more style - less work

i like diy projects & i like large italian floor tiles (1 m by 3 m). with new materials like this one it's getting easier every day.

renovate the floor of your home w/o demolishing before saves time and money
:: ... 'kerlite plus', the ceramic solution you were looking for to renovate that old flooring. with a minimum height increase – from 3 to 3.5mm – 'kerlite plus' has a tough fiberglass mesh backing, doubling its cladding potential. the sky’s the limit for this stunning, minimum weight tile. with 'kerlite' it’s easy to lay new flooring in your home. but more than that, it’s economic and simple. 'kerlite plus' can be installed directly over existing flooring in wood, ceramic or any other compact type of surface. this is because the underside of the ceramic slab has been reinforced with a dense fiberglass mat. as well as allowing excellent heat conduction, this minimum thickness mesh ensures the tile sticks solidly to the adhesive spread on the substrate. with just 3.5mm additional floor height there’s no need to adjust the level of doors and jambs. ::

by:: 'cotto d'este' (italy)

cool bike ... for hubby?

this is the ultimate gadget for the city nomad...

:: light up the night :: with 'puma's 'glow rider' glow-in-the-dark bike (in two colors). i really like the orange one that glows yellow at night.


:: the glowing paint sucks up sunlight during the day and lets it loose after the sun sets. ::
that's the ultimate safety feature.

the bike is actually based on the danish 'biomega' bike.
the biomega 'boston' is a folding bike and has an integrated anti-theft device.
:: the unique locking system uses a 'down tube' chain lock, which is integrated as a structural part of the frame. if the lock is broken so is the bike - why steal it then?
the quick & easy semi-folding mechanism & folding pedals makes public transport, cars & elevators more accessible. built for town convenience, the bike goes where you go. ::

this is the perfect, stylish solution for hubby's city bike needs!

'puma' urban mobility bike 'glow rider'
design:: jens martin skibsted (designer, founder and ceo of 'biomega', denmark)
made by:: 'biomega' (denmark)

'hand-made' chair

'do hit' chair - this steel cube (sledge hammer included) can be 'hammered' into the desired shape... also ideal for letting off some steam ;-)
:: smash, hit and pound it into your own perfect piece of functional art ::

material:: 0.04" thick steel
design:: marijn van der poll (design academy eindhoven, nl)
'droog design'

nice floor cushions

'livingstones'
:: a high quality, surrealistic set practical as a floor cushion. oversized pebbles, a resting area with varying sizes and shapes that can be arranged according to your mood, for contemporary interiors. ::
by:: 'smarin design' (stephanie marin, france)

concrete art

art on concrete floors
:: the fine floral ornament, applied to the concrete surface, highlights the clean and simple character of the space while adding a touch of warm contrast to minimize the cold austerity of the material. ::
what should i say? i'm a concrete*enthusiast! ;-)
by:: 'transparent house' (s.f., ca)
found @ 'trendir' via 'cribcandy'

swivel chair

i like the new leather swivel chair 'tirup'. white leather would look really stylish next to our white natuzzi couch.
design:: carl öjerstam
by:: 'ikea'

concrete furniture

concrete furniture:: table + bench, 'freiswinger' chair, rocking chair
design:: 'metrofarm' (berlin, germany)

in 2005 a collection of concrete furniture designed by 'nunu' was shown. at the time each piece (a bench, a table, a dj desk and a rocking chair) were prototypes. since then the production has been optimized. nunu’s work has been shown at numerous international exhibitions and fairs ...
table + bench:: each piece of our concrete furniture is made of three parts. the legs are made of steel-reinforced concrete. they are connected by a central piece that is either upholstered, laminated or made of solid wood. concrete furniture by 'metrofarm' is not mass-produced but hand crafted. each piece is unique, and can be adapted according to the particular requirements of the customer.
via:: 'designspotter'

'nestt' car seat

:: deriving its primary form from an egg, the ultimate safe enclosure... ::
simple design aspired by nature. easy use and safety included. very nice.

and cushions are available in all colors you might like!

design:: 'think/thing' (chicago, us)
via:: 'moco loco'

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'