Sometimes a company’s product is difficult to define: I had this trouble while browsing Tim Leefeldt’s RailroadWare website.  Is it rustic?  Industrial?  Modern?  Nostalgic?  Well, take a look.

You decide.

There’s simplicity in these glass and steel designs, a clean look, one that’s versatile enough to be used in any number of decoration schemes.  I think they would complement just about any setting.

As much as possible, the materials are reclaimed objects.  Old glass & ceramic insulators, traffic light lenses, and hardened steel parts – the clips, spikes, and random hardware so abundant along unused rail lines – all hand-gathered by the artist and repurposed into lighting, door & cabinet hardware, and home furnishings. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night we took a “zombie lawyer”(aka my son) trick or treating.  This morning, he woke up with either a cold, or a really bad Halloween hangover.  So home he stayed, and here I sit, trying – not succeeding – to get things done.  I need a(nother) coffee.

I might also need this lamp!  Created out of 300 of those classic “It’s our pleasure to serve you” coffee cups (though I fear they were not used), by designer Christian DuCharme, this fun lamp hangs at the Lafayette Espresso Bar + Market in New York. Read the rest of this entry »

Shhhh…

Hear that?

You don’t?

Perfect!

Milano Wall

That sound you don’t hear is Zephyr’s new Next Generation Europa line of range hoods.

Napoli Island

The reason you hear hardly a thing isn’t because the hood is so loud it drowns out your smoke alarm when you set the bacon on fire (come on, it’s happened to all of us, right?).  No, it’s because these range hoods are equipped with Zephyr’s DCBL™ Suppression technology.

What’s that you ask?  Well, let’s take a look under the hood, shall we?

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I just returned from a brief (but fun) business trip to San Francisco, and once again I remember why I love to travel.  Seeing new places, making new friends, and getting out of my daily routine are so invigorating to me.  Now all I can think about are the places I want to go next!

Since I have such a severe case of wanderlust, I thought it appropriate to make this week’s “Etsy Find” a globe and map themed one.  Enjoy!

Map covered wooden chair by New Yorganize.

Collier’s 1935 Map Drawer Pulls by Sherry Truitt

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The latest installment in a series of artisan profiles by contributing writer Emerald Atkins.

The ancient Greek poets were said to be inspired by the Muses, nine goddesses who were the source of all art.

Visitors to the whyrHymer Store in Los Angeles may well believe that a tenth Muse is informing Brandon & Sundeep Morrison on their own creations.  The couple & their work have been featured in California Home & Design and California Homes.  The style of their lighting & furniture is solid yet elegant, evoking the philosophy of the early 20^th century Arts & Crafts movement yet speaking in its own distinct, thoroughly modern voice.

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I’m excited to welcome back writer Emerald Atkins for another of her excellent Artisan Profiles!

There are many lights in New York City, but perhaps the most unusual are created by Allison Patrick of Zipper 8 Lighting.

Although the core idea behind her designs is simple – the covering of plain lampshades or paper lanterns with repurposed materials – there is a playful wit at work there: quirky, modern, fun… and green.

Allison has always been a creative person and early on was influenced by a craft-loving family friend with whom she was “constantly creating things.”  Over time she realized that what she truly loved was creativity within the physical world, which led to a degree in Architecture.  Place, too, influences her work, as the “already built” nature of NYC limits the scope of creativity while focusing the latter into the elaboration of interior space, such as the transformation of “a simple white box of a room” into something personable and unique. Read the rest of this entry »

She’s a svelte little stunner isn’t she?

Such a rich combination of polished wood and etched ceramic.

The charming Payton restyled vintage table lamp is available through virtuoso vintage lighting source, Mod Pieces.

If only she fit in with my decor…  Sigh.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

I love how something ordinary can become extraordinary just by changing its context.

Take these crazy cool “Spaceship” pendants by Etsy seller Urbanhardware.  Want to guess what they started life out as?

Give up?

They are actually fairly ordinary footed metal serving plates from India, turned upside down, stacked, and put to an entirely new use.  Love it!

And those aren’t the only found objects Urbanhardware has transformed into great new lighting…

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Whether you think the traditional newspaper is on its deathbed or not, there are still thousands of editions being printed daily. All that single use newsprint adds up to a tremendous amount of paper to be recycled.  Although many uses have been found for old newspaper, this has to be one of the more attractive…

NewspaperWood was developed by Dutch design label Vij5 as a way to create a wood like construction material out of waste paper.  By rolling the paper up into “logs”, rendering them solid with binders, then slicing through them, a new material with a wood like grain is achieved.

Simple, yet elegant.  Love it!

The resulting material can be used to construct furniture, such as this industrial style cabinet.

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Love!

Simple, rustic, natural,… quirky.  Yep, everything that appeals to me today is summed up in the Manila Rope Light by Etsy seller Atelier 688.

Somehow, they have managed to keep the rope light from feeling like it’s part of some poorly conceived pirate theme restaurant.  Instead it has the air of something you would find in some cool, old factory space.  And you know how I love that!

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