The Fractal Table from platform is amazing. I’d give you more info, but they don’t offer much other than its name and inspiration. For more images check out their site.

It’s not often I’ll admit to being in love with a toilet, but here you have it–I am completely, head-over-heels in love with the Julien Bench Toilet by Troy Adams. It’s a little like the superhero of toilets, except it doesn’t require a phone booth to transform. Closed, it’s an unobtrusive modern bench with storage space; opened, and well, its function becomes obvious. Thank you Troy.

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Artists for Humanity is a Boston based organization who give disadvantaged youth the chance to develop their creative and entrepreneurial potential while becoming economically self-sufficient by providing them with paid employment in the arts. They do this by taking on clients, much like any other design firm, and offer a full range of services from art and design to production. The teens begin by completing an apprentice program, and recently the apprentices were inspired by the building in which they work (it’s LEED Platinum certified) to create a line of green furniture. The table pictured is one of three models that comprise the ReVision line the kids have created. They are made from used magazines, junk mail and no-VOC resin, and are currently on sale for $300-$650. The model shown is $650. Check out their site. They sell many more products, and if you aren’t up for shopping you can always donate to their cause.

Apothia Los Angeles must be feeling pretty great about their candle products. Not only did they win an AIGA design award for their packaging, but their candles won an Interior Scent Collection of the Year award from The Fragrance Foundation (Yes, it exists. You learn something new everyday). They don’t need my adulation, but I’m going to add it anyway, because I really do love their packaging design. Their candles could smell like a hobo’s buttcrack and I would probably still buy them–unless I could tell before opening them that they smelled that way. I’m not that easily influenced by good design.

A few weeks ago I couldn’t help but notice the birds were coming home after wintering in whatever bird resort they fly off to when it’s cold. I say that I couldn’t help notice because the I came home to an entire flock of robins wandering around my side yard. Apparently, they had decided my garden was the perfect place to relax and enjoy some grub (no pun intended), and start work on their summer nests. If 50+ robins in your yard isn’t a harbinger of spring, I don’t know what is. It’s also a little creepy, if the truth be told.

Since my yard was apparently about to become the robin equivalent of an Adirondack camp, and because I possess an over-active imagination, I began wondering just what a bird resort would look like, and started searching for bird houses and feeders that appealed to those more inclined toward modernism.

I was incredibly surprised at the number of upscale, modern bird houses and feeders available, and quite pleased to find that you don’t have to ruin the aesthetics of modern landscaping in order to attract wildlife to your yard. I’ve gathered the creme de la creme, but I have to note one stand out.

As most everyone knows, design is about more than aesthetics, at least really good design is; it’s about marrying form and function. Henrik Holbaek and Claus Jensen of Tools, who design the Eva Solo collection, tend to do this exceptionally well. Three of the feeders and houses featured here were designed by them, but the Eva Solo Bird Box, due out in May has to be the most thoughtfully designed of the lot.

The Bird Box is a white glazed terra cotta bird house with a black plastic lid, and changeable entrance hole The white glaze and terra cotta help resist heat to keep those little, downy chicks warm while not overheating, and the black plastic lid allows interior access when it’s time to take it down and clean it out, or whenever you want to change the entrance hole. There are four entrance hole sizes, allowing you to match the entrance size to the size of your favorite bird, and when it’s time for the chicks to become fledglings, Holbaek and Jensen thoughtfully included a little internal ladder to help the youngsters make their way to the outside world.

Eva Solo’s Bird Box by Hans Holbraek and Claus Jensen.
Available May 2007

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These stickers by Ugly Home bring out my whimsical side. There are plenty of other designs to choose from, but these just amused me.

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When you’re a coffee and tea fanatic, Bodum always makes you feel a little squishy inside, but now they have a jaw-droppingly beautiful sake glass.

If you don’t like sake, no worries, they also have various drinkware that is similarly designed. Thanks to a wonderful friend with great taste, I own the So Long stemless double wall wine glasses, and that makes me a happy girl.

What do you call the fruit of a simple idea that encompasses the complexities of human creativity? If you are Daniele Lago, you call it “Book.” The name is a perfect metaphor for the concept, as well as a blunt statement of its purpose.

Book is a shelving system designed to house, you guessed it, books (or whatever you want to put in or on it). The twist is that Lago gave consideration to the myriad forms books can take, and designed this system to take myriad forms. Like its namesake, Book can be whatever you want it to be and is only limited by your imagination and creative stamina.

The following is an excerpt from their site:

“Do you dream of a wall tree to climb on, to gather your books like precious fruits? With Book you can do it.

Do you dream of a life in colour inside a house in colour and do you think you would like to have all the colour shades in the world in your bookcase? With Book you can do it.

Do you imagine a bookcase that clambers up the wall, falling vertically like dominoes, or that takes on the features of a multicoloured maze? With Book you can do it.”

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Remeniscent of George Nelson’s designs, the large sunburst steel clock will add an element of retro style to any living space. It’s constructed of dark mahogany and brushed steel, and measures 25″ in diameter. From The Little Clock Shop.

SUCK UK create a wide variety of cute and kitschy home accessories, but none so clever as these unique coat hooks. In fact, they may just be the most original coat hooks to date.

The darts are stainless steel and tipped with screws to accomodate their function as wall-mounted coat hooks. They even come with rawl plugs for use on plaster.

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