I’ve been obsessing about vertical gardens lately ~ and while most get complex drip systems, bricks of earth magically suspended, and pretty thick installations… i lit up when i stepped into the Valcucine showroom for the Surface Magazine and saw this brilliant idea of a metal grid with little pots hanging from them filled with everything from herbs to strawberries!!! And it looks pretty awesome? Also between all the luxurious sustainable kitchen and furniture ~ they debuted and let us sample the delights of Valcucine’s Riciclanta sustainable slow food kitchen… really delicious asparagus soup shots and soup spoons of salad bites… the chefs on hand were incredibly sweet and friendly too! Also really cool to see the little wet pots in person! I think i’m finding it much cuter than the eva solo one i just bought as far as use of space, and the same concept pretty much. See pics of it all on the next page!

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My kitchen is DONE!!! So, a few weeks ago you saw the unboxing of the Kohler Karbon Faucet and Smart Divide Sink ~ well many an early morning, some banging, bashing, painting and more later… the 30s kitchen has had all its tiles ripped out, plumbing cleaned up, granite counters installed, and sink and faucet have been Kohler-ized… and i LOVE it.

Really it’s one thing to play with the Karbon at trade shows, but to have been actually using it ~ doing dishes, filling pots, spraying people, etc… it’s awesome! (i highly recommend playing with one!) ~ And the Smart Divide sink having a lower divider means far less splashage as i’m cleaning and moving things between the different sides…

As for how decisions were made… Yes. I became that girl in the ads who basically walked around with a faucet and designed counter around it… So see the advert, and the whole process from start to finish on the next page!

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It’s not often shower head innovations catch my eye recently ~ but the latest Flipside from Kohler is definitely an interesting shift from the “Handshowers” (ok, i had no idea that was a term till i was reading the press release, but thinking about it, i dont know what i’d normally call it?) where you normally turn the ring on the showerhead to switch between different settings… and the water always comes from the same sprayface. In the case of the Flipside, there are 4 different sprayfaces, and each mode has a K name (Kohler does love their Ks):
• KOVERAGE - for a traditional, everyday shower with maximum water coverage that is perfect for the morning shower routine (green)
• KOTTON - streams a layer of dense, soft, enveloping downpour of relaxation that caresses your skin (yellow)
• KOMOTION - a drenching spray that delivers an exhilarating, circular pattern to refresh the senses after a tightly-wound day (pink)
• KURRENT - provides a focused and invigorating massage spray to target tired or aching muscles (blue)

See more pictures and more info on the next page!

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I love the fractal nature of succulents. And continuing from yesterday’s post… while the plumber was working on the kitchen (Kohler goodies nearly installed), i ended up getting some cactus soil (and juice) and a few more succulents ~ and my mom donated some of her overgrown succulents that were spewing out of their pots to break up ~ soooooo, more fun pics of some inspiring patterns and colors! How crazy does that gummy one look? See more pics on the next page…

UPDATED!!!! Just add more at the bottom of this post since i just ran out to the japanese nurseries to see what i could find… (jump directly to the new pics here)

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So many puns. Must resist the puns. Let’s just say its been a sucky day and leave it at that? Soooooo anyhow, on friday inspirations/distractions/obsessions… finally made it over to Rolling Greens Nursery in culver city, and it is TRULY mind blowing. So much beautiful stuff ~ not to mention the layout of the 4 tiered huge sections set into this pretty steep hillside ~ and the big sale (50% 1000$ pots and such)… i was like a kid in a candy store, oooohing and ahhhhhing over all the incredible plants, and then gave in and bought a bunch of succulents that i couldn’t take my eyes off of… and before i planted them (slowly working on the back yard now) took a bunch of pics. The details are just so fascinating!!! Also found a really cool flower you’ll see at the end of the pics on the next page as well…

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As promised ~ i just got an email filled with the images of the full Tord Boontje 2009 collection for Bisazza. So, while i won’t be able to make it in person, on the next page you can see the 3 new pieces that Tord Boontje designed with the beautiful Bisazza tiles. I must admit i’m a huge boontje fan for his usual beautiful nature inspired clean vectory patterns ~ and this is about as pixelated as you can get from that. I love how they look like mosaic blocks, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that there are drawers and shelves and goodies hidden within them! Don’t hate me for saying this (or blame the heat) ~ but the vertical pieces do remind me conceptually of that IKEA Malm headboard with the hidden roll-out shelves ~ of course with more beautiful materials and mosaics applied! I’d love to have one of these as a side table, or behind the couch… and the coffee table, filled with spirits is just breathtaking as well…

Take a look at all three pieces from various angles on the next page ~ as well as the full press release!

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Ok ok, i really should go to sleep ~ but finally cleaned through about 2/3s of many many emails in my inbox, and amongst them was this really cool one from Postfossil who is launching a new collection at the Salone Satellite 2009 in Milano next week! So before i leave you, here is some fun eye candy to enjoy! See more of the new collection and more details on the next page!

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On NOTCOT firsts ~ i have never really remodeled a house, taken apart a kitchen, installed a faucet, carried a sink… so for those who have, don’t mind my silly excitement at some of the more mundane aspects. Also, i’ve been far too distracted playing with the sculptural Kohler Karbon Faucet, i mean sure, i’ve poked at it at design fairs, but the booth folks sure give you funny looks if you stand there reshaping it too much. Would it be weird to have this designer faucet as my desk/fidget toy? Its so beautiful! And mesmerizing to play with? Also since earlier Kohler ads ran on NOTCOT a few months ago ~ i’ve been wanting to try those Smart Divide sinks with the shorter dividers ~ cookie trays sticking out of the sink - no more!

I’ve never unboxed a sink or a kitchen faucet… ever! So naturally you get to check it out with me! Consider this the first in my latest hands on offline project ~ more updates to come soon ~ but for now, feel free to take a peek at how fun the products are in real life on the next page!

p.s.
i totally geeked out about the Karbon on Numb3rs over at H2OVisions

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Chikuno Cubes ~ gorgeous, tiny (see next page for a pic of it in the fridge!), and apparently it sucks up odors! With its fascinatingly delicate structure ~ these ultra fine bamboo powder/charcoal cubes absorb moisture, odor, gas, ethylene, ammonia, formaldehyde, and more… apparently its made from water soluable powder so you’re supposed to keep it away from water. Every month it says to place it in direct sunlight for 6 hours to release all that it has trapped ~ does it work? I’m not sure yet, it just arrived yesterday! BUT, it is pretty cool looking, and had some adorable very japanese, gift boxed packaging. (Got mine at Delight!)

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I first met the adorable brothers Salm (Isaac, the numbers guy and Jaime, the design guy) of MIO on my press trip to Philadelphia a few years back ~ and their passion for sustainability, the history of philly as a manufacturing resource, and their love of design (as well as the way the PR girls swooned over them) were hard to miss. It’s thrilling to see that they are one of the latest to be tapped by Target. It’s a playful eco-friendly collection to help make “going green” even easier, claim the press release…

In the collection are: A set of gardening tools, solar garden lights, portable hammock, watering can, herbs, and a composter. Of them all, i’m most intrigued in the composter! After much hunting, there doesn’t seem to be much in the realm of attractive composting hardware out there ~ this bright green piece is so playful and refreshing! Check out the full collection larger and the full press release on the next page! The collection will be available starting April 12th.

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Continuing the obsession with solar powered playfully designed lighting… Remember that post last week about the new ones from IKEA? Well, i couldn’t help myself and went and tracked them down, took a bunch of pics at the store, AND bought quite a few too! The real question really was, what is the quality like, how long do they last, etc… and bottom line, i’m LOVING the mini lanterns and the pod on a stick looking one the best! Also some pretty smart design choices on the lantern, but its not nearly as bright as i’d hoped… more pics of all the details on the next page!

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Been obsessively shopping for solar lighting far too much the last few months ~ first as xmas gifts, and now for my patio space… so many look the same, and i was surprised how few clean modern options there were out there ~ also pricing was all over. Just noticed at MoCoLoCo that the new IKEA Summer 09 collection is on its way~ and after some IKEA site searching found all the new summer pieces here and all of the solar lights here! One nice thing about the IKEA selections, they all run on replaceable rechargeable batteries and use LEDs! Take a look at all of the fun designs on the next page ~ i can’t wait to play with some when they get into the stores!

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I was just looking for step stools, and got nostalgic thinking about those rolling ones from the libraries… and as i browsed the many colors of the classic Cramer Inc. Kik-Step Rolling Stools ~ i discovered that Kik-Step Stools had their turned 50 in 2007 (Cramer Inc. was founded in the 30’s) and there’s a special 50th Anniversary Library Edition Kik-Step Stool with quotes from classic literature molded into the non-skid tread!

The backstory behind this icon?

In 1940, Cramer sold its safe business, and in the 1950’s, expanded their product line to include rolling ladders and step stools. With Cramer’s capabilities in bending and stamping aluminum and steel, manufacturing ladders and stools was a natural extension of their existing products.

Cramer engineers invented the concept of the “ladder bell”, the retractable caster with a circular housing, that they placed on a ladder to protect the casters and ladder legs. A few years later, an engineer had the idea to make a life-size version of the ladder bell itself for use as a step stool. That idea eventually bore the Kik-Step®, the original rolling-step stool.

See more images of the Kik-Stools on the next page!

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Stingray by Thomas Pedersen for Federica Furniture… no it’s not new, and yes i’ve been obsessing over the black one since last night so needed to collect up pics and post it to see if that gets it out of my system. It reminds me of a sci-fi evolved version of the Eames Rocker… This was actually designed back in 2002 ~ as his graduation project from the Aarhus School of Architecture… fun fact: “The name of the chair derives from the stingray. The Danish word for stingray is “rokke” which sounds like the first part of the word “rock” in “rocking chair” and the shell does resemble a giant stingray moving across the seabed. But it was the functionality that came first, not the design.” and apparently even 6 years after its design it’s still winning awards? Interior Innovation Award Cologne, Germany, 2008 - Red Dot Design Award, 2008

I also love the images of this chair ~ while it is still interesting covered in fabrics or in bent wood or bent wood and leather… my favorite is definitely the black shell ~ pairing that rigid gloss surface with the texture of the sheepskin just looks so cozy! See more pics on the next page!

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Latest from Form Us With Love: Boat Life, Seafood collection for Sagaform inspired by the Swedish archipelago summer life. Isn’t it just so adorable and happy? I can just imagine building up a scene on the dining table with the set… big blue table runner or placemats for water, salad in the paper boat dishes… salt and pepper shakers bobbing along…. lighthouse carafe on the shore? Too cute ~ see the larger pics on the next page!

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