Things for living

Top tech toys for the filthy rich

August is quiet all around...with nearly everyone on vacation, it's hard to get much work done these days.

Yet somehow, it also seems to be the season of great Top __ Lists. (Insert any number in that blank. I was going to go with 10, but they seem to vary a bit.). So this week I'll be featuring some of my favorite Top __ Lists from blogs that inspire me every day. Let's start with the Sci Fi Tech blog and its "Top 10 Toys for the Filthy Rich." With a title like that, you already know you're dying to have them all. Here's a preview: $1,150 Ultimate Ear headphones that you can use with your $7,500 Vertu phone or $19,000 gold-plate iPod Shuffle. What products would you put on your own "Top Tech Toys for the Filthy Rich" list? If you had all the money in the world? I think I'd definitely add the sold-out Porsche Design Series 1 Cayman S...and that incredible 007-esque case of designer goodies that comes with it.… Read more

IKEA 2008

IKEA 2008! The annual catalog is HERE! And for the lazy who need a cliff notes version, or those who need the inspiration to click here to get lost in their digital version of the catalog for a few hours... i've attached a few of my favorite pages to get you going. Their color themed pages were particularly inspiring... loving this black and white, as well as that bowl up there! Also below you will be amazed at the instant living room you can get for a mere $184! As well as some impressive new pet goods, and other color themes.

WING Lounge Chair

*phew* Sorry its been a little quiet the last week, ever notice how everything sometimes comes down on you at once? Be it work, personal, business, family, new site launches, etc etc etc, oh how the list goes on. But, i'm back! And have some exciting fun new design finds to share with you.

You know how there's nothing quite like sinking into your temperpedic/memory foam/NASA developed craziness of a mattress? Well imagine that... all around you... in a designer lounge chair and ottoman? I wish i could tell you i was writing this from that chair now, but no such luck. This WING Lounge Chair is designed by Michael Malmborg, and "A reincarnation of the classic wing chair, created for the future. This recliner is made for serious cocooning and is the closest you can get to weightlessness. The upholstery in the Wing Chair is made by open cell visco elastic memory foam"

And as if we needed more reasons to be in complete awe of this wonder: "WING Lounge Chair is the first and only chair ever to be certified by The Space Foundation - tested and recognized by NASA. WING is also the biggest single piece of bendwood ever used to create a chair."… Read more

Pottery Barn has SMART TECH

Smart Technology is the innovative new line by Pottery Barn. I couldn't stop laughing when i first saw this over on Cool Hunting... is this the sign that technology has truly become ubiquitous in our everyday? Or have we just redefined what makes something "smart"? Honestly, take a look at this new line of products... classic Pottery Barn styled pieces get more intelligent with the integration of speakers, powerstrips, and holes for cables to come through... Below are a few more pieces from the collection. All of this makes me wonder whether there is a need for the services of someone willing to adapt all of your antique furniture to better house your tech... embedding speakers, powerstrips, wifi boosters, splash pad chargers that work beneath that gorgeous wood inlay?… Read more

Dermond Peterson Seaside Collection

Design*Sponge featured these beautiful pillows from Dermond Peterson's newest Seaside line, and they are the perfect fresh accessories to brighten up your space. I'm personally coveting their black octopus pillows (it fits the my affinity for things black/white and nature based).

The story behind Dermond Peterson Design is quite cute too: "Founded in 2001 by sisters, Sandra Dermond and Susan Peterson, Dermond Peterson Design is an artisan/manufacturing company that combines the rich, tactile qualities of 'fine-art' printmaking techniques with innovative and slyly conceptual design strategies to produce fresh, functional textiles for everyday use at home."

Louis XXI Table

Just noticed this gorgeous table at MoCo Loco. Cappuccio Design's Louis XXI Table just won first prize at the "Verona Fiere ? Centro servizi distretto del mobile". Designed by Francesco Cappuccio, Bangkok, for a :piece of furniture with a strong ironic connection to classicism in which an image with references to modern art is inserted and an original and functional solution is added." This table, although appearing like a sliced and diced modern table, is really extremely functional at holding those pesky magazines and newspapers you used to leave ON the table, you can now slot IN the table?… Read more

Puddle Pendant Lamp

It's a foggy grey not quite drizzly day here today, and i just came across this Puddle Pendant Lamp at Crate and Barrel's younger store CB2. And at a low $40 price tag, they aren't kidding when they say its "priced to hang in multiples". Size? 13.25"dia.x9"H ~ and you can see an image of it in context below. They describe it as a "sleek fluid teardrop of handmade iron glossed brite white." Gorgeous isn't it?

10 Less Than Ordinary Fans to Keep Cool

With the Summer Solstice last week, it's pretty warm out, and that means we're definitely in the midst of fan season. Being a bit tired of the same old designs that we've all seen and probably had since college (come on, you know the types... the floppy cheap drugstore plastic floor fans, or those double fans you close your window over?)... so here are some more aesthetically pleasing options - So you really have NO EXCUSE left to have an ugly fan.… Read more

Father's Day Plasmas/LCDs

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Anyone who flipped through the ads in the Sunday Paper would have seen SO many gadgets being pushed for Dads & Grads. There was an underlying guilt that surged through me as i flipped through them over breakfast... I only got my dad a book... and a card. Was i supposed to have gotten him a new phone? laptop? digicam? TV? And then suddenly I was lost browsing the many options of 30-60" plasmas and lcds... 720p vs 1080p... so, I gave up and went and chatted with my … Read more