The versatile Netherlands-based architecture firm (with the best name ever), I Love Architecture, has designed an amazing interior by the name of Apartment Weteringschans. The layout of the space is split into a clean, grid-like structure. The kitchen island, which is a monolithic blog of marble and wood, serves as both the cooking and serving area.
I am pretty excited because we just installed the very last thing in the kitchen and, technically, it’s complete! What a relief. Now it’s time to get everything photographed so I can share it with you in all its glory. But before that happens, I wanted to show you our tile, which was installed a few weeks ago.
When we were deciding on a backsplash, I had a hard time with it because I wanted something that wasn’t too trendy or too boring that also fit nicely into our mid-century modern house. I thought glass tiles in a stacked pattern would be a great middle ground, so I contacted modwalls for some size and color samples (above).
The adorable Bonsai lamp was designed by Moredesign for the Italian company Myyour. The Bonsai is powered by batteries and features LED lighting that make it easily transportable and perfect for use outdoors. It comes in many colors and finishes to match most any decor.
London-based textile designer Lindsey Lang launched her new home collection of printed textiles and ceramic designs at HOME, the new housewares and interiors accessories show in London.
A mild winter it may be, but that doesn’t stop us from craving sunshine. For this month’s Destination Design we “travel” to Six Senses Con Dao, an ocean-front resort and spa in south east Vietnam. It’s the first five star resort in the area’s archipelago of 16 islands, and more than 80 percent of its land is national park. There are 35 suites and 14 villas with private infinity pools, nestled within a mile-long curve of the bay and sheltered by forested mountains. The getaway was designed by Parisian firm AW2 and won an award for incorporating eco-conscious elements into the siting and structure.
Barcelona-based firm YLAB Arquitectos designed the interiors of this 1,400-square-foot apartment in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic quarter. The young owner requested a peaceful environment for personal use, but one that could be easily transformed into a social gathering space. The interior is pared down, but warm, thanks to the slatted wood paneling. It’s well-designed, but very comfortable; definitely not a brag-about showplace. It looks like a place you can really live in.
Are you cold? There’s an app for that.
Indoor/outdoor gas fireplace manufacturer Escea has just launched a new range of gas fireplaces that features the coolest thing ever: built-in WiFi connectivity. That means — you guessed it — the ability to control your fireplace with your smartphone.
This is actually something I’m very interested in for the Milk house because we have two drafty wood-burning fireplaces that could use some updating.
Let’s take a break from the kitchen project and talk about something equally as fun – shopping! For the past month, every day is like Christmas at our house. I’m pretty sure that Fab.com has my wallet held hostage and that the UPS and FedEx guys are ready to go on strike. Each day it seems that something arrives on our doorstep, so much so that our giant recycle trash bin has not been enough for all the cardboard shipping boxes.
I thought I’d share a sampling of stuff I recently bought for the house:
From top left, clockwise: Three Emeco 111 Navy Chairs for the kitchen to match my red one (this was a Mr. Design Milk decision), set of eight Fferrone water/wine glasses, a small wine rack for reds to place above the wine fridge, two counter stools for the kitchen island, Jim Flora print, Kumani ottoman (Mr. DM hates this but I love it), cowhide, Alexander Girard wood print, set of 12 graphic napkins from wolfum, two Gus*Modern Bishops tables in Macassar Ebony, and a set of nesting bowls. PHEW!
I also bought a sculpture, but after courting it for six months, it deserves its own post… so stay tuned.
We have long admired artist Karen Combs’ lyrical swirls, doodles, and doodads that artfully land on her hand-done sheets of wallpaper. Her studio, Nama Rococo, which recently re-located from the Berkshires to the Hudson River Valley, turns out sheets of acid free French paper, hand painted and hand printed with artist’s pigments. For this month’s Deconstruction, Design Milk gets a glimpse of the printing process for Nama Rococo’s new Amsterdam pattern, from testing to the final product, complete with styled photo shoot. But first, if you’re curious about the quirky name, “nama” means “raw” in Japanese, and of course, one look at the designs and you see where rococo comes from!
Boston area entrepreneur Johnny Earle started his label Johnny Cupcakes as a total joke. These days he’s laughing as he crisscrosses the globe promoting his products and brand. Johnny Cupcakes stores are designed as a kind of trickery with classic bakery motifs, but no buns are in the ovens here — it’s silk-screened shirts and hats that are for sale (a similar concept to the Happy Pills candy store we wrote about back in 2007) .
