Maybe it's because I dread the Saturday morning visit to the dry cleaners the way some people dread the dentist, but I'm considering Miele's new W3033 washing machine (its most gentle cycle allows you to launder clothes formerly destined for the dry cleaner).
Above: The Miele W3003 WHR Machine is $1,999 from AJ Madison. It's possible to wash almost any garment in the Miele W3003; the gentlest cycle is easier on clothing than hand-washing, according to Miele.
An old-fashioned laundry chute is the ultimate household convenience; however, if you lack such a luxury, here's a roundup of laundry hampers that will do the trick.
Above: The Steele Square Carry Basket is available with a gray or natural leather trim in a variety of sizes; pricing begins at $63.65 from Steele Canvas.
Above: The Woven Hamper made from cattail grasses and recycled prayer mats is $145 from Brook Farm General Store.
Above: The Beckel 100 percent unbleached cotton canvas Hampers for the Laundress come in two sizes; the mini (16 inches high) is $32 and the regular (24 inches) is $36; a set of one mini and one regular is $60.
Above:The Marie Pi Laundry Hamper has a folding wooden frame that is easily stored when not in use; $210 from Emmo Home.
Above: The Laundry Box in cotton linen polyester is a great budget option; $27.50 from Muji.
Above: Wire Hamper with removable canvas laundry bag; $44.99 from Gracious Home.
Above: The Heavy-Duty Three-Bin Laundry Sorter on wheels is $59 from The Container Store.
Above: The Florence Wire Hamper on swivel casters with a cotton canvas liner is $149 from Pottery Barn.
Above: The lifetime-lasting Danish Vipp 441 Laundry Bin in stainless steel on rubber casters is $599 from DWR.
Above: A good budget choice is the Umbra Round Crunch Can; $19.99 from Gracious Home.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on Feb 19, 2008.
Our favorite Danish design outfit, Hay, has come out with a line of utilitarian products for the home; we're coveting them all.
Above: The new utilitarian collection from Hay.
Above: Fly Away Moth includes two pieces of cedar wood to hang in your closet to repel moths. They are 69 DKK via the Hay shop and £8.95 from Goodstead in the UK.
Above: A Shoe Brush Kit; 249 DKK from the Hay shop. Also available through Design Delicatessen for €33.
Above: A Feather Dustermade from ostrich feathers with a wooden handle is 129 DKK at the Hay shop. Also available through Design Delicatessen for €17. The Kitchen Scissor is available in two sizes and start at 29 DKK at the Hay Shop and for €4 through Design Delicatessen.
N.B.: For more cleaning accessories, see some of our 54 earlier posts.
When proprietors Serena Mitnik-Miller and Mason St. Peter of San Francisco's General Store opened shop, they put the Outer Sunset on the map. Now Hannah Henderson spiffs up Lincoln Boulevard with a Venice Beach outpost. As the branding creative (and owner of POP studio with partner John Moore) says, "To be honest, I had never really considered opening a store until I met Serena and Mason. I really loved what they had done with General Store, and I knew my community would appreciate it as much as I did." It turns out she was right.
Photography by Laure Joliet for Remodelista.
Above: Hannah Henderson in the Venice store. She and Moore collaborated with Serena Mitnik-Miller and Mason St. Peter, who is an architect, on the look and feel of the space.
Above: "General Store in Venice is a bit bigger, which allows us to bring in more product and bigger pieces," Henderson says. "Otherwise the two shops have a really similar feel. All of the local LA craftspeople we've discovered down here, we bring up to SF, and vice versa."
Above: The triangular shelving echoes the shelving in the SF General Store.
Above: Dressing room curtains are made from hand-dyed indigo and logwood shibori fabric by Lookout & Wonderland.
Above: Kelly Lamb bowls on display.
Above: Hanging ceramic planters from K+R.
Above: Henderson has added some LA favorites to the store's mix of local goods.
Above L: Handmade leather goods from Me & Arrow in Los Angeles.
Above L: A moon calendar designed by Margins Imprint with beads from Fredericks and Mae. Above R: The resident canine looking chic.
Above: The General Store is located at 1801 Lincoln Boulevard.
The simplest (and cleverest) bike storage system we've seen yet: wooden bike hooks from Fluoshop in Hamburg, Germany.
Designed by Sandra Thomson, the minimal wooden bike hooks are made of natural oak and are ideal for light sports bikes.
Above: The Wooden Bike Hook is €65 from Fluoshop via Etsy.
Above: The dowels are made from a standard light oak wood
Above: The bike hooks are made for light sports bikes and not for heavier bicycles.
Above: The long oak dowels are mounted with shelf supports.
Above: The set includes a pair of wooden bike hooks, two shelf supports with dowels, and assembly instructions.
Here's a roundup of clever room dividers, New Year edition:
Above: For a meeting space for a creative agency in Shoreditch, East London, Richard Shed and An Michiels devised a patchwork white oak lattice room divider; photo via Yatzer.
Above: A floating art-covered wall in a Copenhagen loft; via Trendland.
Above: A room divider made of dowels photographed by Mark Gregory Peters; spotted on Desire to Inspire.
Above: Open shelving as room divider, via OWI.
Above: Here's a clever idea for a room divider from Sidney-based Alwill Studio: a simple rope screen made with two wooden dowels (N.B. Morgan Satterfield provides a tutorial on how to make a similar room divider at The Brick House).
Noticed recently in the kitchen of Kinfolk editors Nathan and Katie Williams, a hanging fruit basket with a nautical edge.
Parting ways from the traditional 3-tier produce basket, Nathan and Katie, as Nathan explains, "bought the hanging scale from a local antique store in Lincoln City, fastened it to our ceiling with a circle hook and hung the metal basket for fruit and vegetables." We like the basket so much that we've sleuthed out similar materials to make one of our own.
Above: Photography by Caroline and Jayden of Woodnote Photography.
Above: Photography by Caroline and Jayden of Woodnote Photography.
Above: French Metal Basket with a wooden handle; €17 from Neëst.
Above: Source an Antique Hanging Scale like this Brass Hanging Scale by Landers, Frary, and Clark for $20 on Etsy.
Above: Fog Linen's simple Iron S Hook is £1.99 at Ruby Roost. The S Hook is $4.70 NZD from Father Rabbit. See more from our post: 5 Quick Fixes: S Hooks with Style.
N.B.: For more kitchen ideas, see all Kitchens in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.
Embarking on a fresh start in any stage of your life is a golden opportunity to reassess your living needs. Boston-based interior design firm Bunker Workshop demonstrates how good design makes the most of a 65-square-foot kitchen in an in-law flat.
For a couple in Duxbury, Massachusetts, who were relocating to the in-law unit of their daughter’s house, the primary challenge was to fit in a full kitchen, dining area, and workspace into 65 square feet of available space. Chris Greenawalt, the founding principal of Bunker Workshop, used a comment from the initial client conversation as the key driver to unlocking the puzzle. “The client mentioned how much he likes to watch his grandchildren play through the window,“ Greenawalt says. “I designed a desk that sits in front of the window, which can also roll out and transform into a wider dining table.” And from there, everything else fell into place.
Photography by Matthew Delphenich.
Above: Watching the grandchildren play through the window was a key driver of the design solution to this project.
Above: The tiny kitchen is slotted into a corner of the small space.
Above: Having spent much time in Italy, the clients had grown accustomed to living with drying racks above the sink and were prepared to forgo a dishwasher. Much to their delight, Greenawalt was able to provide both. "We were able to squeeze in both the drying racks and a dish drawer, " Greenawalt says. "I designed some drying racks to be built by our metal fabricator, but the cost was too high for the budget. Finally, I realized a much more cost-effective (and elegant) solution with standard steel grating."
Above: A cutting board inside a drawer provides extra counter space when required
Above: A green glass backsplash adds color and reflection to an otherwise all-white kitchen area. 
Above: "The Ohio Gratings Company did a wonderful job of fabricating, powder-coating, and delivering the drying racks and shelves for less than half the initial estimate," Greenawalt says.
Above: When not in use, the table sits in front of the window at the same depth as the kitchen cabinets and serves as a desk.
Above: The desk/table is rolled out in preparation for a meal.
Above: Once it's rolled out, the desk/table can be made wider than the counter depth by unlocking the additional leaves and swinging them up.
Above: The pantry and refrigerator face the cooking area.
Above: The plan of the the 65-square-foot kitchen area illustrates how the desk moves to the center of the room and becomes a dining table.
N.B.: Ingenious design solutions often come from living in small spaces. For more inspiration, see 1,842 Small Living images in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to hang up my clothes every night instead of flinging them around the room; perhaps these hooks will help.
N.B.: For the DIYers out there, see Instant Hooks Made from Blocks.
Above: The new Stick Hooks from Normann Copenhagen are €20 per pair directly from Normann Copenhagen.
Above: Molo's Cork Pegs work with a magnetic mounting system and have a weight-bearing capacity of 2.7 pounds when an item is hung from the end and 4.8 pounds when an item is hung from the middle; $50 for a set of two at the Molo Store.
Above: The Coatrack Dot Hooks by Atle Tveit and Lars Tornøe from Muuto are an instant design classic; a set of five variously sized hooks is $149 from Design Within Reach (also available in black or yellow).
Above: Brooklyn designer David Zachary's Hang Out Hook is made from salvaged wood; $!8; contact David Zachary for ordering information.
Above: Designed by Michael Marriott, a set of three MMM Doughnut Hooks is £19.95 from All Lovely Stuff.
Above: Designed by Sebastian Berge of beechwood, the Talking Heads Coat Hooks are $98 for a set of four (also available in colors) at A+R Store in LA.
Above: A set of five Beech Hooks from Manufactum is €10.
Above: Stem Hooks made of birch or alder come with screws and rawlplugs; $20.95 for two from Ferm Living.
Above: A set of three rustic Papi Luc Hooks is €30 from Papi Luc.
Above: Man Made DIY offers a tutorial on making your own DIY Faceted Wood Knobs.
Above: Available in boxes of a half dozen, UK designer Schofield's Coat Eggs are an amusing take on the traditional coat peg; designed and laid in Yorkshire. For more information, go Daniel Schofield Studio.
Boston-based chef and restaurateur Will Gilson grew up in rural Groton, Massachusetts, working on his family farm (four acres passed down through 13 generations) and restaurant, Herb Lyceum (he learned to cook on a 1920s Glenwood range and bake pastry standing a hutch with a built-in flour sifter).
So the recently opened Puritan & Company, Gilson's latest venture in Cambridge's Inman Square, pays homage to his own Mayflower heritage and a simpler dining tradition. A modern Luddite when it comes to dining, Gilson told the Boston Phoenix that one of his aims at Puritan & Co. is to "let people get a chance to be human beings again, not introverts toying around on their iPhones." With an interior of serene blues and pale wood, the restaurant, designed by Anthony Sparandara of ASK Design/Build, allows for an undisturbed dining experience (the restaurant derives its name from the Puritan Cake Company, which previously occupied the space). Go to Puritan & Co. for more information.
Photography by Rachel Leah Blumenthal (except where noted).
Above: Dark wood chairs mix with upholstered banquettes that run along the back wall.
Above: The restaurant's layout includes two communal tables that run down the center, standard dining tables on one side, and a long bar on the other.
Above: Gilson and sous chef Mike Sheehan serve up fresh clams. Photograph via Puritan & Co. on Facebook.
Above: Integral to New England cuisine: a seven-seat oyster bar mixes with the charcuterie bar.
Above: Puritan & Co. is accented with vintage items straight from Gilson's childhood farmhouse, like this 1920s Glenwood range.
N.B.: Looking for more blue-toned rooms? See 93 more Blue Dining Rooms in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.
An essential household item: the eminently useful, durable, aesthetically pleasing wire basket. Here's a roundup of our latest finds.
Above: French Metal Basket with a wooden handle; €17 from Neëst.
Above: Korbo Handmade Wire Basket; $135 from Design Within Reach.
Above: Wire Mesh Storage Basket; prices range from $29 for the rectangular tray to $59 for the large basket from West Elm.
Above: The Toscana Wire Basket is $39 from Pottery Barn.
Above: The Galvanized Clam Basket is currently on sale for $23.95 (down from $48) at Terrain .
Above: Assorted Wire Baskets; prices range from $50 for a set of two small baskets to $94 for a set of three large baskets from Mothology.
Above: The Pool Locker Basket from Restoration Hardware has a galvanized finish, which makes it suitable for outdoor use. The small basket is $39 and the large is $59.
Above: Square Wire Tray with handles by Fog Linen Work; AU$30 From Zuku Trading.
See more Storage.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on September 7, 2010.
Communication design studio 80/20 specialize in improving digital world, user experiences. If the user experience of their real world (their NY loft office space) is anything to go by, they must be good at what they do.
Their brief to NY designer Magdalena Keck (a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory) was straightforward and clear: Respect and build upon the architectural bones of the original loft while promoting creativity, teamwork, and play. The designer restored the openness of the loft, which had been chopped up by previous attempts to carve up the space, and removed several interior partitions as well as the boarding off of two of the four large windows. She then set about creating an open-plan work area that incorporates workstations and a variety of meeting spaces (including a floating conference room and an open plan kitchen); using the 3,320 square footage of the loft to its full effect.
Photography by Jeff Cate.
Above: The kitchen is in the center of the space and serves as a casual meeting spot and heart of the office.
Above: The entry to 80/20’s office features neon lettering on a dark gray wall. The 13-foot-high sliding conference room door in the background emphasizes the height of the loft.
Above: The length of the loft space includes open plan workstations, a floating conference room, a lounge area, and a kitchen. After the numerous interior partitions were demolished, the cast iron columns were restored to their former glory.
Above: The conference room partitions were constructed out of shipping paper tubes and glass.
Above: Customized vertically mounted fluorescent tubes by Viso hang from the ceiling of open lounge area. The furniture is by Cappellini, Suite NY, Environment, and Paola Lenti.
Above: Capo Chairs by Cappellini surround a coffee tables which is made of stacks of books strapped together supporting the glass top.
Above: Warm Front 2 prints by Norman Carlberg complete the neutral palette highlighted with black and white accents. The Antenna workstation by Knoll is paired with an Aeron chair by Herman Miller.
Above: The conference room features a custom square solid maple conference, an oversized lighting fixture, and marker paint walls. The conference room chairs are upholstered with a synthetic ecological material that closely resembles leather.
Above: The character of the loft was also preserved in the bathroom though the use of industrial plumbing fixtures, original wood floors, and tall floor bases.
N.B.: The open spaces of loft living can be liberating but daunting at the same time. To see other creative solutions of loft living, see 121 images of Lofts in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.
Belgium-based photographer Danica Kus shares winter images of one of our favorite barn renovations by Buro II/Buro Interiors, focusing on the relationship between the building and its surrounding West Flanders landscape of rolling hills near the sea.
“Photographing the same house in two different and contrasting seasons, summer and winter, was a unique experience for me," Kus says. "The landscape of West Flanders is beautiful, poetic, and nostalgic. At first glance, the Barn House is a modest structure that is sited unobtrusively into its surroundings, and does not prepare you for the delights you discover as you step into the living room and immerse yourself into the middle of a Flemish Master’s landscape painting.”
Photography by Danica O. Kus.
THE BARN IN WINTER
Above: "In winter, the Barn House and landscape is white and sleeping, quiet and dreamy; magical like a Brueghel painting," Kus says.
Above: The house retains its previous barn profile as evidenced by the existing barn structure behind.
Above: The porch is extruded from the barn and provides views of the surrounding rural landscape.
Above: Raising the large shutters provides protection from inclement weather and opens up expansive views of the landscape.
Above: "The transparency of the wall and the almost monochrome interior gave me the feeling of freedom and connection to nature," Kus says. A black anthracite poly-concrete floor was poured over the entire length of the house and contrasts with the brightness of the snow.
Above: Interior designer Rita Huys and interior architect Anne-Mie Vermaut created a neutral background with simple details, in deference to the starring role of the landscape.
Above: The bedroom is separated from the bathroom by a wall of crystal glass devoid of color. A simple white curtain suspended from a stainless steel curtain creates privacy.
Above: Reflections of the winter trees can be seen in the bathroom mirror.
Above: The unobtrusive house has varying degrees of transparency centered around its relationship to the landscape.
Above: From a distance, the house itself becomes part of the romantic Flemish landscape.
THE BARN IN SUMMER
Above: The barn renovation is by the Belgian architectural and interior design office, BURO II/BURO Interior.
Above: The summer view of the surrounding landscape from the porch. The various outside spaces designed by landscape architect Eric Dhont, including herb garden, vegetable garden and a field of flowers, can be reached by concrete stepping stones.
Above: The summer light affects the bedroom differently from the winter light.
Above: In the summer, the bathroom mirror reflects a different picture to the bare winter trees.
N.B.: Our love affair with Belgian design is no secret. For more, see 1,166 posts of Belgian Design.
Montreal-based design studio Objets Mecaniques calls itself a "slow design laboratory"; we especially like a recently completed wooden storage headboard ("made with a lot of walnut and love," as they say).
In addition to special projects like the storage headboard, the studio sells smaller objects such as cutting boards and window boxes made from local and reclaimed materials. "Each object we sell is handmade and aims to celebrate the charm of tiny flaws, which are inherent to craftwork, such as a remarkably weird wood grain or subtle scars left by the work of time on old materials."
For more information, go to Objets Mecaniques.
Above: A shelf over the bed functions as a display area.
Above: A side view of the headboard with hidden storage shelf.
Above: The storage bed is perched on gracefully tapered legs.
The holiday decorations might be down, but you can still add a little color and warmth to the home (and the bed) with these blankets.
Above: Striped Wool Blankets; $348 for a queen; $180 for a throw from Coyuchi.
Above: Swan's Island, a perennial favorite, offers a Solid Indigo Blanket that is hand loomed in Maine with all natural indigo dye; $625 for a queen; $850 for a king.
Above: Navy Wool Blanket with red panel made from Canadian virgin wool; $245 from Brook Farm General Store.
Above: Pendleton Eco Wool Blanket in a choice of gray and persimmon from Schoolhouse Electric. Available in three sizes: $135 for a twin; $190 for a queen; $208 for a king size.
Above: Tonal Mohair Wool Blanket;£145 from Toast.
Above: Double Sided Wool Blanket in lime-purple, orange-pink, and gray brown. The reversible blanket is £170 from Re-found Objects.
For more, see our previous post:: 10 Easy Pieces: Winter Wool Blankets.
An old stalwart, the porcelain light socket, reimagined by Los Angeles design group Commune in a range of colors. We're tempted to switch out our own white sockets for the gray version.
Above: The Commune Light Socket in black; $45 directly from Commune.
Above: The sockets in green and black.
Above: The sockets in gray and red.
Radiant floor heating is on my ultimate wish list; in the meantime, a friend turned me on to a nifty quick fix solution: heated floor mats placed under area rugs to create zones of coziness.
My friend's studio is located in a large, drafty barn; to see her through the winter, she uses a low tech (and admittedly unglamorous) heated floor mat that plugs into the wall and is similar to an electric blanket for the floor. Cozy Winters offers Rug-Heat mats; prices run from $149 to $299, according to mat size, which range from two by three feet to five and a half by eight feet.
Above: My home office features a tiled floor that is wonderfully cool in the summer but rather cold in the winter. I'm considering adding a warming mat underneath the jute rug.
I firmly believe the secret to a great bed is a mattress topper. While I love a good hard mattress (attribute it to years visiting ryokans in Japan and sleeping on the floor), I also love the sensation of sinking into a bed. Years ago, I invested in a thick down mattress topper, and I've slept comfortably ever since.
All sizes quoted are for a standard king topper but are also available in twin, full and queen sizes.
Above: The Down Mattress Topper is a luxury option filled with European white goose down covered with cotton twill with nine baffle boxes; $725 from Anichini.
Above: Another plush option, made from goose down, the Ultimate Baffled Square Down Featherbed is $479 from the Company Store.
Above: A budget option: the Down-On-Top Featherbed has a cotton cover with duck feather and down fill; $219 from Target.
Above: The Organic Merino Wool Topper is a chemical-free mattress topper designed for those with allergies to down feathers and polyester fibers, covered in certified organic cotton jacquard; $498.99 from Sleepy's.
Above: The double-sided pure Merino Wool Mattress Topper has a soft hypoallergenic filling and comes with elastic corner straps to slip onto the mattress. The Super King (American king size) is £219.
Do you have a favorite mattress topper? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Check out our Bed Linens.
The bedroom is the most personal space in a home (and potentially the most luxurious, if sleep is a priority). In this roundup of bedrooms from the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory, we visit a range of approaches. For some architects and designers, it's about the purity of the space, where the architecture takes the top note; for others, it's more about the soft finishes and the actual art of making a good bed. To see more spaces, visit the Bedroom Gallery on the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.
Above: Chicago designer Kara Mann mixes soft white textures from sheer bed curtains and drapes to an Hermes mohair throw to create a modern and luxurious bedroom. For more see Modern Glamor with Kara Mann. Photo by Adam Heneghan.
Above: New York architect Steven Harris takes advantage of the natural bright light in Croatia, creating a crisp bedroom by the seaside with a few colorful and textural highlights. Photo by Scott Frances.
Above: Brooklyn based designer Elizabeth Roberts sets the bed against a feature wall in a Park Slope townhouse.
Above: The corner of the master bathroom is visible from the master bedroom, allowing both rooms to take advantage of the natural daylight which streams through the windows of this Fifth Avenue loft by Murphy, Burnham & Butrrick Architects. We particularly like the way the stone from the bathtub forms the nightstand. Photo by Peter Aaron/Esto.
Above: In this Crosby Street loft by Deborah Berke Partners, the bed on wheels becomes a mobile "room." Photo by Catherine Tighe.
Above: This tree house bedroom by Specht Harpman Architects is a loft-like box that sits within a reconstructed Connecticut dairy barn. The rafters in the barn extend into the bedroom and form the headboard composition. Photo by Michael Moran.
Above: Sheer blinds diffuse the light, creating peace and calm in the bedroom of a London flat by Openstudio Architects. For more, see Loft Living in a London Victorian.
Above: Live-edge tree slabs are used to form both the bed's platform and headboard, adding an organic note to this Miami Beach townhouse bedroom by Magdalena Keck Interior Design. Photo by Jeff Cate.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on November 6, 2011.
Whenever Juli and John of Kitka Design in Toronto make a design pronouncement or a product endorsement, we take note. Their favorite purchase? A bed from Swedish company Carpe Diem. Here's what Juli and John say:
"Never. Slept. Better. We are shocked at how different this bed is from all previous experiences. We love its simplicity (no need to buy a frame and headboard) and the fact that Carpe Diem uses only natural materials (it has the Swan Eco-Label Certification). The pine used in the base is from sustainable forests in the northernmost part of Sweden, and the tongue-and-groove corner construction means no glue or nails are used.
"We love that Carpe Diem beds are customizable; you can pick from five fabric choices (we picked light gray) and 11 types of legs (we picked birch). We went for the basic Koster model but upgraded the top mattress to the Exclusive, which has a cotton-filled summer side and a wool-filled winter side. Finally, we love that it has a 25-year warranty."
For dealer information, go to Carpe Diem.
Above: The beech legs on John and Juli's bed are 9 inches high (the legs are available in different heights).
Above: The beds are completely handcrafted by one artisan, from start to finish.
Above: Carpe Diem bed coverings are available in five different shades—beige, light gray, dark gray, dark brown, and black.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on September 17, 2010.
