Rooms with a view

Holman House - Dover Heights, Australia. Credit to Durbach Block.


Casa Kimball - Dominican Republic. Credit to Rangr Studio.

Point Dume - Malibu, California. Credit to Griffin Enright Architects.

[tumbl'd by mikz via sweethomestyle]

Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Austraila

Modern Monday: Grass as upholstery

Perhaps it stems from my desire for an outdoor room or my love of juxtaposing unrelated elements, but grass covered furniture appeals to me. You can use real grass outdoors or carpet and upholstery indoors. Either way, the look is modern and fresh.

These chairs, from the Terra Grass Armchair kit, are made from biodegradable cardboard forms. Simply fill the form with soil, seed it with grass, and watch it grow. I'm not quite sure how you would mow them, however.

This lounge by Fung + Blatt architects, is perfect for city dwellers. The frame alone is made with renewable materials and even comes with its own built-in “watering” system that promotes even distribution of moisture under the sod. Perfect for a terrace garden.

Here is another collection of outdoor furniture, by 5.5 Designers, which incorporates plants into the design. I love the manicured hedge look of this design, although you can use flowers as well.

Bringing the outdoors in, Chair Couture mixes traditional style with a one-of-a-kind grass fabric.

This Swedish Gustavian side chair was upholstered with shag carpet. I love the whimsy of this chair. In the most traditional environment, this chair would make a fun and unexpected statement! I have a slipper chair that I inherited and reupholstered once since college. I am seriously thinking about reupholstering yet again in a similar fashion.

Lastly, I couldn't resist this photo I found on Flickr by bb_matt. The only thing more whimsical than green grass chairs is GIANT green grass chairs!

Stick a fork in it - modern designs for an ancient eating utensil

I came across these two shortlisted entries from the 2009 Beyond Siver International Competition sponsored by designboom and 'MACEF international home show'.

name of design : forknelt
design by : paolo emilio bellisario + andrea cingoli + francesca fontana + cristian cellini from italy

What I love about this fork is its functionality. Have you ever hesitated to set your fork down on a table for fear of getting food on the linens or germs on your fork? This ingenious design solves that problem. The dip in the handle serves as both a fulcrum point for a resting fork as well as a grip when it is placed on the side of a dish or plate. Made from salvaged silver scraps, it is also eco-friendly.

name of design : natural
design by : clara del portillo + alejandro selma from spain

I love the combination of metal and wood in this design. It has a clean and sophisticated aesthetic that is both modern and timeless.