. The pieces are made from a lightweight, non-toxic, EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate) – a recyclable material, that is also easy to maintain. Available in two colors and designs, Modulari can segment the room without blocking the light. Perfect for small studio apartments.
The geeky charm of these pillows made me smile. Any scrabble letter with its corresponding point value can be now owned in a form of a pillow from Counter Couture Design. Each 14″x14″ case is made of 100% cotton and emulates the typography and layout of the classic word game tile. The values are the same as the ones in real life, so no scrabble nerdiness will be offended. You can spell words, create monograms, counts points and celebrate the game and the language any way you please with these pillows. Available at Etsy.
This unusual lighting object, called Matt Lamp and designed by German studio llot llov, is covered in Angora and Merino wool cozy. It conceals the long cord and makes the lamp fluffy and adorable. Thanks to the amorphous structure of the object, it can be transformed into anything you wish and your space would allow – reading lamp, night light, chandelier, the options are endless. Cute!
Accessories, fun as they are, inevitably cost us in space. Unless, in addition to their decorative role they can also perform some functional ones. These pillows from Ronel Jordaan are a good example. Shaped as pebbles and rocks, they can add a nice zen-like touch to your interior. And when extra seating is needed these ‘rocks’ can demonstrate their soft side. Made from 100% wool, hand dyed and hand felted, the rock pillows come in a variety of sizes and shapes.
London based designer Andrew Millar created this fun storage/seating hybrid, called Teddy Bag. Made from 100% natural wool material, the piece is completely recyclable and biodegradable. In addition to its obvious eco-friendliness, the item wins many space-saving points. Envisioned as flexible storage for kid’s room, the Teddy Bag holds clothes and soft toys, promoting tidiness at an early age. It can also be incorporated into an adult interior (which is to say – I want one).
