January 08, 2006
Modular Home Theater Seating
In the expanding world of home theater seating, sofas and loveseats are out, while individual chairs are in. That way, everyone can recline, relax, or slouch in whatever ways makes them comfortable as they view the movies. A bunch of blocky chairs cluttering up the floor can get crowded quickly, though, so more home theater shops are offering chairs that can stand solo or fit together to create longer pieces that retain individual spaces. One such manufacturer is Salamander Seating. Their Olivia chairs have the flexibility to be put together as L-shaped sofas, love seats, or kept as individual pieces. They look pretty comfortable too; each chair comes with its own lumbar support pillow. The prices start at $2,000.
http://www.salamanderdesigns.com
December 28, 2005
Massaging Recliner for Your Home Theater
A part of Cliff Young's home theater furniture collection, the Moon massaging recliner is designed to soothingly kneed your sore muscles while you relax in front of your favorite movie. The chair includes "high-technology features such as an infrared tactile sensor that analyzes the user's back muscles at more than 350 massage points, and a multicervical positioning system that perfectly adapts to the neck area for the best-possible massage quality and depth." That's what the company says, anyway. I, for one, did not know I had 250 massage points on my back. I wouldn't mind giving the chair a try though. The price for the Moon massaging recliner is $4,200.
http://www.cliffyoungltd.com
December 26, 2005
Environmentally-friendly Lollipop Bench
This "Lollipop" bench, designed by Peter Danko of Danko Persing, is made with sturdy plate steel and "ply bent construction," an environmentally-friendly building method that uses 1/8th the amount of lumber required to make traditional wooden furniture. The bench is available with eight different stains, weighs 100 pounds, and stands 35" tall by 22.5" deep by 70" long. The price is $1,950, and it's available via http://www.vivavi.com
December 21, 2005
Wrought Iron Chair
Wrought iron is a material I usually associate with gates and fences, but Brindisiamo puts a new spin on it with pieces like this wrought iron chair, which is 24" wide, 32" deep, and 35" high. Part of a line of hand-forged furniture from Tuscany, the chair is one of many pieces created by the 125-year-old, family-owned company that also offers colorful ceramics and linens.
http://www.brindisiamo.com/
December 10, 2005
Not Your Grandmother's Rocking Chair
This modern-looking rocking chair, the "Mamma Rocking Chair," from Editorial Living in Canada is a unique upgrade to gradma's old wooden rocker. Made from sturdy fiberglass with a high gloss urethane finish, the rocker is available in white and custom colors. With a price tag of $6,000, the limited edition chair isn't for those still furnishing their living rooms with bean bags.
http://www.editorialliving.com
December 09, 2005
End Table from Recycled Chopsticks
The company that makes this end table is called Kwytza Kraft (kwytza being the Chinese word for chopsticks), and they make all manner of things from floor lamps to baskets to CD holders from old chopsticks taken (and cleaned, thank you) from Chinese restaurants. This end lamp is hand-made from roughly 300 recycled bamboo chopsticks. A glass top offers a stable surface for your knick knacks. The addition of a light bulb below allows it to double as a lamp--the company says the light makes cool effects on the walls as it glows through all the slats.
http://www.kwytzakraft.com
December 07, 2005
Maple Single-plank Coffee Table
If you like the look of wood furniture but don't like the idea of trees being chopped down for the sake of living room decor, visit Seattle-based Urban Hardwoods. The company creates furniture using reclaimed trees. The firm's designer, John Wells, says they started out "salvaging beached logs in a tugboat." An example of their work is this maple coffee table. Standing on steel legs, the Live Edge Table is made from a single plank of reclaimed maple and measures 60" by 18" by 13"H. The list price is $1,625.
http://www.urbanhardwoods.com
November 14, 2005
Floating Bar Stools
Technically, it's called "suspended seating," but I thought 'floating bar stools' would be more descriptive. Put out by Seating Innovations, these legless chairs get attached to your kitchen counter/breakfast bar as a replacement for that row of stools cluttering up the space now. Since these chairs have no legs, you don't have to move them to sweep or mop, and there's no chance of scuffs on your floors. Seating Innovations has numerous styles from modern stainless steel to wood chairs with a ladder-back style to the plain stools featured here.
http://www.seating-innovations.com/
November 12, 2005
A Different Kind of Expandable Dining Table
When most people think of expandable dining room tables, they think of the old, rectangular drop leaf or insert-a-leaf tables they grew up with. Today's expandable tables are getting a touch of creativity. If you're not ready to spend $20,000 on Century Furniture's Radial table, maybe their Square-to-Square table from the Modera Collection will be more your style. At $5,340, it's not cheap, but it expands in a unique way with four 12-inch leaves that are inserted between the corner squares, which slide diagonally out. With the added leaves, the table goes from a 60-inch square to a 72-inch square.
http://centuryfurniture.com
November 10, 2005
Customizable Home Theater Recliner
Home theaters are becoming very popular, and homeowners are spending thousands to bring in the best screens, audio systems, and of course chairs. New companies are cropping up, offering ultra-comfortable seats. Over at Elite Home Theater Seating, you can customize your recliner, choosing everything from material (i.e. leather or suede), to style and shape, to color, to footrest stitch pattern, to what kind of metal comprises the cup holders. Like much of the home theater seating out there, the recliners can work by themselves or be grouped to accomodate a row of viewers. Prices for the elite recliners start at $2,200.
http://www.elitehts.com
November 07, 2005
Leather Home Theater Seating
Home theaters are popular upgrades for families who like to watch movies in the perfect setting. Holden leather home theater seating from American Leather combines the positioning options of a recliner with cup holders and wide armrests perfect for lounging in front of the big screen. The chairs are designed specifically for media rooms. They're sold separately, but they can be linked to share armrests and accommodate multiple family members. Expect to pay $500 and up per seat.
http://www.americanleather.com
October 30, 2005
Goodbye Folding Dining Room Tables...
Say goodbye to folding dining room tables and tables that expand via awkward drop leafs. Century Furniture's Radial dining table puts a new spin on expandable tables. If you turn the 60 inch round top, it glides apart to make room for eight "fence post" extensions that increase the table's diameter to 84 inches. Designed by Oscar de la Renta, the Radial table costs $22,850. (I guess those of us who can't afford that price tag are stuck with the folding dining room tables after all.)
http://www.centuryfurniture.com
Zero-Gravity Chair
Looking for a replacement for that eye-sore recliner hogging a corner of your living room? How about a zero-gravity chair? Don't worry--it's not as science fictiony as it sounds. Interactive Health's Perfect Chair pivots back to cradle your body so your feet are above your heart. The position is supposed to approximate weightlessness (hence the zero-gravity name), and it takes the weight off the spine, which is said to promote back health. The price for the Perfect Chair ranges from $1,399 to $1,799.
http://www.interhealth.com/n/
September 07, 2005
Giro Mesh Chair
The Giro Chair, made by Gala Wright for Coro, consists of an elastic mesh seat supported by a satin-finish steel frame. The seat swings and rotates within the circular support and is available in a number of colors. If you aren't using the seat, you can tilt it up and flatten it within the vertical frame.
http://www.coroitalia.com/
Plu'MO Resort Chair--the Wind Blocking Chair
That seaside home you paid a fortune for seemed like a good idea at the time... until you realized the constant wind makes it hard to sit out on the porch and relax with a book or magazine. Enter the plu'MO resort chair, an extremely high-backed chair designed to give you a place to sit while blocking wind. Put out by Jane Hamley Wells, the cocoon-like rattan chair is specifically made to stand up well in high-impact, high-wind areas.
http://www.janehamleywells.com/
September 02, 2005
Pocket Chair Doubles as Magazine Rack
The Pocket Chair from In House Furniture is sleek, minimalist, and holds your favorite magazines in an inobtrusive opening in the back. The Pocket Chair is available in different colors with polycarbonate seats and a chrome frame. It comes in three sizes: seat height, bar stool height, and counter stool height. Expect to pay about $245.
http://www.inhousefurniture.com/
July 26, 2005
Contemporary Lounge Chair from Thos. Moser
Thos. Maker, reknowned for their cabinets, makes a few other things, too. This sleek lounge chair is one of the newest additions to their Vita Collection. The curved seat and back are made with solid matched-grain cherry wood suspended over the lounge's laminated, curved feet. The cushions are hand-stitched and "ergonomically set in the cantilevered frame making the Vita Lounge a luxurious oasis on which the body–and the eye–will feel free to linger." The dimensions are 36" high, 22" wide, and 66" long. The price for this contemporary lounge chair is $4,100.
http://www.thomasmoser.com/
July 24, 2005
Granite Bench
Since granite countertops are popular, why not granite furniture? Granted, the natural stone might not be the most comfortable in your living room lounger, but this handsome black-white granite bench from Hammacher Schlemmer is hand-crafted and polished over a 5 day period. It has a solid Western Cedar base that makes it suitable for both indoor and outdoor living. Decorative scoring gives it personality and a square cutout on the top can be used to hold sand, stone, or even water to create a serene reflecting pool.
Granite Bench
Cowhide Furniture
Cowhide furniture isn't for everyone, but a few people north of Texas may be swayed by this snazzy looking cowhide bench from Sublime American Design. This hair-on hide piece is available in white or black and comes with nickel-plated legs and a cold-rolled-steel frame. The standard length is 72 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 18 inches tall (though Sublime says others sizes are available).
http://www.sublimeamericandesign.com/
via Interior Design
July 20, 2005
Portable Massage Tables
Looking for a little pampering at home? Massages are popular with just about anyone who's prone to tense or sore muscles, and some homeowners are relaxing with portable massage tables right at home (of course, it's up to you to get a massage therapist to come over). The Frontgate Portable Massage Table (shown below) is padded with a memory foam layer designed to conform to its occupant's body. The table is 73 inches long with maple legs. A nylon storage case is available for $59 extra. If you're just looking for a no-hassle way to get a foot massage, something like the Jentle Ped foot massager may be more your speed.
http://www.frontgate.com
July 13, 2005
Hammock or Art?
The Satala Hammock from Aqua Creations has a futuristic pod shape that will make guests wonder if it's a piece of furniture or an art sculpture. The hammock can be used indoors or outdoors, and the unique design means it only needs one wall to attach to. It comes in a range of colors and is paired with a featherdown cushion for comfort. This piece of loungable art is made by Aqua Creations. The $4,500 price tag will put it out of reach of casual shoppers, but if unique furnishings are your raison d'etre, this hammock may be worth it.
http://aquagallery.com/
June 05, 2005
Themed Home Theater Seating
The popularity of home theaters has got people shopping for more than DLP projectors. First Impressions creates home theater seating (and then some) based on themes from "futuristic to classical to art deco, contemporary, western and more."
Their CineBikerLounger reminds me of the episode of Home Improvement based on the "Man's Bedroom." Maybe suitable for a bachelor pad, but guys, good luck getting your wife to agree to a room full of these:
June 01, 2005
Scrabble Table + Monopoly + Chess and More
If you think a coffee table should be for more than large picture books and magazines, you may want to check out the 6 in 1 Coffee Table from Game-Table.com. Boards swap in and out to provide play for Scrabble, Monopoly, Chess, Checkers, and Backgammon, and there's a plain coffee table look for when you're not playing. The cherry finish makes it more handsome than some other game tables I've seen. All in all, a good choice for inflicting family togetherness nights on the kids.
May 12, 2005
Custom Furniture
Custom furniture may be the style of the future. According to a blurb in the May 11, 2005 edition of the Wall Street Journal (print version), U.S. furniture companies are starting to offer customization in order to compete against imports. Want a custom chair? L. & JG Stickley, Inc. is allowing customers to choose the style of the arm, base, and back in their chairs. Norwalk's Variations program offers customized loveseats and sofas, allowing shoppers to choose from different arms, backs, and fabrics.
For more on furniture trends, you can read Furniture Firms Court
Generation X, Y Buyers over at the real estate section of the Wall Street Journal Online.
March 06, 2005
Stain Resistant Fabric
If you have kids and/or pets, you know how hard it can be to keep your home looking good. That brilliant new chaise lounge may be the perfect complement to your decor now, but wait until the first Kool-Aid stain...
Crypton "Super Fabric" may be the answer. It's made to resist stains, odors, mildew, water and hard treatment of all sorts. Cleaning magic markers, spaghetti, Kool-Aid and other infamous stains are made simple. It comes in numerous styles, so there's no need to worry about blah furniture. Crypton fabric costs about $5 more per yard than other fabrics, but it may be worth it in the long run.
Crypton Fabric
February 25, 2005
Eco-Friendly Furniture
Looking for environmentally conscious furniture? Or furniture makers that use recyled materials or perhaps contribute some of their earnings to eco-friendly causes? Treehugger, a blog that follows modern yet ecologically responsible living, has entries on a number of furniture makers that are doing their part to help the Earth. Visit this post on Re-Modern, a furniture designer "with integrity" or check out these bucket pendant lamps, made out of--you guessed it--recylced bucket liners. Also in the light category are these table lamps made from recycled jars. The whole site is a great resource and worth browsing when you have the time.
February 21, 2005
Custom Designed Furniture
Customization of furniture is becoming more popular these days. With printing technology, vendors can offer wallpaper, rugs, and kitchen backsplashes with pictures of the kids or whatever you desire on them, but furniture is being customized, too. While custom designed pieces may still be expensive when commissioned, now more homeowners are realizing they can do much of the work themselves. "Meet the hottest new interior designer: the American homeowner. Spurred by the Internet's growing ranks of décor vendors and weary of canned looks pushed by big retailers, would-be decorators are commissioning their own curtain fabrics, designing their own bathroom tiles -- even ordering rugs emblazoned with images of the family dog."
From Customization Movement Hits Home Furnishings
February 17, 2005
Salt Lamps
We've looked at lamps made out of stone, but how about lamps made out of salt? Chi Evolution makes both lamps and candles using Himalayan crystallized salt aged over 250 million years.
ChiEvolution
February 10, 2005
Wine Rack or Wine... Tube?
Let's face it, if you're a true wine enthusiast, and you own your own home, you've probably built a wine cellar or at least installed a wine refrigerator, but if you haven't reached that point yet (give it time), you may be considering a wine rack. If space is at a premium, you might be interested in a wine tube. Sounds weird, but as they say, sometimes less is more. The Kim Almsig wine tube featured below holds 12 bottles and allows you to see all the labels without pulling each individual bottle out of a rack. Wall mounting makes access easy while the slim profile keeps your prized bottles from getting in the way.
If you want something a little more sophisticaed, The Wine Enthusiast sells a number of Wine racks and cooling systems.
February 06, 2005
Smart Clocks
Philippe Starck, considered by some as "the world's leading exponent of expressionist architecture," working with Oregon Scientific has created a "smart clock." The clock tells time, air pressure, temperature, and humidity, not to mention showing off the phase of the moon. The clocks come in small, medium, and large sizes with red, yellow, and gray as color options for the clock face.
Smart Clock
February 05, 2005
Stone Sculpture Lights
Das Art combines stone sculptures with lighting elements. The hard carved stones are translucent and lit from within by electric light or a candle. The illuminated stone sculptures "connect you to your environment, and ultimately to the universe, in a contemporary and timeless way."
Or they just look neat.
Stone Lights at Das Art
