Harry and Sal's Design Blog

SAL: Forgive me dear readers for my lack of posting of late, but sick children do not a happy blogger make, nor a terribly productive one come to that. But I'm back, with gusto and elan - or something like that :-) Now - don't you just love these Botanist benches from Orange 22? I'd seen them before, in Dwell as I recall, but only discovered where they actually came from recently. Orange 22, a design lab are located in the same former bank building in downtown LA where I'm currently working from time to time. And who could miss this gorgeousness? Designed by Brandon Lynne and Dario Antonioni, the Botanist benches and stools/side tables come in natural or vinyl finish - they'd make a great coffee table too!

Labels: Furniture, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 1/28/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: Small Paul (from veteran Paul Frank) has partnered with 10 Grain to produce a new range of great furniture and toys coming out in December (above and below) - just in time for Christmas. The designs are witty and the materials are perfectly child friendly. I especially love the Julius house below. It's a really cool take on the doll's house. But the stuff is pricey. The stool is $158 and the house is $199. I know IKEA has a stool a bit like the one above for $29. Not sure about the doll's house. Maybe you just bite the bullet and this is there one big gift for Chrissie? Or, if anyone knows of a less expensive alternative please let us know!

Labels: Christmas, Furniture, Gifts, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 11/14/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: If you're in Sydney over the weekend (Nov 17 & 18) make sure you get to Signature Prints for their sale (Showroom Sale, Unit 2, 3 Hayes Road Rosebery). Florence Broadhurst wallpaper & fabric remnants, lampshades, ottomans, cushions, fashion & accessories will be reduced by 50 - 70%. They've also got stuff on sale by Shona Joy and Eclettica - two fashion labels. I've never heard of either of them but fashion isn't really my thing!
From the email they sent me it looks pretty cool.

Labels: Furniture, Harry, Textiles

posted by cerentha harris at 11/13/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Apologies dear reader for the lack of posting. I had to zap back to the UK for a flying visit. Although I was only there a couple of days, I did manage to get in some shopping - of course. :) Well, the holidays are only just around the corner! In Neale's Yard I fell upon a very cute store called Octopus. Unfortunately they don't have a website up yet. The theme of the store is pop-arty bright colored accessories and homewares mostly made by a company called Pylones. Pylones have a decent site and it seems I'm not the first to fall upon their eccentric designs. Check out more fun below.

Labels: Furniture, Kitchen, Sal, Style

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/18/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm on a green run at the moment. You know, Al Gore wins a Nobel Prize, (check out these letters in the New York Times - some very good points) - there's definitely something going on out there. Artek jumped on board early this year with an elegant line of bamboo furniture. As they say - it's Alvar Aalto meets ethical furniture design. I also noticed that Shigeru Ban did Artek's pavillion this year for Milan Furniture Fair. If you're in Helsinki you can stop by this extraordianry crisp white barn-like building. I love Shigeru Ban's work. When I was involved in Sydney Design Week we brought him out and he spoke at the Powerhouse Museum. He was an intelligent, passionate, humble visionary. I've been following his work ever since. We were lucky enough to visit his temporary gallery in Los Angeles that housed the Ashes and Snow exhibition. Shigeru has been considering the environmental implications of his buildings for years (just look at his amazing structures made from recycled paper tubes like the Paper House on Lake Yamanaka below). And he's just produced a book on Aalto - nice tie back to Artek!

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/15/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: First, I love those booties that Sal posted. So sweet. It seems all my friends in Sydney are having third babies so these would make a perfect pressie. On a more grown up note I am obsessed with orange right now. I found orange velvet curtains at IKEA (they now grace our bedroom) and I came across this NYT's story about a house in Los Angeles that recently escaped the wrecking ball (fascinating story on saving modern houses. Stacie Stukin did a great job on it). The colours in this room are just great...not to mention the architecture. It's a Ray Kappe house (Sal will love him - he's a warm modernist).

Labels: Architecture, Furniture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 10/10/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: This is just a real quickie. I'm swamped now with a bunch of obligations. Couldn't resist posting this though. The LA Times ran this piece on The Tower Hotel in Beverly Hills. It is undergoing a reno and the entire contents of the place is being sold. Hair dryers for $5. That sort of thing. Or an entire room with bed and mattress for $1000. A second hand mattress is kind of creepy but the chair looks pretty comfy and could easily be recovered. The sale runs til Oct 22. Lots of time to head over there, all you lucky locals. The address is 1224 S. Beverwil Drive. Questions go to fortpitt@hotmail.com.

Labels: Furniture, Harry, Sales

posted by cerentha harris at 10/08/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: The answer to Harry's question is of course, yes, yes and yes. I've never been to Thailand and that place looks unbelievable! In the meantime, I'm planning a trip to London in the next week or so so should have some interesting finds to ping you all from there. To business, I recently discovered BBDW while reading one of the blogs on the HGTV website and I am smitten. If I could have a house entirely populated with this exquisite hand-made heirloom quality furniture I would. Check out the Captain's mirror above, a handsomely austere instant-classic. They also have lamps, rugs, tables, seating, beds and clocks. Sublime.

Labels: 711, Furniture

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/08/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Before I continue on my outdoor theme, a brief disclaimer. I know most of you are heading into Winter - so, you may wonder, why do an outdoor theme now? Well in my house anyway, Fall is a time for sorting and storing, packing things away and generally having a bit of a clear out and the garden is no exception. So what better a time to review your outdoor options? Also here in sunny SoCal and in Harry's neck of the woods Down Under, the sun still shines, and I for one am making the most of it! With that being said, check out the Fatboy Headdemock. You can hang it from a tree or use the support frame and place it anywhere, perfect for a snuggle with the little ones, a blanket and some cocoa on these crisp Fall evenings.

Labels: 711, Furniture, Outdoor

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/04/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Urban Outfitters has a limited furnishings/furniture collection, but it can always be relied upon to add a little funk to your home. Check out the Braeburn Bentwood Chairs. Made from laminated plywood, they come in at $139 for a set of two. Also available in Petal and Windowpane. Oh and they're stackable. Sweet.

Labels: Furniture, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/26/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: The desk - it's elegant yet functional, modern with a classic style - behold the Jonas from the ever inventive folks over at Ikea. What is not shown in this picture, is that the Jonas comes with a side desk that extends on the right, creating a retractable L - extra room that comes in super handy. All this for an unbelievable $129. I also got the filing cabinet to sit next to it. The final touch will be the Nominell chair. It wasn't necessarily the comfiest, but you got to love that green!

Labels: 711, Furniture

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/24/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Apologies dear reader for the sparseness of our postings in recent days, we've been experiencing some technical difficulties, and add to that poor Harry was laid low with a wicked flu! But, onward... I've been meaning to write about this table for a couple of weeks now. DWR have introduced a new rosewood top to celebrate the anniversary of Eero Saarinen's pedastal collection. They are built from all sustainable materials and feature a nifty medallion on the bottom to remind us how special they are!

Labels: 711, Dining, Furniture

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/23/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Sorry to everyone that we've been off the air for a few days...bugs seem to be everywhere - Blogger, my household...from my sick bed I've been pouring over the exhibitor's list for 100% Design in London. A friend of mine is there and I couldn't help feel a pang of jealousy when she called before leaving. (Sal and I will have to meet up in London next year). I especially like the work of British designer Benjamin Hupert (pictured above and below). He's part of 100%futures, an exhibition of emerging talent. It's a great chance to spot new talent and see what the old guard is up to.

Labels: Furniture, Harry, Lighting

posted by cerentha harris at 9/21/2007 0 Comments

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Anthropologie upholstery sale is about to end. If only I were in LA...I would be all over the Ditte Slipcover Sofa. It's pictured above. I lovethe lines of hat sofa with the ornate fabric. Although I wonder if we'll look bakc on all that decorative fabric and think how 2007 it was! I'm also drawn to those lovely little upholstered Astrid chairs. This one with snapdragon fabric is on sale...not sure about the fabric but the shape and size is perfect for my bedroom.

Labels: Furniture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 9/21/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: The challenge - find a desk for the current house, that is cheap and cheerful and practical. Note, this is an interim solution as the new place will likely call for something very different - probably custom-made for a specific space. That being said, if I find something suitably versatile it may live on as a bedroom nook type desk in a future life. Alas - am I trying to do too much with too little? I fear that might be the case. So we have - dream/future-proof scenario and make-good cheap-as-chips scenario. Dream-scenario would be something like the Parson's desk pictured above. Sleek in a variety of polished finishes, it may do just the trick for now and later, at $299 it's not ridiculous, but not cheap either. Trusty Ikea has some really great mix and match options. I do like the Galant system for something simple and very economical. Hmm... decisions, decisions. For more great ideas check out House & Garden's Desk Quest slideshow. PS Harry, we miss you!

Labels: Furniture, Office, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/08/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I know we've been pimping DWR a bit recently, but I couldn't NOT share with you the Modern Bed Sale going on right now - with 15% off and free shipping until Sept 14th. As Harry mentioned, I've been looking for a new bed for a while now. Our current bed is a Queen, an old (beautiful) cast iron thing, entirely unpractical now. I've been trying to decide whether we can live with it until the new house gets built, whereupon we'd certainly get a new more modern bed. However, the mattress has had it, so it may be forcing our hand a little bit. I do like this Elemento bed (above) very clean looking with a soft base, which with running children I appreciate. They also have the Sonno Prima mattress on sale for $1500, or you could try the Aireloom latex mattress available at Viesso.

Labels: 711, Furniture

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/03/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY I'm setting up a home office. Well, I will be as soon as the tenants move out of our house and we move back in. Right now all work happens at my parent's dining table. I found the shelves above at DWR. Designed by Canadians Christopher and Paul Massie, they are called Flying Vee. A nice title for a whimsical take on the shelf. Massie says he noticed objects being covered in pattern and pushed that a step further making object as pattern. The shelves come in a pack of five so you get to place them on the wall in any pattern you choose. It reminds me of the Ron Arad's fantastic sinuous 'bookworm' (below) Having said all this I will probably end up with IKEA's ubiquitous LACK shelf above my desk!

Labels: Furniture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 9/03/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Poor Sal. I know that LA heat and it's not fun at night with hot kids! Sydney is just stuttering out of a dreary winter so we're all embracing the warm days and crisp nights. Now, I know Sal was looking for a bed a while back. In my green search I found Viesso. They make simple elegant furniture that you get to customize, they build pretty fast (3 weeks for this bed before it ships) and they are committed to sourcing green materials from the springs and foam in their chairs to the timbers in their beds and tables (this bed is made from bamboo). A little edgier is Canadian design house Molo - although they have a similar green commitment. Their work is more cutting edge and interesting (from a design point of view). I love their glassware and these stools made from a crisp white fabric. They've got the same designs in paper. Well worth a look.

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 9/02/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: Attention Anthropologie-addicts, the Fall upholstery event kicks off tomorrow with 25% off for the month of September. I know Harry will be cursing that Anthropologie has not yet ventured to her distant shores, but I'm sure that time will come soon enough (Fingers crossed!). These two gems particularly caught my eye, the intensity of the orange fabric of the Jayne sofa - a confection in "naive tropical" - is even more stunning in person. "Rounded and padded in all the right places" according to the website - perfect! The Samovaari print of the Milo sofa pictured next, is perfect for this elegant chesterfield-inspired design.

Labels: Furniture, Sal, Seating

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 8/30/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: More Maine goodies. Geoffrey Warner is another Maine artist whose work I really enjoyed. Geoffrey's range of furniture features some exquisite cabinetry that you can see above, as well as including tables, desks, chairs, lamps and even mobiles. I really love the walnut stool, that's some impressive joinery! There is a distinct folk art influence to many of his designs, which I'm not such a fan of and even a Craftsman feel to some of the pieces, but there are also some really beautiful, simple pieces that have an effortless elegance. Enjoy!

Labels: Dining, Furniture, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 8/30/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY I found a great online store called Unless that is based in New Zealand. They are committed to finding design that is created with sustainability in mind. They've got lights by one of my favourite designers, David Trubridge and also this rather cool chair by a group called Conscious Design . I like that modern line with the old-fashioned fabric. Nana meets Eames.

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 8/30/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Yippeeee...Sal is back! So nice to hear from her. I'm looking forward to hearing about her Maine finds. My endless search for the perfect coffee/dining table continues. I love these ones at Orange22. Sleek and slightly girly with that floral cut out. Nice combination of high design and craftiness. Trawling through Target I found the Linear coffee table that Urban Outfitters also sells. They've also got a nice round table in the Linear range with all the same positive attributes (enviromentally sound and inexpensive). At the higher end there's this cool wire and glass table. I like the busyness of the wire...it's new at DWR. I've been seeing a lot of this wire stuff in magazines.

Labels: Dining, Furniture, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 8/29/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY There are moments when I really miss Los Angeles. I certainly miss my friends a lot. But I also miss the shopping. This little table from Urban Outfitters went out of stock very quickly about 6 months ago (when I tried to buy 2 for our living room). I ended up getting one with a different pattern, but this is the one I wanted. It's $29! And damn Urban Outfitters wont ship to Australia...I hate that. For you locals they've got lots of cool new stuff. Check out the DIY coffee table (pictured below) made from green materials and their new wall decals.

Labels: Furniture, Green, Harry

posted by cerentha harris at 8/23/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY My dad and I just got back from a trek to IKEA. (My father and I clearly share the same shopping gene). I love that all that interesting design is being bought by every man and his dog. I don't love that every man and his dog is there when I'm there. What a crazy place. So packed full of stuff. So cheap. Some of it's great and some of it's just going to fall apart before you get it home. I did find this lovely cushion for my daughter. Also found good kid's beds and a simple cheap desk for me (until we finish the renovation and figure out what will happen in my office this trestle table will be perfect). If I had a bigger budget I'd order the kid's bed (pictured below) from notneutral - they've got wonderful furniture. Right now I'm glad to be home in one piece with a glass of wine, a bowl of corn chips and our pretty new pillow.

Labels: 94, Furniture, Harry, Kids

posted by cerentha harris at 8/19/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Moss, New York's best design store, has opened in LA...finally. Unfortunately, we left a few days before the 3500 sq foot Melrose Avenue store opened. But Sal, I am sure, will be beating a path to their door. Murray Moss was recently the subject of a very interesting Vanity Fair piece. And the LA store opening certainly got a lot of press. What I love about moss that it holds design up as art. Murray Moss and his partner Franklin Getchell value good design. Plus they've got a cool blog. And - yeah yeah yeah - I know the stuff is expensive and the shop is intimidating (at least it will be if it's anything like the NY version) but I don't care. LA, here is your chance to wander among the best the globe has to offer in way of design. Relish it. Now if only I could convince Mr Moss that Sydney would support such a store...

Labels: Art, Furniture, Harry, Jewelry, Lighting, Style

posted by cerentha harris at 8/12/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I am a huge fan of these custom pieces you can find at one of my favorite stores in Santa Monica - Weego Home. The sliding door features a fabric panel that you can swap in and out depending on the mood you want to achieve for your room. If you want to change it again you can do so yourself, the fabric is just held in place by simple clips that are easy to remove. The pieces featured in the store use some fairly monochromatic designs which are striking, but I love the idea of combining them with some of those exquisite Purl Liberty fabrics we wrote about a while ago, or some of Aussie designer Florence Broadhurst's wallpapers - check out her book for inspiration.

Labels: Furniture, Sal, Textiles

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 8/09/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm on the lookout for beanbags for the kids. My brother and I had them (good 70s kids that we were) and I loved them. I want my two gremlins to have that same Styrofoam bean joy. I found this hideously expensive version at my new favourite online store - auto. I hate it when you find the perfect thing and it's way way way above your budget. I'd actually like to know who spends $769 on a beanbag - even if the fabric is by Missoni. Please - if you know of any good alternative, let me know!

Labels: Furniture, Harry, Kids

posted by cerentha harris at 8/07/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm strangely drawn to all things yellow right now. This striped crystal tumbler is so lovely - part of Barney's own range, that also includes some rather cool black crystal high ball glasses. Black and blue are all over the interiors magazines here in Sydney (I wish they had better website so I could link to them for you). It's cropping up in homewares and on walls and rugs. My feeling is we'll be seeing a lot of purples, blues and blacks in interiors. Check out Pantone - the colour gurus - website for some inspiration. And Colourlovers has some lovely combos (plus an interesting blog). And of course there is the queen of color (and trends) forecasting, Li Edelkoort (I want to look just like her when I'm a bit older).

Labels: Dining, Furniture, Harry, Walls

posted by cerentha harris at 8/03/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Inspired by Sal's giraffe I went off looking for my own piece of kid's art. I came across Tinypeople - a new site and online store that ships in Australia and to the US. They've got a tonne of great stuff but the art they've collected is some of the best I've seen. It's not cheap but it's the kind of stuff your child can take with them when they move out!

Labels: Art, Furniture, Harry, Kids

posted by cerentha harris at 7/30/2007