Bento Box

Talk about space saving. I was expecting this to come from Japan -who are all about space saving, but this is from Dutch architecture firm Hofman Dujardin. Called the BloomFrame, you can install it into an existing window frame. Neato.

via gizmodo 

Be the hero of your frat house - introducing the beer launching fridge for those lazy nights playing gamecube in your boxers with your bros.

[video]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/445498/robotic_beer_launching_refrigerator[/video]

Finally opened up my bar of Lindt 99% Cacao Dark Chocolate. I started off on 65% bars to get my palate used to the rich cacao flavors, then moved up to 70%, then 85%. I always keep a bar of 85% in my car to nibble on - the cold weather keeps it nice and chilled.

The 99% bar comes in a gold foil package along with advice on tasting unlike the other bars in the Excellence series. Verdict - too f’in bitter/rich for me. I held the piece in my mouth to ‘experience the range of flavors’ but the cacao flavor was overpowering. I had to scramble and get a piece of truffle in my mouth to wash out the flavor. Very strong stuff. I’ll try it again with some red wine or coffee - on its own it is just too much. For now though, 85% is still my favorite.

Confession:
I am a compulsive blog-starter. I get an idea for a new blog and I jump on it without thinking it all the way through. I’ve done this with websites too. I made a couple of stupid websites around a silly concept and then abandon them halfway. So it hit me that all the blogs I’ve been frequenting on interior design and decorating all have a female sensibility to them. I tried looking for a blog about decorating for guys but did not find one. So I made my own. Maybe there are other guys like me on the interweb who also need some ideas to furnish their homes. So I made this. If it gets popular or if I think of a catchier name, I’ll change the title to something else. At least I know my buddy will read it regularly. We are always sharing links to cool shit in general.
I’m promising myself this won’t turn into my almost-defunct music blog. At least that music blog served its initial purpose - winning a blog contest at work for money.

Stumbled onto this retailer off of Cribcandy - Pique has a very interesting online catalog. All the products are shown in a picture of a room which you then roll-over to click on what you like. Makes the experience of browsing by product less sterile. When you click on an item you are taken to a detailed product page. Their selection is limited, but maybe it rotates?

Their catalog

Below: Con/Struct Wall Hanging

This guy built a cool home climbing wall. Pure passion for his hobbies. He gives detailed instructions on how he built his. I especially like that he made the unit an enclosed design so he can freestyle around instead of doing the same up/down/side-to-side if he only had a single wall. [via digg]

‘Keep calm and carry on’, a message fly-posted around Britain during World War Two, in order to prepare the public for invasion! These hand-pulled silk screen prints have been produced as a modern tribute to that statement.

Helping out a friend move into her new townhouse yesterday, I noticed the awesome framed artwork she had in her powder room. She painted her powder room a deep red - “warmer colors for smaller spaces” she told me. The combination of red and dark-framed French artwork appealed to me. Seeing this print framed on Apartment Therapy made me think this print would go well in a bathroom. If I’m ever keeled over on the bowl in pain/pushing - Keep Calm and Carry On.

My brother took me to a couple furniture places today. We started with Dania, which he described as ‘a couple steps above Ikea’ - I’m perfectly content with that labeling. Dania featured traditional and contemporary furniture stylings. It was my first time thinking about what kind of couches I want in the great room. Because the great room is attached to the kitchen, I’m still unsure about whether or not to have one large sectional, or two smaller pieces. I’ve been noticing in many pictures that if I choose to have a couple pieces, I could have two different looks. I don’t think I want to go with a ’set’ - too common and boring. Dania’s prices were in the right range but nothing really caught my eye when it came to seating design. While I was there I saw the same dining table that my parents almost bought - a Skovby dining table that can expand from 47 to 47 inches. A Danish maker well known for their dining tables. Underneath the table is a rotating platform with handles which you turn, expanding the main leaves, and then you pull up the spring-assisted sectional leaves from the inner area. If I were to get this, I would probably get it in Mahogany or Rosewood to match my dark colored cabinets. I’ve ruled out a glass table for the kitchen nook because of the constant maitenence. I’ve lived in too many places where windex was a daily part of life.

The next store Foster’s is another step above Dania. The designs here were very modern and contemporary. Plenty of art and sculpture strewn about complimenting the furniture pieces. Everything looked great here. Some of the stuff looked very “bachelor pad”ish - large low-profile sectional leather sofa, I swear it I saw it in the movie Scarface. The prices were a good 50-100% above average Dania pricing, but the materials definitely seemed higher quality. Some Natuzzi pieces caught my eye, but there was one by CDG that especially tickled my fancy. It was their Las Vegas sectional in a two-tone configuration. The upper portion felt like microsuede and the bottom was a different color fabric. It had no arms, but had curves and lines. The two tone would match my cabinets and granite slab very well. I’ll keep Foster’s in mind - they also have some very nice coffee tables. My brother told me his friend bought a glass coffee table for two grand from there! Outrageous! I hope that table polishes his crocodile-skin shoes too.

Take a shot of caffeine at home or in the office. I love the added sight at the end - “cheers”
Via Boingboing: “The Mugnum — a design competiton entry by Mohd Fizea Zaukefli — is a coffee mug with a handgun grip for people who don’t like mornings.” Continue reading “Pistol Grip Coffee Mug”