I came across this post over at Tree Hugger a couple of days ago, and have been thinking about it since. From the three person design group 101 comes this great looking lamp made from old wire cloths hangers and a compact florescent bulb. Of course it’s not really presented as a DIY project so there are no instructions, but with a little trial and error I’m sure you could figure it out. Upon closer inspection of the picture, it looks like it is all held together by two acrylic discs. I would love to see some pics of someone trying to recreate this. Any takers?
Check out 101 Design Studio for more pics.

Claire Moyle pairs conceptualism with design in her series of works called The Spectacle of Utilitarianism. Above is the Spotlight Utility Mat that is a mat in the form of the shadow of an object that is highly used and useful. The folding chair comes into play again when Moyle envelopes it in 1800 mini lights, indeed turning it into a spectacle, but limiting its usefulness. The Utility Lamp sees a chandelier become spot lighting a scant few inches above the floor, painted “farm equipment orange” and the Studio Seat is a stool salvaged from an art studio that has been refinished to show off the layers of oil drips. Moyle hovers between artist and designer and we are curious to see what direction she takes next.

+ clairemoyle.com

Attracted to items from the American and European Art Deco periods (1930s-1950s) for their beauty and clarity of design, owner Sandi Berman has been collecting fine furnishings through her Skysraper NY store for twenty five years . She and her staff have a comprehensive collection of mid-century classics, as well as some interesting items from the 1960’s and 1970’s. We are particularly partial to their well edited mix of seating and lighting.
Set of Four Side Chairs with Lucite Backs Italy, c. 1950s $8900.
Pair of high back lucite and brass queen’s chairs. $4500
Italian Fontana Arte mirror from the 1940’s. $8900
Pair of glass and chrome sconces from the 1940’s.

If the Home Design Trends: Smaller, Closer, More Urban come to pass then Small Interiors is the design book for the inside of that smaller house. The official blurb concurs; "Living in small spaces is the wave of the future, as cities become more crowded and the drive to live in more ecologically friendly ways grows. Small Interiors offers a wide variety of beautifully illustrated case studies of ingeniously designed small spaces. These homes are streamlined inside and out, with dozens of never-before-seen solutions in storage plus an array of space-saving furniture and fixtures. With everything from full-color photos to full technical specifications, Small Interiors proves that good things do come in small packages.". Small Interiors is due in February. Hardcover, 240 pages, 77 black and white illustrations, 320 color illustrations, $26.37 at Amazon.

+ Small Interiors at Amazon

This week's MoCo picks.

+ Huus og Heim Arkitektur's 85 sq. meter Gunnar's House. Via Below The Clouds.

+ ...and RB ARKITECTUR's Villa RBDVD mountain house, also via Below The Clouds.

+ MATEU ARCHITECTURE's Coconut Grove house at Dwell Blog. "Mateu bought an unusually narrow plot shaded by towering oak and gumbo limbo trees in the Coconut Grove neighborhood.". Watch the slideshow.

+ BGP Arquitectura's Casa Luis Barragán renovation at Plataforma Arquitectura.

+ Tomer Ben-Gal & Isamu Kanda's 1325 sq. ft. Colonial at Archinect and here.

+ Bring it on, Home Design Trends: Smaller, Closer, More Urban at Treehugger, "people are sick of commuting".

+ Frédérique Morrel’s Re-Made in France one of a kind products made from vintage tapestries. Via the style files.

+ designguide.tv's Farm Project video at Design Miami, "an improvised living space, filled with materials, animals, plants, and objects.".

+ Zero and Orrefors Kosta Boda's Light Shadows lamp, "Bulbs are sand-blasted with a range of patterns that project onto the wall, or onto a removable flat glass shade." at Dezeen.

+ Philippe Starck's Cross Digi watch for Fossil, "Features a cross-shaped display where the time is read vertically while the day and date information are read on the horizontal sides of the display". Via storm from the east.

+ Martin Holzapfel's modular desk and storage Bureau. Via Yanko Design.

+ The Amadana electric citrus juicer, "Since its small body requires less space, it can be used whenever needed.". Via Appliancist.

+ La Métamorphose des Matériaux "features 60 emerging designers and artists who transform largely recycled materials into art" at Apartment Therapy.

+ Ettore Sottsass Lives On in Trieste Exhibition at UnBeige.

It’s not complete yet, but this B & W house in Minneapolis by Julie Snow Architects is quite stunning. Built for Walker Art Center Design Curator Andrew Blauvelt, it has been described as a “little concrete box” with top to bottom glass at the back of the house, protected by a concrete wall and garage. The wood cladding is ipe wood, complemented by rusted steel accessories in the landscaping. All in all, this house is very zen, and we look forward to more images when it is finished.

+ rolu dsgn

We featured more shots of work seen at Art Basel Miami Beach during this second holiday week at Art MoCo. Spencer Finch’s colourful fluorescent installation got the week off to a festive start while ending the year with panache.

The New Year opened with sparkle - all sequins, shine and attitude.

And then the need for peace and calm overtook us and we were grateful for the Study of a Fallen Bird by A. Balasubramaniam.

Blue and red don’t always make purple. Not if Kay Rosen has anything to do with it.

And we were enthralled by Jaume Plensa’s salute to family, so apt this time of year.

I mentioned a while ago that Boon had come out with several new products. We have been testing out the Squirt for the past month or so, and we love it. The Squirt, or Boon spoon as we call it, is a baby food dispensing spoon. The orange part screws off, and you can fill it full of non chunky baby food. It can hold up to 3 ounces of baby food, and all you have to do is give it a little squeeze to fill the spoon up. Arrington was enjoying some pears in this picture.
The only thing we have found is that you have to give it a little tilt down while you squeeze or you will spray your kid in the face. Cleanup is easy as it is dishwasher safe.
The Squirt is available directly from Boon for $8.

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Many of you who follow hip design blogs may already be familiar with Hatch!, Design Public’s blog on modern design. We are thrilled to add them to our “blink links” blogroll. In addition, you can now link directly to Design Public’s fabulous shopping site via Blinkdecor. Stylishly affordable pieces can be found in children’s furnishings, wallpaper, seating, lighting, home accessories and more!

furni's been busy. It's fitting that the company known for clocks would have at least one project in Switzerland. Nothing to do with clocks mind you, furni principal Mike Giles has a friend there, Jay, who recently bought a small mountainside barn (built in 1799!) and converted into a home. As Mike put it, Jay literally swept out the hay and started a 9-month conversion. Its now a 3-story, 1350 sq. ft house. furni supplied the wood finishing in the kitchen and some of the wood furniture. Interesting note, the kitchen floor tile is made of the original slate roof. More after the jump.