Sunday Inspiration - Balancing Barn House

Sometimes architects have a way of making homes appear to do more(or less) than they appear. The Balancing Barn House near Suffolk across the big pond from us over here in the US is one of those homes.

Seeming to teeter on the side of a hill, half of the home is above ground with no supports. Scary?

Check it out:

Check out that swing!

The house is built using a complex frame, along with heavier materials on the "ground side" so that the opposing end can remain open and obstruction free. The exterior is clad in silver panels that give the home a unique reflective quality that mimics the environment around it.

The house sleeps eight and is available as a short term rental. You can stay there! 

photos via

Perhaps my favorite feature of the space is the "floor light" in the living room. Those chilling on the sofa can look down beyond the coffee table and see the ground!



I'm ready to go!

Friday Find - Smarin Livingstones

Can't decide on new furniture for the den or living room? Tired of the same old sofa and easy chair? Really want your guests to feel like your cave is actually a... well, cave?

It's your lucky day.

Smarin is a French company that has a line called Livingstones that's meant to be used as primary or accessory furniture pieces.

I must say... it's startlingly appealing.

The "stones" are 100% wool(I guess that's why they look like giant other-worldly tennis balls). Don't expect to see them in stores anytime soon. They're available on an 8-week lead time and price and design are available by request from Smarin.

All photos via Smarin

So what do you think?

Pull up a stone and chat a while.

Have a Cuppa Sink!

ArtCeram unveiled these cup-shaped lavatories to the delight of java-junkies the world over. They're available in a tall(like Starbucks smallish) to venti(all the way to the floor) but only in black and white.

See?

photos via ArtCeram

Do you see a coffee-cup shaped bathroom sink in your future? Is this fun or folly?

Not-so-Friendly Guest Furniture

I admittedly like furniture that may not be so comfortable... But this?!

*knocks at the door*

"Oh come in! Have a seat..."

"What in the..."

"Oh it's new- I call it my pile of scrap wood chair... You'll love it!"


photo via

Martha Stewart and Faux Taxidermy

I love Martha Stewart. She's so much more than the queen of mean that people portray her to be. All of her recipes are tasty and all of her crafts are difficult enough that you need to further invest in tools from her specifically branded treasure chest.

It's a brilliant business model. The Martha brand has been pure genius(except for those years when she was in K-Mart. I'd never gone there otherwise).

Now there's this:

And this:

What?!

Really, a footstool? Scary and cheesy.

Martha... Call me, dear. I can help.


*Shouts to Moggit for finding this... I was mortified. You can buy these gems here.

Friday Find: Disaster Bookshelf

I actually feel how this bookshelf looks.

It is Friday, after all... 

By the way, the Daria artwork is rockin' my socks off! 

The Disaster bookshelf was designed by Victor Barish- looks to me like something that the Queen of Hearts would have had on Alice in Wonderland. 

via Behance

Any thoughts? 

#WordlessWednesday - Faucets in Heaven

Surely they aren't that ugly, but I'm sure the gummi bears flow from all faucets in heaven...

via

Friday Find - Bruun Nest Chair

Contemporary furniture has always intrigued me. Often you find a piece that seems to defy the laws of gravity, common sense, etc.

The Nest Chair by Nina Bruun is certainly one of those pieces.

For some reason, all I can think about is sitting a disk on top of a pile of rubber bands. Ha!

Would it fit in at your place? Let's here some feedback!

#WordlessWednesday - Light's On, but Nobody's Home.

via

Stop Spreading Germs!

Sometimes I get emails from readers that are really just too good not to share- here's on of them.

Just in time for the upcoming cold/allergy season... keep your germs to yourself!

Finding a stick to "shake" with others is scarily reminiscent of "choosing your own switch" when Mom/Grandma/other adult in charge is about to tear up your rear end for sneezing(not in to some one's pocket) or actually washing hands while wearing gloves.

And just so ya know... quarters taste funny.

Hand sanitizer for everyone!

Furniture Buyer's Guide: Craigslist

A close friend sent me a link to this graphic a while back and I've waiting way too long to share-

Since we are fortunate to now have a guide to buying, let's take a look at a few listings and see what we might actually be getting.

For sale: Antique sofa with intricate Honeysuckle(It's Pantone's 2011 Color of the Year!) upholstery, fringed base. Sofa has a couple rough spots but lots of life left. Must go today(or before the rain comes in)! $100

It's in a cow pasture. Fantastic.

Next:

For Sale: Funky planter/religious artifact display. Quit flushing a few years ago but makes the cutest indoor plant pot! Would help if buyer is also a plumber. $20

For sale: Bean Bag- new with tags, won't fit our decor. Bring a truck. $500

For sale: Brown leather love seat that belonged to ex. Has some wood details, maybe Scandinavian. Leather is comfy but have to sit on the love seat just right. Somebody just come get it.

For sale: Heirloom lamp, perfect for dog lovers. Glass shade has no chips or signs of age. Perfect! $40

For sale: Interactive white floor lamp, works fine and would be perfect for little girls bedroom. Must sell as it reminds me of my mother. $20

Be careful shopping on Craigslist folks- There are deals to be had, but ALWAYS check your guide before committing to purchase!

*smile*

Sources: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

Friday Find - Necklace Swing

 source

Let's go ahead and file this one under the "why not" collection of furniture. 

So you have a giant necklace hanging from the ceiling, perfect for lounging and swinging. (I'd like to point out that someone ought to do a little less swinging and little more sweeping. Your floors are pure nasty.) I think this might be fun(and dangerous), but I'm not sure about how I would decide where to put it. 

The 10' necklace is available in either Wood Felt or Beechwood and is the brainchild of German-designer Johanna Richter. According to the site where the necklace can be ordered, it "makes a poetic statement in any room..."

Price: $1600

source

What say you, peanut gallery?

AT&T was Right- Startlingly.

Rarely is a company as prophetic as Nostradamus... Now if they could just figure out a way to lower my monthly bill and get some cell service in to the rest of the Alabama wilderness!

Check out these commercials from 1993(I turned 13 that year, by the way).

Tailgating - Shoot-A-Brew Cooler

Just when you feel that can getting slightly empty, the thought of convincing someone else to bring you a fresh spot of your favorite beverage becomes evident. You remind everyone that you must hold down this lawn-chair for fear of it floating away- and still no one volunteers to bring you a drink.

Never an issue... anymore!

Enter the Shoot-A-Brew cooler. Ultra-fantasticness.

The cooler will hold a case of whatever satisfies the thirst you're having with a specific compartment for ice. A water-proof remote is included and will the favorite button to push at the tailgate. The cooler can toss a standard beverage 8 feet or so every 2 seconds. Drink up! 

Doesn't hurt that they have some rockin' promo videos. You can pre-order these gems at the Shoot-A-Brew site but you should really hurry because it'll be limited production. For just $295, it's better than paying someone to run to the cooler for you.

Wordless Wednesday - Mugs, Bowls, Plates... Ashtrays?

via

Two quick things: 

1. No wonder I don't like chalkboard paint in the kitchen.

2. If your kitchen looks like this call us, we can help. 

Friday Find - Pallet Plate Rack

The slow home movement is really one that I get in to- I love the idea of repurposing and reusing older "high mileage" items in new settings.

This one may push me right over the edge.

via Remodelista

What?

I like rustic, and I love cabins and houses in the woods... but please. 

These were in a post from the Remodelista site- a site that I read quite regularly. Thank goodness we are all allowed our own tastes... this one wouldn't make it in my house(even if I have one that isn't hooked up to electricity).

Usually on my Friday Finds I give you a link to where you can buy whatever I've found... No link today, but if you come by our shop and want one I can arrange that for the easy fee of a trip to Blue Bell. Then again, 50 cents may still be a bit expensive.

Is this someone's kitchen?

One of the bright spots in my day is Catalog Living. It always makes me laugh and has truly changed how I look at the immeasurable amount of catalogs I get.

This gem was there a couple of days ago: Here's the original post.

Really?

Don't get me wrong, I love open shelves and the tractor seat stools are fantastic. I guess the clock replaces the egg timer that was lost last year- either that or it didn't match and there was nowhere to hide it.

Think they draw water from the well outside?

What do you think? Is it too far-fetched, even for a catalog?

Let's hear it, people.

There Once was a Woman who Bathed in a Shoe...

After Debbie started her bath and gazed longingly on to the bay, she realized that had she not spent $27,000 on a gilded shoe bathtub, she could have had her very own toilet... her very own toilet.

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27K... You read right. Ahh no worries, they start out at $17,000, but it's just like a car- the loaded ones that come in the good colors are ten-grand more.

Honestly... If I'm going to have a high-heel bathtub that costs $27,000, it better have wheels and take me to town.

Totally aside, I have become a StumbleUpon(shameless self-promotion, follow me here... and click that SU button at the bottom of this entry) nut, thanks to a few friends on Twitter. In my stumbling, I came across this divine disaster and immediately thought of two dynamic bloggers and foolishly asked them to blog about it. I knew that whatever they did would be gold because they are fantastic wordsmiths and know exactly how to entertain me(Yes, in my little world I imagine they write just for me).

Foolishness.

The link became viral and began eating up my Twitter friends. Today you can browse the web and see seven different takes on this lovely/horrible plumbing fixture. I'll link them all up at the bottom... Keep reading.

In the meantime, here's my favorite of the tubs, if I must have one.

Got to admit, the black looks nice. Too bad you need a 400 sq. ft. bathroom to fit it in.

And if you live in the Barbie-fun dream house... Pink should do the trick. I feel I must use the word fancy here. So there... fancy.

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And now for the absolutely unbelievable part...

That stunner of a tub is made by SICIS, the Italian Art Factory. Everything they touch is brilliant, save the aforementioned tub. Their mosaic designs are purely genius and mesmerising. When you get finished with this, just go look at the super-awesomeness.

What makes me happy, you ask? Pin-ups. It's just my thing.

All out of tile... Look closely. Amazing. Doesn't hurt that the one gal looks startlingly like Judy Garland.

Shamrock walls in the bedroom? I'd move in here... today.

Now that's a tub I'd get in... Red? Check.

The first time I saw this pool room I thought, "That is my kind of spot. Now, where's my beverage?!"

Nothing says opulence like a gold bathtub. Divine.

It's hard for me to believe... I stumble upon a drag queen shoe-tub and am linked back to one of the most amazing mosaic design houses in the world.

Goes to show, can't always judge someone by the shoes they're wearing.

Now go look and see what everyone else did and while you're at it, follow them on Twitter. It's worth it, promise. Just click on the @name and their blog to see...

@Paul_Anater - Kitchen and Residential Design

@dogwalkblog - DogWalkBlog

@ModernSauce - Modern Sauce

@AventeTile - Tile Talk

@ecomod - eco-modernism

@Alexandrafunfit - Fun and Fit