Category: decor

Good desks, great home offices

If you want ideas on desks and home offices, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve written about them a lot over the many years I’ve had my blog. To see what I mean, click here. What can I say: other than your bed, your desk is the piece of furniture you use the most. You might as well have a good one. I felt that way during the pandemic, but it is no less true even as people RTO (return to the office).

If you need more inspiration on good desks and good workstations, check out this piece in the New York Times on their favourite home offices. You’ll find plenty of inspiring places to work with great desks at the center of them.

(Images via links to the New York Times piece.)

Souped up IKEA (or how to hack the Malm, Billy and more)

If you are a frustrated furniture maker like myself, you might want to see what you can make by hacking some IKEA furniture. It’s not the same as getting out the circular saw and cutting your own boards, but it is a good way to combine traditional IKEA pieces with additional material to make something unique for you. Case in point, the raised bed above: made from IKEA without looking like IKEA.

If you need some inspiration, here’s two pieces on the topic: the best IKEA hacks of 2021 and the 10 most hacked IKEA products. Need more inpiration? Check out IKEAhackers.net. Good luck!

 

 

How to live in wonderful small spaces

Over at the blog Cup of Jo is a story of the 175 sq foot apartment and the woman who lives there. She has lots of tips on how to thrive in a small space.

I like the bold use of black and white to simplify the decor and make it seem less busy.

Looking at this small apartment reminded me of another small space also featured on that blog, this one being Erin Boyle’s:

Like the first place, Erin’s place is full of well curated pieces. And also like the first place, she is not afraid to put big pieces of furniture in a small space. (By the way, Erin has a book and a substack devoted to her way of life. I recommend both.)

Check out both of blog posts featuring their homes. Anyone living in or dreaming of living in a small space of their own will be inspired.

 

On making paper snowflakes for Christmas (and other great Christmas advice from Martha and others)

paper snowflake

If you are looking for a low key, low cost Christmas craft to help decorate your place, I highly recommend making paper snowflakes. If you have kids who are getting under your feet while you are doing other things, teach them how to make snowflakes and get them to make a bunch. Then gently tape them to the wall or hang them with some thread. Your place will look more Christmas-y for sure.

If you don’t recall how to make snowflakes, here are three places to go for advice on them: One Little Project and A Piece Of Rainbow and Martha Stewart.

Of course Martha has more than good advice on how to make paper snowflakes. She has a section of her site devoted to holiday crafts and Christmas. So if you feel you need some inspiration on how to make your home life more festive, check out those links.

 

In praise of the Philips Hue lighting

If you are curious about the Philips Hue lighting system, I highly recommend it. I have two white bulbs, four coloured bulbs, two Go lights, a switch, a smart plug and a bridge. I’ve had them for over seven years now and they are still going strong. The white bulbs are in the basement where I just need basic light, while the coloured ones are on the main floor and give me lots of lighting options. The Go lights are great because once charged you can move them around to give you just the lighting you want where you want it. Finally the smart plug is for a lamp that doesn’t take their bulbs.

The technology is easy to set up. I bought the plug just last week and plugged it into the wall and plugged the lamp into it. Then I opened the app, told it to find the plug (which it did), then I added it as a light in that room. (By doing that, I can turn out all lights in the room easily.) You have a lot of control using the Hue app, and it’s easy to use.

Besides being easy to set up and use, they also integrate with the web site IFTTT.com. That allows me to do things like turn on at dusk, or have them turn a certain colour if the weather is going to suddenly change. I even have it so a raspberry pi flicker them when an event it is monitoring occurs, so I don’t forget about it.

Some people find the bulbs expensive, which I get. But they do last a very long time, and they provide me with capabilities not found with other lights (although I know other manufacturers are out there).

You can find out more about it, here. I’d recommend one of the starter kits and then go from there. You need to have a bridge, so if you just buy the bulbs separately, it won’t work.

Can you live in a 74 square foot apartment?

Well if you are these two architects who designed a tiny apartment in Rotterdam that’s only 74 square feet, then…maybe?

I dunno. It is impressive how the whole room expands and stores away depending on how you configure it. And as an experiment, I think it is impressive. Is it practical? Of course not. But it is well worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of small spaces like I am.

Ikea collaborates with gamers and more

Ikea often collaborates with others to come up with home furnishing a bit outside their usual stuff. For example, this collab in the area of  gaming furniture (seen above). Or this partnering between them and Japanese designer Hiroko Takahashi. They have worked with Marimekko too.

Not a collaboration, but if you into pet furniture and a fan of Ikea, you’ll want to check this out. And speaking of pet furniture, imagine combining a dog bed with a desk — that’s what you’ll find here.

Philippe Starck reaches for a new design tool: A.I.


According to the site, Design-Milk, Philippe Starck is working with Kartell to use A.I. in the design of furniture:

Known as a progressive Italian brand that doesn’t shy away from experimentation and innovation, Kartell is becoming increasingly daring as their endeavors expand. At the moment, that means stepping into the world of artificial intelligence. In collaboration with Philippe Starck, they’ve released environmentally friendly furniture designs that merge human creativity with AI, bolstered by advancements in materials and manufacturing.

In case you are worried about them replacing designers, the site goes on to say:

Rather than replace the designer – a huge fear amongst creatives – artificial intelligence helps streamline the prototyping and planning phases, sticking to Starck’s vision and ensuring Kartell’s high quality and production standards are met. In this case, AI also contributes to calculating optimal material usage, a reduction in waste, and ultimately environmental sustainability.

Good to see! Speaking of good to see, you can see more of the furniture on the Design-Milk site, as well as the Kartell site.

For fans of tiny homes….

We here at this blog have always been fans of tiny homes and have written about them often.

It turns out the New York Times are fans as well, and have a section of their web site devoted to them called living small.

Some of them are quite grand, like the one above. And others are simpler, like the one below. They’re all great in their smallness.

Check them out. Even if you prefer larger accommodations, I think you’ll like them.

IKEA is expanding (their product lines)

It seems like IKEA is making forays into things other than furniture these days. For example, here’s a story on their smart home monitoring products. Here’s another piece on the exercise equipment they have.They’re even repurposing their old uniforms into a new lifestyle collection (see photo above). That’s all great to see.

I knew how they were doing things like air purifiers and small speakers. I’m glad they continue to offer new things for the home besides furniture. Kudos to them.

P.S. These aren’t IKEA, but they are cool desks for people that like IKEA products. Worth a look.

 

 

A magic table you can use for Thanksgiving and other holidays

Over at Yanko Design is a story on a table that can go from this:

to this:

If not magical then certainly amazing. Sure you need a space to expand into, but anyone who has to host larger gatherings on the regular and has the space should check it out.

And to all my American friends, happy Thanksgiving!

Minimalist desks to meet your minimalist needs

As we move to living in smaller places as well as working from home, minimalist desks can be the solution we need to get things done. For example, this ignite desk that separates work and personal life in a simple yet effective way:

Very nice. Or how about these sleek desks designed to perfectly meet your work from home needs declutter your workspace:

Love the wood. Need more? Here’s  10 desk designs every workaholic needs to amp up their productivity, including this one from teenage engineering:

Awesome.

We all need a good surface to work from. Sometimes that surface doesn’t have to be very big. These desks prove it.

All images and links from Yanko Design. If you are in need of a minimalist desk, check them out.

 

Desks for people who live in small spaces and/or like Transformers

In these days of working from home in small spaces, we could use ideas for desks and workstations that can meet our needs.  Here’s five such desks that fill the bill:

This first workstation is amazing. It’s a gym! It’s a desk. It’s storage. It’s a space saving work and workout setup designed to keep your mind and body healthy. I thought this was especially cool.

For those more inclined to use their desks to lie down than workout, this hybrid couch /  desk could be just what you need.

For people really short on space, this easily concealable home office addresses productivity woes in style by transforming into furniture by night. I like it.

In a similar vein, this slim wall cabinet opens into a sleek modern functional workspace.

Finally, this multifunctional desk features entertainment and work modules to help you switch off from work mode:

I love them all.

 

Beautiful brutalism at home in Rome

 

 

For some, the word “brutalism” does not go with the words “beautiful” or “home”. For those, i recommend the page to visit is this: Raw and Refined: Inside a Renovated Brutalist Apartment in Rome. It’s full of photos (like the one above) showing just how brutalism can be home-y and beautiful. I think this sums it up:

Paired with the original Brutalist details are a variety of tones, textures, and materials that add up to a visually enticing space. The roughness of the terracotta tiles on the oval island and concrete pillars are juxtaposed with the smooth Patagonia marble countertops that connect the two.

For me brutalism is at its best when it pairs up with other design elements. Brutalism left to its concrete self is unappealing to me. But put it together with nature or marble or fabric or something other than itself and I think it really shines. It certainly does in that Roman apartment.

Cool and colorful furniture


The colorful can be found here, IKEA Nytillverkad Collection Delves Into the Archives in Colorful Fashion at the site Design Milk, while the cool can be found here: top ten minimal furniture design at Yanko.

If you want to jazz up your place, then that collection from IKEA will do it. On the other hand, if you yearn from simple pieces like this below, then head over to that link on Yanko.

Two very different sets of home furnishings, but both being well done.

Who doesn’t need advice on how to better run your kitchen?

Other than rich people, who doesn’t need advice on how to better run your kitchen? Right? So here’s a piece containing some really good tips for those of you that have a small kitchen. Or a big kitchen! Regardless of the size of your kitchen, it’s worth applying them.

Once your have your kitchen organized, read this  ingenious piece on 7 Ways to Use Grease Pencils in the Kitchen that will keep that room running optimally. Smart!

 

 

Pull up a chair. Make it into a sofa. Make it comfy, even.

I love me some Yanko Design. But I have looked at these five different chairs for unwinding after a long day at work and I have to say, I dunno. I mean, these chairs are cool:

But I would have to sit in them before deciding it was comfy.

As for this:

Well, it looks great. But comfy? I can’t imagine.

Let’s check out Design Milk and this easy chair that can turn into a bed or a sofa:

Yep, it looks more comfy. Good colors too.

A good collaboration: Ikea and Marimekko

I love this: Ikea and Marimekko have teamed up to create a collection of home goods at affordable prices that are also beautiful. They range in prices from this low cost bag at $2:

To this lovely side table with a tray for $79:

They even have clothing, like this robe for $40:

Amazing. Over at Chatelaine they have their 15 favorite from The Ikea Marimekko Bastua Collection. The three seen here were plucked from their list. Go to Chatelaine for more. Go check it out.

How can the best white paint colours for 2023 not include cloud white?? :)

Chatelaine has a recent piece out, The Best White Paint Colours, According To Decor Experts, and the best white paint colours are mostly Benjamin Moore paint. Despite that, Cloud White, 967, OC-130, is not on the list! How can this be?

I mean really?

At first I thought that maybe the paint company no longer makes it. But nope,it still exists. Still looks great too. (See image above.)

Sure, White Dove (OC-17) is fine (see below):

But to my mind Cloud White is still the best White.

Who knows, though?  Maybe cloud white has become passe. It was a big thing with designers a decade ago.  Maybe the new ones want new whites.

That all said, I do know that if you want white, you can’t go wrong with white from Benjamin Moore. So check out that Chatelaine piece or the other pieces on my blog and see what I mean.

What’s better than a well made chair? How about one that’s made sustainably?

Yeah, the Sova Lounge chair is ergonomic and comfortable, but it’s also made from sustainably sourced wood. Oh it’s also gorgeous.

At some point most if not all the things we buy will be made from sustainably sourced material. As it should be. Here’s to more things like the Sova.

For more on this beautiful and smart chair, head over to Yanko Design for more.

 

 

A quick peek on what Philippe Starck is up to

If you love the work of Philippe Starck as much as I, then I recommend you head over to Uncreate and search on his name (or click here). It turns out he’s still doing cool stuff. Not surprising.

For example, this is cool: B&B Italia x Philippe Starck Outdoor Sofa. It reminds me of the great furniture he did for hotels like the Royalton in the 80s:

And this LaCie Blade Runner Hard Drive reminded me of how at the names of his older furniture often were borrowed from Philip K. Dick novels:

Love it! I wish I could find one of those hard drives. They look awesome.

Speaking of awesome looking, check out this, the Aeklys by Starck Payment Ring:

Finally these Phillippe Starck Log Knives are very gift worthy:

Nice to see one of my favorite designers is still creative, and creative in many different ways.

Two good pieces on two good pieces from IKEA

 

Here’s a good piece on how the ubiquitous IKEA Råskog trolley (seen above) has become famous as the TBR (to be read) cart on social media. Move over bedside table: IKEA is bringing on competition.

That trolley is old and good. What’s new and good from IKEA is the  VINDSTYRKA smart sensor (seen below) which monitors air quality inside your home:

It’s interesting that IKEA continue to make forays into home devices that are not necessarily furniture (e.g., home speakers). I for one am here for that.

Rethinking minimalist decor and what it looks like

When I think of minimalist decor, I often think of rooms like this:

It’s beautiful, but it has a show room quality to me. It looks like a room one passes through, instead of lives in.

So I was pleased that in this list of top 10 minimalist projects for 2022 from Design-Milk.com, there were also rooms like this one:

And an addition like this one:

Indeed there were a number of projects that still had the qualities I associate with minimalism but also felt like places you would want to reside in, instead of look at and admire. It showed me that you can still aspire to a more pared back living space, but still have it livable.

To see the entire list, click here. Minimalism can be good!

Ideas on furnishing and living in small spaces in the future

I suspect that living in smaller and smaller spaces is going to be the rule rather than the exception, as more people move to expensive cities. I think if that’s true, we need to think about how such spaces should be furnished.

Traditional furniture assumes a certain amount of room to move about. Those assumptions need to be challenged.

For example, this piece envisions a massive piece of furniture that combines a bed, storage and seating area into one (see below):

Or take this piece, which imagines everything within reach (see below):

I know, it’s not for everyone. But it may be the way things are going for many urban dwellers.

As I get older I get more attuned to this way of thinking: Why I Don’t Want a Bigger Home – Benefits of Small Space Living. Maybe in the near future we will all have smaller personal spaces and larger and more varied public spaces.  If so, we will need different furnishings to accommodate this.

P.S. The links have many more images showing how these pieces of furniture look. Worth checking out.

Cool furniture for cool people like you

I love the site Yanko Design. They highlight some amazing designs, especially when it comes to furniture. Here’s some of the ones I’ve been collecting from them that I thought were really good.

First up, I thought this was a cool chair. It reminds me of the old telephone tables people used to one have.

Something that would go really well with it is this very cool coffee table.

If you want to get something really amazing for your walls, I would suggest this beautiful but  very high end (Raf Simons) shaker furnishing. Or this thing: an odd device to help you relax. It’s hard to describe: you really have to go to the piece.

I love that crazy but beautiful shelving you see above. It’s incredibly modular, too. Over at Yanko Design they have a variety of configurations showing what you can do with it. Quite a lot!

P.S. This is not Yanko but good if you are interested in 4k TVs . Hey, TVs are furniture. 🙂 Finally, this from the New York Times: Have You Seen This Table Lamp? If You Eat Out in New York You Will. It’s a cool lamp. Good for restos, but good for you too.

How to decorate your space: use large leafy plants

If you are decorating a space and you don’t know what to get, consider plants with really large leaves, like this here licuala grandis. It’s practically sculpture, but easier on the eyes and the wallet.

For more on this, check out these 12 houseplants with obscenely large leaves. One of those could be just what you need to liven up your place.

How to cook in a tiny kitchen

While generally not a fan of the recipes at this site, this piece at Tasty on how to cook in a small kitchen is jam packed with good ideas.  Even if you have a much bigger kitchen, you could learn a lot from this piece. By the time you are done applying these ideas, you’ll be a much better and much happier cook.

(Image: link to image at tasty.co)

On modular walls, indoor and out

As a result of the pandemic and CafeTO, many restaurants have put up these GRIPBlock reusable walls outside their establishments in the warmer months to draw in customers. It’s a good thing. Here’s one nearby in my neighborhood:

A good idea like that works indoors too. This Blokaloks modular system lets you build walls or even rooms inside, like this:

Smart. You can click on the link to see more designs. Would be perfect for lofts and other open concept spaces that need better definition.

The beauty of the Elysée Shelving System, or not all furniture from the 70s is bad

While many of the furnishings of the 1970s should stay in that decade and never be revived, these shelves are an exception. As Designmilk.com explains, these shelves date

… back to the 70s, when Pierre Paulin was commissioned by President Pompidou to design furniture for the Elysée Palace’s private apartments, (but they were not) …. officially launched to the public until 2009 …

They make me think of the 70s, but they don’t scream it. They would work wonderfully with contemporary furniture today. Also highly expandable. Perfect for book collectors like myself.

For more on them, see: From a Palace to Your Home: The Elysée Shelving System.

We need a better IKEA, or an IKEA alternative


That’s what I was thinking when I read these two pieces:

IKEA, for a large part, is DIY furniture. But for many reasons, there is a limited range of furniture pieces to choose from. I wish there were better alternatives to them that offered more thoughtful pieces, like the ones found in those Yanko Design articles.

Anyway, it’s likely not going to happen soon. But I think there is a market for it. We just need the right business leaders to build it.

(Image from the first article.)

Your desk needs an upgrade. This can help

If you’re like me, your work desk could use an upgrade. Maybe it’s too cluttered. Maybe your tech is looking a bit shabby. Either way, I recommend you go see these top 10 desk accessories to level up your work from home productivity over at Yanko Design. For example, the organizer above is a nice way to get things off your desk.

And this keyboard below looks like it would be an improvement on the one you currently have:

Hey, new stuff isn’t everything, but it could be just the thing to make you a bit more productive and happier when you sit down at your desk to work.

 

Tables and desks for people like myself that cannot get enough shelf space :)

I love all three of these pieces of furniture. First there is this table that also functions as a bookshelf:

Then there is this table /desk that has tons of storage:

A few years ago when I was making furniture, I made something similar. I could definitely see someone good at DIY/carpentry making the above two. As for this one below, I love that desk but it’s not for your typical DIYer! Fabulous though:

They remind me of the old telephone tables people used to have. They used to have a particular function, and they had special storage as part of them.

All three links lead to Yanko Design, where you can find out more about each of them. Worth a look.

It’s time yet again for a post on well designed cat furniture!


There are topics on this blog I write about frequently because they are near and dear to my heart. And then there is this topic: crazy cat furniture. I just find it fascinating how designers go to great lengths to design furniture for their cats. For example, most cats would be happy with any old cardboard box, but this designer took that a step further and made this cardboard cat house (see above).

Then there’s this  minimal wooden cat scratcher that doubles up as a cozy chilling spot for your pets! My belief is that the only way the cat will settle in any given spot is either a) it’s warm b) to annoy the dog you have.

Finally there’s this!

Yes, a wall mountable cat bed that gives your cat a place to lounge up high while saving you space. They even put shelves on the wall to make it easier for the cat to get there!

Ok, that’s it for me. For now. 🙂

(P.S. All images and posts from Yanko Design, the good people who keep me stocked with all these ideas to post. )

On “Good” IKEA


Sure we all know IKEA furniture, some of it not so great (don’t get me started on my now-in-the-trash Standmon armchair :)). While that armchair gave me grief, many other pieces of theirs have been really good. (No, not you, Billy bookcase. Wait, maybe you have such a bookcase and you like it…in that case it is good). Regardless, if you are unsure about the quality of Ikea furniture, I recommend you read this:  Ikea but like the *good* Ikea.

Speaking of good IKEA…this is a good deal! See:  You Can Rent a Tiny IKEA Apartment for Less Than $1 a Month

P.S. Speaking of good IKEA, I wrote about that elsewhere on this blog. Links here:

(Image above is of another really good thing from IKEA: the Stockholm rug. A classic.)

And now for something beautiful: a tiny black cabin built from felled oak trees


This tiny black cabin you see above is built from felled oak trees acquired from a home’s construction waste. The company responsible, Studio Padron, did a fantastic job of recycling, take all this waste wood and making a glorious living space.

Looks great inside too

For more, go to the Yanko Design link above and check it out.

On Philippe Starck, now and then

Philippe Starck has been tied to my life since I was a young man in the 80s, staying at his hotels and buying what i could afford of his. Chances are you have sat in some of his chairs or seen his hotels and didn’t even know it.

He and I parted ways some time ago: my hotel staying days died down and I settled for more modest chairs. I would occasionally wonder what he was up to.

Turns out he is still making great things. Case in point, those wooden armchairs that fit together brilliantly. The chairs are…

…The first collaboration between designer Philippe Starck and Spanish furnishings manufacturer Andreu World … Their Adela Rex walnut and oak plywood armchairs are made from three molded shapes that fit together without hardware. (Take that, IKEA.) Part of World’s 100% pure wood project, the chairs are FSC Certified.

Beautiful. Perhaps one day I’ll have a chance to relax in one.

P.S. I am happy to say that not only is his career continuing, but so is his web site. It used to be a bit of a disaster from a UX perspective, but it seems to have improved. Here’s a link to part of it: Royalton hotel, New York. That hotel, like many he designed in the 80s, no longer sports his designs. But at the time it was a dream to visit and stay in.

Pop over and take a look. Perhaps the next hotel you stay in will be one of his.

P.S.S. More things on this blog about Starck, here.

The beauty of the TTC’s interiors

On twitter the other day I had a brief discussion about the good and bad aspects of the TTC’s interiors. This got me thinking, and led me to this site and post on it: juliekinnear.com. I really encourage you to click that link to see a good photoessay on all the beauty of the TTC’s stations. Here are two images from that post, but there are many. The TTC doesn’t have anything like the Oculus in Manhattan, but it has many beautiful spots of it’s own. You can see them in person, or do the next best thing and read that piece by Julie Kinnear.