LoftLust

Okay, so here’s the deal. After much time away from this sweet blog and considerable consideration, I’ve decided that I no longer have the time or the gusto necessary to continue this site in its original and/or recent format. I’m open to suggestion for where to take LoftLust from here, though its fate is regrettably quite precarious. So consider this post a suspension of sorts, of all things familiar from this soapbox. Perhaps another day LoftLust will return to some sort of publishing schedule, with a different look, or a different purpose completely. My love for design and great products will always be there, but that affection regularly reinvents itself and what to do with it yields perpetual bemusement. So continue to have fun with what you are doing. I look forward to your adventures, while mine take me somewhere else…

If I only had more time! So I’ve been piecing this post together here and there and it’s finally getting published. My love for beautiful designs and the time I can devote to them are not yet proportionate - can we do something about that, please?

I realize that I could go on and on about the amazing designs and designers of the beautiful, stunning, god-I-need-to-go-there Netherlands, and there’s a place online that certainly lets me indulge that fascination - a big hello to Dutch By Design!

For some great insight into what’s next from the Dutch, check out The Next 10 Powerhouses on Core 77. This article was written by Dutch By Design director Venka de Rooij, who certainly has her finger on the pulse of fabulous designs.

Among the designers listed are Kirsty Powell of Oromono, designer of the Pillow Seabloom, admired in a post on LL last June. Absolutely love her underwater inspirations! Also previously found on LoftLust is the Open Air Flatware set by designer Maarten Baptist of WATdesign. Another aforementioned fav, Nicolette Brunklaus’ Chandelier lamp shade, as she too is Dutch, can also be found there.

Other great designs to check out at Dutch By Design? The Bilboa Mirror. You ever look to find the perfect mirror for that unused corner, and yes, full-length, head-to-toe was your mission. On your search all you could find was something framed or wall-mounted, but never something original, sculptural and unobtrusive. The Bilboa Mirror is what you’ve been looking for. An oblong shape made of a crisp white acrylic - you and your mirror will compete for who’s hottest each time you check yourself out in this clever reflector.

A classic Droog design, it’s impossible to overlook the 85 Bulbs Chandelier. Designed in 1993 by Rody Graumans, this piece is a beautiful example how creatively reusing a common fixture can become something very uncommon. If you can install it, you should own it. This heavy piece is truly brilliant to look at and impressive to behold. I mean come on, it’s 85 bulbs!

And for some fun on your counter or table there’s the very cool Print Bowls. Whether it’s fruit, french fries, popcorn or ice cream, these whimsical bursts of color will likely make you hungry for more. How great are they?!

Don’t miss out on some great buy-one, get-one’s over at Design Within Reach. Like the Sapien Bookcase and the Toto Cube Lamp, both available at a reduced price if you get 2 or more, and both excellent examples of creative designs that contribute unique storage or lighting options to your lofty place. Certainly two favorites of mine. I love those sculptural oh-yeah-and-by-the-way-I’m-functional-too creations!

Other great designs, like the Deneb Dining Table, are also on sale. Perfect for the summery weather that’s already begun to poke it’s warm sunny head. If you haven’t seen this piece by Spanish designer Jesús Gasca, do take a look. Its simplicity in form and materials cannot be ignored and the power of the two certainly pack a pretty punch. Made of an aluminum frame and teak slats this table and bench can be used indoors or outdoors to provide warm comfortable texture and color and a sleek modern shape.

Sitting here at Tiny’s, I’m trying to get through my email, see what’s happening at all of my favorite sites, and stride through the exciting projects we’ve got going on at BePrivy. I’ve been out of town for a week, so there’s lots to catch up on. To the east coast and back, and on over to the Oregon coast, I could not have asked for a more family-fun filled few days - had a blast you guys!

Stay tuned for more fabulous finds and tips for tackling your spring space-spiffify-ing projects very soon!

Next on my list of books to read is the recent edition of EcoDesign: The Sourcebook by Alastair Fuad-Luke, a UK professor of green design. Trolling around for ideas and inspiration I found the book that’s my next must-read. Having flipped through a copy of the ‘02 edition, I was so excited to see this one just released.

For those of us who seek to juggle eco-friendly and high-style designs into our lives, this book is described as the ultimate one-stop shopping resource. Who couldn’t use a little guidance on this noble quest? Here’s the official description:

The latest edition of this definitive sourcebook includes up-to-the-minute listings for more than 700 consumer products—from clothing to kitchenware, electronics to furniture—that have a minimal impact on the earth while remaining useful and beautiful. This remarkable compendium also directs readers to little known gems and handcrafted objects from artisanal studios. Detailed, illustrated entries describe the products, while an extensive reference section defines new and hybrid materials and provides information on manufacturers, design studios, and green organizations. ecoDesign remains the total resource guide for the new generation of contemporary design.

If you’ve read this gem of a book - I’d love to know what wonderful finds it lead you to. For now, I’m off to Powell’s…

It’s a hurry-cuz-they-won’t-last-long sale! Visit Amy Ruppel’s special art sale site tommorrow (Friday 4/21 at 10AM PST) for the opportunity to own one of her beautiful original pieces. A fellow Portlander, she’s all the buzz right now, sold at Velocity Art and Design, and recently interviewed by design*sponge’s Grace Bonney earlier this week - great podcast Grace! Amy creates unique encaustic art pieces made of paper, oils and beeswax/resin mixtures on wood that are whimsical, eclectic and often feature birds. A modern color palette, sketched strokes and geometric elements make these pieces a very cool compliment to any contemporary space.

Mibo designs are easily the kinds of pieces you’d theme an entire space around. Not that they’re at all imposing, or for that matter embelished or large in size. They are simply simple, original and elegant in their very own way, and therefore adorn a room best when the coordinating pieces gently compliment a Mibo design.

The creations of Madeleine Rogers, her intentions for these pieces were that they be, “original, bold and affordable interior products,” and they are exactly that. Inspired by imagination and her life along the British seaside, Madeleine’s design are named for resorts and ports along the coast and the life of leisure that they portray can be felt just by looking at them.

Shown are the Bo’ness Shade - great as a pendant lamp or on a base, the Boscombe Shade - the perfect slim cylinder lamp, and the Selsey Grey Pillow - a dreamy soft design, hand screen-printed on 100% cotton. The patterns on the each of the shades are printed on a coated paper that is then transferred on to a translucent PVC which helps retain the vibrancy of the pieces.

I imagine any Mibo creation alongside a long sleek sofa, near well worn sandals, loose linen shirts, sunset beaches and the appropriate cocktail - or any modern dwelling where such a laid-back feeling is suggested.

You might have downloaded the pdf and printed a few sheets to try them out for yourself. Well now he’s gone and made things even easier. With his ever so simple, yet also so genius concept, Chad Doane has given us Doane Paper. Now available for purchase on pads of 20lb stock, this ‘legal pad meets grid paper and has a baby named Doane Paper’ creation is the beginning of a paper revolution. Drawings and the ideas that inspired them can now live happily ever after on the same sheet of paper!

Here’s a great design by the ever so brilliant crew at Nambe. Another example of Nambe’s commitment to simplicty, functionality and aesthetically stunning design, the Tilt Wine Coaster is a delightful sculptured piece of their signature metal. Molded into an asymmetrical edged coaster to keep those stain-causing drips of your favorite red off of your favorite surface - you’re sure to party in style with this clever piece.

Designed in Germany by Bodo Sperlein for Dibbern, the Black Forest porcelain collection is one-of-a-kind and absolutely stunning.

As today marks the beginning of daylight savings, trees are beginning to bloom and no longer mimic the forms on these vases. The Black Forest Round Vase and the Black Forest Cylinder Vase are a sophisticated take on the cold winter months behind us. Utilizing the rigid silhouette of bare branches in black on white, these vases offer a captivating contrast for display on your open shelf or tabletop.

Dibbern, known for its contemporary fine bone china, follows on the heels of the company’s centuries old traditional standards of high quality and beautiful design.