Cool, modern switchplates and outlet covers

Back in December, I wrote a post about the Bocci plate-less outlets. They are beautiful and I still love them as much as I did when I first found them. They are however, a bit of a commitment and insanely difficult to retrofit. So what to do when I have a modern design and I want to do something interesting with the switch plates and outlet covers?

Enter Chiasso and their Traverse series of plates. They are really interesting and I mean that in a good way. They're simple and they announce themselves subtly. Modern design is quiet and simple the way I see it. It shouts by whispering if that makes any sense. Even if it doesn't, these plates do that I think they're cool. Their prices range from $14 to $22, and really, who's going to argue with that?

Many thanks to Creede Fitch from Grass Roots Modern for the heads up.

Cool new mosaic blends

Aston Smith is a kitchen designer based in greater New York. I follow her on Twitter and yesterday she posted a link to Susan Jablon Mosaics. I'm an easy sell though, just mention the word "mosaic" and I'm all yours.

However, nothing prepared me for the selections available from Susan Jablon. If you can imagine it as a mosaic, Susan Jablon Mosaics either has it or will find it. Wow.

Best of all, they have a custom blend tool on their website. I made the three mosaic blends on this post about a half an hour ago. Not only can you make blends to your heart's delight, their custom blend tool prices as you work. Using it, you can see the square foot cost of the fruits of your imagination. You can even buy single, square foot samples. Susan Jablon, where have you been all my life?! Bravo! Don't believe me? Go play around with that blend tool. You'll be hooked.

Let me toot my own horn (again)

I'm nothing if not a shameless self-promoter. Check this out though. Here's a photo one of my pals at Google SketchUp sent me. This is a photo of their large-screen display at their booth at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Atlanta last weekend.

Now if I zoom in on the design displayed on that screen...  

A little tighter...

Oh look! It's one of mine...

Thanks Google!

Now that's what I call a urinal

So where's my bidet lady when I need her? Check these out.

These are real urinals and they are available for sale. Clark Sorenson is a San Francisco-based artist and you can buy one of these flower urinals through his website. Astounding. Even more so when you stop and think about what a flower is when you get right down to it. All I can say is wow.

Many thanks to the lovely and talented Melody McFarland for the great find. Check out her blog, I Like Pigeons Because Nobody Else Does.

Franki's on vacation

The lovely Franki Durbin from Life in a Venti Cup is on vacation and she left me the keys. Woo hoo! Actually, she's taking a break and I'm one of the people who will be guest posting for her this week. I've been told to have fun and write about anything I want to. So I've decided that I'll write some traveler's tales.

Now I doubt that I'll do a daily post over there, but I just might. So c'mon over some time in the next few days and stick around. Franki runs a really good blog.