You can’t have an interior without and exterior so sometimes I like to write about interesting houses I run into.
No one can argue the fact that this beach house is interesting.
Designed by Nuno Grande and Pedro Gadanho, and built in Portugal it is nothing if not a wonder in engineering the balcony hangs out over eight mtrs of nothing (17.6 ft)
The designers call the house an inverted egg - being orange on the outside and grey bare concrete inside.
I love this house as a concept, but it is a little cold looking for me to want to live in it. Via

Photo credits on all photos.FG+SG Fernando Guerra + Sérgio Guerra

Kids do love their own spaces.

Let a child hide under a table and behind a table cloth and you have one happy camper. Imagine how happy you child would be if you could supply him with a house within your house…

(image via Studiomama)

However happy that would make my child, I am not so sure that I would want to have that construction in my house for several reasons - the first and foremost of which would be the space that it takes up (for a creche it could be great, however) and the second is - half the fun of having a private, special space like that is creating it or finding it yourself….

I do however love these book shelves, which I also found a studiomama. A wall well utilised like this for me is pretty much all a room needs. It is visualy pleasing, Takes on the character of whoever fills the shelves and is colorful and gay enough to make the room pleasing.

(image via studiomama)

Thank you Coochicoo For pointing me in Studiomama’s Direction.

Whether you are moving building or just in the need of redesigning or refreshing your home, painting the walls is almost always involved.
With this, as with anything else new regulations and and products are popping up daily, a lot of them declaring themselves green and environmentally friendly.

Of late, a new consideration in choosing paints has arisen and that is paints that are low or no VOC or (Volatile Organic Compounds) that can create low quality indoor air.
If you are like me and had no clue that these compounds existed
here is a definition from the U.S EPA:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.

So if you are thinking of repainting look for low VOC paint.

Jill from Inhabitat says

I took an informal poll of about ten different green building experts that I knew on the best ‘eco paint’ available and to my surprise, I got the same response from almost everyone I talked to: AFM Safecoat. Apparently AFM Safecoat is widely known to be the safest and healthiest brand of no-VOC paint currently on the market. We’re not just talking ‘low-VOCs’ but NO VOCs, and no other toxins either. Apparently while most other “low VOC” products on the market are low in what the government regulates as Volatile Organic Compounds, they still contain a host of unregulated toxic ingredients (such as ammonia, acetone, exempt solvents and odor masking agents), which can be equally nasty on indoor air quality and your health.

Jill tried this paint and found it odorless and the quality and color to be just as good as in regular paint. it is a little more expensive but In my eyes - worth the price!

I visited the Isamu Nuguchi Museum about 15 years ago, on one of my New York vists.

You know those moments that are life changing and astounding - I experienced several of them on that visit.

He has a way with form and surface that I had not run into before or since, and obviously, any time I see his name I snap to attention in anticipation.

Coffee Table, 1944, glass top and wood base manufactured by the Herman Miller Furniture Company.

Photo: Ezra Stoller © Esto.

You  Purchase these tables now from Hive Modern.

Source: Pad Style

Over at Desire to Inspire I read some great news about a new product by Swank lighting.

I am really so happy about this, I can’t seem to put my thoughts into words.

I will quote Ed from Swank:

“In the short three years we have been in business we have sold hundreds of Vintage Murano Lamps from the finest glass houses in Venice. These lamps were imported by BALBOA in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The response to our re-introduction of the remaining inventory of BALBOA has been phenomenal. One thing we have heard over and over from Designers and Collectors is that the look is fantastic and although our prices are lower than the high-end showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, etc. they s

till require an investment out of reach of many people. To address these concerns we set out to create a line of blown glass lamps with the same hot mid-century look, in a price range within reach of many more admirers. We first looked into having the glass components blown in Italy and importing them. Although there remains many wonderful glass artisans on the island of Murano, the cost to have the glass blown there and shipped to the U.S. was still too high to fit our model. Further much of what is being blown in Murano today is not the same high quality it was in the 20th Century and is more geared to the tourist “souvenir” market. So, we decided that we should really focus our efforts on promoting the beautiful work done by American glass artisans. In our search for the best America has to offer we found Joe Cariati. Joe’s work is absolutely incredible. He sells his decorative pieces at some of the finest store including Barneys, Gumps, Belvedere, and Haven. You can see his collection online at www.joecariati.com. We contracted with Joe to blow the inaugural offerings in the new American Blown Glass Lamps from www.swanklighting.com. We are calling this line Hard Candy. The full line will be launched in September and priced around $800 per lamp. Unlike with our vintage line, we will sell singles as well as pairs of Hard Candy.

 

I love these!