nice outdoor furniture

'pallone outdoor' (design:: roy de scheemaker, 2005)

'marlin' (design:: ontwerpers.nu oppewal & van der velden, 2006)

'beluga' (design:: ontwerpers.nu oppewal & van der velden, 2005)

i love these outdoor chairs, but i guess they would need to be in the backyard of a house like this to have the perfect environment!? anyhow, i probably will check them out at the 'leolux-design-center' right here near eindhoven, nl...
by:: 'leolux' (nl)

stylish jug

:: 'quack' - resembling the body of a duck. this insulated serving jug in plastic and aluminum is a stylish vessel for casual entertaining. ::

this is the way i like the combination of design and function. very simple and very useful!

design:: maria berntsen
by:: 'georg jensen' (denmark), us online store

concrete planters

i just placed these nice planters on the windowsill in my bathroom. as you already know i love the look of exposed concrete. and this look in contrast to green grass... i'm in heaven when i enjoy a bubble bath ;-)

improving bike safety ... by using a responsive jacket

one of the little concrete*monsters will get a new bike this friday... i found this nice idea to add more safety (visibility) to the biking fun::

design student michael chen (uk) came up with a concept for a (safety) jacket he calls reactiv.
:: i cycled round london for hours in the dark wearing my first prototype - a £10 waterproof jacket with LEDs stuck on by gaffer tape, :: he said. :: for the first time, i noticed that cars passed me more slowly, gave me more room, and that the drivers and passengers were even making eye contact. ::

the design has won a 'james dyson award' in 2008 from the dyson foundation that's dedicated to inspirating design innovation. (you know, the company that makes the stylish vacuum cleaners!)

:: michael was inspired by the 'nintendo wii' to come up with reactiv - a responsive cycling jacket.
the jacket uses an accelerometer that senses movement to change the colour of the LEDs in the back from green (accelerating) to red (braking). it has amber LEDs in the arms which are activated by a tilt switch behind the elbow. these light up when the arm is lifed, indicating the cyclist is about to turn.
reactiv allows the cyclist to communicate their intentions to other travellers and thus it will hopefully reduce the 20,000 incidents involving cyclists on london's roads every year.
british judges were impressed by the simplicity and effectiveness of michael's design. ::

design:: michael chen (uk)

mod 'vintage' bike

update:: please read the comment by skibsted and my new post.
apparently this is a copied design!

:: the people behind 'viva' bikes have more than 20 years of experience in the bike marked.
they believe that the soul of a bicycle comes from driving properties and design. high quality parts improve performance, but the liveliness of an urban bike comes from the design of the bike... ::

i love the simple design and the vintage style of the 'mille miglia' with shaft transmission! no messy chain any more!

nice retro kitchen renovation

'pam's kitchen'
found @ 'retrorenovation'

'lumibaer' (a glowing bear) lamp

if you like gummibears this would be the perfect light source for you! i like the white upright one, about 23 inches tall. they are already 10 years old, but still very cool like at the day they were 'born'!

they started as lamps for kids room, but ended as cult design items.
in five different colors (white, blue, yellow-orange, red, green)
design:: heinz klein + georg leidig (germany)
by:: 'elmar flötotto' (germany)

the perfect espresso cups

for home and for to go...

'pill+', made of ceramics by:: revol (france)

decor wallpaper

i like wallpaper on an accent wall
by:: 'ferm living' (denmark), 'ferm' is danish for 'clever'
webshop:: 'ferm living us'

walk on re-used cab tires

one of the little concrete*monsters got really nice shoes:: 'yellow cab shoes'. they are super cool, and the sole is made of used cab tires!!! this is recycling in style...

i love 'diesel'

'diesel' (italy) ad from the 80's

'green' home products

i found this nice online shop. 2 designers (anu suominen from finland, monica potvin from spain) offer products made of eco-smart materials

:: charming objects for living made as sustainable as possible! ::

by the way:: i like the 'sunjar'...

retro-style furniture by 'leolux'

'akka' (design:: stefan heiliger, 2004)

'helical basic' (design:: axel enthoven, 2001)

'gazetta' (design:: gerard vollenbrock, 2005)

'formi phase II' (design:: frans schrofer, 2005)

i like this modern furniture by 'leolux'. simple design, a kind of retro look, not too bulky, but it still looks comfortable. nice!
and there is a 'leolux-design-center' right here near eindhoven, nl
by:: 'leolux' (nl)

outdoor fireplaces by 'zenoproducts'

i like those outdoor fireplaces by 'zenoproducts' (nl) ... simple form, raw material, but still functional... and most of all:: beautiful
unfortunately it's still missing in my backyard ;-(

orb vase

:: fabulous organic form! this creamy ceramic vase has perfect lines that work in any decor. display a small cactus as we have shown here, or one gorgeous bloom and a little seagrass... use your imagination. it's foolproof in this 'panton'-inspired orb vase. a perfect gift for design addicts! ::
seen @ 'realm dekor'

i'm thinking about making one myself... i'm not sure about the choice of material, yet.

retro-style kitchens

i would love to have retro-style kitchen with very modern appliances. i already found some design inspirations...

found @ 'retrorenovation'

enjoy a burger in 'arne jacobsen' furniture

my hubby works now every other week in copenhagen, denmark. i just figured out where he could go out for a stylish fast-food dinner...

:: mcdonald’s in denmark ... is in the process replacing all interior in its restaurants. the traditional fast food restaurant interior known today is about to be replaced with café and lounge interior. mcdonald’s wishes to create an interior that caters to the modern consumer to whom design, quality and pampering have become a must not just at home and at work but now also when people need a burger in a hurry. this experience they can get at for example the newly renovated McDonald’s at 'nørrebros runddel' (copenhagen, dk) where the 'big mac' may be consumed in arne jacobsen’s “the egg”, “the swan” or “the seven”... ::

not that i like 'fast-food' that much, but ... i would probably enjoy some of the side-dishes in style.

via:: 'copcap'

bag the bag

:: paper or plastic? edward norton describes a simple, easy step everyone can take to help clean up the environment ::
please watch the video on the 'national geographic' website.

i totally agree... i always use the cool bag i got from 'method'.

'interior weeds'

this would probably be the only place in my home where 'weeds' would be very welcome... really cool idea!

:: ... 'interior weeds' is a project about nature. the way that weeds emerge and grow in the streets, are ... a beautiful thing. it shows the power of plants in our human environment. with the center piece you can create an interior plantation from street weeds, or other personal selection of plants. ... ::

design:: arwin caljouw (nl)
via:: 'labour of heart'

diy:: oversized wall artwork

nice idea... (was in the cb2 spring '07 catalog) ... will try to do the same ...
by:: 'apartmenttherapy'

eames ... thank you

found on 'youtube'

furniture ... made out of slate

black slate tiles are really great. we used them to tile the place in front of our fireplace ... and also other parts of the house.
now, i found even furniture that is made out of this very 'cool' material. nice!
by:: 'lutz kommallein' (germany)

vacuum in style...

a treat for me ... the cool handheld vacuum by 'dyson'. we used our air miles to get one for home + car.
you could have one, too. check mod*mom's giveaway :: 1 'dyson' vacuum + meet mr. dyson in nyc

an other kind of ugly doll

i like 'pooki' and his friends ... reminds me of the 'ugly dolls' ...

:: the first 'pooki' was hand stitched in 2001 by marie joxe-colllins, a french designer/illustrator. her inspiration being the birth of her first son... over time, and numerous hours of work, other characters appeared; creating the funny gang of 'pookiland'. after the success of the plushes, made from soft fleece, the 'pooki' collection was expanded to include bags and room decor. every season brings something new to the collection. ::

little concrete*tot would probably love one of the bags!
by:: 'pooki and co' (france)