I never had a tree house as a kid and although I can't say I ever really felt deprived I wouldn't mind using that fact as an excuse to indulge myself in adulthood! These tree houses by Baumraum out of Germany are absolutely gorgeous, not to mention much larger and more luxurious than what the average 10 year old gets. They build custom tree houses all over the world, although mostly in Europe, and the designs vary from houses built up just a few feet off the ground to designs like this one way up in the tree tops (wonderful to look at but is it really secure balancing up there like that???).
Simple, modern lines make this furniture line sleek, elegant and one of Donatella's best creations. The timeless combination of black and white will compliment almost any room and allow for a color palette to come through in accessories, art, floor coverings or paint. The lounge chair is my personal favorite with a whimsical line that makes me want to crawl in and curl up with a good book. Unfortunately I couldn't find any price information but I would doubt you would see this line in a discount store -- plan on spending a bundle to makeover your abode in this sensational look.
You would have to have a serious love affair with wine and one eclectic house to pull off the JugSimple Collection from Carlo Rossi. I imagine guests may wonder if they can actually sit on the Cabernet Couch but certainly the creative look confirms your passion for the vine. If you think this is the look for you then go beyond the couch and complete your room/house with the Chardonnay Chandelier, Paisano Plasma TV Stand, Sangria Sound System, Burgundy Bookshelf, and Rhine Reading Lamp. Not sure what these oenophilic designs will cost you but I would hope they would include some free wine with the shipment.
Carbon Fiber Gear highlighted recently a Ferrari 355 gas cap paperweight. Made by RaceChairs.com, it's constructed of a 6″ x 6″ piece of carbon fiber, a colored suede underside and a real (but unused) gas cap from a Ferrari 355. (Also available with a Lamborghini Diablo gas cap.) The carbon fiber weave is clearcoated for shiny finish, and the bottom of the paperweight is covered in your choice of black, yellow, or red suede, to ensure it won't scratch your desk. The gas cap is highly polished aluminum with the Ferrari logo on the center. Optional: have an engraved plaque added or get wall hangers for display. $325, but just $199 on RaceChairs.com at the time of this writing. Looks like something our sister site, autoblog, might take a liking to.
Domino magazine, "the guide to living with style," has a fun column called "The Deal Hunter," penned by young Columbia alum Nick Olsen, that features a plethora of style for (mostly) low prices. I know here at Luxist we're often about the high-end, big ticket items, but I think it's OK to watch the finances now and then in order to keep affording the big stuff. Olsen writes in that chatty, bloggy style (which I haven't mastered, alas) and regularly finds things from all ends of the home decor spectrum. Just to show he's not all about the cheap stuff, he recently featured a $950 table from Mecox. Check out his blog if you're looking for a deal but still want lots of style or something colorful for your home.
An article in Canada's Globe and Mail led me to wacky Vancouver furniture designer Judson Beaumont. His company may be called Straight Line Designs but his designs are anything but dull, the dressers, cabinets and cases turn simple wood furniture into something delightfully silly. Beaumont tells the Globe and Mail he was inspired by the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the pieces have a gleeful quality that appeals to children and the young at heart. His pieces aren't cheap, they start at $1,500 but at least you won't go into your neighbor's house and find they have the exact same furnishings you do. The cabinet here is a new design known simply as Oops.
The Rowland Ripple Series is a set of beautiful tables that are a nice balance of smooth contemporary styling and creative design. Designed by Lee J. Rowland each of the Ripple Series tables is an optical illusion of the movement of ripples in water created by a mix of polished aluminum, clear polyester resin, and aerospace engineering technology (to help it all come together).
This large rectangle would make a beautiful and cutting edge conversation piece in an office, or one of the smaller versions could make a dramatic statement in a modern decor home. $45,000+/-
For those of us with small living quarters and the occasional need of extra seating Pick Chairs are the perfect solution. Hang them on the wall for a decorative and modern look then pick them off the wall and fold into a light-weight seat. It is encouraged to only allow slim individuals to perch upon them as they are not built for sturdier types but at least in a pinch they can accommodate party-goers and family alike. Most are steel framed with wooden plank inserts although they are also available in glass. For $1,630 each they aren't cheap but I doubt sleek art/furniture like this ever is.
Normally I think Swarovski jewels encrusted onto household appliances look tacky and ridiculous, so I'm a little surprised to hear myself saying that the Swarovski Jewels Sink collection from Antologia is actually pretty nice. Simple, tasteful, and artistic, the basic white and black sinks aren't overrun with big sparkling jewels so much as they're accented and enhanced by them. Each piece is put together by hand with Signity jewels.
Any kind of jewels on a bathroom fixture are still completely impractical and difficult to clean, of course, but these are nice to look at nevertheless.
I have a bad habit of tossing my jewelry on top of my dresser at night and as a result I often forget what pieces I have because they're all jumbled up and hard to find. What I should do is invest in some decorative jewelry stands like these from Polli. Available in cheerful bright colors, there are both standing and hanging versions in patterns inspired by coral branches, gum trees, and bamboo. Laser cut out of acrylic, these stands can be used to hold and display jewelry or act as a decoration all on their own. AU$140
It's cool to spend lots of money on fancy electronic gadgets but it's totally not cool to spend several minutes fishing around for a remote control to (gasp) actually have to get up off the couch in order to turn them on manually. Of course The Clapper could do the trick but who needs such a startling way to adjust the mood when you could have this gold (that's one of the last places you thought you'd see bling, isn't it?) electricity switch by Tobias Wong. Put it wherever you want (it works wirelessly) and you'll be having lights, music, and whatever else whenever and where ever you want -- no fumbling required. $150
Italian car design firm, Pininfarina, is well known for projects with Ferrari and Maserati but their innovation hasn't stopped with luxury vehicles. Their newest project is definitely a departure from the auto industry -- creating the Aresline Xten ergonomic office chair. This chair is for the most elite of CEO's with mega-budgets as the single piece of furniture cost the design company about $1.5 million to develop -- who knows how much they will charge to purchase one of your very own! Currently available in UAE through OFIS, the chair's impressive materials include a dynamic fabric used by Olympic athletes for durability and a substance called Technogel. Are we talking sprinter's spandex material or the seat of the equestrian team's pants? Either way this premier piece of office equipment with its iconic affiliation is sure to be coveted by many corporate giants.
As I was browsing a home magazine I was stopped by an ad for Sherle Wagner doorknobs, I mean, "hardware." They were so beautiful, I wanted to know more. So now I share ... Sherle Wagner International, headquartered in NYC but with eight U.S. showrooms and one in Kuwait, offers a number of home accessories in these categories: finishes, stones and patterns; bath fittings; bath fixtures; accessories; hardware; lighting; furniture; textiles; linens; and wall coverings. All Sherle Wagner products are originals, made by the company from the design inception stage to completion. The company uses "old world artisans and timeless techniques, so that every piece is a true original." And the staff is experienced in working with architects, designers and clients on projects of any scale. If you browse the catalog, be sure to check out all the categories on the lefthand nav bar; there was much more on the site than I noticed the first time around. No prices, however, but I'm going to guess on the high end.
If summer holidays have kept you out of the city, you may have a treat waiting for you upon arrival in New York: the pietre dure (Italian for "hard stones") exhibit at the Met. The museum's second floor galleries are filled with ornately designed furniture, vases, and various objêts d'art all featuring hand-carved pietre dure that could take artisans years to complete for just one piece. As highly valued now as then, one recently auctioned example of pietre dure was sold for $36.7 million in 2004.
The exhibit will run until September 21. If your travels won't take you down 5th Avenue by then, see the gallery for stunning examples of this painstakingly rendered art.
Gallery: Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe
Urban Nature, a Los Angeles-based design firm that specializes in sleek-yet-simple modern planters, now introduces a line of limited edition vessels crafted by local artisans from titanium and platinum. Planters include an avant-garde exotic plant arrangement that is personally couriered to its destination. The company also offers custom designs in addition to on-site consults and maintenance. Reminiscent of Architectural Pottery's vintage Cal-modern pieces, Urban Nature's collection seems to do exactly what its name implies: create a corner of life in an otherwise sterile urban landscape.
Titanium planters start at $50,000, while the platinum version will cost $250,000 and up, making these precious metals indeed. Shown above is Urban Nature's Minimalist Bowl, which retails at a more reasonable $1,395. Though I think you'll want a pair.
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