Get out of the home accents box and take a minute to see the most amazing thing I’ve come across in years. (Though honestly, I don’t know exactly what it is.) The illustration above is beautiful enough but you have to see the real thing in motion -- watching the video of Air Jelly is a magical experience. I felt like I was witnessing some beautiful creature captured from an alien world. The developer is Festo, a company specializing in industrial automation. The website is in German, but this will take you right to the video. Afterward you can get back in the box, if you want to.

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I was wowed last week at the High Point Market by Vagabond Vintage. This collection is so well curated there is never a hint of the cloying nostalgia that usually keeps me far from this style. The artful grouping and layering of found portraits comes complete with diagram so even the spatially challenged can faithfully recreate the look. Very cool. 

Check them out at vagabondvintage.com

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The 32nd Plagarius Award ceremony was held during Ambiente in Frankfurt, Germany last month to (dis)honor those in the industry who copy other designs. While the little gnome with the gold nose may seem funny, the economic losses attributed to knockoffs are not. Estimates put the losses in the billions of Euros and hundreds of thousands of jobs each year. While jumping on a trend and creating the next better lamp shade is what keeps our industry vibrant, 1:1 knockoffs are a crime. Action Plagarius had real-world knockoffs and originals on display to help sensitize all of us a...Read More

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When I first heard about this guy (thanks, Chris) I thought, 'How cool!' somebody's been squatting in an Ikea -- how did he get away with it? Not that difficult apparently. There was a group of artists living in a mall in Providence, RI for several years before they were discovered. Alas, this guy is a filmmaker and has the approval of the giant retailer. This web site chronicles his ready-to-assemble adventure. (Nothing against Ikea, but I'd have chosen the Takashimaya on Fifth.)
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Talk about turn-key. Deasy Penner & Partners, Palm Springs realtors to the rich, and Fitszu Society, purveyor of cool objets for the home, have teamed up to, apparently, save Palm Springers time and energy when out shopping for architecturally significant housing. (One can only assume these poor desert dwellers get exhausted counting their money or something.)

Real estate and retail together is a brilliant idea, like ordering burgers from the gas pump. But to really make this baby sing they need to flesh it out a bit. I suggest the addition of a ...Read More

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Are you like me? In the garage, Dremel in hand, ready to finish the inlay in the doors of the sideboard you've been working on since winter and, darn it, you're missing that piece of Cocobola you'd planned for the mole on Marilyn's cheek? 

Of course you are. But don't fret, I've found the solution. Woodfinder.com is worth checking out if you pine for more than Pine. You can source woods for any project, big or small, from Mom's s...Read More

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Want the perfect Xmas commentary for your modern hipster life? Designed by Kuno Prey, the Bottle Brush Tree is 5 ft. tall, very easy to grow and decorate, because lets face it, your little Christopher Radko elves will just look silly. Prey teaches product design at the Free University of Bolzano in Italy and is a prolific designer of consumer goods. You can purchase this bristly balsam at UnicaHome and get a feel for the range of his more practical work at Fitzsu Society.

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When I was a youngster, way back in the 70s, it seemed every living room I visited sported gold shag carpet and table lamps that were taller than your average little brother. In fact, our living room featured a pair of large red, green, and blue-ringed ceramic lamps that were most likely Americanized versions of what today would be very collectible hand-made Italian ceramics. I doubt my mom's lamps were hand made anywhere, but they still had that appealing combination of rustic pottery plus brilliant color that is so identifiable with Italian ceramics of the period. And, yes, Mom was very fond of gold carpet as well.

Surely beholden to those gorgeous behemoths of the late 50s and 60s, todays statement lamps are every bit as ...Read More

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I've taken no small amount of teasing about the name Relish. Seems most of my crowd has had a tough time getting their heads out of the jar and into the limo. But naming anything is a challenge. A name is something you have to live with potentially forever. You'd better really like your choice and never, ever be anything but confident in the face of certain criticism.

My kitty has had her current name for 4 of the 5 years she's allowed me to live with her. However, she suffered through (well she never really suffers, no matter what she leads you to believe) at least 4 names before I settled on Tao. But thank you for that, otherwise I might still be calling her Zipper. I mean, zipper&nb...Read More

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These old pieces never fail to impress. This one’s currently available on eBay. The seller says it’s from Omann Jun Mobelfabrik, c.1960. Though the exterior has been refinished, I’d be more than happy to add it to the 1950s ranch house I’m getting ready to buy.

If you can't live without this piece, you can bid on it here.

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