Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Cute tea towels

Ethel dishtowel, available at Crate & Barrel

Vegetable print dishtowel, available at Crate & Barrel

I'm loving these cute, retro fruit and veg print tea towels that are now available at Crate & Barrel. Talk about a cute, affordable, and easy way to spruce up your kitchen!

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos (from last weekend). Porcelain's were taken on her St. John's holiday! Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.

Cardboard: left, Porcelain: right

Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Monday, July 30, 2007

Monday Morning Haiku

Brain not on just yet,
But still I need to express,
Box = pretty.

Ercolano Checkered Box, at Red Envelope

Friday, July 27, 2007

Bonus Bone: Ray, the Table Lamp

Do you know what this is?
An inventive sun glasses display at Walgreen's?

Nope, it's a lamp! Not only does it embody a tabletop disco (feast on those shadows!) but, from what I can tell, it's made entirely from sun glasses on a metal stand. Even the ON switch appears to be part of a pair of sun specs.

I say "appears" because the English translation from the Dutch description doesn't focus on the materials used. Instead, Element endearingly informs us that this lamp (named Ray) uses "sun glasses differently at once." Indeed!

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Sony's Pretty Mess

Leave it to Sony to do it big. Much like their previous visual opus with the bouncy balls, the latest ad for the LCD Bravia TV is all about color. Check out some stills of what Sony calls their "massive paint explosions:"



Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Not too "green" of an idea, Sony. Here's their defense:

"The cleaning took 5 days and 60 people. Thankfully, the use of a special water-based paint made it easy to scrape-up once the water had evaporated.

Keeping everyone safe was also an important factor. A special kind of non-toxic paint was used that is safe enough to drink (it contains the same thickeners that are sometimes used in soups). It was also completely harmless to the skin."


It's crazy to think about setting all this up, like a high-stakes game of Dominoes. Personally, I prefer the bouncy balls (love that ad) but the paint one does delight my inner finger painter.


Which blatant display of color do you like best?

Balls - I'm all about the balls.

Paint - It ain't good if it ain't messy.

What the hang is up with that clown?!

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Gimage: Welcome Back, Porcelain!


I hope you are entirely well-rested and fully caught up on all your trashy beach reading. I expect you're now an expert on contemporary Caribbean design and I bet you have the photos to prove it. I hope you brought back some sand, a tan, and somethin' sparkly for yourself. Most of all, I hope your return yielded some good Hardwood snuggles and that you are now ready to jump right back into DB.

I missed you, buddy. Welcome home.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Breaking the Pier 1 Prohibition

Porcelain let you all in on her Pier 1 trauma a few weeks ago. I just happened to be checking out their site and found some (shhhhh) fun stuff. I figure if I show it all to you now, while Porcelain is still out of the country, she won't have to suffer. Here we go:

LOVE the off-centered handle slot!

So shapely, like an elongated pear. Also available in white.

The shape reminds me of Japanese Tori but I'm pretty sure the gates weren't made from MDF.


Sand Clip Lamp

A chic, snazzy clamp lamp alternative. Not half bad but I do wonder how sturdy it is...

The Vega Series is working for me right now. I like all the little cubbies/drawers, dark wood, and boxy shapes. The Prairie School nod is appreciated. Besides the end table and storage chest seen here, Pier 1 also provides the Vega style in coffee table, console, media cabinet, and desk.
Vega Storage (on sale!)

And who doesn't love a store that sells a Recycled Glass Head?

Monday, July 23, 2007

Pee Wee Design

I always knew Pee-Wee's Playhouse was fun but I had no idea it was so full of great design! Check out some of the trends that Pee-Wee had going on long before Cowboy Curtis showed up:





And, although I can't pinpoint this design style, I'm posting it because I don't remember this part at all. Does anyone remember this curiously intimidating section of Pee-Wee's Playhouse?!


Not 6 & 7

Porcelain is still off lounging in the sand somewhere and I'm busy trying to clean my house. What I'm trying to explain is that our 6 & 7 photos won't be posted until the end of the week. Sorry!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Bonus Bone: Holiday

I'm somewhere on this island right now and maybe I'm drinking a beer or snorkeling. I don't know 'cause I composed this a few days before I left. All I know is that it's a heck of a lot better than being at work!
For these reasons, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Pythons & Lace

Earlier this year, I posted about lace tape:

Lace Tape, at Matter

I still think it's very pretty and would use it to wrap a girly gift, such as bonbons or Spanx.

But I have a new love in the decorative tape department. It's just as sexy as lace but a whole lot more dangerous:

Sending off a little love parcel, wrapped up tight with this tape, would add instant drama and intrigue to your intentions. Unless, of course, the recipient is ophidiophobic. Then you'd just be a jerk and should not expect a call back.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Fab Fabrics at Tonic Living

Tonic Living is new to me. I just spent a good long while perusing their choice fabrics (at pretty good prices) and these are some of my favorites:

Bird Seed, pink

Vienna Damask, platinum

Fauna, mango

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Not the Shoes, the Chair

The shoes are amazing, I know, but I have something more urgent on my mind...

Where in the world did Tori find that chair?!

Someone play design detective and source it for me!

photo credit: OrganizingLA

Monday, July 16, 2007

Tulip Sale at West Elm

The other day, Porcelain found a nice pedestal dining table from CB2. It's fine, a little dark and scruffy-looking, I think. But I only thought that after I compared it to this:

I love the white laminated surface and the shiny, shiny legs! Sadly, they only offer the Tulip table in coffee & side format (no dining). But the good news is that they're both on sale!

6 & 7

Here are our weekend photos. Visit flickr to see the entire 6 & 7 collection.



Original inspiration by Stephanie & Mav at 3191

Friday, July 13, 2007

Bonus Bone: Friday the 13th

I really like scary stuff. Offer me a good haunting, myth, or superstition and I'll eat it up every time. And horror movies, even the bad ones, are always on my "To Do" list.

In all my years of watching scary movies, I've come to see that a creepy interior goes a long way. In honor of today's spooky holiday, I give you the top 5 set designs that made me go to sleep with all the lights on:



Carrie (photo from msn)

The Blair Witch Project

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Bedrooms by Brynne





Daily Candy Chicago sent out an email earlier this week about Bedrooms by Brynne. What intrigued me was that the designer, Brynne Rinderknecht, designed sets for Playboy Magazine. So I guess if there is anyone out there who can bring sexy back to your bedroom it's her!

Grandma Knew Green

the Pink, in Cardboard's Bedroom

Grandma Cardboard was ahead of her time. Long before anyone cared about recycling or knew "what the hang" a carbon footprint was, my grandma was thinking green. I was too young to remember this hobby of hers but my mom talks about it fondly.

Grandma Cardboard used to peruse thrift stores and gather all the wool she could find, usually nabbing a goldmine in worn out winter coats. As my mom and her siblings sat around, watching TV or playing games, my grandma would sit on the floor and make a rug. She first cut the old coats into strips and sewed the short pieces together (still sitting on the floor and using a hand-cranked sewing machine) to form long strips. Then she braided the long portions together, winding and stitching them into a circular or oval shape. The braids were fastened together with heavy-duty oil thread. She would keep herself busy with this for hours, planning out her color schemes and patterns. The end result was always slightly miraculous and definitely pretty.

I am lucky to have one of her largest rugs in my bedroom. It's the "pink" rug, named for the overall pinky-purpley look of the rug. It's one of her oval creations, with its longest side measuring out to about 10' and weighing probably about 60 pounds. It's impressive. It's lovely. It's eco-friendly. But most of all, it's the tangible texture of my grandma's creative spirit, the perfect spot to find balance every morning.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Gold Digger's "Statement" Coffee Table

Eric from Gold Digger just found his dream coffee table. He had been on the hunt for "something striking and unique, something a little kitschy but also glamorous, something with a sense of humor, something unforgettable." And - lookie there - he found her.

From the Side

I know, right?! I so badly want to know where he shops too!

From Above

So he's in total coffee table love and he thinks she's perfect except now he's entertaining the idea of painting her high gloss white. What do you think?

Keep the gold or give her the whitewash?

GOLD! Why mess with perfection?

High Gloss White! Gold is reserved for jewelry and spandex.

I can't even believe he bought that...

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Himmeli Sheets by Marimekko

Himmeli sheet sets, available at Crate & Barrel

Himmeli bed linens, available at Crate & Barrel

I love these new sheets by Marimekko and available at Crate & Barrel. The Queen Anne's lace reminds me of summers and picking wildflowers.