Lookie what KitchenAid's selling in Europe

It's not fair. KitchenAid's selling this gas/ induction combination cooktop in Europe but not in North America.

It has three gas burners and two induction burners and it's the perfect hybrid. Gas plus electric means that nobody converting to induction needs to buy new pots and pans. Cross the Atlantic with that thing already!

Step 90cm by KitchenAid

Every picture tells a story don't it?

As a designer, I believe that every room tells a story too. Whether it's consciously or unconsciously told, there's a narrative that connects a room. So with that said, what story does a bathroom that looks like this tell?

And here it is in silver, though to class it up we'll call it platinum.

So what's the story? Or more tellingly, what story would you tell after coming into contact with a bathroom such as this?

All fixtures by Lineatre.

Art, math, science, music and life --together at last

Many thanks to the amazing Julie Richey who sent this to me this morning on Facebook. It sums up perfectly where my head was when I was thinking of a logo for myself.




Art, math, science, music and life aren't in conflict. They are the same thing.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more

From Houzz:

traditional home design

This space is undeniably fussy and romantic, from the chandelier to the Hotel de Paris sign. However, the particular shade of blue gives the room a bit of an edge, saving it from saccharine sweetness.

What edge? Maybe this room remembers seeing the edge as it slid into the abyss. I don't care what color these walls are painted, the hokey Hotel de Paris sign and the antique grocer's scale make for one cloying sideboard. Saved from saccharine sweetness? Hardly. This vignette is giving me a cavity.

It does make me wonder though, do Parisians hang fake signs that read New York Hotel or The Inn of Los Angeles in their dining rooms in a failed attempt to appear worldly and sophisticated?

The melancholy housefly: Italian furniture, Italian humor

Another recent find on Twitter is CLABfordesign. CLAB is the brainchild of Umberto Dattola, an accountant turned carpenter in Bescia, Lombardia. CLAB stands for creative lab and it's Umberto's description of the inspiration behind this piece of furniture that sold me on his entire enterprise.

On a hot and humid day, a fly flew into my car. At first I did not notice it, but after it started annoying me, I tried to kill it in every possible way. Since I could not kill the fly, and it was not safe to keep driving without concentrating, I decided to stop and let it out. I parked the car near the shore of a lake.

It was a wonderful day: the sun was warm and the previous night’s rain had cleared the sky. As I opened the door, I felt the light and the clean air come into my car. I got out to enjoy the place and the day.
  
The fly seemed to be feeling as happy as me. It flew quickly over the beach, dived towards the water, then suddenly veered to avoid it. It then started swerving among the tree branches and drawing circles in the air. I watched it in amazement.

After about twenty minutes, the fly began to slow down and, soon afterwards, it stopped to watch the lake, just as if it had been struck by melancholy. I wondered what could make a fly melancholic. Could it be some kind of sickness for places, friends, or family? Does a fly actually have a family? Finally, it flew towards my car again.

When I opened the car door, it got back in, so I decided to take it back to the place it came from. On the way home, the fly kept quiet and never disturbed me again.

I'm sold on this bench by virtue of that narrative alone. Check out the rest of CLABfordesign's offerings on their website and follow Umberto on Twitter!