Harry and Sal's Design Blog

Now I know most people don't share my somewhat long and tawdry obsession with the beloved bird box, but there's something about it - a wee home on a wall - a nest. It's so cosy and inviting and you're doing something positive for your garden, as opposed to spraying pesticides everywhere or irritating the neighbors with noisy lawnmowers. But why the sad story? Well I have a trail of sad bird boxes littering my home, neglected, just waiting for some wee inhabitants to make them feel loved. One, rustic-looking, sits unused on my lawn, forlorn, just waiting for lazy old me to go hang it somewhere. The other, shabby-chicesque (we all go through that phase at one time or another) sits in the side yard gathering dust. So maybe this gem from my latest favorite site Generate could be the go. Clean lines, sweet motif. Nice. I think I really have to get the other ones up tho before I can splurge again. What say you?

Labels: Outdoor, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 5/05/2008 0 Comments

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HARRY: Maarten Baptist of WAT Design came up with the elegant flatware pictured above. It's called Open Air and is made of high grade steel. It's $185 for 6 table settings. Sounds reasonable to me. Check out Core77's wrap up of Danish designers, including Baptist. Joost Wever's stuff is fantastic. I love the watering can (below) and the clothes rack. Nice clean smart design. Lovely.

Labels: Dining, Harry, Kitchen, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 11/02/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: It's dinner time and I've got two hungry grumpy kids so this is a real quick one. Couldn't resist these recycled melamine plates. How cool are they! I love the segmented dinner plates and the simple little tumblers. Perfect for picnics, bbqs or the kids.

Labels: BBQ, Dining, Green, Harry, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 10/28/2007 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: I'll be tearing myself away this week from my usual preoccupations with kids stuff, lighting, rugs and art to think about the outside of our homes and unearthing what cool goodness I find there. To start us off, check out these cool Plane Address Numerals for outside your home from Unica Home.

Labels: Outdoor, Sal

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 10/02/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: As we're looking at bathroom layouts for the Kydd House there's a little bit of pressure mounting as to what style of tub we want. Is it freestanding, or built-in? These decisions will impact the final bathroom design. A freestanding tub is a majestic thing, it needs room, it needs placement. I'm a big fan of a good tub, even though I might not use it for 360 out of 365 days a year - boy for those five days I'll be REALLY glad I had it! Tub-searches are not so easy to do online, like a bed, there's something about a tub that you really need to experience first hand before making a decision. That being said, I had a bit of a mooch about and found some gorgeous options. The Water Monopoly company in London has a great site to look at for ideas, the Paris tub pictured above is a nice combination of classic and contemporary. Vintage tub is a great stop if it's a clawfoot tub you're after, and Waterworks classic tub was a not-too-crazily-priced, but elegant built-in tub. I'm not one for the jets, or inline heating, so I'm hoping my needs will be relatively easy to address. If I can't find what I'm after, I may just throw in the towel (pardon the pun) and go for a hot tub in the yard and be done with it. Only the classiest ones though, of course.

Labels: 711, BedBath, Outdoor

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 9/11/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I don't expect to find cool stuff at Neiman Marcus but I really like this picnic set. The cups and plates look like Missoni might have a hand in the design. And the backpack has a detachable wine holder - what's not to love. For more picnic basket choices check out Target...they've got a huge range. I also like the idea of taking a stripy canvas bag from QuelObjet and packing it with your own picnic essentials. With the weather warming up in Sydney and already lovely and sunny in Los Angeles I think a picnic is perfect in either hemisphere.

Labels: Dining, Harry, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 7/26/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I'm clearly obsessed with communication at the moment. Distance from dear friends will do that to you. I love this post box by New Zealand designer Catherine David (perfect for those Mrs John L Strong missives). It meets quite a few of our favourite criteria - practical, pretty and a little cheeky. At $580 (NZ dollars) it's not exactly cheap but every now and then it's nice to splurge. Also check out her cool shower curtains (love the bamboo one).

Labels: Harry, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 7/23/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: After reading about Sal's bird feeder I went in search of my own. I found this cool one by Eva Solo on the Fitzsu site. Lots of cool stuff on their site (including tse & tse china). I met the couple behind Fitzsu - Fitz and Su - at a friend's birthday a few nights ago. They recently opened a store in Palm Springs. So nice to meet the people behind one of my favourite Los Angeles design stores. But, back to the bird feeder. I've blogged about Eva Solo before (remember that portable bbq?) ... such elegant solutions to otherwise mundane objects and this lovely glass design is no exception. Also check out the Droog bird feeder - a porcelain dinner plate with a wooden roof. Love it.

Labels: BBQ, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 7/09/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: Actually this chair isn't heavy at all...just at a loss this morning when it comes to pithy headlines. But it is a great outdoor chair I found on the Conran site. And if you're like me and want your outdoor stuff to be no fuss and stay outdoors then this chair is perfection. The powder coated steel doesn't rust (unless you scratch the paint) and it wipes down with a cloth. I wish all my furniture was that easy. While you're on the Conran site check out the cool new outdoor lanterns.

Labels: Dining, Furniture, Kitchen, Lighting, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 7/07/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: For the animal lovers amongst us, finding accessories for our feathered friends that are both elegant and functional can be a challenge, so imagine my delight at finding this little gem at the ever inventive Lekker Home. It's made of weather resistant hardwood and stainless steel and stands 48" tall. It's just as groovy as the J Schatz Egg Bird Feeder just maybe not so colorful.

Labels: 711, Outdoor

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 7/03/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: One of the things I will miss about Los Angeles is the great shopping. I was at HD Buttercup today (returning a birthday present) and it is packed to the rafters with great homewares and furniture. And such good prices. The wonderful old factory in Culver City is now filled with over 50 manufacturers who sell directly to the public - they call it manutailing. Not particularly catchy, but a good idea. Cut out the middleman and keep prices down. I love the furniture at Floor-Model - you can see from the pic that it's lots of mid-century Danish and Swedish stuff. They also have great sales - check their website for details.

Labels: Dining, Furniture, Outdoor, Seating, Vintage

posted by cerentha harris at 6/19/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: The cover of the latest DWR catalog is a luscious Airstream caravan. So perfect for their market. It has been fitted out with all the cool gear and yes, I want it bad. I don't camp, have never towed anything behind my car and don't want to spend any time in a trailer park. But I love this silver bullet. The DWR version comes with a hefty price tag (around $49,000) so I turned to ebay...some nice choices there. Like this truly enormous one for around $18,000. If it's gone don't despair - there were 5 or 6 others that looked just as good. And just for the hell of it check out Airstream's site - you'll be a convert within seconds.

Labels: Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 6/13/2007 0 Comments

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SAL: I'm not sure quite what I would do with this simply gorgeous outdoor umbrella, from Matter - perhaps pair it with Room & Board's Mariposa chair for a little fun juxtapositioning or the exquisite crochet side table, also available from Matter. What I do know is, I just love the design of Matter's website - very very cool.

Labels: Furniture, Outdoor

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 6/05/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY OK so I've found the table to go with my new folding chair (that I haven't actually bought but if I did buy it this would be the table I'd get to do with it!) West Elm often come up with interesting pieces. I don't love all their stuff but I always manage to circle a thing or two in the catalog. The styling is awful though - that naf bowl and starfish...sorry about that.

Labels: Furniture, Outdoor

posted by cerentha harris at 6/04/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY: I love these chairs. And once again Anthropolgie gets the colours and fabric just right. The frame is hardwood, the fabric is a weather hardy acrylic. Now we need the perfect little table to balance our book and drink and all will be well.

Labels: Furniture, Outdoor, Seating

posted by cerentha harris at 6/04/2007 0 Comments

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HARRY Agave seem so 90s but throw a couple of lovely stripey ones into the mix, add a few red hot pokers and a soft gray concrete wall and – voila, a whole new feel. I love the strong lines of this plant. Imagine this garden in 5 years…it’s going to look even better. Here's a few online garden centers that will satisfy all your succulent needs: yuccado.com has this striped agave for $15; buy red hot poker for $16 at plandelights.com; Check out ebay for lots and lots and lots of agave.

Labels: Outdoor, Plants

posted by cerentha harris at 5/20/2007 0 Comments

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As summer approaches, our minds turn to our gardens and the outside and the time comes to decide just how serviceable that rusting dining set really is! We've spotted some gorgeous new designs out there for outside dining that offer something a bit more unusual than your average teak and umbrella combo.

MORE:
Design Within Reach - Super sleek Deneb table and bench
Room & Board - Take a pew in the elegant Mariposa chair

Labels: Dining, Furniture, Outdoor

posted by Sal Taylor Kydd at 5/19/2007 0 Comments

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