More fun with tennis balls

I love the confused look on that dog's face. I imagine he's pondering, chew toy or beddy..it could be a chewy pet bed?!!. I don't know if this dog bed would be comfortable, but it sure is a creative way to recycle old tennis balls.

Where furniture meets fashion?

Celebrity fragrances are so 2009.
Apparently “designing” a furniture line is the new must-have side project revenue stream for wannabe celebrities. Case in point: Nancy O’ Dell, former host of Access Hollywood launched her outdoor furniture line, Red Carpet at 2010 Las Vegas Market. She describes her line as high-end and A-list—similar to a beautiful woman on the red carpet.
Are you buying this?

Have we just run out of good ideas?

Sao Paulo Fashion Week 2010 began Jan. 18 in Brazil's largest city. The six-day event is a showcase for the fall/winter 2010 collections of 38 designers, who take their inspirations from such sources as animals and furniture.

I wonder who will wear this to the Oscars?

Harmony with just a hint of Asian mystique

Fashionista Vivienne Tam’s new upholstery line for Rowe Furniture is not the traditional East meets West fare.
Known for her iconic “Mao” collection, Tam adapted some of her signature fabrics for her new furniture line.
“Designing furniture is such a natural extension and passion for me. I have been thinking about this and collecting archives for years,” says Tam. “I want to bring beautifully designed prints, fabrics, colors and textures to create a truly unique line with subtle and sophisticated pieces inspired by my Chinese roots.”
The collection features multiple sofa groupings as well as accent pieces and will start shipping in early 2010.

Blurring the boundaries

Paging Brad Pitt…

“Furniture Futures,” the first in a series at the V&A is tapping influential designers and industry heavyweights to discuss how contemporary furniture is blurring the boundaries among art, craftsmanship and design.
The event coincides with the growing awareness of furniture as an expression of contemporary culture, and is structured around three main themes: Creative Directions, Changing Practice, and Promotion and Communication. Additional topics include whether furniture is a new art form; what role new materials and sustainability play in making and design; and whether individual creativity or collaboration in the key to innovative practice.
The Symposium will be held September 18, 2009 and is part of the London Festival of Design.

Furniture buying index drops to 57, office furniture tanks

The Furniture Buying Index fell two points this month to a reading of 57, according to America’s Research Group.
“… more consumers have put discretionary spending on a complete and total hold,” Britt Beemer, chairman of the group, said.
The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America’s Research Group from interviews with 5,000 to 8,000 consumers across the country.
The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association is forecasting a continued slowdown for the office furniture industry.
Orders and shipments of office furniture for the first quarter of 2009 came in below expectations, according to the association, which recently refined its forecast model to better reflect the image of some of the model’s drivers and improve accuracy.
The domestic market should improve as 2009 progresses, but recovery for the rest of the world will be slower.
Projections as of late May are:
*2009U.S. Production: $8.0 billion, a decrease of 28.6 percentU.S. Consumption: $9.4 billion, a decrease of 27.4 percent
*2010U.S. Production: $8.2 billion, an increase of 2.8 percentU.S. Consumption: $9.8 billion, an increase of 3.9 percent

Deep-seated eco silliness

Swiss artist and furniture designer Michel Bussien is an environmental matchmaker of sorts — his recent creation the “The Growing Chair” offers humans a reintroduction to nature.
A fast growing Willow tree and a Russian vine is planted into a chair-shaped plastic greenhouse. The Willow tree forms around the chair supporting the structure and the vine helps hold everything together.
When the flora outgrows its lush greenhouse, it can be snapped open and removed.
Awkward introductions aside, this living chair shows that environmentalists maybe have a sense of humor??!
According to the artist’s Nature Manifesto:
“… To move further we need to incorporate the living matter that surrounds us. Let us use the complexity of living nature and include it in our creations. These creations will then redefine the way we reconstruct nature. Only then will we truly move forward…”
Then again, maybe not.

An ode to breezy summer days

After working in the world of loveless high-volume manufacturing, New Zealand native Jolyon Yates wanted to create some soulful and distinctive low-volume furniture.
In 2008 he started ODE, a venture that specializes in one-off distinctive, eco-friendly furniture.
I especially love his Breeze or Savannah Rocker. Its flowing surfaces lead the eye on an easy journey into a slower era. The Breeze is sculpted from Birch Plywood and stands approximately 1,000 mm tall by 520 mm wide by 1,000 mm deep. It’s finished with a strong satin lacquer to draw out the subtle natural colors of the wood.

Little space, big idea

Instead of offering out-of-town guests the couch or a blow up mattress, now you can offer them the ottoman.
Hollandia International has designed a convertible ottoman that folds out into a twin bed. The space-saving furniture trend is available in more than 250 fabrics, and features a Vita Talalay Latex mattress that is specially ventilated for increased air circulation. It also has a flexible shoulder zone (a softer area where shoulders can press further into the mattress without resistance). The bed is designed to alleviate back pain and numbness for side-sleepers.

Once your guest is over the shock of sleeping on the ottoman, it may encourage them to ante up for a hotel room next visit. Well played.

Not your father's Murphy bed

When you live in a small space it must take on multiple personalities during the day.
A Murphy or hideaway bed is one way to incorporate another personality into a small space. Thankfully they’ve come a long way from a small wire-frame mattress hidden in a closet.
This new generation furniture trend is all about stylish storage. The functional and luxe Habersham Augustine bed with bookcase is the Ferrari of Murphy beds. The design clearly conceals your sleeping quarters and will leave guests wondering, “Where do you sleep?”
The Augustine bed comes in various hand-painted finishes to match almost any décor.

A royal “garage sale” of sorts

Rich people are just like us. They like to get rid of stuff, but instead of having a garbage sale (typo stays), they opt to sell their unwanted treasures at auction.
According to an article in the Telegraph, four items (fine furniture and accessories) purchased after Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 are up for grabs. The items include a pair of giltwood chairs, green silk screen, table and a pair of cabinets. All the furniture is from the Victorian period.
The standout piece is a gilded center table made from amboyna wood and was specially made for Queen Victoria. The table is stamped with the Queen’s crown, the initials VR 1866 and Windsor Castle – Room 243.
The auction will be held May 29 at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

A chair with Daddy issues

Meet Daddy’s chair, a Danish modern recliner with a sense of humor. Designed by De Vorm, Daddy’s chair is a bold, sophisticated armchair with a steep recline. The low-slung chair was designed with an optimal angle to be the perfect reading chair.
Unlike a real daddy, this armchair features no-sag springs and foam cushions which can be covered with any fabric. The design is available with no armrests and a couch can be created by attaching two or more chairs to one another.

Magical table expands at the push of a button

I remember my Mom wrestling with extra dining room leaves for every major holiday. Besides being a hassle to install, it was always a chore to dig them out of the storage closet. Those days are over for anyone who can afford The Fletcher Capstan Table, a round table that can double its seating capacity at the push of a button.
What makes this table so very amazing is that it stores its expansion leaves within itself. According to DB Fletcher Design, the table can go from seating six people to 12 in a matter of seconds. When small, the top is made up of six pie shaped leaves, and an outer skirt in the manner of a drum table. Under this first layer lie two more layers of leaves, the first strata made up of six arrow-shaped leaves and, under that, a large star shaped leaf. The table operates electrically from a small remote, and bases can even be made to vary in height.
The motors controlling the mechanism run on low voltage, which can be supplied from a re-chargeable battery housed within the table’s base. This battery is easily removed for re-charging and installation of the second supplied battery.

For yacht installations (I told you it was pricey), the table can run on its own batteries, or be connected to the ship’s electrical supply.
All tables are individually designed and built, and each is one numbered.

Furniture Buying Index rises to 58

The Furniture Buying Index inched up two points this month to a reading of 58 as of May 1.
“We will have to continue to watch the index in the coming months and hope that this trend continues,” Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, said.
“Hopefully the index will continue to rise and will get above the 70-point level by the end of the year.”
The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America’s Research Group from interviews with 5,000 to 8,000 consumers across the country.

Flotation device or eco-chic chair?

Norwegian artist and furniture design student, Camilla Hounsell Halvorsen created an eco-friendly chair made out of recycled upholstery material and inner tubes.

Drop chairs have stainless steel legs with an inner tube covered with fabric. The seat is not permanently fixed to the under frame so it can be tilted by the user. The seat also can be removed from the frame and used as a cushion.
“The chair’s design has been inspired by the process behind making tassels. Drop introduces elements of childish delight and colorfulness into the user’s everyday life,” according to Halvorsen.
I just have one question: Can the chair’s cushion be used as a floatation device in the event of a water landing????

Casegoods companies build on sustainable practices

La-Z-Boy casegoods companies American Drew and Lea Industries have achieved Sustainable by Design registration.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance’s Sustainable by Design program aims to create a culture of conservation and environmental stewardship with sustainable business practices, according to the association.
“… American Drew and Lea Industries have realized a 12 percent reduction in electrical energy used over the past two years,” said Stephanie St. Pierre, environmental and safety manager for the two companies.
The companies also are reducing water use, resulting in a savings of 3 percent, or 300,000 gallons, in the first year. Also, 140 tons of solid waste was diverted from landfills to a recycling center during the past year.
As part of the program’s audit, the companies established several goals, including:
*Supply chain management
*Energy conservation, water conservation, recycling and solid/hazardous waste minimization
*Use of low-VOC/low-HAP coatings, certified lumber, low-emitting UF resins
Kincaid Furniture, also part of the La-Z-Boy casegoods division, previously passed the sustainability audit and Hammary is slated to complete the program later this month.

Furniture Buying Index remains at 56

The Furniture Buying Index remained unchanged this month at 56, according to America’s Research Group.
Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, said, “This is somewhat positive for the furniture industry since at least the index did not go down …”
The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America’s Research Group from interviews with 5,000-8,000 consumers across the U.S.
This may be an indicator that the recession has bottomed out or at least stabilized. While consumer confidence remains low, I think furniture manufacturers will have to offer rock-bottom prices to get customers into showrooms.

Extreme makeover: Adirondack furniture

This is not your traditional sitting by the lake Adirondack-style furniture.
The Adirondack Museum asked six modernist and postmodern architects and designers and six Adirondack rustic furniture makers to create a new, modern aesthetic. The results of the collaborations have reinvigorated rustic furniture trends using traditional methods and materials.
The "Rustic Tomorrow" collection features a desk by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill consulting partner David Childs that was built by Wayne Ignatuck with red oak salvaged from his yard and walnut castoffs from a nearby farm. A table by Shope Reno Wharton Associates’s Allan Shope was constructed in black walnut by Judd Weisburg, according to Interior Design magazine.
Other contemporary designers include, Michael Graves, Nils Luderowski Architect and Dennis Wedlick Architect, and 20th Century Fox art director Thomas Cardone, according to Interior Design.
This exhibit will travel to:
Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute, Utica, New York — February 14 through April 19, 2009.
D. Wigmore Fine Art Inc., New York, New York — April 22 to May 6, 2009.
"Rustic Tomorrow’s" one-of-a-kind pieces will be sold at auction to benefit Adirondack Museum on May 6.

Furniture Buying Index drops to 56

The Furniture Buying Index fell three points this month to a reading of 56, according to America’s Research Group. The index is compiled each month by America’s Research Group from interviews with 5,000 to 8,000 consumers across the U.S.
In a typical month, 80 percent of the consumers interviewed can name a specific furniture item they intend to buy. The index’s mark signifies what percent of the benchmark 80 percent actually have a particular item or furniture trend in mind.

Meet the easy chair’s hot European cousin

There’s nothing like sinking into a comfy chair after a long, stressful day at work and zoning out on trash TV with a box of Girl Scout cookies. Of course, our European brethren like to relax just as much as we do, but they do it with a bit more style.
The Scharly Designer Studio is debuting the Frankfort Factory chair at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) from May 16 to 19 in New York. The modern chair was designed with a Zen concept—its ultra soft backrest adapts to everyone and memorizes the most comfortable position with its intelligent surface, creating an extraordinary relaxing sensation.
This lounge chair is manufactured with a very smooth foam that is covered by a fine layer of latest-generation soft polyurethane, which provides elasticity and light reflection. The seat is made with a very resistant yet lightweight material.
The chair was produced under conditions in line with sustainable and environmental development. Greenhouse gases not included.