Issue: July 30, 2010 (Archive)

Friday, September 10, 2010

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Making ugly look beautiful
Fed up with her countrymen's consumer culture, Sarah Waxman, a design student at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NewYork, created a cast-ceramic bowl that looks just like the industrial molds that ceramic housewares are cast in, complete with seams and registration "keys." The 22-year-old American explains that the pieces in her line "are saying that everything you're taking in is manufactured."

Weaving in history
Those who have been to Thailand should have heard of Jim Thompson, the American architect who helped revive the silk industry in the country after World War II and, in the process, transformed his Thai Silk Company into a world-class brand.

Pure and simple
Home decor is undergoing a subtle change, thanks to the weakened economy and the trend toward smaller homes. As houses are downsized, owners are forced to make do with less space and fewer possessions, said Jose Cabrera of C&L Studio.

Taking stock
Home store openings rarely provoke a lot of interest but last week, two new shops had homemakers all revved up.

Stock up on hotel-quality linens
Every time I go to a hotel, I am so tempted to steal the bedlinen. Somehow, hotel sheets and pillow cases are always much softer and more luxurious than the ones I have at home. That's because of their higher thread-count and pure cotton material.

Dry run for towels
In a lot of families, towels get no respect. If they suck up water, they're considered good enough. But, it turns out, there's much more to making good choices than that.

Breathe easy
The World Health Organization has found that indoor air pollution poses the eighth-highest health risk and is responsible for 2.7 percent of diseases globally.

Cut to the chaise
During the Victorian era, women used chaise lounges to sit on and to catch them when they fainted. While it's no longer common for them to wear corsets that can make them lightheaded, women are still the primary buyers of these accent pieces, furniture experts say.

Range lover
When you're choosing a range for your dream kitchen, bigger - and more expensive - isn't always better. If you've watched a renovation show on television or flipped through design magazines over the past few years, you've seen endless reiterations of the same look.

Industrial revolution
Grunge and heavy metal are the latest looks in home decor. Steel tool cabinets are suddenly chic, repurposed as storage for towels and shelving for liquor bottles and other bar accoutrements. Metal desks and file cabinets are now fit for dining tables. Foundry molds are the newest frames for mirrors. Gears, cogs, wheels, nuts and bolts are now objets.

Outdoor living
This summer, Ikea is launching more than 300 new items - from indoor and outdoor furniture to cool lighting and fashionable tableware - in the brand's signature Scandinavian style.

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