The Donut Project

These avian apartments are almost enough to make me want to be a bird watcher! Build by Luke Bartels and painted by Jeff Canham, these bad boys are stylish and have a sense of humor. You can purchase yours here.

(via public school)

I really love the pieces from the Jose Collection from Mauricio Arruda.

Jose Collection is a family of storage furniture pieces produced out of materials and processes that achieve a more responsible environmental impact. With previous experiences in design research and academia, his approach to the collection analyzes the product’s life cycle. The urban landscape produces plenty of material that goes overlooked and underused; Arrudawas able to see the opportunity to such urban norm.

Really great concept and execution. I would gladly have these in my home. See more of furniture here.

via the best part

The Shibafu Table, by Emmanuelle Moureaux is a table with 56 slender colored acrylic feet randomly arranged into a table top of transparent acrylic. “The sticks support the transparent acrylic panel, while refracting and reflecting light as if they were soaking under water.” HOLY SHIT. The way the light is dispersed, it looks like tons more of the rods are in the ‘water’ than are actually there. So cool.

(via mocoloco)

In England, bus route signs were once printed on rolls of calico cloth.

Bus drivers used to turn a crank to show the stops on the top of the bus, said DeWayne Lumpkin, whose Home Economics shop in Grants Pass, Ore., sells single rolls of the graphic vintage cloth, along with pillows, benches and wing chairs upholstered in it.

The rolls date from the 1940s to the 1970s, and measure 30 to 60 feet long.

The fabric sells for $175 a yard, and varies in width, from 24 to 38 inches; an 18-inch-square pillow is $110, a wing chair is $2,500, and a 48-inch-long bench, above, sells for $950.

Check out their website at britishroutesigndesigns.com.

(via NYTimes)

Gorgeous furniture pieces from Egg Collective make me want to decorate immediately! A group of four women who met in wood shop at architecture school, their beliefs and collective effort keep them going, even though they work only from a virtual office and live in completely different areas.

It is important for us to create, investigate methods of craft and production, think about the future of the built world, and be mindful of our environment. We design because we find questions in some of life’s most simple tasks that are still unanswered. The result is something beautiful, functional, responsible, and innovative.

The Pill Table is probably my favorite, but honestly, I can’t decide! Enjoy more of their thoughtful pieces here.

via sharesomecandy

I’ve heard Rick mention the “country-fication” of IKEA that’s happening, and this has pretty much slammed a lid on that theory. Today, TDP friend Mig Reyes tweeted about IKEA’s announcement that they will no longer be using Futura in their branding, but instead have opted to use web-friendly, horribly inappropriate Verdana in its place. Part of what makes IKEA who they are is that typeface—its timeless round characters and sharp, modern angles voice the brand in a clean and chic but also friendly manner. Verdana has its uses, and this isn’t a good one. I don’t know how this will bode well for them, especially if they’re trading in some of their signature furnishings for more Martha-esque pieces. Thoughts? Read the announcement here.

Edit: ‘The Country-fication of IKEA’ will be published later this week. IKEA truly is slipping and it’s terribly sad to see. –Ricky

(Last image via ShortFormBlog)

Check out this wicked cool chandelier/lamp made out of 8 large printer cartridges! It’s design-nerd to the extreme, but it would look awesome in a studio. This one-of-a-kind will set you back $200.

Buy it from ‘boxlightbox’ on Etsy.

Alvin Diec has appeared on so many websites and with so many different examples of his work, that I had no clue all of the pieces were actually from the same person. He is extremely talented and his portfolio includes posters, logos, books and even a piece of furniture, all with a unique style and delicate details added to each project. I highly recommend taking a peek at his website for more outstanding pieces and inspiration, here.

I have a love/hate relationship with minimal modernist furniture. In general, I love the design of it. However, design should include functionality/comfort and sometimes that is compromised for the cleanest lines. Other times they nail the look, nail the functionality – and sometimes when that happens it’s no longer accessible to regular people, as they can price chairs at thousands of dollars.

So when I saw this chair on BLTD, I wondered that the catch was? It’s a sweet looking chair for the affordable price of $128 and has a strange name. The chair is for sale at Urban Outfitters, and designed by Blu Dot.

My skepticism immediately questions the structural integrity of the chair. $128 isn’t much money for a chair, especially one that only has a couple metal bars preventing the chair from turning me into a human clothespin if it collapses. For those of you who don’t know me personally, I’m a large human being. I’ve snapped legs off of my fair share of those plastic lawn chairs, resulting in me on my ass. Would this chair hold me? How about if I were sitting in it and my (fictional) girlfriend leaped into my masculine arms? Would the chair buckle under the weight and/or lust?

If this chair can stand up to that, it’s a hell of a buy. It’s quite a looker. Buy it here, or I’m guessing you can probably see it at your local Urban Outfitters store.

This Tetris furniture totally rocks! I love the planters, too. Imagine being able to stack your stuff in different ways, and how especially handy it would be in a dorm room or teeny New York apartment. I want an entire room full right now!