It's White. It's Wood. It's Wonderful.

It's also long been known loosely as 'faux bois'. Belleek (the irish porcelain maker) had a series of glazed white tree trunk vases long before Roost was ever in business. But that doesn't stop these simulated trees, branches, bark and wood grain items from being in every hip tabletop and accessory store out there.


above: The Ted Muehling designed Bark vase for Nymphenburg Porcelain

The blending of inorganic materials into organic shapes is one of my favorite art forms.

Roost is company that has a log and driftwood collection (they have birds and leaves and mushrooms too) made of white porcelain.

And Nymphenburg Porcelain of Germany has Ted Muehling designed branch vases and candlesticks in white. Both are stunning and are available in different prices and sizes from the stores below.

As well as some other lesser known, but equally as beautiful, products.

From Jayson Home and Garden:



Click here to order

From Rose and Radish:

Nymphenburg's porcelain vase by Ted Meuhling available here.

Or Ted Muehling's Branch Vase with Moss, available at Moss, online for $845.00 USD:




And Roost makes a series of log vases and accessories:

Available by clicking here

And the Curiosity Shoppe seems to have the same log vase in size medium (Jayson carries the large and small):

Only 40.00 here.

And lovely white branch candlesticks by Ted Meuhling available at ER Butler:

Buy them here.

Porcelain driftwood votive from Sprout Home:

Only $15.75 here.

And Greener Grass Design also carries the driftwood vase and votive, but a bowl too!:

buy them here.

The Burls collection of subtle wood grain relief platters and dishes in Oyster are beautiful too!:



Buy them here.

Also commonly referred to as Faux Bois, this tableware is from Room Service:

buy it here.

And this faux bois bowl is on sale right now at Gumps for $34:

...and these faux bois votives are on sale for 19$ for the set of three:

buy them here.

And Ty Travis of Stonewater Studios on etsy has some faux bois products as well:


And lastly, more subtle, but still beautiful are Coe and Waito's Bark vases:

Buy them here.

Car Classic '07 This Coming Sunday

Dream Machines: Imagination Gone Wild

Celebrate the wildly entertaining side of automotive design at the Art Center
Car Classic ’07. This year’s event includes speakers Luigi Colani and Harald Belker TRAN ’90, two of the world’s most wildly imaginative designers. Barry Meguiar, host of Car Crazy and KABC’s Dave Kunz will once again emcee the event.



Event Highlights:

Dream Machines Showcase Corral featuring incredible vehicles by Figoni & Falaschi, the Alfa Romeo BAT cars, Italian concept cars and more

More than 100 rare and exotic vehicles on display including classics, sports cars, racecars, hot rods and customs



Tours of Art Center’s transportation design studios and galleries
Art Center College of Design, Sunday, July 15, 2007, 10 AM – 4 PM



TICKETS TO CAR CLASSIC ’07 ARE $55 AND $25/ALUMNI.



About Car Classic

During the past six years, the Art Center Car Classic has carved out a unique niche among the hundreds of annual automotive events taking place around the country. As many of the traditional concours d’elegance and car shows continue to grow larger and less personal, the Art Center Car Classic remains a focused and very special experience for the approximately 3,000 car collectors, automotive designers, Art Center alumni and design students who participate.

The Art Center Car Classic celebrates the very best in automotive design and affords the opportunity to showcase Art Center’s strong ties to industry and honor many of our noteworthy alumni. Past events have featured such sought-after speakers as alumni Chris Bangle, Peter Brock, Henrik Fisker, Chip Foose, Syd Mead, Shiro Nakumura, Ken Okuyama, Chuck Pelly, and Frank Stephenson, plus other noted designers like Reeves Callaway, Dan Gurney, Steve Moal, Gordon Murray and Patrick le Quement.

Bringing together high-caliber speakers with some of the world’s most beautiful automobiles in an setting steeped with creative energy is what makes the Art Center Car Classic so special, and is why it shouldn’t be missed.



Tickets for Car Classic '07
General Admission = $55
Alumni = $25
children 12 and under = free

To purchase tickets, click here.

Tickets include:
•Parking at the Rose Bowl
•Shuttle to and from the event
•Complimentary event program

Access to all of the following benefits:
– Over 100 world-class vehicles on display
– “Meet the Designers” presentations by legendary figures in the
automotive world
– An exciting Awards Ceremony
– Special behind-the-scene tours of the Art Center’s Transportation
Design studios and shops
– Vintage racing films
Purchase E-Tickets

Their preferred method of purchase is through their on-line eTicket sales.

They anticipate a sold-out event, so they highly recommend purchasing your ticket(s) as early as possible.

Take Charge: Affordable (and not so affordable) Charging Stations

Take Charge!

First cellphones, then digital cameras, then ipods, then rechargeable batteries, then Blackberrys. And now, the iphone.

So many things to charge. And recharge. Again and again.

It's true that many companies make 'charging stations' nowadays and more and more creative minds are coming out with ways to hide those wires, but if you've ever searched for them at Frontgate or Levengers, you'll find they they run upwards of $150.00!
Not at Kangaroom Storage where they have some options that look very expensive but are amazingly affordable.
Kangaroom Storage is the anal (and frugal) computer geek's dream.

Check out these functional and affordable products:

PHONE PDA CHARGING STATION in Navy Blue or Black ($35.00 USD):


We’re all proud of having the latest (and smallest) electronic gadgets to organize our lives. But what good are they if we can’t find them or the uncharged battery dies right in the middle of a conversation? With our Charging Station you can say good-bye to multiple chargers and their unsightly electrical cords snaking all over your desk. You can corral up to three items and neatly tuck a 10” power strip out of sight behind the sliding door. No room on your desktop for the 13" long Charging Station? You can also mount it to the wall as easily as a clock with two dry wall screws (included). The Charging Station is available in black or navy.

Dimensions: 13”L x 3.75”W x 5”H


THE 2 POD CHARGING STATION ($20.00 USD):


Let your electronics sit in the lap of luxury while charging. This sleek faux leather two pod charging station allows you the space to store and charge up to two of the following: cell phone, digital camera, mp3 player, or PDA. Unsightly cords are hidden by feeding them through bottom and out the back of the unit. Available in black, green or red, these charging stations can be a great color accent to any room and make a great gift for friends, family, and students.



Available in black, lime, or cherry. Dimensions: 6.5” x 5.125” x 4.75”

THE BLACK BOX CORD ORGANIZER ($60.00 USD):


Until electricity is wireless, tangled masses of cords will need to be hidden. Our Black Box Computer and Media Center Cord Organizer sits on the floor and keeps cords out of sight behind a sliding access door. It has two shelves to accommodate modems and adapters, room for a standard or large size surge protector (not included), nine prongs to neatly wrap excess cord, and convenient left and right side openings. Made of flame resistant black acrylic. We covered the ventilation issue by cutting 5 ventilation strips in the back, and 4 2" x 2!2" rectangular cut outs (for cord feed).


COMPUTER CORD STORAGE & ORGANIZER ($27.50):


Four bottom compartments can accommodate large transformers while the top tray holds five accessories and lots of cords. Customizable labels are included.

The way it works is that it is a double decker unit that has two zippers, one to access each level. They remain attached on one side even when it is completely unzippered. What is great about this product is that there is a separate compartment and label for each charger.The bottom level has deeper compartments and can hold up to 4 more cords or chargers for larger things like laptops, computer accessories, transformers, earphones, etc..

For tech savvy people, it is always a challenge to keep all the chargers and extra batteries straight, especially when you are talking about a family, and each kid has a range of electronic devices that all have different chargers! This is the only product of its kind on the market and I think it really addresses a big need of what to do with all those cords.



Available in black or blue nylon, or brown faux leather.
Dimensions: 13”L x 12.875”W x 3.25”D


CELL PHONE CHARGING STATION & MORE ($30.00 USD)

Cell phones and Blackberrys and iPods — oh my! — each with its own charger. Tame tangled "octopus cords" with our unique Charging Station. Individual compartments accommodate 4 devices, leaving the cords neatly tucked away beneath a removeable tray. Perfect for the multi-cell phone family or one multi-device person. Available in black or brown faux leather with blue accents. Comes with pre-printed labels or create your own.




The way it works is by laying the electronic devices in one of the four beds (of varying widths for cell phone, Blackberry, small camera, etc.) and running their charging cords through the slot to hide it. The slot opens to a wide space where the accumulation of cords can sit without having to be seen. This area is accessable as the top shelf (for keys and other small loose ends) is removable. There is also a subtle, length-wise opening for the major power connection in the back, hidden from view. So even though they'll never make all your cables the perfect length, at least now you don't have to look at the mess. Surge protector sold separately.
Dimensions: 11.5" x 6.75" x 4.25"

Visit Kangaroom by clicking here

And now some more affordable ones from other sources:

From We Love Macs

The 20150 iPod/iPhone/Cell Phone/PDA Centralized Portable Charging Station (Now on sale for only $24.95 USD!):



Now you can charge 3 devices while you drive.
Transformers are hidden in the back of the unit so no wires to get tangled.
You need only plug the Power Station Traveller into your cars lighter socket or in your home with (optional DC/AC adapter) to get power. Circuit protection guards against voltage/surge overload. Deep well inside has plenty of room for tall transformers, and for excess lengths of cord.

Dimension: Length 11.1" x Width 7.5" x Height 4"
*To order the optional DC/AC adapter please order part number 20155 from we love macs

Regular price: $39.95 pad
Sale price: $24.94 pad


And this family charger from SmartHome for only $19.99:



Now of course, if money is no concern, there are some tragically hip charging stations that are

Not so affordable :

The $180.00 Ebase from A+R store seen below:




Or the MultiPot:

MultiPot Table Lamp and Charger, Design by Dante Donegani and Giovanni Lauda, 2005
Imported from Italy.



MultiPot belongs to a new generation of lighting objects and is the first of Rotaliana products to combine lighting with other functions. This hybrid, multifunctional lamp combines an LED ambient night light with multiple sockets, along with a space to keep cables neatly stored. MultiPot provides new comfort levels, both in the home and the the office by catering for both old and new requirements: our habit of emptying keys and other personal items, from pockets into containers, with new requirements to manage our increased use of rechargeable mulitmedia equipment, home computers and the transformation of televisions into home theatres. With its familar looks, lighting function and translucent finish (to filter the light while masking the electrical cables), the MultiPot is a picture of elegant functionality.
On sale now from $352.50 to $235.00 USD here.


Or the Contactboxen from sweden in a tabletop , floor or wall mounted versions:



Measurements:
•The Box 15/42/14 cm (h/b/d) including feet. Weight approx 3 kgs
•Big Box: 28/42/15 (h/b/d) including feet Weight approx 4 kgs
•Cabinet: 42/16/10 (h/b/d) Weight approx 2, 5kgs

The box is made of black or white laquered steel,
Feet; Black rubber. 1 cm and removable
Top; Oiled solid oak with ten holes for cables
There are holes on one side for wall mounting.



The cabinet is white with front in red, white or solid oak with elasticated cord.

Power board especially manufactured with enough space for six large transformers. The space between each point is bigger and is parallell with the bar itself. No more 45° angles limiting space! The power board has an on-off-switch which we recommend you use for fire-safety reasons.

You can buy the Contactboxen here.

Funky Find Of The Week: See Saw Bookshelf

The See-Saw Bookshelf

Every book tells its own story. Every book has its own weight. By playing with balance, the See-Saw bookshelf visualizes the breadth of our home libraries.

Is Kafka truly heavier than the latest issue of Vogue?..

Designer: BCXSY

Product Specs:

Dimensions:
shelf: 47.25" x 9.8" x 2"
stand: 13.75"
Price: Available upon request
Materials: Walnut wood with powder coated steel parts.

Availability: 6-8 weeks
Shipping: Ground Shipping to US & CAN is included*.

Available by clicking here.

I'm Officially A Geek And On The Cover Of Wired

So, I open my mailbox yesterday to retrieve my mail and what do I find, but a picture of myself and my late doggy, Abbey, staring back at me from the cover of Wired Magazine!

No, I'm not on newsstands everywhere but I had almost forgotten that this 'custom' July cover was coming to me.

Last January, Wired allowed the first 500 subscribers to upload a photo of themselves and if approved, would be put on their own cover. At that time, Abbey was still alive, but sick with cancer so I thought this would be a fun way to memorialize her.

I was right. The cover is thick stock and seamless, you'd never know it was only one of a kind.

I hope some of my readers were fortunate enough to be one of the 500!

This is the closest I'll ever be to being a Covergirl!