A bunch of really cool things

Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC présents

A bunch of really cool things that are different.. Here they are enjoy the pics and post.. They stuck out at me and I felt like sharing.

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The Maison et Objet design fair kicked off in Paris last week, and Kartell unveiled something new for the occasion. In celebration of the 10th birthday of the Italian brand’s wild (and wildly successful) Bourgie Lamp, Kartell invited its team of 14 designers to reinterpret the lamp, a fanciful design by Ferruccio Laviani. It helps, of course, that Kartell’s roster of designers includes names with undeniable star power: Philippe Starck, Piero Lissoni, Patricia Urquiola, and the singerLenny Kravitz. Being exhibited during Maison et Objet at Kartell’s flagship store in Paris, the 14 new Bourgies span a range from completely deconstructed (Urquiola) to head-scratching (Starck). Here, the original Bourgie, above, and a half dozen pretenders.

A fantastic Housing Project

A housing project on the Big Island of Hawaii—labeled Lavaflow—has given San Francisco-based architect Craig Steely an ideal backdrop against which to practice his self-described brand of “reductive architecture,” distinguished by few materials and simple, clean forms. With their linear, horizontal profiles, flat roofs, and vast expanses of glass, Lavaflow houses make an obvious nod towards Mid-Century Modern architecture, but Hawaii’s particular climate injects other concerns into the building process.

“Building near the ocean, with the volcano close by and the acid rain that comes from the volcano, adds another whole level of complication.” That level of complication necessitates mitigating solutions: steel framing to combat termite infestation; orienting the houses to maximize the benefits of ocean and wind; and structural elements that leverage Hawaii’s natural resources smartly and sustainably.

“The fact that every room is located along a spine makes it really easy to activate cross-ventilation and to cool off the entire place,” Steely says. “The idea of aloha really exists. It’s that caring for people, for the land, and for each other…if you really want to understand a culture and a place, build a house there.” Don’t we just wish we could.

The Luxury Dogbowl

Traditionally low-cost gingham has gone seriously upscale. Zurich-based brand En Soie has made the provincial pattern one of its signature motifs, applying it to a line of accessories and porcelain tableware—including these food bowls, for the over-indulged canine. Hand made, hand painted, and edged in 18k gold, En Soie’s Dog Bowls are unreasonably precious enough to tempt buyers to set their own tables with the checkered beauties. Alas, that doggie bowl shape is a barking giveaway.

Sputnik Chandeliers

We’d barely finished waxing poetic about Sputnik chandeliers when we spotted this starburst-shaped kaleidoscope by interior designer Kelly Wearstler, who knows a thing or two about luxury goods. Hand-crafted in Los Angeles, and given a lustrous bronze finish, this “jewelery for the home” accent piece is decidedly not for the budget-conscious. But we do appreciate its intricate ornamentation and pitch-perfect holiday glamor.

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