Byootiful!

Remember the Eames chair? My parents had one. Eventually, I guess they decided they didn't want it anymore because it didn't go with their living room decor, and they gave it to my sister and her husband, who wanted it more than I did. At the time, I thought it was a little 70s-looking. But what did I know? Very little, it turns out, since the revolutionary design is turning 50 this year, and is the subject of an exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design in New York.

After sitting in one of those chairs again at the museum, I want to renegotiate with my family! Boy, are those things comfortable... and I have a new appreciation for the design after seeing the rest of the show. Worth checking out if you happen to be in New York.

Not in New York but want to learn more about Charles and Ray Eames? The Library of Congress has an online exhibit on them.

Posted by katherine at 11:22 AM | Permalink

Excuse the extra exclamation points, but I'm very excited about this one: Design Within Reach is having their first warehouse sale since they pulled up stakes two years ago and moved their warehouse to Kentucky. Perhaps the residents of that state were not as appreciative of their modern aesthetic, or perhaps we Bay Areans just whined loudly enough, but this weekend, they'll throw the doors open in Union City and sell their lovely products for up to 75% off. Of course, many of the items on sale may have scratches or dings; however, I can speak from experience and say that many of the imperfections were not visible to me, and we've done very well shopping this sale in the past.

More information is available at Design Within Reach's website.

Posted by katherine at 09:47 AM | Permalink

...it's not necessarily Pergo either.

A few years ago, I got bamboo floors put in my old place. Now we're in a new house and talking about doing a remodel, and the first thing that came to mind was bamboo again. I looked up the supplier from last time, PlyBoo. They now offer not only many varieties of bamboo flooring, but something called "Durapalm." It looks lovely in the picture.

They say:

Our Durapalm® palmwood comes from plantation grown coconut palms, which are in abundance throughout much of the world. Palms produce nuts for up to 80 years, then non-producing palms are removed and replaced. Coconut palmwood can vary greatly in color and density. We use only the hard, dark palm for our look and durable surface. Durapalm® palmwood flooring and palmwood plywood are made from multiple layers of palm, creating both stable and durable flooring and plywood products of great beauty.

As the rainforest continues to be tapped for timber needs, coconut palms have been an overlooked and under utilized resource. We hope that through our work, palmwood will one day be recognized as a valuable building resource and help reduce rainforest harvesting.

I'll want to find out more...

Posted by katherine at 06:05 PM | Permalink