CasaSugar -- Home sweet home.

Cool Idea: Play in Public

casasugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:07 -0700

We may not remember rocking away in bouncy seats as infants, but I'm sure we all remember playing on swing sets as kids. In either case, was it ever not fun? I think not. So, why are Trix just for kids? And why should play be relegated just to playgrounds and backyards? I think adults should get a piece of the fun and games, and play should be accepted in public, and apparently so does British industrial design student Bruno Taylor.The renegade playground builder has decided that it's about time we bring play back into public space. He has created a project which incorporates incidental play in the public realm, including a public bench that bounces, for all to use, and the installation of swings into existing bus stops. Is that rad or what? To see a video of Taylor's swing being installed guerrilla-style into a bus stop,

Nice and New: VivaTerra Suzani Bench

casasugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:15:11 -0700

The suzani trend has been going on for probably a year now, and somehow I've yet to tire of it. VivaTerra has just introduced a Suzani Bench ($395-895) that is truly stunning and also eco-friendly. Made from 100 percent organic cotton and sustainable sheesham wood, and colored with eco-friendly dyes, it's one addition to your home that won't incite remorse. Available in two sizes, the elegant embroidered benches can serve as seating or a coffee table, used with a tray. At this point, I've seen the suzani trend played out in all sorts of products, often mimicking the textile's pattern rather than the embroidery itself, so it's refreshing to see such well-executed needlework.

Love It or Hate It? Button Bench

casasugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:15:46 -0700

The Jellio Button Bench ($1,400) is made to resemble a classic candy store treat with its colorful rubber dots. It certainly gives me a retro flashback of accidentally swallowing paper — not to mention a good laugh. What do you think?

Love It or Hate It? Button Bench

Love It

Hate It

Undecided

Before and After: Reclaimed Lumber Bench

casasugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:30:07 -0700

Oakland-based design-building studio Because We Can was hired by SunPower to create furniture for their new office in an old Ford manufacturing building in Richmond, CA. This enormous, potential-filled pile of lumber had been taken out of the building and slated to be dumped, but the studio stepped in, deciding the wood could be reclaimed to build something new. After mulling it over, they "decided that benches were the most feasible idea to use the lumber and keep costs down." They created two designs, one simple with legs and a seat, and another that doubled as a bookcase, with a bottom shelf fit for storing books. They designed 20-foot-long benches to use the wood most efficiently, basically as it was in its found state — but prettier and less splintery. When the wood was milled down, they discovered "a beautiful Douglas Fir glue lam, not far beneath the weathered exterior." The benches are so large that they had to be fork-lifted through a small opening on the second floor of the building. Now installed in the new HQ, they look gorgeous and fit for the vast size of the old factory building. To see the splintery wood planks in their fabulous new form,

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

casasugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:00:57 -0700

. . . would you put this Thomas Moser Astral Bench ($12,000) in your living room? Inspired by the tailored design and perfect proportions characteristic of Danish furniture design, the bench is constructed of cherry "matchsticks" which make up the curved bench seat.

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

Absolutely — it's beyond beautiful!

I love it, but not for my house.

No way, that ugly thing?

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Less or More: X-Based Benches

casasugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:31:45 -0700

For the next installment of this game, take a look at each of these x-based benches and see if you can answer my questions about them.

Steal of the Day: Black and White Inlaid Bone Bench

casasugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:00:10 -0700

If you need a matching steal for the covetable Mother of Pearl Chest, look no further than this Black and White Inlaid Bone Bench (on sale for $299, usually $549). Whether you use it for your vanity, your entry, or stack books upon it in your living room, it will add a touch of flair to any room it lands in. Covered with an inlaid floral pattern with rosette accents, it would make a gorgeous addition to your home.

Steal of the Day: Ballard Designs Macau Bench

casasugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:00:37 -0700

If you're a fan of the Chinese Chippendale style, you'll probably think the Ballard Designs Macau Bench ($279, reduced from $399) is worthy of cheering about. Made of rattan in rubbed black or natural tortoise with cotton twill, the bench is casual yet sophisticated. It's the perfect way to seat a couple of extra guests in a small studio or offer up a resting place in a narrow hallway or petite foyer. Buy two and frame them around a Moroccan tea table for a little Eastern flair on your screened-in porch, or place one at the foot of your bed for some Mr. Rogers-style shoe-tying. Love it? Like it?

Roundup: Spring Green Seating

casasugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:31:01 -0700

When I was a little CasaSugar growing up in the great white tundra, I couldn't wait for the first crocuses and tendrils of green grass to peek out of the snow mounds. My eyes were literally starved for the color green. Years later, I moved to the Bay Area, where I am nearly always surrounded by green foliage. The color green has also popped up all over my home-decorating palette. It's my firm belief that no matter how much green you get outside your house, it never hurts to include some green furniture pieces inside as well. Maybe if I'd had a few of these lovely green furnishings to sit patiently upon, I wouldn't have been such a hyperactive, cabin-fevered kid. Take a look at the widget to see if you can find a favorite of your own.

Crave Worthy: Blanca Settee

casasugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:55 -0700

While the Blanca Settee ($749-$899) is available in a nearly dizzying array of custom fabrics, I'm partial to this black tile print it's shown in. Its colors reflect my black and white elegance trend alert, and the pattern definitely reminds me of these rugs. Suffice it to say, I am in love with the look of this settee. Add to its good points its versatility (use it as a bench at the foot of your bed or as extra seating at a dinner party or in a living room) and the fact that it has a kiln-dried hardwood frame and is corner-blocked for stability and structural integrity, and you've got quite the superior settee on your hands. Are you craving it yet?

Weird Furniture: Kraft Paper Softseating

casasugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:00:49 -0700

Molo's Softseating ($130- $2,390) is made entirely from kraft paper with 50% recycled content. The paper is cut into a honeycomb-like structure that flexes to fan open into stools, benches and loungers. Not only is it flexible, it's versatile and compact; you can compress it like a book for easy storage. It was also recently acquired by the New York MOMA for their permanent collection. I can see the appeal of Softseating in a public space — it's fun, eye-catching, and memorable. But would you want this in your home?

Cool Idea: A Bookshelf and a Bench

casasugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:00:57 -0700

This Fishbol Bookseat Bench (no price available) is a great solution for small-space living. While the product may still be in the concept stage, I think it would be a fun idea for all of those studio dwellers who are looking for cool, stylish ways to integrate furniture, accessories, and beloved books.

What do you think? Are you a fan, or does this bench have a little too much going on?

Weird (and Cool) Furniture: Fill in the Cat

casasugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:30:18 -0800

NEL, an evolving collective of Mexican designers, came up with the interior design-oriented art project "Fill in the Cat," which was executed by artists Ricardo Casas, Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, Cecilia León de la Barra, and Óscar Núñez constructed a line of furniture/art pieces that feline fans will find to be the cat's meow. Explaining their creation, they write:

Three characters disappear from large, solid white blocks, and their absence suddenly makes them important. The resulting emptiness is filled with the user's belongings and through this action the silhouettes' meaning shifts. The pieces suggest a continuous play between interaction and representation, where daily use generates a continuously changing story: a cat that reads Italo Calvino, a book filled with coins, a living room where birds come to eat the cake's crumbles. . . .

This furniture, which was completed in 2006, was shown at Salone Satellite. Along with additional pieces from their furniture line, all made from expanded polystyrene (EPS). Perhaps if enough of us request it, this piece will go into mass production.

Source

Love It or Hate It? Rhododendron Burl Root Bench

casasugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:00:54 -0800

This 19th century Rhododendron Burl Root Bench ($4,700)
fascinates me. I think it would look incredible in a modern home, adding a big infusion of nature to a minimalist palette.

Love It or Hate It? Rhododendron Burl Root Bench

Love it

Hate it

Undecided

Casa Link: Trash to Treasure

casasugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:15:50 -0800

Ikea Hacker reports on a bench that Diane found on the street. While many people would simply ignore this Ikea find, Diane transformed it into something absolutely stunning with an art-nouveau pattern.

To see the results, just

Weird Furniture: Pencil Bench

casasugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:00:07 -0800

Boex 3D Creative Solutions designed this quirky bench to see if it could "incorporate an everyday office object into a piece of furniture." It's made up of 1600 pencils, and each can be removed and used. The bench won the "Best of Show" award at the 2007 Cornwall UK Design Week. Do you think it's a winner?

Weird Furniture: Philip Watts Caterpillar Bench

casasugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:00:01 -0800

Phillip Watts has given new meaning to the term buggin' out with his Caterpillar Bench ($8,507), a three-seater bench of highly-polished cast aluminum shaped to resemble the leaf-eating larva. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to see this piece of weird furniture metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly. What about you? Would you take a seat on this creepy crawler?

Source

Weird Furniture: Modern Pipe Coffee Table

casasugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:30:03 -0800

Timothy Adams, a self-taught metal artist hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, designed this Modern Pipe Coffee Table, which moonlights as a bench "in the right setting." It's made from steel pipes that were hand-cut and welded and finished with a clear coat to prevent rusting. Personally, I feel that a little rust could do this tabench good. What about you? Would you lay your November ELLE Décor on this?

Casa Craving Recap: Blue Striped Danish Bench

casasugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:30:01 -0700

I had your home décor tastes in mind last week, so for the latest Casa Craving Challenge, I decided to see you how well you could instill your personal style into a room built around a piece that isn't everyone's style. I spotted a vintage Danish bench with preppy, rugby-esque blue stripes from Hudson, and challenged you to make it work with your aesthetic in one particular room of your choice.

Everyone did a good job at creating a list that was cohesive, and that you could really visualize. My favorites detailed what their personal style is and how they made the bench work with it (and they really did make it work). Bonus points to those who specified what type of room they were decorating, as I'd asked. You can see all of the blue striped bench Casa Cravings here, as well as the great lists the users created. (TeamSugar has a great tutorial on listmaking if you're not sure how.) Since I said I'd be giving away a CasaSugar canvas tote to one of the challenge winners, CocoChic, who designed the winning look, will soon be receiving some sweet schwag!

Here are my favorite looks:

Look #1, designed by CocoChic, who says her décor style is comfortable, modern, and eclectic: "I made a home office for this challenge. I added some clean modern lines and a Louis Ghost chair to make the bench more my style. I used a shag rug, silk window panels, and some funky pillows in fun colors to play up the blue stripes. A fun wire mirror, a couple of girly prints, some task lighting, and an awesome computer finish off the room."

There are some other excellent rooms, so

Love It or Hate It? NEL Dog Bench

casasugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 06:00:58 -0700

This NEL-designed furniture can be used as a side table, stool, bench, bookshelf, magazine rack, newspaper holder, or as bookends. I can't decide if it's more abstract modern irony or rural craft fair corniness.

Love It or Hate It? NEL Dog Bench

Love It

Hate It

Undecided

Casa Craving Recap: A Chic Storage Bench

casasugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:00:21 -0700

To change things up a bit with our Casa Craving Challenge last week, I had you all go shopping for my buddy YumSugar, who is searching high and low for a chic storage bench. Ideally, she wants something a bit cheaper and hipper than this Crate and Barrel Plus Storage Bench ($899).

As usual, you guys totally wowed me: I had no idea there were so many different styles of benches out there. All of the picks were excellent, but here are some of my favorites:

this ultra-mod version that Whiplash Girlchild found
the total steal from JC Penny bookmarked by Mocelebgossisme
Gruaig_Rua's cottage-y shuttered number for storing shoes
and the super-sleek Delfino benches bookmarked by Gna_21

For many, many more great storage-benches, just click on the photos below. And be sure to tune in tomorrow for the next Casa Craving Challenge.

Casa Craving Challenge: A Chic Storage Bench

casasugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:00:06 -0700

Every Thursday on CasaSugar, I'll give you a decorating theme and ask you to go Casa Craving for items that fit the theme. (Here's a post explaining what a Casa Craving is and how to create one.) And for this week's Casa Craving Challenge, I'm trying something different.

My buddy YumSugar is looking for a perfect piece of furniture, and we're going to help her find it. She wants to buy a storage bench, along the lines of this Crate and Barrel Plus Storage Bench ($899). But ideally, she'd like something a bit more chic and interesting and, preferably, cheaper.

So let's all create Casa Cravings for the best storage benches you can find. I'll feature the results next Wednesday, August 29. Just tag your Cravings with the phrase storage bench. Please let me know if you have any questions. For a list of online home stores to try,