Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Dazzle Guests with Fascinating Lamps from Artecnica and Fatboy


If you’re bringing friends over for dinner, you can impress them with nothing more than just the lighting. For instance, the Midsummer Light Pendant Lamp was designed to exude just the right amount of light you need without overdoing it, as well as knock out a killer design while you’re at it.. While it was primarily built to offer a measure of illumination in the home, Artecnica takes it one step further by giving it a distinct visual style that I find rather to my liking

The Midsummer Light Pendant Lamp was designed by Tord Boontje, and immediately draws attention to it, featuring forest creatures and foliage that are highlighted further when you turn the light on. The lamp was made from Tyvek, an extremely durable paper material, making it resistant to ordinary wear and tear, fluctuations in temperature, and moisture. This extra durability is a good bonus for this lamp, as the designs on the shade is one of its main selling points, though it does give off a reasonable amount of light as well.

In the same line, Fatboy is a company known for the distinct styling of its products, and apparently its lighting appliances are no exception. For instance, the Fatboy Edison the Petit is a lighting unit that was built to be a portable alternative to Edison the Grand. While you’ll find that it’s a relatively smaller lamp, the Edison the Petit was made to be a powerful light source despite its size. In fact, it comes in three different shades of LED light, and can stay on for about six hours on high power, despite weighing just about 1.1 lbs. The LED light definitely takes a load off your electric bill, though it might make this unit a bit more expensive than most.  

Comfortable Chairs from DwellStudio for Your Home


The Rounded Ottoman by DwellStudio comes in Dorosuede Charcoal, a lovely but also neutral shade that’s designed to go well with any kind of home décor.

While the rounded ottoman was designed to go with the Savoy Glider, the ottoman in itself serves as an easily moveable, compact place to sit, as it is completely stationary. This is usually good for the nursery or the playroom, where you can use the ottoman for story time, reading a book, or simply spending time with your kids.

Made of 100% cotton or linen upholstery, the ottoman’s material is made of handmade single-wrapped foam cushions. The Rounded Ottoman is also available in different signature fabrics, and you can grab one based on which one goes best with your décor.

Another piece of sitting furniture to consider is the Oxford Glider in Dorosuede Arctic. The Oxford Glider features generous padding in the back, contributing to a relaxing, comfortable experience. The material was made of handmade single-wrapped foam cushions with 100% cotton. It was also designed with a streamlined silhouette that adds to its elegant design and will look great no matter where you put it in the house. In  addition, the glider was custom made of sustainable hardwood, for extra durability that’ll help the furniture last longer through the years.

Another great glider from DwellStudio is the Savoy Glider in Dorosuede Charcoal. This particular glider is great for the nursery, as it allows you to rock your child back and forth before sleep, or during story time. Either way, the Savoy Glider was designed to offer an extra level of comfort for both mother and child, featuring a steel glide mechanism and a button tufted with a removable seat, not to mention padded material for that extra softness.

Colorful Modern Stacking Stool from Magis


Conceptualized by Stagano Giovannoni, the Magis Yuyu Stacking Stool has a design with an interesting play on modern minimalism. It has a relatively sleek build, with legs that taper down, and a nearly non-existent back rest that also serves as a handle for the stool itself.

While it might not be the most comfy looking piece of sitting furniture in the room, the Magis Yuyu stool is an excellent addition to a similarly styled home—modern, sophisticated and brutally utilitarian. On first look, you can see that this is clearly a stool meant for older children, as it does not provide the extra arms and back rest that reduce younger kids’ tendencies for falling over. This safety issue is practically eliminated for older children. Still, while the rest does nothing for the neck and shoulders, kids will find that it does provide a minimal amount of support in the lower back.

Probably a great deal of the stools’ appeal lies in the choice of color—bright and vibrant, though remaining minimal in its design at the same time. The stools are available in orange, beige or white, all of them in matte. The surfaces are easy to clean, though if you avail of the lighter colors there’s always the greater tendency for staining with crayons, paints or food.

The stool comes in a set of four, and they are stackable, one on top of the other. This is a big plus in terms of space, as well as portability should you need to move more than one stool from one place to another. There’s no problem with durability either: the stools were made from air-moulded polypropylene with added glass fibre, and the extra reinforcements make them good for outdoor use as well.

Classy Storage Options for Children’s Bedrooms


Looking for the perfect storage for your child’s new room? Ark Group has a number of quality dressers, chest and cabinets that’ll give you a run for your money.

A good example would be the Ava5 Drawer Narrow Chest. Made of 100% birch wood from Denmark, the chest features a flawless white finish and silver knobs for each drawer, offering a very clean, very simple design. It’s also quite compact, measuring 38"H x 18.5"L x 16.1"W, making it easy to place inside a bedroom that has limited space. Still, each drawer offers plenty of space for storing the essentials, from clothes to toys to bed sheets.

Aside the Narrow Chest with five drawers, there’s also the Ellie Toy Chest, which features a single but no less spacious storage unit. The Ellie Toy Chest makes cleaning up an easy job, even for very young kids. It features a simple, but friendly, white and pink design, with an easy-to-open lid that reveals an extremely roomy space for stashing away books, games, and practically anything else that might cause clutter. It measures a spacious 22.4"H x 29.5"L x 13.8"W, and is made of solid Nordic Pine, a good choice for long lasting durability.

The Ellie Nightstand is a great complement to either two storage units, and the pink and white colors add consistency to the room’s design. The nightstand wasn’t designed to hold very much though, as it was designed to serve as bedside storage. It features the same white and pink design that’s characteristic of Ark Group’s Ava line. Made of birch wood, the Ellie Nightstand is a handy, accessible choice for storing your child’s favorite books and toys right before bedtime. The nighstand measures 16"H x 16"L x 13.8"W and was assembled in Denmark, Europe. 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Awesome Beds by Ark Group for A Good Night’s Sleep


The bed is often the highlight and centerpiece of any bedroom, what’s more for a growing child.
The Popsicle Furniture Highsleeper Kit helps transform any ordinary Popsicle Twin Bed or Midsleeper into a Highsleeper Loft, an efficient and convenient upgrade if there ever was one.

The great thing about the highsleeper is that it allows you to add on several other pieces of furniture that could make the bed unit miles more efficient. For instance, a desk could go right under the loft, or a bookcase or dresser. In the long run, it basically lessens the need for extra furniture in your child’s bedroom, rendering it more spacious.

The highsleeper is available in a beautiful espresso finish, and features leg extensions, a built-in shelf, and a ladder that can be installed on the longer sides of the bed frame. The kit also installs a front and back safety rail, as well as a reinforcement brace for an extra safety measure. The highsleeper is made of solid pine, matching the quality sturdiness of the Popsicle Twin Bed. A similar unit is the Popsicle Furniture Highsleeper, which is essentially offers the same advantages, though this  comes in a Natural finish—significantly lighter than classic espresso.

The Ava Full Size Bed is available in a clean white shade. Made of 100% birch, the Ava Full Size Bed is as basic as it gets, but its straightforward minimalism is reinforced by its stability and a sturdy design that was meant to last a long while. The entire bed measures a generous 33.5"H x 59"L x 79.9"W. Purchase this for your child, and you won’t have to buy a new bed unit for when he hits his teenage years.

Affordable But Functional Children’s Dressers


The Athena Molly Combo Dresser has a very functional look to it. Made of solid pine wood and a lead-free, non-toxic finish, this dresser is extremely ideal for installation in any child’s bedroom. The drawers run on metal glides that allow for easy, smooth opening and closing, and also prevent any inadvertent injuries to fingers by sudden banging. Safety stops also make it extra safe for your child’s use.

Funcionally, the dresser does very well. It serves two purposes—both as a changer and a dresser. It features a space on top that could be used as a changing area, whereas the rest of the drawers make for roomy storage for all your child’s essentials. If you need more room, you can convert the top portion from a changing area with an optional hutch add-on when your child outgrows his diaper-changing days.

While not as large as the Athena Molly Combo, the Ava Five-Drawer Dresser holds its own in terms of storage and functionality. Perhaps one of its advantages over the larger Athena Molly Combo is that it’s relatively easier to move from one place to another, in case you’re thinking about doing some rearranging.

The Ava Dresser features five drawers. Its primary purpose is storage, so you won’t find a dual purpose changing area on top, although it does very well as a place to organize all your child’ things.

A smaller variant of both types of dressers is the much smaller Ava Three-Drawer Nightstand. It’s rather clear that this unit wasn’t made for heavy-duty storage, though it does perfectly for storing only the essential of all essentials. Meant to sit at your bedside, the Ava Nightstand is great for placing favorite books and toys, and maybe even a night light on top that your child can easily switch on and off from bed.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Quirky Chairs for Your Child’s Playroom


Sometimes you don’t need the latest Fisher Price toy for the nursery or playroom, even changing up the furniture can do a lot to inspire and entertain. Take a break from the conventional with some fun chairs for your kids.

For children aged eight and older, the Jecka Homebuilder Lite is a white made completely of blocks that your child can use for personalization. The manuals are included on purchase too, and you can explore the several options for chair shapes with your child, from Step Stool, Toddler Chair or Kid Stool. Other than looking especially creative in the playroom, building your own furniture with your child fosters his critical thinking skills, not to mention his imagination. The blocks are also extremely easy to assemble and and are reasonably flexible. The Homebuilder Lite comes in clean, flawless white.

Bring back a modern restructuring of the classic rocking chair with another great addition to the playroom: the Mod Rocker by Iglooplay. This is an awesome piece of furniture for playing, reading, or simply sitting in the chair and relaxing. It’s also available in maple, cherry, or walnut veneers, and are sure to fit your

The Mod Rocker was designed specifically for kids, allowing a reasonably mellow rocking motion that’s both safe and soothing. he Mod Rocker has a commendable build, featuring sturdy plywood with steel fasteners. It was built with a low center of gravity, lessening the chances for falls. The non-skid rubber pad will also keep from sliding along the floor and causing potential accidents. The design was also inspired by West African stools. On top of that, the hollow at the bottom of the chair can be utilized as storage space for a couple of light toys and books.