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November 18, 2015

Hand-Stitched City Quilts Are Made to Counter the Rapid Digitization of Daily Life

With winter just around the corner, now is a good time to take stock of what you've got packed away in the warm blanket department. If you're coming up short, these City Quilt throws from Haptic Lab can provide both warmth and style. Replicating the age-old tradition of quilting, the Brooklyn-based studio hand-stitches city maps–including details like roadways, rivers, and city blocks–onto fluffy 60-inch x 70-inch cotton blankets. They're available for both Brooklyn and Manhattan (as well as other big cities like Paris, Boston, and Chicago), and Haptic will even add custom details for an extra fee.
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November 13, 2015

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, some days, you just want to make magic happen from the comfort of your own home. If you live alone, or just happen to hold an impromptu party once in a while, have a look at this incredible expanding design. Created by Dutch designer Wieland Vogel, "Aureool a.k.a Halo" is a brilliant chandelier that contracts and expands with a simple flick of the hand.
Learn more about this clever design

November 12, 2015

Unclog Your Smartphone Brain With These Urban ‘Maps From the Mind’

Without GPS and Google Maps, most of us probably wouldn't be able to get from point A to point B within our own cities. That's where these clever Maps from the Mind come in (h/t Fast Co. Design). Designed by Archie Archambault, the maps are intended to jog our memories of the basic layouts of cities, bringing our brains back to the pre-digital age of road maps and actual sense of direction. Archambault swaps traditional street grids in favor of basic circles. Not only does it create a graphic look, but it's easy to have the circles represent size and connection.
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November 12, 2015

Ludovic Falédam’s Celestial Luminaries Take Inspiration From Greek Mythology

Inspired by ancient Greek mythology, Ludovic Falédam from Barbadine Design created a series of sculptural pendants that will make any living space shine. When creating the lamp, the French designer was particularly interested in the story of queen Cassiopeia and her daughter Andromeda, both of whom in their tale abandon their human bodies to become a constellation of stars. Beautiful and intricate like the story itself, these luminaries will bring the celestial patterns into your home—something we don’t see much of in New York City.
find out more here

November 11, 2015

The Gazel Sofa Features a Wrap-Around Shelving Unit Perfect for Space-Starved New Yorkers

Finding the right piece of furniture to fit your living space can be the difference between a happy and a cluttered home. And as New Yorkers, most of us are working with limited square footage and need to make these decisions considering both space and function. The Gazel sofa and shelving unit designed by Faruk Malhan for Koleksiyon is a great example of the multifunctional pieces we city dwellers should be looking for. Its elegant and modern design features wrap-around shelving, adding both visual interest and functionality to what otherwise would be a lackluster surface.
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November 10, 2015

Combine the Joys of an Adult Coloring Book With the Convenience of a Notebook

As adults, most of our time is spent at work, and it seems unfair that we're no longer given the opportunity to delve into our creative side as often as when we were children. However the trend of adult coloring books it helping to right this injustice, and new to its roster of titles is the "Coloring Notebook." This clever take combines all of the joys of a coloring book with the convenience of a compact notebook.
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November 9, 2015

Sitskie’s Innovative Wood Furniture Mimics Memory Foam to Conform to Your Body

Buying furniture can be a significant investment, so you want to make sure you're putting your money towards something that will last. While fluffy upholstered pieces can help you take a load off at the end of a busy day, fabric furniture is often more difficult to care for and maintain than wood. Designer Adam Friedman from Los Angeles' Sitskie design studio, who spent years working in furniture sales, has created a new line of furniture that aims to solve this problem. His solid wood pieces conform to the body like memory foam, giving users the best of both worlds.
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November 6, 2015

Buy Actor Steve Martin’s Cast-Off Furniture, Items Going for $249–$70,000

It looks like comedian/actor/author/musician Steve Martin is cleaning house. Martin has joined forces with online furniture consignment shop One Kings Lane to curate a collection of his personal furniture and other pieces of decor for their Tastemakers Tag Sale. Martin's picks are wide-ranging with weird, kooky and classic stuff making his list, including a "camelback couch," bronze snakes, hand-painted chairs, and even a pencil portrait of the actor himself. But as you may have guessed, the items aren't quite priced like those at Goodwill. The cheapest piece in the bunch is a blue bucket and planter going for $249, while the priciest, an original set of artwork from Robert Crumb, rings in at a whopping $69,995. There's also a set of drapes going for $1,300.
See what Martin is selling here

November 6, 2015

Iconic Plastic Armchair Sells at Sotheby’s Auction for $409,000

At a recent Sotheby's auction in London, the Miss Blanche armchair, from the Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, sold for a whopping £269,000 ($409,000 U.S. dollars). The iconic plastic resin chair was named after Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was created in 1988, three years before the artist's death. The production of the chair was rather complex, as it required each artificial rose to be held in place for long periods of time so the resin could harden around it. The artist also experimented with using actual roses, but the acrylic resin ruined the flowers before setting. Ultimately it was decided that "fake" materials were more appropriate because Blanch Dubois was in fact superficial.
More on the chair

November 5, 2015

Wobble-Up Will Be Your Favorite Seat and Carpet All-in-One

Anybody who's moved apartments in NYC has likely asked themselves the question, "How did we even get that in here?" And it's not uncommon in this city for people to literally give away their furniture to any party willing to deal with its relocation. Enter Wobble-up, a transforming carpet-to-chair that will not only fit through any hallway, but also adorn your floors and provide a comfy place to relax. Wobble-up was developed by Sam Linders, a recent graduate from the Design Academy Eindhoven, and was inspired by her preference to sit on her carpet rather than the sofa while watching TV.
more on the design here

November 3, 2015

New Furniture Collection Features Clever Storage as an Ode to Ye Old Carpenter’s Workbench

Recently debuting at the London Design Festival, Planks is a new furniture collection from studio Benchmark and designer Max Lamb. The collection was created in part as a tribute to the humble carpenter's workbench and 17th and 18th century English country furniture such as boarded chests, box stools and dough troughs. In keeping with this theme each piece features clever storage spaces to help prevent clutter from accumulating on its working surface.
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November 2, 2015

More Sky Window Extensions Create Mini Glass Alcoves in Your Apartment

As the world population continues to grow, cities are more densely populated and we're on the constant lookout for new ways to optimize the small spaces many of us occupy. In response to this growing need, Argentinean architect Aldana Ferrer Garcia created "More Sky," an extending window unit that provides apartment-dwellers with immediate access to the sky from their often cramped and sometimes dreary living space.
more on the design here

October 30, 2015

Talk Dock Is the Retro Alternative for Hands-Free Chitchat

These days there are a variety of fancy gadgets that allow for hands-free chitchat, but that doesn't mean we want to take our headsets home from the office. Before the small square smartphone became part of our daily routine, the old-school receiver was designed to nestle perfectly between your cheek and shoulder, hands-free. This retro-style rotary phone was the inspiration for Talk Dock, a charging station and receiver reminiscent of yesteryear.
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October 26, 2015

Cards Against Urbanity Are Rude, Crude and Help Us Learn About Urban Planning

From counting city trees and reporting potholes to voting on the design of a playground or hotel, individuals today have more opportunities to influence the state of their local community than ever before. Dedicated to supporting community participation, the folks from GreaterPlaces and DoTankDC created Cards Against Urbanity, a unique and fun method for furthering this form of city planning. Cards Against Urbanity is very similar to the games it was modeled after, including Cards Against Humanity and Apples to Apples; however, the content for this game cleverly integrates language and ideas specifically for today's architect and urban planner. While the original set was produced in part as a fun alternative for discussing some of the less entertaining aspects of city planning, the project that launched over a year ago has now led to some interesting next steps.
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October 26, 2015

Turn Your Old iPhone Into an Elegant Desktop Lamp

Industrial designer Ivan Zhurba came out with a brilliant idea to tackle the planned obsolescence of iPhones. His "iPhone Lamp" is an elegant luminaire for the desk or bedside table that gives new use to Apple's retired smart phones. The lamp follows the tech giant's sleek, clean lines, so you don't have to worry whether it'll fit in with your interior; just throw it into a modern upstate home or a teensy Upper West Side studio and enjoy the light.
Learn more about this brilliant hacked lamp

October 25, 2015

Claire-Anne O’Brien Designs Chunky Woolen Stools to Cozy Up With This Autumn

Using traditional textile techniques such as weaving, knotting and basketry, London-based textile designer Claire-Anne O’Brien creates beautiful "Knit Stools" that are perfect for cuddling up at home. The creative designer specializes in the construction of 3D textiles, which she applies to both interior furniture and decoration. Made using an ash base and topped with super soft lambswool upholstery, these stools are just the item we'd like to get our hands on this autumn.
Learn more about this tactile stools

October 22, 2015

Tom Dixon’s New Sophisticated Copper Coffee Set Improves Every Step of the Art of Brewing

Famed British designer Tom Dixon is paying a brilliant tribute to the daily act of preparing and drinking coffee. His Brew Coffee Collection is a sophisticated beverage set with gleaming copper elements that any New Yorker will love to wake up to. But the bling isn't the only thing here, as the designer explains, "The range includes a piece to perfect every stage of the coffee ritual, from the push of the plunger to the dunk of the biscuit."
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Tips on How to Stage an Apartment Like a Professional

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week Compass broker Jason Saft takes us through the daunting task of staging an apartment for sale. Jason’s work has been featured in the New York Times and Forbes magazine (to name a few), and he has closed nearly 1,000 properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

October 20, 2015

Tips on How to Stage an Apartment Like a Professional

Over the last decade I've perfected a sales strategy that answers the four questions every person looking to sell their home asks—and should ask—when they're searching out a real estate agent to represent them. How much is my home worth? How will you sell it at that number? What do you do differently? Why should I work with you? From research, strategy and timing, to leveraging my personal referral network, my specialty is cost-effective staging and design that creates something that stands out from the crowd. And nets the highest possible return on investment. So, whether you're looking to sell a $450,000 studio or a $4,500,000 loft, working solo or with an agent, I’m happy to share what I believe are the most critical pieces of staging and listing.
Get Jason's top tips this way

October 20, 2015

Designer Elena Sidorova’s fLOP Armchair Opens Like a Book Into a Twin Bed

We all know the feeling of wanting to flop down at the end of a long day. In addition to describing a very specific desire to rest, fLOP is also an armchair which folds out to a sleeping place for one person. This multifunctional piece of furniture was created by Russian designer Elena Sidorova, and is perfect for New Yorkers with frequent overnight guests.
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October 20, 2015

Clever Room Divider by Jordan Parnass Triples as Queen-Sized Bed and Storage Unit

Living efficiently in a studio apartment definitely requires careful planning, and one of the largest challenges is separating the bedroom from the living area. This custom-fabricated millwork insertion designed by Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture for a Battery Park studio, solves that problem, and a few others as well. In addition to providing the studio with a bedroom divider, the piece also holds additional storage and display shelving.
see more here

October 19, 2015

‘DIY Loft Kit’ Adds Another 160 Square Feet to Your Tiny Apartment

If you're blessed with reasonably high ceilings, but plagued with minimal floor space, this microloft kit might be the solution you need for maximizing your living area. The modular "DIY Loft Kit" will bring a legit lofted space (complete with staircase!) to any tiny apartment, adding an extra 160 square feet to sprawl out in. But be forewarned, it doesn't come cheap. At $3,115 (yup), we can't imagine anyone who's living in a studio or loft with six other roommates to be shelling out that many Gs. But on the other hand, this is NYC, and at just over $19 a square foot, maybe it is a deal?
You be the judge

October 19, 2015

The Cocktail Computer Combines Old School Technology With Great Drink Recipes

Having a stocked bar in your home is one of the many privileges of adulthood, but that doesn't necessarily mean we know how to make drinks. Thanks to designer Lily Szajnberg, we can take the guess work out of mixing boozy concoctions at home with her Cocktail Computer. Szajnberg, who's an expert at in-home mixology, has combined her experience finding and executing her favorite cocktails to create this funky kitchen accessory that allows users to search curated drink recipes based on the ingredients they have available.
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October 16, 2015

Freyja Sewell’s Felt Cocoon Helps People Reconnect With Their Senses

In a world that focuses so much on the convenience of online interactions, it's important to bring attention to our bodies and physical sensations. Tackling this issue, British designer Freyja Sewell created the "Sensory Concentration Space," a cocoon-like habitat for enjoying different stimuli and escaping away from it all. Hand-sewn from biodegradable grey felt, it isolates people from the hustle and bustle of modern urban life, something most New Yorkers could benefit from.
Learn more about this warm comfy space

October 15, 2015

Grid System: Ying Chang’s Customizable Mesh Desk Adapts to Your Busy Life

With limited space, New Yorkers need to be smart about the way they live and work. So if you often find yourself multi-tasking at home, this design may be right up your alley. Royal College of Art graduate Ying Chang has come up with the modular "Grid System," a piece of furniture that allows users to plug and unplug different storage boxes and trays according to their needs.
Learn more about this clever design

October 14, 2015

These Bike Helmets Are Designed to Resemble the Human Head

Bike culture in NYC is a vibrant part of the city, so we love any quirky bike swag that might make heads turn. These crazy bike helmets called Project:Human Helmet from Dubai-based designer Jyo John Mulloor are a great example. The conceptual gear doesn't look like a regular helmet, but rather it was designed to resemble the surface of a human scalp. Weird, right?
Find out more about these helmets

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