Every week I review hundreds of blog posts from a large variety of sources covering topics from furniture design and industrial design to architecture and do-it-yourself. It is my goal to spread the word about good design and to bring my readers practical information and inspiration for their home. That being said, I often find myself scratching my head at some of the most bizarre and down-right stupid ideas people develop. Good for them to try (I guess) but some of these designers must have incredible egos. I often find myself yelling out loud, “Get over yourself!” Here are some head scratchers I found this past week.

Metal Ring Bench

This one honestly looks painful. This is one of the first images I saved and I am not exactly sure of its origins. I am pretty sure this design falls under the category of “art” but what do you think is being expressed here? Is this a piece done to expose the real truth about the exploitation of metal rings? Maybe it was done as an ad for the burbon this man is drinking? “The most uncomfortable bourbon in the world?”

Get Some Cabinets

Wow! The visual clutter and pinball going on here is more than my eye can take. This is why people invented cabinets. Two comments: 1. Does a giant live there and if not, how do they get the pots down from the ceiling? 2. How many knives of similar cut and shape does one cook need? Too much for the eye to take. If I feel cluttered in my home now, I could not image living in this house!

Remember the “Snorkels”?

The snorkels called and want their house back

The disposition of the man in this image says exactly what I was thinking…”What the hell is this?”. I am wondering what the practical use of that long white “neck” is for? Looks like the “body” of the bench as a place for storage so perhaps the “neck” is storage for re-bar or yard sticks? Wait, no, I get it, perhaps it does irrigation for the lawn as well? See how the neck appears to be pointing out the window?

Wooden Box

Cool, wooden boxes with colored lids for $30 a pop. I am inspired now! And they hold pencils too!

Obviously this is all very subjective but this is my blog and it is about time I speak my mind! I hope you have fun with this and future posts. There is a lot of information out there to support this feature so keep in touch regulary. Hopefully it will bring some humor and levity to some artistic folk who, well…just need to get over themselves. Remember, just becasue you can do it does not mean you have to!

criticism · dumb · Furniture · Interior Design

In one of our recent twitter posts we shared this image of creative wall treatment and shelving shown in the image below that came to us via design milk.

The “Front and Back” Apartment by h2o Architects

This design got us thinking more about artistic treatments for our walls and how the line between function, art and organization gets blurred. We are always looking for creative ways to display and decorate our home and we were wondering what other creative shelving ideas are out there? We did a little digging and found the following:

• WOKmedia’s Between Lines shelf is a unique (and wordy) alternative to a traditional wooden bookshelf. The black stainless steel is coated with rubber and it has the ability to be re-shaped in a variety of ways to fit your desires (via designmilk).
• A whimsical and fun sideboard inspired by movement, energy and fairytales by designer Jenny Walsh (Ireland) via designspotter.
• Lili Lite is a reading light, a bookmark and a bookshelf combined into one smart product – A sensor turns off the light when an open book is placed on the shelf. When the book is picked up again, the light automatically turns on.
  

  Lili Lite

Obviously, these are only a few samples. If you want to see more, you have to check out this fantastic post by Home Interiors Zone on 31 Modern and Creative Bookshelves. This post is fantastic and will give you ideas to take your interior design to the next level.

Interior Design · Shelves

Ok. So when I decided to write on this topic I never expected it to become a tree part series. Again, my dedication and practice of Feng Shui is almost none but the topic does interest me. Trying to sync with nature to create positive energy is a unique point of view and warrants some exploration.

We already covered a brief history of Feng Shui and even looked at how Disney implemented it (culturally sensitive application) when it came to Disneyland Hong Kong. But how can we apply it to our everyday life? How can we make small upgrades to our organizing habits that can create more positive energy flow?

Things you can do in your home with Feng Shui:

• Clear Out the Clutter, get rid of everything you do not need. Easier said than done but you really need to take time to address what you need at this point in your life and get over what you think you may need some day. Clearing the clutter will lighten the load and make you feel so much better.
• Improve the Air and Light in your home. These two elements are essential for good Chi, or feng shui energy in your home. Add plants to your home and get as much natural light as possible.
• Study and implement the Five Elements. Learn what the 5 elements do and see how you can pull that into your home. For example, read up on the element of Water and what it can do for you.
• Find Out Your Feng Shui Birth Element and create a home to support your personal feng shui element. For example, if your own element is Fire, you need to introduce the expressions of Fire feng shui element, such as Fire element colors (red, orange, purple, yellow), triangular shapes, etc.
• Always Be Mindful of the State of Your Home and how the energy in your home influences your well-being. Make a habit of paying close attention to the so-called feng shui “triangle” that is deeply connected to your health – your bedroom, your bathroom and your kitchen.
• Look at the Feng Shui “Bagua” and define your home. By taking a quick look at this you can determine which areas of your home are connected to energy flow (good or bad).

On a simpler level, always think about the colors in your home and how they not only influence your personal taste but how the fit into your “bagua”.

Turns out that implementing Feng Shui into you home may not be such a bad idea. This practice can help us turn chaos into order which will lead to more positive energy. Feng Shui teaches us the spaces we live and work should be carefully considered in an effort to achieve maximum balance and harmony.

By organizing our environment randomly, we do not take control of how it affects us and give it the chance to become an obstacle without even realizing of it. Feng shui teaches us that the spaces where we live or work should be thoughtfully disposed in order to take the best advantage of them and make them be a help to us rather than an obstacle.

Resources

• Wikipedia on Feng Shui
• American Feng Shui Institute
• Why is there a focus in bringing out the old and in with the new?
• 2010 Feng Shui Updates
• Bad Bedroom Feng Shui

Feng shui · Home · Organizing