Outdoor Living Week - Great Bowl 'O Fire

Add a little more fire to your fire pit with these red hot designs from John T. Unger. The 100% recycled content steel fire bowls are individual works of art, with each piece hand signed by the artist. The Great Bowl 'O Fire can even be converted to work with propane or gas. But the best part? We sort of of feel like those flames of fire would make a great place to rest a long skewer of marshmallows... Happy Friday!

Outdoor Living Week - Ivy Street Design

We're so happy it's Friday, it's sunny and it's 70 degrees! So much so that we are inspired to get gardening by these landscape masterpieces from Ivy Street Design. The Denver firm creates stunning backyard designs (trust us, check out the before and after photos!) that incorporate water features, stone and paver installations, gorgeous greenery and furnishings that are perfect compliments to their outdoor spaces. Here is a lovely look for some weekend to-do list inspiration!

Hero 365 - Rain Collector & Drying Rack

For some, relaxing outdoors is as simple as gardening or hanging laundry out to dry. At ICFF, The Hero Design Lab debuted a solution to make doing both chores a little easier. Their Hero 365 collection is a new line of "extraordinary resource saving objects for everyday life", that includes a rain collector that holds up to 45 gallons of collected rain and an outdoor drying rack that, when folded, doubles as a privacy screen. Not only are the designs functional, they create a nostalgic ambiance perfect for a relaxing setting on a patio or balcony.

via: MocoLoco

Pappelina Outdoor Rugs

We're continuing our coverage of outdoor living week with some bright and cheerful outdoor rugs. Pappelina manufactures unique and modern rugs using a plastic material with a specific lustre and shine, combined with their special weaving technique, resulting in rugs that are both soft and comfortable to walk on. Durable and long lasting, these rugs will add a bright spot underneath your feet in your outdoor living environment.

Marin Outdoor Living

After our extended Memorial Day holiday weekend, we're jazzed up to be spending more time outdoors. The rest of the week we will be featuring our favorite outdoor products, design tips and solutions for summer living.

In the coastal mountains an hour south of San Francisco, Mary Collins, an experienced painter & sculptor hand builds concrete forms, vessels, and fountains for Marin Outdoor Living. They range in organic shapes, sizes and intense hues of color that add a burst of cheerful color to any outdoor space. These planters, accessories and artistic objects are integrally pigmented and finished with non-toxic, porous concrete sealers.

ICFF 2009 - Frank Fuzzy

We love wall decals and stickers - they're so much easier than paint and can transform a room in literally seconds. That's our kind of home improvement project! These velvet wall stickers by Frank Fuzzy add just a touch of dimension and tactile effect to what is traditionally a very flat surface. His designs range from the ornate and traditional to the mod and optical and can even incorporate a hint of color for a surprising twist.

ICFF 2009 - Scott Strickstein

Porcelain coated mesh, draped and layered, creates an ethereal design for pendant lighting. The CMesh line by Scott Strickstein creates a filtered light pattern play, offering an artistic approach to lighting design.

ICFF 2009 - Light Movement by Sang Hoon Kim

Sang Hoon Kim, a graduate of the esteemed Cranbrook Academy of Art (right here in our back yard - Bloomfield Hills, MI) debuted the full scale model of his thesis project at ICFF. His organic and curvaceous room divider mimics the movement of light and shadows, while segmenting open spaces with a modern flair. This installation was part of his "Light Movement" project at Cranbrook.

ICFF 2009 - Gray Pants & Mafi Wood

More from the floor at ICFF 2009...

How much did you pay for that gorgeous light fixture? You probably wouldn't guess that these shapely designs (for under $300!) are actually crafted from recycled corrugate by Gray Pants Design. The interesting light patterns that escape between slices of cardboard play upon the ceiling and walls, invigorating a once lifeless scrap material.

Wood working to the extreme is the motivation at Mafi Wood. The designers take solid oak, heat it to the point of creating stress fractures and then add colorful epoxy to the cracks, adding a modern twist to their designs. Used on both furniture and flooring, Mafi creates the feeling that you are walking on a custom-created masterpiece.

ICFF 2009 - Day One Review

We're on the floor at ICFF, enjoying the designers and their interesting stories. Here are the first three highlights of our trip to NYC:

Viso's collection of customizable lighting was a bright spot of the show, with their hand blown glass pendants that contained a unique piece of art inside - only visible when the light is switched on. Lovely and elegant when turned off, the lights take on a quirky personality when turned on.

Green and sustainable wine bottle decor has been all the range of late, but this is the first time we have seen the bottles recycled with such a clean, modern aesthetic. Artist JGoodDesign slices the bottles to create a chandelier style fixture that mesmerizes you into saving the planet.

Just when you thought you had seen it all for the iPod, we stumbled across the iLog in our path... The serene and natural looking system by Judson Beaumont balances the cool sleekness of Apple's electronic designs with a touch of earthy goodness.

EcoSpheres

A “tiny working model of the Earth,” each EcoSphere “contains the same essential elements that are found on our planet: air, water, life and land.” Each beautiful, self-contained sphere contains algae and tiny shrimp that you can watch swimming around. Not only are EcoSpheres wonders of science, the design, which incorporates NASA technology, is aesthetically pleasing and fits into most any décor. The EcoSphere, the world's first totally enclosed ecosystem, comes with two shrimp, algae, filtered sea water and a sprig of gorgonian (the non-living, branch like material) hermetically sealed inside. These Spheres are a great teaching tool for children and an ethereal design statement for green parents.

via: Inhabitots

RKS Laundry Pod - Hand Washing is Easy

The RKS Laundry Pod is a prototype handwash helper that helps cut down on energy use and makes washing by hand much easier. Put the dirty items into the Pod, then add soap and water. Soak and then spin by pumping the hand lever. Drain out the soapy water, refill and spin to rinse. Drain and spin to damp dry. This system makes it easy to wash delicates or small loads anywhere, anytime - without the use of electricity or large appliances. via: MoCoLoCo

Wall Tiles - Green Pockets

Green Pockets are ceramic wall tiles designed by Maruja Fuentes to bring natural atmosphere and green space into your home. Their interlocking design allows you to create a wall mural of green herbs and plants that add color and dimension to any room. Made of recycled materials, the tiles come in flat and pocket versions to create a unique design in every space.

via: Momoy