Want, now.

We have always been of the firm belief that a coffee table is not a suitable home base for one's backside, be it clothed or unclothed (preferably clothed). However, after seeing. Designer Akemi Tanaka's line of transformative wooden furnishings we may just soften our initial stance. There is more than meets the eye to the Tagei Coffee Table and the Futaba. While both are constructed of a sturdy Bamboo base, the former pulls out to mutate into a bench, while the latter unfolds from a table into a loveseat. Not only do these two eco-friendly, multi-faceted fixtures save you space, but their design is downright sleek. Just about the only downside to these living room transformers is that they don't turn into wooden friends who help fight other evil transformative wood furniture pieces. However, feel free to rename either one of these fellas “Optimus Table.”

Need some help adding a little extra power to that power suit? Or maybe just the power torn-jeans-and-t-shirt? There’s no time like the present to battle your personal kryptonite. And designer Roman Ficek’s Super hanger is sure to help. I can just imagine pulling a favorite jacket off the hanger on my way out the door to reveal this gleaming red symbol for truth, justice, and the American way. How very Clark Kent!

The Super hanger is available from Comunistar, a design group based in Slovakia.

An interesting and minimal twist on the floating bookshelf, the Deadgood Bookshelf utilizes a single simple wire. A cutout in one end is design to hold a single book upright; that book serves as a bookend to support its companions.

The Deadgood shelf is available in white, pink, and black powerdercoating and runs around $80. The fine folks also offer a sleek range of stools for your tush and limited edition art, available exclusively on their site. Check them out!

Via ATNY

–Danny Nathan

When I first heard about Dwell’s project and online miniseries, Building Green in Harlem, I had mixed reactions. At first I was nervous because, as a Harlem resident, I am hypersensitive to the various misinterpretations others have of the neighborhood. However, I was also glad that a nationally-distributed magazine decided to get involved with David Alan Basche and Alysia Reiner’s inspiring renovation. The masterminds behind the home office are Collective Four, a super-talented group of industrial design students at Pratt. My favorite part of the entire project are the nesting boxes used as well shelving; not only are they amazing to look at, but they they are made from Lyptus, a renewable material grown from eucalyptus trees. Steelcase, a company that specializes in environmentally conscious office furniture, donated the two chairs to complete the office. I am in awe of how the design process, which is documented in both a Flickr gallery and a blog documenting from the concept stages to the finished project. Now you’ll have to excuse me while I re-watch all seven episodes.

–Stephanie Young

You’ll have to excuse the light posting for today, as I’m heading back to ICFF momentarily. Before I do, though, I wanted to share some of the highlights of my filled trip on Saturday. Josh had warned me there would be a lot of “garbage” at the Javits Center (and indeed, there is) but I guess you can chalk my kid-in-a-candy store excitement up to first-timer enthusiasm. After the jump is a just a snippet of some of my favorite things from Saturday’s field trip, and I’ll be back later this evening and tomorrow with a veritable boatload of photos and stories.

If there’s someone there you think I should check out, hit me up on my Blackberry and I’ll swing by.
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Josh and Jamie know that I hate planes. Josh and Jamie also know I live in a shoebox apartment in Brooklyn, and am obsessed with finding storage solutions that meet my ridiculous standards for form, function and aesthetics. That being said, despite my borderline-phobia of flying, I wouldn’t think twice about putting one of these somewhere in my home. These aeroplane storage trolleys, repurposed by Stephen Boltz into what’s called a bordbar, are multipurpose storage units and fully customizable both inside and out for around 1200Euros a pop. Admittedly, I don’t speak German (that’s how the site is presented), but in any case, I’m totally smitten.

Finding a wine storage solution that combines environmental and pleasing aesthetic values has proven to be somewhat of a challenge for me…so much so that the “storage” situation basically consists of the 8+ bottles of wine we usually have on hand sitting on a shelf next to the coffee maker in our kitchen. This very well may change though, now I’ve come across Modern Cellar: a line of wall-mounted and freestanding wine furnishings crafted from reclaimed and sustainable wood, designed by wine enthusiasts, for wine enthusiasts with both functionality and beauty in mind. From the Mono Server which handsomly displays a single bottle and two glasses to the Sporadic Wall Panel that doubles as both art and storage, the clean and elegant lines are sure to fit right in, no matter your space or design situation is.